Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul Volume 2

Title: Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 2

 Tokyo Ghoul Volume 2 takes us into the world of life as a Ghoul. In the last volume, we watched Ken Kaneki’s transformation into the first half-human, half-ghoul. Now he must figure out how to co-exist and survive in both worlds. His first step is taking up a job at the coffee house run by the Ghouls. Through his work he is able to meet other Ghouls and learn more about his new body. He also discovers that he is not the only Ghoul who cannot hunt. Others stop by the shop to get packets of food or a private room to eat their meals. The secret-but-not-so-secret lifestyle of the Ghouls reminds me a bit of Baccano! The art style also channels the same type of charm.

In this volume, we are introduced to an interesting plot-twist. When Ken is sent to a cyber-punk looking Ghoul for an identify concealing mask, he learns that living as a Ghoul isn’t just about managing hunger and blending in with humans. Ghouls have a real problem lurking – police investigators who don’t discriminate between conscientious Ghouls and impulsive, violent ones. The Ghoul investigators will not hesitate to kill anyone they identify as a Ghoul. We see this first hand when Ken has the misfortune to witness an investigator murdering a friendly Ghoul on a public side walk, creating a spectacle for human onlookers. After witnessing this, Ken decides he needs to learn how to fight and unleash the “kagune” he inherited from Rize. To see exactly how much fear it takes for Ken to let his kagune out, Touka puts him in a deadly situation…

Final Word:

I really enjoyed this second volume. Tokyo Ghoul is a page-turner that will make you miss your stop on the subway. I am saying this from experience. In fact, I think this is a series I need to read while I’m at home simply to keep myself from getting lost on public transportation. I haven’t read a manga that kept me captivated like this since reading Death Note. The plot is enjoyable and well written. I haven’t discovered any holes in the story and I don’t feel the need to flip back and forth to try to understand something. The illustrations are clean and easy to follow and contain the right amount of detail. This manga doesn’t overload or overwhelm and will prove addictive to anyone who enjoys this genre.

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**This item was provided for review.