Live and protect her <3

Based on Tokyo Ghoul:re chapter 132!

Beautiful Scars

Summary:  Kaneki is regretful of the 2 scars he's caused Touka; one on her shoulder where Ayato bit, and the other below her belly.

Word Count: 1003

Rating: Teens and Up

Genre: Fluff

It's been 7 months since Ichika was brought safely into this world, was what Kaneki Ken thought as he watched his beautiful wife leave his arms, get out of bed and pulled her t-shirt off before dropping it onto the floor. The sight of the long scar line along her right shoulder blade brought a frown to his face and he left the bed to make his way towards her.

Touka felt her husband's arms encircle her waist when she was looking for a new shirt to wear and she stood up straight with a smile hanging from her lips. Her hands rested on his and she leaned back against his chest. "What's wrong?"

"I just...saw your scar on your back when you came to rescue me from Aogiri. You wouldn't have gotten it if you didn't go there. I'm sorry." He apologized, kissing her shoulder, right on their marriage mark.

She squeezed his hands and sighed. "We've gone over this already, haven't we, Ken? I don't think it's your fault. I went there because I wanted you back."

Burying his face into her shoulder, he bit his lip and his words came out shaky. "If I weren't so weak and got captured, you wouldn't have gotten injured in my place. You wouldn't have met Ayato and wouldn't have suffered. It must have been so painful to have your Kagune ripped out and eaten."

The female felt his hands roam down her belly and pressed against the horizontal scar that laid there. "This too. If I haven't made the decision of you getting the C-section during Ichika's birth, you wouldn't have this scar either."

-Flashback to 7 months ago-

The doctors knew something was wrong when Touka's labor exceeded 12 hours and after they checked, they realized that her life would be in danger if she continued the labor. By then, she was already crying and sweating buckets with an incredibly exhausted expression on her face. Kaneki was by her side the entire time, squeezing her hand and telling her things to encourage her.

But it was at that time they told Kaneki to choose; whether he would save his wife or his daughter. His heart pummeled to the bottom of his ribcage when he was told that and he looked to his wife for an answer with pleading eyes. Touka shook her head, tears falling out of her eyes and squeezed his hand. "No. Save Ichika..!"

"B-But what about you, Touka?!" Kaneki protested, tears brimming in his eyes as well.

She tried her best to smile, despite being absolutely exhausted. "I'll be fine. You know I'm tough."

"I don't want to lose you or Ichika!"

"Ken!"

He flinched when she shouted his name.

"Choose Ichika." Touka smiled.

With the doctors and nurses rushing him for an answer, he blinked back his tears and shook his head at his wife. "I'm sorry." He already had his answer and turned to the doctor. "Please save my wife."

"No! Ken!" Touka screamed.

The doctor nodded grimly at his answer and he had to watch the entire process of them cutting her below her belly and pulling Ichika out. When the nurses wrapped her in a towel, Kaneki and Touka had to hold their breaths because Ichika wouldn't breathe.

"She's not breathing.." Touka mumbled, tears in her eyes.

Kaneki placed his finger onto Ichika's tiny hand. "Please breathe, Ichika..!"

It has been a long and painful 10 seconds until they heard the child scream and cry. Both parents sighed in relief and looked at each other with teary eyes.

-Flashback over-

"That was because the doctors warned that my life would be in danger if I continued to give birth the normal way. I know I was mad at you for a certain period of time after that but I understand that it was a hard decision for you to make. It was either Ichika or me. While I prioritized Ichika, you prioritized me. If you had chosen the normal birth, Ichika and I wouldn't be here right now. Thinking back now, I'm glad you made that decision, Ken."

"Still...I'm sorry." He leaned down to kiss the scar at her shoulder blade while his fingers touched the c-section scar.

"If you want to do it that way, let me just say we're equal." Touka turned around to face her husband and cupped his cheeks. She caressed the cheek which had the scar he got from dragon and gazed lovingly at him with a smile. "You got this because you tried to protect us. Me, Ichika and everyone you cared about. Your body scars too. Even though they can't be healed, I don't mind since they're proof of your selfless actions. Your scars and you are beautiful."

Every time she tells him that, he would tear up and say that it's not true. But today, feeling slightly better after the million times she's told him already, he smiled hesitantly at her, making his eyes crinkle. "I wish you could say the same about yourself. You're beautiful too, even with your scars. They're proof that you survived the worst."

Her nose wrinkles in disbelief and she shook her head. "Me, beautiful? Nah. I'm just a plain girl."

Kaneki proceeded to pepper kisses on her forehead, temple, cheeks, nose and finally on her lips. "You are beautiful in every way."

"..no."

He frowned. "Why won't you believe so?"

"I'm just not beautiful. I honestly still don't see why you love me. You always say that I'm beautiful inside out. But I don't get the 'outside' part. I'm not pretty."

He took her hand and led her back to bed. Getting her to lie on her back, he got on top of her and kissed her. "I'll show you."

Touka smiled and threw her arms around his neck. "Promise that you'll show me every day?"

Kissing her on her c-section scar, he raised his head and intertwined their fingers with a wide grin on his face. "I promise."

Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 162 Review

At last, we have the answer to Furuta’s plan. Well, that’s what I want to say, but Ishida decided to pull a bait and switch the focus. On one hand, it’s a shame that we have to wait for another time to understand Furuta and V’s motive. On the other hand, the chapter does deliver more theories and questions that may result to a new direction for the next part of the series. Most importantly, it also delivers an emotional roller coaster with blissful character developments and heartwarming reunions.

Let’s focus on the emotional trip first before raveling on the new twists and turns that was dropped by certain characters. This is one of the best emotional pieces that I have read from this series and the character doesn’t have to die to make it happen. Kaneki is not dead since his brain is still active, which is not really a vegetable state as well. It doesn’t remove the sorrow however. The scene has the atmosphere of mourn or funeral with sleeping Kaneki being watched by his loved ones as they all grief and stay around; waiting for a friend to wake up one day.

We’ll talk about more about his condition later, because the starting point of friends gathering begins with Kimi. As I said in my last chapter review, Kimi wasn’t celebrating because of Kaneki. True, there’s also more to it as well, but she personally wants to save him because she owes him her life. What a woman she truly has become. Seriously, I thought she was just a love interest, but she has grown significantly. From there on, you can argue on which character or moment is the best of the reunion all day, but all of them are special.

Touka was left alone as Hide goes out to check on the perimeter, which leaves a complete reunion of Kaneki’s Ghoul friends. Nishiki’s part is short and sweet with his way to show his grief. He does like to run his mouth, but because Kaneki is in a coma, he cannot; that expression speaks volume. It was reassuring to see Hinami again, along with Banjou and his friends, whom I don’t recall seeing them in a long time. I got to admit, it was pretty sad to see Hinami with one leg. I don’t know if she can regenerate her leg, but it’s still heartbreaking to see her in that condition. Regardless, she is happy to see her big brother alive and that’s good enough for me to warm up.

Shuu is always the best when dealing with strong friendship. The flowers with the definition of never forget is so like him, and it was touching to say the least. The man truly has class. It’s good to know that Miza is in good condition; joining along with Ayato and Yomo, who are just standing by the door. It’s still sad that Naki died; unable to rejoice with everyone as a family.

In fact, I really adore this scene to be more of like a family reunion; similar to like when a person dies, all old friends and family members reunited in one room. It somewhat has an undertone of a wake, but it also captures the deep connection that Kaneki was struggling to find. It makes the theme of his character wonderfully rewarding; so long Ishida doesn’t tarnish that but you know him. This is true happiness that he should not lose.

Although it is arguable on which scene has it best, my personal favorite reunion is with Saiko and she is a bona fide definition of a charming little angel. First of all, she is fine, though it is left on anyone’s guess on her status, whether she’s a Ghoul or a Human. The answer may wait a while, but this moment is what matters the most. I purposely emphasized the reunion to be filled with Ghoul because it plays a subtlety mention that Saiko is friend with Kaneki as a Human. What makes it brilliant is how Akira and Amon bumps to her, wondering if she’s going in or not. They didn’t think anything but wanting to see him because he is their friend. No status would separate that fact.

It’s actually impacting for Touka welcomed them with no grudge or anything; this series seriously came a long way. Saiko immediately approaches to Kaneki, which is sweet since she was behind Amon and Akira in the first place. It really hits the top emotional level when Saiko looks at Kaneki and lays her head on him; wanting to be by his side. “Maman” somehow got me whimpering... It’s really emotional with that one panel of everyone standing by his side. Ishida has been on point on the artwork display of deep emotions running high. It is sublime.

As for the other Qs Squad, I really like how Ishida is handling Mutsuki’s road to redemption so far. She understood her action deemed as unforgiveable; enough for her to lose any right to make amend with those who she has hurt. Thankfully, Ishida didn’t brush everything under the rug and let the consequences and regrets elaborated and understandable. Then, we have Urie, who has to be on top 5 best characters if there’s a new popularity poll.

Honestly, this is my personal favorite part of the chapter and it is simply incredible. If you somehow, someway for whatever reason don’t see Urie as a great character, this chapter can make you into a believer. He has grown to an amazing height of his character. I like how he calmly and gently tells Mutsuki to meet Kaneki to start strong on her redemption; otherwise, she won’t progress. He evolves so well that I can cry right about now. The best part is his character reflection since that moment when Kaneki harshly told him the moral of strength.

I always thought the advice he gave was not really wrong, but not really the best to follow. Thankfully, Urie finally blurts out that it did affect him but not made him. I seriously love this piece of writing of how he simply recaps his life after Shirazu’s death and while it helped him to get stronger, he thought it was wrong. It leaves to great written dialogues to convey deep meanings behind it.

We don’t need a long reel of flashbacks because we know what he has gone through and each of the moments matches perfectly. It describes his character from his painful start to his wonderful ongoing person that shaped him perfectly. The last development he had is reflected here in a powerful meaning. He owed everyone for saving him; he just hadn’t noticed it. That can fall to anyone in real life; we can be blinded to see what we have is helpful and beautiful. God bless him, he has seen it and he will cherish it to the end.

That takes care of the emotional side, it’s time for another round of theories and a new what the hell revelation. To begin with, Kaneki’s body is now a mystery. It is said that it’s no longer resemble to a human, which makes it harder to read the problem. I feel like that’s a sign of what’s happening to those who is subjected to Dragon; case in point, Rize. It’s still not determined if Rize from last chapter is the old but newly made or fragment of Kaneki’s thought, but if we go by Kimi’s theory, it might be the former.

She sheds the light that the nucleus is the source for Dragon to move, but since he’s removed, it died out. The problem is that at a different ward from the first, it is still standing. Her theory is that each spot has its own nucleus to function, rather than one main source that was Kaneki. This would make sense on why Rize was born or whatever in the last chapter. Furuta had a nucleus in him and purposely gets eaten, so he can awaken her. If so, that would mean other nucleus are being used, right? It would suggest that someone else is about to be newly born as well. Who? I got some ideas but maybe I will wait until next chapter.

The megaton bomb is dropped here and this makes the whole path very interesting yet confusing. It was good to see the CCG to discuss the thought of working together with Ghoul, though confliction still stands. It’s not going to be that simple, but leave it to Furuta, because he’s about to make Tokyo into Ghoul City.

Hirako recalls Arima’s warning that is still puzzling and one would think Dragon was it. It turns out it wasn’t that. While others are joking with his uneasiness, Hirako looks pretty worried on what he’s about to say. Arima’s message is that every single human would turn into a Ghoul. That is a hell of chilling words that is sadly happening now.

I assume that Arima learned this from being part of V Organization. If that’s the case, this could explain that Dragon was green lit by them rather Furuta went out of his way to do it behind their back. Hirako and presumably Arima didn’t know how but know that’s the plan. It is hard to understand their agenda at this point. Why would they create a city of only Ghoul? All this time, did they want a One-Eyed Ghoul for this plan rather than eliminate the obstacle? Again, what happened to the first Dragon incident exactly? This really confuses me.

Marude is seeing drastic change of Tokyo with human turning into a ghoul. It finally hits him; what if the Dragon monster is only a bluff and it has another body? If we go back to the theory, it could mean each of them has their own host. It’s confusing but I do believe we will get many answers before the part ends. We are definitely far from over. What’s not over is Kaneki as he surprisingly wakes up. This is great yet very puzzling. I want to rejoice, but something tells me things aren’t exactly normal. Why wake up now and what about his body? Ishida, what is your plan?

This may not be the chapter you were waiting for when it comes to Rize, but this sheds more theories to her awakening. That said it contains very emotional scenes of old and new friends reunion, wonderful result of a character development, and the ending that could be a miracle but perhaps not. I tried not to be optimistic for a happy ending, but dammit I need it. Something is about to go down…

re: [quest] Chapter 4 “sponse”

Hello!! This chapter is about Hori Chie and Tsukiyama Shuu and is very cute (happy birthday the other day, 2/25, to Hori, btw!!)♥

This post has Part 1 of the chapter in full under the cut (mainly for mobile users). The next parts are underway and I’ll do my best to keep things organized to link up.

Click here for my compilation of translations of the light novel re:quest

Finally, a disclaimer: I’d encourage anyone invested in the Tokyo Ghoul series to buy the official copies of this light novel and any official translations when they are released in your area to support the authors and publishers.

Thanks everyone for your patience and don’t hesitate to send me corrections/suggestions/asks and messages! – koko♥

Chapter 4: Sponse Part 1 Part 2 TL: Occasionally Tsukiyama throws in English or French words when he’s speaking. Anything that’s written in Roman letters in the original Japanese text will be bolded to indicate that it’s in another language. All other emphatic markings are for conveying regular emphasis.

   “Alright, now take a picture, of me!”    “Nahh,” Hori replied, and the conversation was over in 3 seconds. She was watching through the coffee shop’s big windows at the shopping street where people came and went, housewives buying things for dinner and hoisting bulky eco-bags on their shoulders.    Hori looked like an uncomfortable elementary school student in the chic and relaxed coffee shop where she sat. However, inside, she was already at the level of a college student. Well, actually, she almost never went to college, as she roamed from east to west as a “free camera-man” with her camera, her one hobby, always by her side.

    “Well, seems we’re done around here,” Hori said, standing just as she finished eating her parfait.    “Wait, Hori!” She paused. What made her stop was the man with a well-arranged appearance, somewhat like a model, and a voice that if you walked through town you could take to be from an entertainment industry – the man most annoying in the eyes of someone like Hori – Shuu Tsukiyama.    A man who was always prideful and focused on attention from his surroundings – marked by the [CCG] with the title “gourmet” ghoul, he really didn’t have much of an understanding of the world.    Indeed, the situation of such a ghoul known as Tsukiyama, having a face-to-face conversation with the human Hori Chie, was one you wouldn’t find anywhere else. Due to the strange situation, the two pretended to be high school students simply going out to the local coffee shop.    In high school, Hori’s evaluation of Tsukiyama’s pride did not come from second-hand gossip, but from her own deep curiosity about his differences from others. It came from her simple thought “well, this looks interesting” as she peered through her camera’s viewfinder. The result of which, it turned out, was her taking pictures of the gourmet ghoul’s predatory scene. One thing leading to another, this resulted in a pretty strange relationship.    Today, like most others, since a while ago, Tsukiyama had gone on and on about some favor he wanted to ask, and since Hori couldn’t exactly refuse as it became more and more annoying, well, here she was.    “Hori! Why on such a whim? It’s a favor from an old friend, so just sit for a bit and tell me what you want to eat, you little mouse.”    “Tsukiyama-kun, you always treat people like pets, don’t you? Hot cake.”    “Haha, so you were aware of being my pet! That lady right there, let’s ask her for a most supreme hot cake!” With that, Tsukiyama snapped his fingers and signaled the female server across the room. While Hori sat back down, he suddenly exclaimed, “Hori! Listen until the end of what I’m saying. This is business.”    “Business, huh?”    Hori had finished her drink, and with her straw, clinked around the milkshake’s ice at the bottom of her glass. With nothing better to do, Hori went back to listening.    “That’s right. In fact, this time, I want you to go to a villa.”    Hori released the straw and tilted her head. “Huh?”    Tsukiyama sighed. “Have I at last both been thrown away by Kaneki-kun and become dismissed by you?”    He, always pursuing some gastronomic meal to satisfy the tongue itself, was fascinated and obsessed with this one-eyed half-ghoul named Kaneki Ken.    Even after having had a relationship with Tsukiyama for a while, Hori had never before seen him stick to a single ingredient in such a way. Even now, he was working hard to earn Kaneki’s trust, but Hori believed he was still just trying to eat him. Since he was separated from his precious villa, Hori wondered if Kaneki was finally disgusted and had kicked Tsukiyama out.    “Haha! That’s nothing, nonsense. I am his dagger, and my heart is always his bedside.”    “You’ve prepared everything up to your house but everyone’s being removed from your circles?”    “If you were the patron like me, would you be concerned about everyone? This is a taste of being god.”    “I’m full. That story sounds long so I’m gonna go home”    “Wait wait, food is something that should be enjoyed at your leisure. Would you like some kind of after-tea?”    Hori sighed. “My orange juice is fine.”    With this Tsukiyama let out a cough and returned to what he was saying.    “I have a garden party at my villa on my next holiday, and I’m supposed to give a speech. I want you to put capture it with your camera.”    “Wha…?”    Tsukiyama was a ghoul of a respectable family, the descendent of the Tsukiyama Group that everyone had heard of at least once.    “Along with that, although this will be a surprise, I’m thinking of expressing everyday gratitude towards the servants in the house. To leave memories, you know?”    The Tsukiyama family, of course employees included, had a large number of people. I knew it, Hori thought, as she ate the hot cake that had finally arrived. The aspect of self-righteous egoism is often looked down on, but consideration for things one likes or for one’s self is fine, as such things have the potential to help one feel better in their own skin.    “Of course, you’ll be compensated. How is it, Hori? You’ll take the job, right?”    As a reply, Hori only groaned, “you really are annoying.”    “Haaaaaahn?!”    At Tsukiyama’s desolate voice, Hori said, “I’m not interested.”    Hori's photography activities were actually quite selfish. When she thought about taking photographs of an event of such high social value, she realized that would mean taking pictures with no real substance, and only taking work for the value of money. She definitely wasn’t one to be so influenced by money.    Right now she wasn’t in the mood to take pictures of things she wasn’t in the mood to, and wasn’t up for the tension of working for money at all.    At this point Tsukiyama, who knew from personal experience not to press Hori as she would continue to refuse (even in a case where it seemed likely she’d be killed), simply mused “hmmm.”    It seemed her orange juice was all gone, too. His time was almost up.    “Ahh, well then. Let’s see, Hori, do you have any interest in flowers?”    “Flowers?”    “Yes! At my family’s villa there are many varieties of flowers in bloom, in a vivid wide space, and it’s . . . it’s something like a utopia!!”    Tsukiyama, spreading both hands, began to gestured and gestured as he started explaining.    “There are many rare and valuable varieties, and the roses are particularly superb! The garden party this time will be done according to the season of the roses. There are so many scenic sights that you can see as you pass through.”    Hori stabbed her last piece with her fork. “. . . oh, ok. . . . I’ll go then.”    Tsukiyama’s unexpected palm hung open in the air. “So . . . you’re not against it anymore . . . then?    “I said, I’ll go,” Hori repeated.    Tsukiyama, who obviously hadn’t expected Hori to accept yet, seemed confused. “I wonder where this wind blew in from?”    “I just want to take pictures of flowers, and if Tsukiyama-kun’s place has roses, then that sounds good to me.”    Tsukiyama’s family paid attentive care to its rose garden, and although the rose garden was the only thing Tsukiyama recommended, Hori thought that maybe she could see ever more amazing things. Since she ended up deciding to go, she thought it would be interesting to go on a walk with Tsukiyama.    However, there was still one problem. “There will probably be ghouls at this party, right? Won’t I end up getting eaten?”    Although they did go out and talk ordinarily face-to-face, there was a clear border between Tsukiyama and Hori, that of being a person and a “ghoul.”    While Hori was greatly aware of the risk to her own life that she put into her photo activities, she didn’t particularly want to live a rushed life, and didn’t think anything like “I would die for my craft” or whatever.    In the moment, she had just gone with what she had wanted to do. But now she needed to tend to her safety.    “There’s no need to for you to worry about that. The servants will be told by me personally, and it will be arranged so that the guests know as well, that they must not lay a hand on you.”    “Okay. Well, it seems like there will be plenty of preparation, so I’ll take pictures of the good stuff, and I won’t when nothing happens. It will be done suitably.”    Hori stood up while stretching very much. “Well then, the next consecutive holidays. This time advanced payment would be nice, in the usual account.”    “Oui, I definitely won’t miss that. In return, I’m expecting amazing photos. Capture the moment when I shine the most!”    “The moment you shine the most, huh,” Hori repeated. With that, she slid the bill across the table to Tsukiyama and left the cafe.

Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 148 Review

As the protagonist is sleeping until 3 days has passed, it’s up for the guy’s best friend to handle the situation. It’s great to see Hide again and I do mean by his normal appearance…mostly. The chapter continues to dive in the turmoil of characters and how the preparation is slowly developing before the next awakening arrives.

The one character that I wanted to see the reaction was Suzuya because after his conflict with Kaneki, there has to be a reaction towards his transformation. The chapter granted me that wish in the very beginning, with the outbreak of Kaneki’s kagune demolishing his comrades. Suzuya was helped by his close comrade Mizurou; interesting because he has been pushed by Ishida since the novel. Hm… Either way, that was a nice save. The sight of Suzuya planning to fight off the kagune from hanging was disturbingly creepy.

The part that got me is when Suzuya announced his next confrontation will be Kaneki’s last or in other words, he will slay the Dragon. It’s not because he thought of killing him that struck me; it’s what transpired to that thought and remembering him as Sasaki is emotional. It does make me rethink about their previous fight and the fact Kaneki was really set to be “captured” does paint him as “still comrade at heart.” Now, he is going to recover and this time, he will finish him off. This really sucks.

The discussion thread within CCG is amusing and stimulating. At first, I thought it was Dr. Ogura that Hide wanted to meet as a specialist, but as predicted, it is Kanou. It’s just that Ogura has a connection with him more or less. It’s pretty neat that Hide has a voice device to allow him to speak; there goes Elizabeth 2.0. It’s a smart way of Ishida to narrow down the possibility of his look, because now we can confirm that his mid-to-upper region of his head is fine and well, but the lower mid-to-neck region interpreted to be “disfigured.” It’s only matter of time that we will see his full display.

I was very engaged with Kanou and his backstory; never thought I would say that. Anyway, like many, he was a good innocent kid; that is until his mother has passed away. It is said that his mother’s death is what motivated him to choose the path that we are witnessing today: sick, scum, and the worst piece of shit. I recalled him looking rather “changed” when he first arrived to the university in that short flashback, so he already shifted his attitude.

The only part that is confusing to me is if that’s the case why not joining CCG in the first place? Did he change that drastically when he decided to use Ghoul for his benefit? In matter of fact, is the idea of using Ghoul research has to do with his mother? It is interpreted that he deeply loved his mother to the very end. So would that mean he is trying to find a way to revive her, even if it will change her to a Ghoul as already stated by Furuta, let alone what we have seen already? Is there more to it? Keep in mind, he once strongly hinted his goal with the ideology of birdcage. It is possible that her mother’s death motivated him, but his goal became diverse.

It does make the research rather stunning though, because you can actually see the progress report that does suggest his mother’s benefit beyond the grave. Would transfer a Ghoul’s organ work on a Human? Yes. Would transfer a different Ghoul’s organ (Owl) work as well? Yes. Would Quinx research increase the success rate and somehow revive a Human? Yes. Would using Noro and probably the recent outbreak research work to revive a Human in separated body parts? That remains to be unanswered, but if he is heading to the graveyard, it could suggest one way or another.

The long waited question has finally been answered: Amon and Akira made it to the scene with Hide no less. This is also interesting as well, because it does drop some clues to Hide’s status from before and perhaps now. I didn’t expect him to be under the radar by Washuu. He has been digging some dirt on everything, so it’s probably why he was deemed as a threat. I wonder if that would mean V Organization got their eyes on him as well.

What’s also intriguing is his explanation as Scarecrow in the past. The Aunction Raid Arc is self-explanatory; finding someone to save him, who ended up being Hinami. The Rue Island confuses me because he insisted to have insurance though still unconfirmed. Who is that “insurance” then? Should I be wondering on the candidate?

The sweet tender scene is with Hide proclaiming that he wants to save Kaneki, even after he failed to save him from transforming to Dragon. Even so, he wants to make up for it, which sounds like it’s going to one emotional reunion if everything goes well… hopefully. While Amon and Akira have a plan, it leaves Hide in question on why doing all of this. The answer is simple: he loves him. Aww…Now, some seems to be thinking romantic and while it can be either way, the most important thing is that he is his best friend to the very end. That’s good enough for me.

The scene with Ghouls is pretty engaging because it wasn’t what I predicted in terms of reaction yet it is believable and perhaps realistic. For starters, Itori saves Yomo; it won’t excuse that bitchy personality underneath. Granted, she is hot, but still. Anyway, I’m surprised how open they are to be with Clowns to Touka and others, but I guess they are being on the neutral act or something. That would still mean that they can toy around with people and what happens next is exactly why I maintain my opinion.

The words Itori uses really have a lot of impacts in them because how she can look calm but deep down she is as manipulative as she was in part 1. She tried to put more guilt towards Touka since Kaneki went on a rampage because of her technically. The people got the most effect from her words because instead of being afraid of Dragon, they begin to praise him as a savior. While CCG is in a panic state, Ghouls are feeling triumphant and that would only paint them as ignorant and disgusting.

This is close to home because I could imagine when something major happens to a third world country, instead of a specific territory, people in one area would heavily praise the action taken place because they feel the need for fairness. I know Ghouls were getting wiped out left and right, but two wrongs don’t make it right. People can be easily manipulated when they lost so much; it’s a scary nature.

Thankfully, the last pages end on a literal high note with Shuu shouting shut up; it’s basically his trademark. I have to admit, I thought it was Touka that burst out screaming; that would be a new sight with that reaction. Joking aside, it’s uplifting to see him to pull the stop on them. He is loyal to Kaneki’s goal, so it’s possible that he will back up his claim in mind. It also fits in to his struggle from the last chapter, so think of this as his new development rather than falling into the same trap.

The artwork is very solid with its character designs and expressions. It’s all clean and sometimes feels impactful. It’s really good to see more old characters coming back in play for one grand attempt to save Kaneki or some sort. Hide, without a smile, still awestruck me with his passionate friendship for Kaneki; proves that artwork without the obvious can be as effective if not more. Shuu does his famous expression, though it left me feeling good to see him standing up and hopefully talk senses out of them.

The calm before storm chapter is here and it’s pretty captivating. It leaves more insightful detail of the characters and more emotional display from them, especially Hide. While there are some saddening reflections, there are also welcoming uplifting scenes to make the scenery calming and tendering. It’s only matter of time when the next strike will bring the storm at its worst.