What They Say:
When Touka falls ill, Kaneki pays her a visit that has unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, as Nishiki is still recovering from his run-in with Kaneki, he is nearly preyed upon by other ghouls. Tsukiyama remains consumed with the idea of having Kaneki.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
This episode takes a step sideways a bit and shows how much a meaningful connection with someone else is important for a ghoul. So far, we’ve seen ghouls that are friends, ghouls that are enemies, and ghouls that are neutral – kind of a “don’t mess with me and I’ll leave you be” sort of relationship. But nobody has really shown or talked about a meaningful relationship and the lengths they’ll go to in order to protect those people. We saw Kaneki go full ham against Nishiki when Hide was in danger, and this time the tables flip a bit.
Tsukiyama, obsessed with creating the ultimate culinary experience when he consumes Kaneki, decides to set up a sadistic situation – feeding on Kaneki while Kaneki feeds on someone else. And it’s through pure dumb luck and Kaneki’s good nature that the target for Tsukiyama is none other than Kimi, Nishiki’s girlfriend.
Kaneki comes across Nishiki still nursing the wounds Kaneki left him with about the be consumed by other ghouls (apparently not all ghouls are against cannibalism) and even though Nishiki wanted to kill his best friend Hide, Kaneki steps in, and puts the moves Yomo has been teaching him to the test. Kimi seeks aid for Nishiki and Kaneki tries to get some food from Anteiku, but is unable to.
Then Tsukiyama strikes. Having seen Kimi and Kaneki, he kidnaps her and leaves Kaneki a note to meet him in a church, and when Kimi never makes it home, Nishiki shows up and declares that he’s going with Kaneki.
Touka joins the fight, and Tsuikiyama’s bizarre feast is disrupted, but only briefly. With Kaneki inexperienced, Nishiki sitting on death’s door, and Touka still nursing her unfortunate dedication to her friend Yoriko’s cooking, Tsukiyama hands them all their behinds in spectacular fashion. However, always the dedicated friend, Kaneki has an idea after Tsukiyama comments that if a ghouls power is their engine, then flesh is their gasoline. Touka feeds on Kaneki, and with renewed strength, prepares to battle Tsukiyama once again.
In Summary:
Friendship. Love. Devotion. These are not characteristics that ghouls seem to possess in any way over the last few episodes. It feels much like Touka and the rest of the people who are friendly with those at Anteiku are exceptions, rather than rules. But this episodes highlights a flashback sequence where we learn a lot more about Nishiki. He had a sister who was a ghoul once, and it seemed that to him, she was his world. They watched out for each other, took care of each other, and made their way in the world together. But a slip up and a phone call to the ghoul hunters leaves his sister a corpse, and Nishiki vows that he’ll never trust someone else again. But his chance meeting with Kimi changes all that. She takes an interest in him and they become lovers, but they both truly fall in love as a result of Kaneki’s complete beating. Nishiki is starving and cannot fully heal, and when he tries to feed on Kimi, she simply offers him her shoulder, and holds him tightly. It’s the first time we’ve seen Nishiki show any kind of emotion, and it’s very clear that he and Kimi love each other. It explains his willingness to fight literally almost to death to try and protect her. It’s a very moving moment for the character, and even if he’s a jerk, it’s difficult to not root for him in this fight.
Touka too has a relationship that she’s dedicated too, but it’s a different kind. Her friend Yoriko, who may be her only friend that isn’t a ghoul, likes giving Touka food to eat. No matter what, even when she can dump it down the drain without Yoriko knowing any different, Touka eats every last bite – because her friend made it for her, and she’s not going to let her down. It’s a bit silly honestly, and might even make Touka seem a bit foolish in light of all the things going on (Tsukiyama, the Doves, etc.), but this episode is about relationships. And for ghouls especially, how important those relationships are and how much they’re worth fighting for. Even when it comes at personal risk to the ghoul, or it might damage their health, Touka and Nishiki share in common the dedication to the people they care about, and a fierce determination to never let anything happen to them or let them down. It’s a very human series of moments for both characters, and is very special in juxtaposition to Kaneki. Kaneki is a human who has to learn how to be a ghoul, whereas Nishiki and Touka are ghouls trying to pass off as humans. Both groups of characters are trying to fit into a world that isn’t completely accepting of them.
When put alongside Tsukiyama’s incredibly disturbing use of french words and almost sexual excitement at the thought of eating Kaneki, it really shows that Tokyo Ghoul can deliver both emotional and deep moments for the characters without losing any of the creepy, dark overtones of the series. All of this is right alongside fast, visceral action sequences showing off more of the power of ghouls, and the creators continue to use color in very engaging and unique ways. The series continues to stand out this season, and the cliffhanger for this week should definitely have you tuning in again next week to see how everything resolves.
Grade: A
Streamed By: FUNImation
Review Equipment:
Intel Alienware laptop, Windows 7, 25” HP2509m screen at 1920×1080 resolution