By Dustin Cabeal

Well, this is a paramount volume if you’re reading Tokyo Ghoul. Where to begin? Listen, there’s a lot I could tell you about this volume. A lot happens. There’s more reveals in this one volume than there have been in the last four volumes combined. Hell, probably more if I could remember specifics of the other volumes.

My point is, I don’t know what the hell to tell you. I don’t particularly want to spoil it for you, but I’ll give you a vague idea of its subject matter.

Everyone is closing in on Dr. Kano. Kaneki, the Doves, Aogiri Tree and another party that I won’t spoil by even mentioning. Everyone’s taking a different path to get there, but they’re all heading there. Also, the Doves find the coffee shop, and it’s not good. If you saw what happened in the manga, it’s hard not to imagine that a similar fate will be waiting for it, but for now, it’s just the start.

The third act of Tokyo Ghoul vol. 10 is where it’s all at. All those parties I mentioned before? Well, they all end up in the same room. Answers are given, which lead to more questions, and the mystery is deeper now. Richer with content and just waiting to be solved. I’m jubilant that the manga and anime differ because this story is strong the way it is and makes for an entertaining read.

The artwork is consistent. Everything I said about it in Volume 9 holds true here, but there’s some minor improvements due to the content of the story. Sui Ishida plays to his strengths focusing on battles and groups of characters conversing. I like Jason Jr.’s design. That’s not really his name, but I like calling him that. Aside from having a cool design, his character added to the world and showed that Ghouls typically lack a formal education, and so it is a big deal to them to be able to go out into the human world undiscovered.

I want to say so much more about this volume, but I won’t. I want people to read it, even if it’s their first volume of the series. It’s Ishida’s finest bit of storytelling yet, and it has me very excited for more. Tokyo Ghoul is so good that you’ll wish there was more dark fantasy like this.

Score: 5/5

Tokyo Ghoul vol. 10
Creator: Sui Ishida
Publisher: Viz/Viz Signatur