By Dustin Cabeal

Alright Tokyo Ghoul anime fans, this is where the manga and anime go their separate ways. Obviously, anyone that’s familiar with Tokyo Ghoul has probably watched more of the anime than the manga at this point since the ninth volume just released last month, and the anime already has two seasons in the bag. I didn’t know when their path split, but now I do; volume 9.

This volume takes its time. With all the action in the last three volumes, it makes nine a longer read. The story starts with the Doves. We get the status quo of everything there, and we meet Amon’s new partner, the daughter of his dead partner, Akira Mado. The chapter is called “Promotions, ” and that’s what it’s all about. We learn about the breakout that happened via the distraction of the raid in Ward 11 and then it’s on to Kaneki’s story.

Here’s where it gets very different from the anime or at least from the second season Root A. Kaneki doesn’t stay with Aogari Tree and instead has started his own crusade of sorts. His character has grown a lot; he’s more confident, and he’s running the table due to his power and team. We also see that he is very broken emotionally still as he trains with Banjo… while wearing a Jason mask. That was a bit shocking. Kaneki is trying to find the doctor that did the procedure on him, and when word gets back to the doctor, well, it’s a game changer for the story.

The overall volume is very good. This is a transition volume that re-establishes the status quo and builds up to the next big battle. Sometimes, that’s very boring, but here there’s so much new information to absorb about the world and characters that’s it’s important to pay attention to it all and enjoyable at the same time. Compared to the previous volume, there’s a noticeable growth in Sui Ishida’s storytelling. The last volume felt like Ishida finishing the first arc and keeping it consistent, but now there’s a chance to grow and change, and it’s refreshing to the story.

The art is different from a lot of other manga. I like it, but at times I still find the characters to be out of proportion. Otherwise, the art is enjoyable. The action flows better in this volume, even though there’s only a little. I also enjoy that the character’s wardrobes have changed, which was a great way to show their development visually.

I’ll admit that I read three other volumes in succession to get to this review and I have the tenth volume waiting for me the minute I’m done here. I’m telling you that because that’s how good this series has gotten. When I first started reading it, it was okay, but you can see that as time moved forward, the story found its voice and will continue to do so as the story goes on.

Score: 4/5

Tokyo Ghoul vol. 9
Creator: Sui Ishida
Publisher: Viz/Viz Signatur