MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Tokyo Ghoul: Void by Shin Todawa

Genre:

Young Adult/New Adult

Action/Drama/Psychological/Horror

Supernatural/Seinen

Series:

Tokyo Ghoul: Void, #2

(set in the Tokyo Ghoul Universe)

Release Date (JP):

June 19, 2014

Release Date (US):

January 17, 2017

Published by:

Jump j Books (JP)
VIZ Media LLC (US)

Written by:

Shin Todawa

Illustrated by:

Sui Ishida

Synopsis:

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except their craving for human flesh.

Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

After the unprecedented raid on the Ghoul detention center by The Aogiri Tree organization, the Commission of Counter Ghoul is working to tighten security across the twenty-three wards. However, some Ghouls begin to cause unrest in the 8th Ward, continuing the cycle of retaliation between human and Ghoul. And what of Kaneki after he left the 20th Ward? This second novel depicts the aftermath six months after the 11th Ward occupation.

      

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Series Titles:

Tokyo Ghoul: Days         Tokyo Ghoul: Void        Tokyo Ghoul: Past

  

(covers link to Goodreads)

      

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*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains NO spoilers

I tried so hard not to buy this while school was in session for the quarter but alas, there was too much anticipation on my part.

Tokyo Ghoul: Days was good but Tokyo Ghoul: Void is even better. We get to know what happens to Kaneki and other characters after the raid on Aogiri Tree but Kaneki is not the focus. It is the second light novel written by Shin Todawa and illustrated by Sui Ishida. The character development and scenarios presented in this light novel drew me into the lives of the Tokyo Ghoul characters faster than the first light novel. The syntax of each chapter was perfectly written and there wasn’t a part I found particularly dull. Each chapter had ideology, action, a mix of new characters, or some type of suspense, unless you consider conversations dull. Any Tokyo Ghoul fans should enjoy learning more about the star characters of each chapter.

“But what’s a story without a few flaws.” They are only minor, but if I had to nitpick at something, it would have to be the translations. I remember finding spelling mistakes or sentences that I felt had to be read twice until I figured out what was wrong. This bothered me, prominently, in the first chapter and a half but disappeared completely afterwards. Other than that, I can’t say anything particularly bad about Tokyo Ghoul: Void.

Maybe I enjoyed Tokyo Ghoul: Void a little too much; Todawa’s writing for Sui Ishida’s series only seems to get better as the original story progresses. Like Tokyo Ghoul: Days, it maintains a good balance of everyday life, action, and the relationship between ghouls and humans. Thus, I give Tokyo Ghoul: Void a better rating than its predecessor. Only slightly though, I don’t think Todawa can push the characters too far without steering off course from the original story line.

My Rating:

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U.S. Book Cover:

  

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Drifters: Battle in a Brand-New World War Season 1 (2016)

Genre:

Young Adult/New Adult

Historical Action/Adventure Anime

Comedy, Samurai, Fantasy, Seinen

Season:

1

Episodes:

12

Rating:

R - 17+

(violence & profanity)

Run Time:

23 min. per episode

Release Date:

Oct 7, 2016 to Dec 23, 2016

Based on the manga by:

Hirano, Kouta

Directed by:

Suzuki, Kenichi

Studio:

Hoods Drifters Studio

Produced by:

Hoods Entertainment, NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan, Shounen Gahousha

Plot Summary:

Shimazu Toyohisa, whilst involved at the Battle of Sekigahara, manages to mortally wound Ii Naomasa, but is critically wounded in the process. As he walks from the field broken and bleeding, Toyohisa finds himself transported to a corridor of doors, where a bespectacled man at a desk waits for him. This man, Murasaki, sends Toyohisa into the nearest door where he wakes up in another world. There, Toyohisa meets other great warriors like him who have been transported as well, to be part of a group known as "Drifters".
source

Cast:

Yuuichi Nakamura, Mitsuki Saiga, Naoya Uchida, Shiho Kokido

Full Cast



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*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains spoilers

From the creator of Hellsing!!! Drifters: Battle in a Brand-new World War is an anime derived from a manga series by Hirano, Kouta and started serialization in Shōnen Gahosha's magazine, Young King Ours, in 2009. For those (un)familiar with his style, it includes intense, serious tones and plenty of blood shed with thrown in comedy punches at unnecessary times. Drifters uses historical names from all over: Russia, Japan, America, Italy, etc., so brush up on your history or just google everything. This work gives the impression of a dark fantasy anime, as it holds nothing back with inclusions of war, rape, death, poverty, humanity, coup d'etat, and racism (albeit with different species like elves, dwarves, and demi-animals). Yes, it has a "good versus bad" introduction to it but it becomes more complex the more we learn about the Drifter's ideologies and the deaths of the Ends in their previous life.

The opening theme song and overall OST give the impression of an anime that doesn’t take its plot seriously. It’s jazzy and even it’s opening sequence has satirical animation. It only lightly introduces the characters but doesn’t show much about their personality. There was hardly a time where I felt too drawn into the anime because of the music. On the other hand, the animation didn’t miss a beat. Every slice of a sword or axe was accounted for. The ripples of a banner blowing in the wind or the beads of sweat rolling down a soldier’s face complimented the battle scenes perfectly, the only let downs are moments of comedic relief. At that moment in time, I was entranced by the episode only to be hit with flowers, goofy faces, and bright colors. I know it was intentional but please let the characters develop more before throwing that in the audience’s face.

The first few episodes are intense as it starts with a battle scene and introduces us to the main protagonists: Toyohisa Shimazu, a samurai who had died in 1600, Oda Nobunaga a powerful daimyo from 16th century Japan, and Nasu, Yoichi Suketaka from the Genpei war, each of them recruited by the mysterious Murasaki to join other Drifters. Toyohisa Shimazu acts as the fearless military general that can raise armies just by sheer courage alone, Nobunaga acts a brilliant strategist but does not truly understand the “hearts” of his soldiers, and Yoichi being the youngest is lively and fun for someone who can shoot three people (probably more) with one arrow. My beef with Toyohisa as the main character is that he is so dense and focuses on so little but I like his conviction, keep it up. Nobunaga and Yoichi… can stay the same. The other Drifters haven’t been fully introduced to me but all of them have a vibe to them that represents a different ideology. I’m guessing teamwork becomes an important part of this anime.

But what’s a story without conflict? The antagonists are called “the Ends” and are considered insane, abandoned, and work for one purpose. Each of them recruited by E.A.S.Y. and are figures that have been forsaken by their beliefs or died a brutal death, including: Joan of Arc and Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov. The Ends’s leader is named the “Black King,” we have yet to see his face. So, there’s a lot of speculation with him but “being rejected by humanity” and certain scars may indicate Jesus Christ. Drifters’s plot is so... intriguing (to me at least) and a brilliant way to play with historical figures. It’s like a giant chess game between E.A.S.Y. and Murasaki with an entire world at stake. Season one leaves with a huge cliff hanger as war begins between the Drifters who lead (demi-)humans and the Ends who lead monsters or ogres. My only concern with that is the Drifters, although resilient, are only humans with tools but the Ends practically have “Jesus” who can heal all injuries and the Ends with magical capabilities. Like, “How dis fair?” I’ll just have to see in either the manga or season two.

I love Hirano’s work but that was also the problem with Drifters. It needed an extra push, as I was not the only person in the comments on Crunchyroll alluding to Hellsing. Maybe redesigning characters with different colors would be helpful because apparently, a homosexual version of Comte de Saint Germain wasn’t enough. “Joan of Arc,” the you say? I saw “Zorin Blitz,” from Hellsing, in both physical appearance to personality. “Rasputin,” I think you mean Rip Van Winkle. I think I’ll get over it as the series progresses because the plot escalates so well.

My rating:

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Tokyo Ghoul: Days by Shin Todawa

Genre:

Young Adult/New Adult

Action/Drama/Psychological/Horror

Supernatural/Seinen

Series:

Tokyo Ghoul: Days, #1

(set in the Tokyo Ghoul Universe)

Release Date (JP):

July 19, 2013

Release Date (US):

October 18, 2016

Published by:

Jump j Books (JP)
VIZ Media LLC (US)

Written by:

Shin Todawa

Illustrated by:

Sui Ishida

Synopsis:

In the café Anteiku, where Ghouls gather, danger and the possibility of discovery loom. Yoshimura, the café's owner, is watching a certain someone. What sort of darkness will that person bring to those who hunt and those who are hunted? This book chronicles six all-new stories from the Tokyo Ghoul universe.

source

      

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Series Titles:

Tokyo Ghoul: Void                                    Tokyo Ghoul: Past

 

(covers link to Goodreads)

      

~~~~~

*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains spoilers

It is written by Shin Todawa and illustrated by Sui Ishida. Tokyo Ghoul Days is for those familiar with the Tokyo Ghoul manga by Sui Ishida. Analytically, it’s written in third person omniscient which allows the reader to understand the main charater’s feelings, the vocabulary can be read at a fifth or sixth grade level, but the English translation doesn’t seem to do Tokyo Ghoul Days justice. It’s either too literal or felt inaccurate as I read through it. Like, “Takatsugi?” I’m sure it’s “Takatsuki.” I quite enjoyed the book but it was difficult at first to dive right in, as the first story, Hide’s story, confused me a bit. If the reader isn’t familiar with anime and manga, the story is slightly perplexing because the first story jumps from flashback to present and from character to character without warning. But I got through the whole thing.

Breaking up the light novel into its six stories:

The Bible: Hideyoshi Nagachika, nicknamed Hide, is the first character from Tokyo Ghoul to have his light novel debut. I maintain my previous complaints about this story, as stated in the beginning of this review. The story follows Hide during his time without Kaneki and features a few of their memories together but it jumps around without warning. I’m glad as a Tokyo Ghoul fan to learn what Hide was doing during the time Kaneki was adjusting to his new life as a half-ghoul and it displays Hide’s intuitive side.

Lunch Boxes: This one is probably my favorite out of the six stories, most likely because Touka Kirishima is my favorite female character in Tokyo Ghoul. Lunch Boxes follows the friendship between Touka and her human friend, Yoriko. It displays Touka’s struggle to live her life as a ghoul and a human in high school. I thought it was sweet but a little cliché with that basic “Mean Girls,” bullying plot to it.

Photos: I didn’t find Photos as memorable as others. This story follows the beginning of Shu Tsukiyama and Chie Hori’s friendship, during Tsukiyama’s high school days. This is more of an introduction to Chie Hori’s character, as Tsukiyama acts the same way he does in the actual Tokyo Ghoul manga. Photos is a good balance between a ghoul and a human perspective. It shows that ghouls are carnivorous for human flesh but humans are also monsters in their own way through things like abuse, perversion, manipulation, gluttony, etc.

The Big City: This story makes its way to my second favorite of the six stories because of how touching it is. It shows how gentle a fully developed, young ghoul can be; Ikuma is a sweet, gentle, and polite ghoul after being raise by a human mother. Ikuma Momochi’s story shows that humans and ghouls can live together without conflict but the fear of being eaten or hunted down is always lingering.

The Bookmark: Hinami Fueguchi is the focus of the fifth story and follows her emotional state after her parent’s deaths. I think it made for a potential future relationship between a ghoul and a human but they undoubtedly will never meet again. After Tsukiyama’s story displayed a human with a sinister streak, Hinami’s story shows people are not born heartless or merciless after a human boy helps her from being kidnapped by a group of high schoolers. He learns last minute of their identity as ghouls but, in the final section of this story, questions his father’s judgment in calling ghouls “inhuman beasts.”

Yoshida: Kazuo Yoshida’s story is probably the shortest of the six but also compelling. Towada gave this unfortunate ghoul a simple backstory, naivety, and got him some pity from me. While ghouls do not have any legal rights, they have morals and empathy like a human.

Overall, I enjoyed Towada’s expansion of the Tokyo Ghoul universe and am eager to get the next light novel, Tokyo Ghoul: Void, also written by Shin Todawa. It has many aspects that can be intriguing. It maintains a good balance of everyday life and action. However, I still maintain my opinion that these light novels are for fans who follow Tokyo Ghoul to have a better idea of who the characters are, what these stories can offer, maybe some terminology.

My Rating: