English Dub Review: Tokyo Ghoul √A “Ken”

“Ken” is a terribly mixed bag of good and bad. There is imagery here that is bar none. Yet, there is a lot missing here. I figured that there would be a lot more going on here instead of Kaneki just fumbling around with flashbacks while his friend Hide is there trying to talk to him. That said, there is a great scene in the beginning of “Ken,” where Kaneki and Hide are talking, and blood is pooling on the ground. The animators and writers play on Kaneki’s injuries from last week, and make it seem like Kaneki was bleeding out. All the while, it was really Hide who was bleeding out, and ultimately died.

What got me here, is that there was a two episode war going on, and the war ended off screen. Why put the end off screen, and then have half of the episode be flashbacks? This was garbage and lazy. This was as bad as Touka’s space this season. After her brother just ripped her Ghoul wings off of her, she was relegated to nothingness. It makes me pretty sad, but more angry. Why not just send her off?

Anyway, from the 15 minute mark, forward, you get to see the aftermath of what was going on. The dead soldiers, Monkeys, Dogs, Jouzza, and the rest of the CCG force, all trying to recoup. As Kaneki is walking down the road towards the CCG, everyone that isn’t dying has guns out, trained on Kaneki’s head. As you watch this scene, the imagery is there, but the real vehicle to drive this scene home is the music. It’s slow, somber, and fits the mood perfectly. Hell, even the lyrics fit the scene very well.

Here is the burning question I have. What was the point of having Touka in this episode? All she did was run after Kaneki, until Yomo stops her. What was the point? This was the silliest crap I’ve seen. This seems to be the microcosm to the entire season, where there has been a lot going on, but the feeling was like nothing was going on. How is this possible? Touka has been a waste this season, first with doing nothing, then slapping Kaneki clear away from her, to not being able to get him back at the end. This really angers me. At least it’s over, and we can talk more about it as a whole season later.