Title: Tokyo Ghoul:re Vol. 5
Author: Sui Ishida
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 228
Genre: Fantasy, Battle
Publication Date: June 18, 2018
The Story
Tokyo Ghoul:re volume five starts out a bit on the slow side. The investigators at the CCG, who were worried last volume about the Rose ghoul group, making a starting discovering that Aogiri Tree now has some ties with Rose. Meanwhile, Shu is trying to get reconciled with Haise in an effort to help him regain his memories, much to Touka’s disapproval.
The CCG collect enough evidence through scouting missions to correctly assess the dangers Rose pose to the world. The extermination of the entire Tsukiyama family is ordered and the operation begins. When the Doves arrive at the Tsukiyama estate, all but Shu are present and surrender peacefully. They instantly discern that someone is missing and that this peaceful surrender is nothing more than a smokescreen for their escape. The Doves spread out and eventually track Shu to one of the Tsukiyama’s corporations in the 8th ward. It is there that another all-out battle commences.
The second half is jam-packed with action with several deaths that may take you by surprise; however, I will refrain from saying who to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read the volume as of yet. Aogiri Tree, more specifically Eto, Noro and their newest member, make an appearance during the battle. Haise goes up to the roof where the helicopter that was to transport Shu to safety is shot down. In an interesting turn, Haise reports that Shu is nowhere to be found yet despite standing right in front of him. Haise wants to talk to Shu in order to learn about Ken Kaneki and offers up a chance to surrender. Shu takes offense to that offer and a battle between them begins before it is interrupted by a certain someone (again, to avoid spoilers).
The volume ends with Eto, in Owl form, making an appearance during the battle.
Between the slow end to the last volume and the slow beginning to this one, the story felt like it was creeping by. I know that Ishida loves to go into detail when setting up battles but I think a lot of the information could have been a bit simplified to cut down on the slowing of the pacing. Once the battle started, the pace picked up and the action kept you turning the pages one by one. I was surprised at a couple of the deaths that took place but in a way, a couple of them felt a bit like poetic justice being carried out, especially in one certain case.
Characters
Haise/Kaneki received some more development. You can see how the memories of Kaneki are eating away at him, so much so that he has a moment where he breaks down in front of Mado. Even though she comforts him, it still doesn’t ease Haise’s curiosity. The fact that he falsely reported Shu’s whereabouts in order to question him shows just how desperate he’s becoming about unveiling the truth. It also didn’t help that Uta sent him his old mask, which he used to disguise himself as a ghoul during the information collection arc of this volume. Many people recognized and feared him upon laying eyes on his mask which made him wonder just who Eye Patch really was. I think we’re getting closer and closer to Haise learning the truth and when that happens, it’ll be glorious to see the results!
Kanae underwent some nice development as well. We got to peer into his backstory growing up as a member of the Rosewalds in Germany and we even get to see some interactions between him and another certain someone. He gets accused of just wanting Shu all to himself and that everything he’s doing isn’t really for saving him. This really makes Kanae question his actions and who he is as a person and a ghoul. I liked the way they built him up this volume.
A very small portion of the volume included Touka, but it was interesting when she said that Haise was better off not knowing who he was even though her own selfish desires wished that he would come back. The :Re coffee shop was created just for that purpose… in case Haise became Ken Kaneki again and needed a place where he could belong. It’s nice to see Touka still going to such great lengths for him despite it all being nothing more than precautionary planning.
Urie and Shirazu are getting their time to shine here. Shirazu (with a new look) warmed up to using his Nutcracker Quinque and it’s a good thing he did because the Quinx squad are in the fight of their lives against Noro of Aogiri Tree! Seeing Shirazu overcome his fear is some nice development for him, especially in the squad leader role. Urie, on the other hand, has his big chance to finally “surpass Kuroiwa” but he has a huge mountain standing in front of him. If there ever was a test for him to prove himself on, it’s this fight with Noro. This battle is just getting starting. I assume that we will see it’s conclusion next volume.
Also, I said it in my review of Volume 4 and I will say it again. Kijima is a freak. Simple as that. I actually laughed at how he added to his social media presence by spreading his own torture and killings. You have to admit, his methods are highly unethical and downright brutal but I’d be lying if I said they weren’t effective… for better or worse.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad the pacing picked up in the second half of the volume and that we are in the middle of another big battle. Despite the slow build up, there was a lot of nice character development and world building in this chapter. Just through the information gathering arc, we learned a lot about all of the surrounding wards and the conflicts/types of ghouls that are in each ward. It’s nice to see a broader scope of everything that’s going on as it gives you the sense of a living, breathing world.
Even though I didn’t touch on it in the characters’ section, there was a very interesting turn of events with Furuta. There’s apparently more than meets the eye with someone who just acted like Kijima’s lackey. Can’t wait to see where this goes with him. Needless to say, the battle will be spilling over into volume six and, so far, the outcomes of this battle have been heavy on both sides. It makes me wonder just what the final outcome will be and how much each side will pay for that victory/loss!
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This item was provided for review by Viz Media
