Tokyo Ghoul Volume 12 Review

Under the command of Special Investigator Kisho Arima from the CCG, the Doves sweep into the 4th ward, killing many Ghouls. Kaneki finally gets reunited with someone special,  but it’s not at all what he expected. At least we get some pay off when Kaneki has a meaningful talk with Yoshimura, learning how the old man’s past shaped current events. To protect us from an information overload we have moments with Touka that reveal how she has changed and become more interested in integrating into the human world. Additionally, we see Tsukiyama invite Hinami out for tea, clearly setting up a trap of sorts to taste Kaneki. At the end of the volume, it really seems like we’re close to getting some real answers.

As the volume progresses, we can see two similar stories running parallel. Kaneki’s search for information on humans being turned into Ghouls and Senior Investigator Amon’s quest for information on the Ghouls. They both discover the possibilities of humans being intentionally turned into Ghouls by an unsuspecting ally.

A writer, doing ‘research’ for her next book meets with Amon to leak some information. She doesn’t reveal her source, but based on what we know as readers, we can easily assume what she is saying is true. Amon, on the other hand, doesn’t have any background knowledge to support the new information he has. He is left with even more questions than before. Amon has to now wonder if the CCG was conducting experiments and turning humans into Ghouls. He decides to investigate further on this own before sharing this information with Akira. This definitely makes me think Amon will get snuffed out if he finds out too much.

Kaneki is also close to discovering some dark secrets after he encounters Rize again, who is alive but in a state of starvation. He discovers she’s being held by another Ghoul. She’s only fed enough so that she doesn’t rip out of her confines and escape. Unfortunately for Kaneki, he can’t learn anything from her as long as she’s kept underfed. This is probably the worst state for a binge eater like Rize – but now I’ve got even more questions! What we don’t learn is how long she’s been locked away alive. Knowing she is alive forces me to question everything I accepted as truth. Kaneki clearly feels the same way as he heads off to Yoshimura with questions.

Yoshimura, who has been shrouded in mystery this entire time finally reveals his background. I sense that Kaneki understands Yoshimura now, but still feels a need to discover more. He agrees to return to the cafe; however, at the end of the volume, his timing seems terribly off.

Final Word:

Volume 12 is gripping and drags you along for an intense trip. Lots of stories seem like they are wrapping up while new ones seem to develop. Through this, the author is able to keep the pipeline full with events that will shape future volumes in the series. We know that the Gourmet is up to no good when he portrays himself as trying to help Kaneki. Amon is skeptical but tempted by information from an unconfirmed source. Yoshimura is no longer as mysterious as he seems, which makes us wonder if his time is running out. All of this and more are bound to be resolved in the following issues of Tokyo Ghoul.

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