This story of a human who becomes a human-flesh desiring half-ghoul is violent, melodramatic, pop-philosophical, and surprisingly touching. Not exactly something to read while you're eating, and not too deep in it's themes, but it is meaty (heh) enough to keep the mind engaged, and violently action packed to be a thrilling and interesting.

I'm new to manga, and requested this to try, without realising I would have to read it on the netgalley app on my phone. The plot was kind of fun, if really sexist in places, but I'm not sure this is for me. The backwards flow was eased by reading in scroll, but still awkward - a new skill to learn it seems! I found the characters in this book very one dimensional, the gore was fun but a bit of a crutch and not as heavily invested in worldbuilding as I would have expected. The art was mostly clear, but the reading method inhibited me somewhat as well.

I haven't read that much manga, but this is probably my favourite of the several series I have tried. It tells the story of Ken Kaneki, a shy student living in Tokyo who almost dies in an accident and is saved with an organ transplant. Unfortunately, he gets more than he bargained for. I really like the premise here and while Ken's struggles with his new identity can get a little repetitive, you do get a sense of the depth of his disgust with what he may have to do to survive. I also really like the idea of an underground cadre of ghouls just trying to live without causing too much damage to those around them. The art was dynamic and striking, and if you can put aside the very prevalent male gaze, this was a very enjoyable introduction to the series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Prose (Story): Ken Kaneki, a shy-to-the-point-of-introverted collge student in modern-day Tokyo, often hangs out with his more popular, outgoing best friend in a cafe frequented by a girl he's secretly had a crush on. When fate seems to itervene, the two of them officially talking, Kaneki finds out her name is Rize, and she seems as interested in him as he is in her. But this is a Tokyo where humans share the streets and neighborhoods with ghouls - creatures who look, sound and act just like humans ... except for their insatiable appetite for human flesh. When Kaneki decides to walk Rize home that night, a deadly attack results in emergency surgery for the college student, who wakes up in the hospital safe and whole - and the world's first human/zombie hybrid. Caught between two worlds - neither of which he feels he belongs in - volume one of this bestselling, hugely-popular manga series covers Kaneki's difficult adjustment to the "rules and regulations" of a ghoul's life ... including trying to fight off his ever-growing craving for human flesh.

Don's (Review): Having heard so, so much about this series - and it's subsequent films and anime TV series - for years, I was thrilled to get my hands on this volume, and am happy to say it lived up to (even surpassed) all my expectations. The stark black-and-white artwork is stunning, story replete with characters that breathe to life on the page, and Sui Ishida does an amazing job of making Ken Kaneki, in so short a time, one of the most endearing characters I've read in a while. You feel for this guy and the new, visceral and gory world he has to maneuver in, his deepest desire only to be human again even as you bleed for the guy because it's never going to happen. Supporting characters are just as strong (and surprsing), and I found myself glued to every panel throughout, to the point of being genuinely upset when I was done, and there was no more to read beause I didn't have volume two (especially given the teaser to it at the end of volume one). Terrific, scary, heartbreaking, darkly comic - and, I think (would have to look through the list to be sure), my favorite manga/graphic novel read of 2020. 5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

So, that was kinda gory, kinda gross, and pretty dang creepy. A college student gets attacked by a ghoul (a monstrous creature that eats human flesh) girl, but before she can kill him, she gets crushed by a steel beam. When paramedics arrive, she's pronounced dead on the scene, and at the hospital, some of her organs are transplanted into Kaneki, her intended victim. He becomes a half ghoul, and shenanigans ensue. Okay, not shenanigans, a whole bunch of gory, bloody fighting and stuff while he tries to figure out what he going to do now. Fortunately, he gets some help before he eats his best friend. I'm being flip, but it is a good story. There's a bit of body horror, but not as much as I was expecting, if that's something that gets to you.

This manga is just what you need if your looking for something a bit darker. I absolutely love the character development!

This is such an interesting and unique story! The world is shared by humans and ghouls who eat them. The main character Kaneki goes on a date with a girl who turns out to be a ghoul and tries to eat him. I don't want to give too much away, but after the chase Kaneki ends up having a life saving surgery that curses him to become half human-half ghoul. I can't wait to read the rest of this series! It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I'll definitely watch the anime when I'm done the manga.

Kaneki is stoked about the date he's scored with his crush. That is, until it turns out she's a ghoul who tries to eat him. But when he's saved through a questionable medical procedure, Kaneki is left teetering on the line between ghoul and human. He must now adapt to ghoul life with newfound allies as he also grapples with his loss of humanity and his new-found hunger for human flesh.

This was a really solid first volume! Once I picked this one up, I couldn't put it down. I found the story to be engrossing, the characters (especially Kaneki) to be well done, and the artwork was immaculate. This was also quite dark and gory, so it was a perfect read for spooky season! I highly recommend this manga and I can't wait to continue the series.

*Thank you to Netgalley & VIZ Media for giving me this review copy in exchange for an honest review*

Not going to lie, I own this copy physically but I really wanted to read it on my kindle and it definitely did not disappoint.

4/5 stars

Thanks to VIZ Media and Netgalley for providing this e-arc!!

It was nice to go back to this story. Loved the style. I'm not too obsessed so it'll only be a 4

**I received an electronic copy from the publisher post-publication through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Sui Ishida introduces Tokyo Ghoul in this first volume of a supernatural horror manga. Ken Kaneki has always been a bit of a wallflower and a bookworm. After an accident that results in an organ transplant, Kaneki begins to experience a strange hunger that will complicate his life considerably.

Slight warning for body horror and gore; considering there are ghoul characters, that is not at all unexpected.

This was absolutely a fun start to a series. I have been a fan of manga for a long time, but haven't felt so eager to continue a new-to-me series since Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, and Bleach. I definitely think this series will appeal to fans of any of those manga/anime or to fans of manga traditionally considered to be Shonen manga.

I look forward to continuing the series and am grateful to have received a review copy of this volume.

I started watching Tokyo Ghoul years back after a suggestion from my cousin but once it got too sad for me I stopped.
After reading this I regret that decision completely because this manga is breathtaking.
Creepy? Check. Gory? Check. Anxiety inducing. I’ve got my paper bag in hand.
The slick artwork and the gorgeous prose I can praise for days. The ink positively bleeds off the pages and the fear and loss I felt for the protagonist is tangible.
I want more.
But I don’t know if I can handle it.
Ghouls are ravaging the streets of Tokyo. Killers with a taste for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is one of the unlucky souls to encounter one but fortune smiles on him and he survives, just barely.
He survives and now has the innards of the monster inside of him turning him half ghoul. What this means for Kaneki and his future as half ghoul/half human he and us have yet to see. The stakes for danger are higher than ever now. Will Kaneki lose himself? Is he already lost?
This was so good.
This was published years ago and I know I’m late but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to read more. If you’re a fan of dark fantasy and horror manga I would definitely check this out.
Besides Kaneki there are a variety of other interesting characters ghoul and human alike.
I need to know how this ends.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and VIZ for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I've been hearing about this series for a while and haven't yet gotten to it. Didn't think it was for me. Then I saw on netgalley there was a ecopy of the book so I decided to take a chance. I devoured this book from start to end I there was just so much to process of what this series could be that I want to know more of that world. I loved the art style, the characters and the idea of the Ghouls and what happened to Ken. I just want to know more and luckily enough its been out for a while with an anime that I just might have to check out, after reading the manga of course.

This was an engaging story that got me hooked from the beginning. The first volume gives new readers the information they need about the world, main character, and the driving conflict to come. It provides enough answers while keeping interest in what is to come. The concept has the edge of body horror that intrigues me without disgusting me. I am interested to continue reading the series and see where it takes me.

<i>arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

I had heard of Tokyo Ghoul before and always had an interest in it but I just had never gotten around to reading it until now. I am so glad that I did! I absolutely loved it!

This first volume was such a phenomenal start to the series and it has me more than excited to read the rest of the volumes. This was action packed with fight scenes, inner turmoil, emotional scenes and mixed in with horror and gore and blood. It was for lack of a better term, epic!

I cannot wait to read the rest of this series now and I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to read this first volume!

I highly highly recommend this series if you’re into horror or anything creepy and action packed.

5/5 🌟

TW: blood, surgery, death, gore, murder, dismemberment, assault, body horror.

This copy was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher for review; all opinions are my own.

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except their craving for human flesh.
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.
Solid 4.5 stars. I LOVED the anime adaptation (plan on rewatching while stuck home) so when this popped up, I knew I had to read. Dark, bloody and spooky, Tokyo Ghoul hits all the marks I am looking for when reading manga. The art is beautiful though at times I had a hard time making out some of the action scene... though, this FULLY could be because I read on a tablet instead of physical book.. Nonetheless, I can't wait to read the rest of this series!!

I have heard about this manga and I knew there is an anime and yes I have been interested in reading and watching but until just recently i hadn't had the chance to.

I am so happy that I finally read volume one because I am freaking hooked into this now. Why the heck didn't I read it before??

I loved the story. I think it is very well done.

I am giving this 5 out of 5.

Tokyo Ghoul is promising a lot of potential in the first instalment. I have been out of the anime/manga scene for a few years so have no idea what the “big” things are anymore. As such I’m taking gambles on series, and I think Tokyo Ghoul will pay off.

I like the artstyle a lot and the story is well paced.

In the first chapter, Ken Kaneki has a very unexpected ending to a date with a beautiful young lady, she turns out to be a Ghoul but he gets away. Both are injured and his life is saved with the doctors using the Ghoul as an organ donor. Ken wakes up half in one world and half in another. One that he has perceptions of and the first book doesn’t do much to dissuade.

This instalment sets up the beginning well, you don’t learn all that much about the mythology of the world. Do only Ghouls exist? Or are there ghosts, demons, etc… I want to read more about the world and see how the main characters adapt. Ken to his new identity, the other Ghouls to him. I think there is a lot of potential in this series.

Written by Sui Ishida, and translated by Joe Yamazaki, Tokyo Ghoul is a series that I've heard so much about. But it was only recently that I decided to pick up the first volume and give it a try.

Once upon a time, Ken Kaneki was nothing more than a shy student. All he wanted was to hang out with his best friend, and make excuses to spend time with his crush. Unfortunately for him, things didn't go quite as planned.

His first date makes even most dates look downright amazing in comparison. You see, the girl he liked didn't actually want to date him. She wanted to eat him. And so his story begins.

Tokyo Ghoul Vol. 1 was simultaneously everything and nothing like what I had expected. I'm so glad that I finally gave it a try, even after all of these years. I can see why people talk about it so much. Even so, I can also see that no description had ever really done this series justice.

So, am I basically saying that I liked this series more than expected? Absolutely. Though I suppose I can only speak for volume one, so far. It was a morbid yet fun twist on the whole ghoul thing, with some excellent character development along the way.

I also can't speak for the anime, which I haven't seen. I think once I read a few more volumes of Tokyo Ghoul I might give that a try as well, but we'll see how I'm feeling when I get there. I am relieved that this series doesn't appear to have been over-hyped, and am looking forward to seeing where it takes us from here.

In case it wasn't obvious, Tokyo Ghoul is actually pretty graphic. I mean, it's a series about ghouls and how they eat people. Fairly obvious, right? All things considered though, they do a pretty decent job of handling that nature of their characters. Sometimes they embrace it, other times they try to fight against it (like the lead character).

Ken's character is...interesting. He's been put into a difficult situation, through a series of crazy circumstances. It's pretty compelling, yet made all the more interesting by the characters revolving around him (something that I find happens a lot in manga).

I'm looking forward to reading more of this series, even if I am totally behind on the times for it. Oh well, better late than never, right?

I've been hearing quite a bit about this manga series, and the anime adaptation, in recent months. I haven't read much manga in awhile, but this was quite the jump back into the style. My first impressions: crazy and violent. But, in the best of ways. It all comes together.

Bookish Kaneki is thrilled to go on a date with Rize, but she isn't interested in him in the same way. Rize is actually a flesh-eating ghoul. She is literally only interested in his body - for dinner, that is. During the attack, Kaneki is saved, but he needs an organ transplant. As he shared Rize's blood type, the doctors made the decision to go through with the procedure as Rize was dead on arrival. As a result of this life saving operation, Kaneki quickly realizes he's now half ghoul with a taste for human flesh. He's quickly thrown into ghoul society, culture, politics, and turf wars.

There's so much more I want to know about the ghoul world, and how else it is ties into the human world aside from predator and prey. Kaneki is a really interesting character. He's the last one you would expect to be thrown into a situation like the one he quickly finds himself right in the middle of. I'm definitely interested in continuing his storyline over the course of this series. I may even try watching the anime adaptation based on the strength of this volume.