Tokyo Ghoul √A Ep. 12 – “Ken” (Summary)

“Kaneki, thanks for going all-out trying to save me back then.” ©Pierrot

When Kaneki wakes up, he finds himself inside Anteiku, where his friend Hideyoshi greets him with a cup of coffee. Kaneki tries to cover his left eye, but he is surprised to learn that Hide already knows that he is the “eyepatch” ghoul. His friend even thanks him for saving him when he was beaten by Nishio before. Regardless of his new identity, Hide still considers him as his best friend and his impression of him didn’t change at all. However, their conversation gets cut when Hide suddenly collapses on his own pool of blood. It turns out that he is injured because of the raid and as his consciousness starts to drift away, he asks Kaneki to go home together.

©Pierrot

Outside the coffee shop, the remaining officers aid their colleagues and rescue those who survived the battle. Kuroiwa is severely injured, but Shinohara is still unconscious and is in a much more critical condition. Marude calls Koutarou Amon, but there is no answer from him. The cold night turns fiery as the sky is filled with sparks from the fire that devours Anteiku. Touka cries as she sees the cafe getting burned, but she also gets surprised when Kaneki comes out of the building carrying someone covered in white sheets. She tries to chase him but Renji Yomo stops her as part of the final order given to him by Yoshimura. They silently watch as Kaneki walks in the middle of the snow-covered road filled with corpses of ghouls and officers who died in the battle. Everyone just stares at him as he carries the lifeless body of his friend Hideyoshi. After he puts him down, Arima walks to him and takes his suitcase, implying that a battle between him and the CCG reaper ensues.

©Pierrot

©Pierrot

The next day, Arima is shown standing still in the middle of the snow-clad road with his quinque stuck in the ground, and Kaneki is nowhere to be seen. The episode concludes with a time skip after the Anteiku raid where Touka opens her own coffee shop and begins a new chapter of her life.

“All right. Let’s do this.” ©Pierrot

Tokyo Ghoul √A Ep. 10 – “Last Rain” (Summary)

The raid in the 20th ward continues as the CCG officers and the Anteiku ghouls fight each other. Koma and Irimi have the upper hand at first, but they are eventually defeated by Tanakamaru and Hachikawa. However, just before they are completely killed by the doves, Ken Kaneki arrives and rescues them. He is seen by Touka and Hideyoshi when he returns to the battle where he encounters Koutaro Amon and the 4th division squad.

©Pierrot

Yoshimura, on the other hand, is surrounded by several special class ghoul investigators and their associates. Yukinori Shinohara, Iwao Kuroiwa, Juuzou Suzuya, Koori Ui and Kousuke Houji attack the One-Eyed Owl simultaneously, and even with his quick regenerating abilities, the ghoul suffers heavy injuries until he is completely subdued.

©Pierrot

The CCG officers rejoice after successfully defeating their biggest enemy, but before they can even strike their final blow, the real One-Eyed Owl appears, and the investigators are suddenly caught off guard.

©Pierrot

Tokyo Ghoul √A Ep. 9 – “City In Waiting” (Summary)

Everyone in CCG is required to write a testamentary letter before their upcoming attack to the 20th ward, and they all feel the dread and tension, especially Seidou Takizawa.

©Pierrot

Just before the operation starts, Ken Kaneki and Touka Kirishima find out about the attack as the announcement is shown on television. Touka immediately leaves her apartment even though Renji Yomo tries to stop her. Enji Koma and Kaya Irimi welcome the doves who have already begun to surround Anteiku, and the fight between the ghouls and the CCG officers commences.

©Pierrot

Mougan Tanakamaru, the leader of the 2nd Division, faces the Devil Ape, while Hachikawa of the 3rd Squad fights the Black Dog. In the midst of the attack, Yoshimura finally appears and transforms as the One-Eyed Owl and assaults the officers until Yukinori Shinohara and Iwao Kuroiwa arrive to repress him.

©Pierrot

Nishiki Nishio meets Kaneki on top of the building and assures him that Touka and Hinami are safe. Just then, Shuu Tsukiyama suddenly shows up and attacks Kaneki. He struggles to stop Kaneki from joining the fight as he raves about eating him. However, Kaneki easily subdues him as he lies on the ground weeping, still trying to prevent him from going. Kaneki thanks him for his concern, but he states that he can’t stand not being able to do anything anymore.

“I can’t stand not being able to do anything anymore.” ©Pierrot

 

Tokyo Ghoul √A Ep. 8 – “Old Nines” (Summary)

This episode reveals what the manager and Kaneki discussed during the latter’s visit to Anteiku. When asked about the Owl, Yoshimura narrates a short story about a ghoul called Kuzen and how his life changed after meeting a human named Ukina. They had a child together but their happiness was short-lived when the woman was killed by other ghouls. He fled together with his child, but by the time he finished wiping out his enemies, his daughter was already gone. That child then becomes the One-Eyed Owl. As Yoshimura ends his story, it is revealed that he, in fact, was Kuzen, and the Owl is actually his child.

©Pierrot

Back to the present, Nishio and the rest of the Anteiku staff are busy with their job as the cafe is surprisingly packed with customers. On that snowy day, unbeknownst to them, the doves are starting to make their move as the CCG stealthily spy them. However, Yoshimura already received that report from Renji Yomo, and he instructs him to take care of Hinami and Touka as the two don’t seem to have an idea about the imminent attack to their shop.

©Pierrot

Right after the three left, Yukinori Shinohara pays a short visit to Anteiku, and the manager treats him a cup of coffee as the two of them briefly chat. When the investigator leaves, Enji Koma and Kaya Irimi inform Yoshimura that they have already taken care of everything, including the documents. The manager serves them coffee as he expresses how much he will miss the others, and Koma assures him that he and Irimi will stay by his side until the end. Yoshimura, with a distant look in his eyes, whispers, as if talking to Ukina, that his wish did not come true in the end.

That same moment, Yoshitoki Washuu and Itsuki Marude ask the CCG chairman for his approval to implement the mission to exterminate the ghouls in the 20th ward—and the exact location is in a coffee shop called Anteiku. 

©Pierrot

Tokyo Ghoul √A Ep. 7 – “Permeation” (Summary)

Ken Kaneki continues to be tormented since he still cannot control his kakuja. He is haunted by Rize and Jason, and realizes that he wasn’t cannibalizing ghouls but instead, he was the one being eaten.

©Pierrot

Tsukiyama returns to Anteiku and informs Yoshimura about Kaneki’s cannibalism and kakuja. As he is about to leave the cafe, Hinami asks him about Kaneki, so he invites her to another coffee shop to have a little chat. As he excuses himself for a moment and goes to the bathroom, Sen Takatsuki appears and briefly converses with Hinami. The novelist frankly tells her that she cannot do anything to help her big brother with the way she is right now. She leaves the cafe and gives Hinami her business card, telling her to contact her whenever she wants.

©Pierrot

Takatsuki then goes to CCG and briefly interviews Shinohara and Suzuya who have just returned to the office. She asks them about the possibility of creating a human ghoul, but Shinohara cannot give her a definite answer. With that, she ends the inquiry and leaves the area after subtly informing them about a “rumor” in a coffee shop in the 20th ward.

Kaneki surprises Roma when he suddenly pays a visit to Anteiku and talks with Yoshimura. When Hinami learns that he is in the cafe, she immediately finds Touka and tells her that Kaneki is in Anteiku at the moment. Touka rushes to meet Kaneki who is already on his way back after talking with the manager. He said that Yoshimura asked him to return to Anteiku, but he still doesn’t know what to do. He wants to get even stronger to be able to protect her and everyone else who is precious to him. However, Touka gets furious with him and yells at him not to come back to Anteiku anymore. She hits him repeatedly as she asks him why he had to end up like that.

“You have no right to want to protect us. We have no business being protected by you. You pretend to be thinking about others, but ultimately, you’re only thinking about yourself.” ©Pierrot

Shinohara and Suzuya, on the other hand, pay a visit to Anteiku and asks the manager about Kaneki. Yoshimura only tells them that he lost contact with Kaneki two months ago. The investigator seems to recognize the manager and mistake him for someone else, but as he and Suzuya leave the shop, he affirms that they will come back to Anteiku—the coffee shop in the 20th ward that Takatsuki told them about.

©Pierrot

Tokyo Ghoul √A Ep. 6 – “Thousand Paths” (Summary)

Yukinori Shinohara gets discharged from the hospital after sustaining some injuries during his fight with Kaneki, who is still having a hard time controlling the kakuja that he gained from cannibalizing other ghouls. Back in the CCG office, Seidou Takizawa invites Koutarou Amon to eat out, and the latter asks his partner Akira Mado to come with them.

“It appears that your report was incomplete, so please come back to the office at once and work on it.” ©Pierrot

However, Akira ends up getting drunk, and she begins to let out her pent-up emotions as she blames Amon for the death of his father. Amon himself feels responsible for Kureo Mado’s demise, and upon seeing Akira’s suffering, he vows to himself that he will protect her. He then starts to do some training until he reaches his limit the next morning after he executes more than 7,000 push-ups.

“I’m kidding. Eat up.” ©Pierrot

A short background story about Juuzo Suzuya is also shown. It turns out that he was raised as a pet by a ghoul called “Big Madam” who trained him as a scrapper in the ghoul restaurant. Because of the way he was treated and the environment where he grew up, Rei, who is later called Juuzo, developed an erratic and violent behavior without any apparent sense of pain. Big Madam’s hideout was then raided by the CCGs who took custody of Juuzo. The child’s skills were deemed useful by the officers, that is why he was trained to become a CCG investigator alongside Shinohara who has always shown him affection and sympathy for the kind of life that he had from the hands of the ghoul.

“The boy had no other choice but to live that way, right? I consider him to be a victim.” ©Pierrot

Towards the end of the episode, several CCG investigators and high-ranking officials are seen attending a conference led by Yoshitoki Washuu. He commands the Owl Suppression Unit and gives them the task of locating the Owl and Aogiri’s base before hunting them down as part of their extermination campaign.

©Pierrot

Tokyo Ghoul √A Ep. 5 – “Rift” (Summary)

The battle between the ghouls and the CCG investigators in Cochlea escalates as both parties suffer a lot of casualties. Juuzo Suzuya confronts his former academy classmates who are now ghouls. He nonchalantly stabs Kurona repeatedly, without giving her time to heal herself. When Nashiro tries to attack Juuzo, the latter easily slashes her, forcing Kurona to flee with her twin.

“Next, I’ll take apart what’s precious to you, Ghoul Kurona…” ©Pierrot

Meanwhile, Ayato incessantly assaults Shinohara as fragments of his childhood memories with his father flash before him. However, Shinohara overpowers him and before Ayato is completely killed by the CCG investigator, Kaneki intercepts and attacks the enemy using his new kakuja. His transformation makes him lose control of his sanity as he maniacally assails Shinohara with his incredible speed, enabling him to overwhelm the investigator. While the battle continues between Houji and Tatara, the ghoul facility center suddenly emits CRC gas as the alarm goes off. Tatara simply walks away as the whole area is clouded in smoke.

Shinohara: “Of all the ghouls I’ve ever faced, you’re the craziest one yet.” ©Pierrot

Koutarou Amon runs into the Yasuhisa twins while he is aiding Akira Mado who was bitten by Naki on the leg. Amon instantly recognizes the ghouls who used to be trainees in the CCG academy. But upon seeing him, Kurona quickly avoids him and runs away together with her injured sister. Amidst the haze, Amon notices Kaneki cannibalizing on what appears to be Shinohara’s Arata armor. The scene infuriates Amon, who first assumed that the “eyepatch” was different from the other ghouls. He attacks Kaneki and cuts off his kagune and kakuja. Amon’s words snap Kaneki back to his senses, and he sheds some tears as he tells the CCG investigator that he doesn’t want to eat anymore. That moment, the One-Eyed Owl appears and retrieves Ayato and Kaneki, leaving the CCG investigators in the ghoul detention center as it flies away.

©Pierrot

Tokyo Ghoul √A Ep. 3 – “Hangman” (Summary)

Kaneki and Ayato, together with the other ghouls, attack a CCG police van to rescue Naki, who is devastated upon discovering the death of his boss, Yamori. However, he is not aware that it was Kaneki who defeated Yamori, and he even thanks him for teaching him how to write his boss’ name and proceeds to call him a good guy.

©Pierrot

“Hey, did you hear? About that new guy, the eyepatch. They say that he ate Mr. Yamori. Apparently, he cannibalized him.” ©Pierrot

Hinami attends Takatsuki Sen’s book signing event, in which she asks the author to write Kaneki Ken’s name in the book since she plans to give it to him as a present. Nishiki, on the other hand, briefly tours Touka in Kamii University before leaving her all by herself to meet his girlfriend Kimi. Touka continues to walk around the area until she spots a poster of Kaneki on the school’s bulletin board. She also meets Hideyoshi Nagachika and they briefly talk about Kaneki who is missing. After the short conversation, Hide returns to his work as a messenger in CCG where he surreptitiously acquires information about the “eyepatched ghoul” from Seidou.

©Pierrot

Juuzou Suzuya finally obtains his new quinque and names it Juuzou’s Jason. Kousuke Houji and his partner Seidou Takizawa present a report to him, Amon, Mado and Shinohara regarding their discovery. Their investigation points out the accident that happened months ago, where a man received an organ transplant from a deceased woman without his consent. They figure out the young man to be Kaneki Ken from Kamii University, who has gone missing after the surgery.

Seidou: “The young man’s name is Kaneki Ken. He was a student who went to Kamii University.” ©Pierrot

Tokyo Ghoul √A Ep. 2 – “Dancing Flowers” (Summary)

The beginning of the episode shows a brief recollection during the first battle of CCG against the One-eyed Owl. Kureo Mado and Yukinori Shinohara were faced with the overwhelming strength of the ghoul, but it was Kishou Arima who rushed headlong into battle with the enemy.

©Pierrot

The scene is cut and the setting resumes to the present time where the high-ranking CCG investigators are having a conference. They discuss the situation regarding the Aogiri group and its connection with the “eye-patched” ghoul. After the meeting, Shinohara and Iwao express their opinion about the apparent changes with the One-Eyed Owl during their first encounter with him compared to the most recent one.

Shinohara formally introduces Akira Mado as Koutarou Amon’s new partner. Akira is the daughter of Kureo Mado and the rival of Seidou Takizawa who is her classmate from the Academy. She presents her accurate deductions concerning the ghouls such as the binge eater, the Gourmet and the Aogiri Tree to Amon, Suzuya, Shinohara, Seidou and Houji.

Poor Amon. XD ©Pierrot

Touka, on the other hand, spends most of her time studying for the entrance exam to get in Kamii University. The staff of Anteiku are also busy preparing for the opening of the cafe after it was closed during their fight with Aogiri. Uta, Itori and Yomo visit the coffee shop to celebrate its reinstatement together with Touka, Hinami, Nishio, Yoshimura, Koma and Irimi.

©Pierrot

Meanwhile, Kaneki continues to work with Aogiri with Ayato as his partner. Towards the end of the episode, Eto is seen entering a room and undressing her bandages. The lower part of her face is shown as she smiles while uttering the name of Kaneki.

©Pierrot

Tokyo Ghoul Reveals its Visual and Title for the Second Season

After the schedule for the broadcast of Tokyo Ghoul’s second season was announced, the official website of the anime series then unveiled a key visual for the upcoming adaptation next year. The newest season, which is slated to be aired on January 8, 2015 on Tokyo MX, is entitled Tokyo Ghoul √A (Root A).

©Sui Ishida/marv.jp/special/tokyoghoul

An advance screening of the first episode will be also hosted by Tokyo’s TOHO Cinemas Nihonbashi  on January 4.

(Source: ANN)