Who is Bad? Who is Good? 'Tokyo Ghoul Root A' Review

Tokyo Ghoul Root A

Studio: Studio Pierrot
Producer: None (As stated by MAL)
Genre: Action, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Seinen, Supernatural
Episodes: 12
Episode Length: 24 minutes per episode

In Tokyo Ghoul √A, monsters live among humans, looking like them while craving their flesh. That is the world Ken Kaneki has struggled to navigate ever since a first date went horrifically awry and transformed him into a half-human, half-ghoul. For months, he has fought against his new cannibalistic hunger and violent tendencies. But after being captured and tortured by a sadistic ghoul, Kaneki has accepted his darker half as his only means for survival.

His choice could not be more timely. Tokyo has become a battleground between humans and ghouls. The CCG, a government agency created to deal with the perceived ghoul threat, has ramped up its efforts to eradicate the inhuman monsters. In response, the terrorist ghoul organization, Aogiri Tree, has made destroying the CCG its priority. And throughout it all, the ghouls who frequent the coffee shop Anteiku merely want to live a peaceful life. But Kaneki, who worked at Anteiku while he attempted to reconcile his human and ghoul halves, makes a shocking decision: he joins Aogiri Tree. Even as his choice sends shockwaves through his newfound friends, many more questions are raised. What is Aogiri Tree's true purpose? Will the CCG triumph over the ghouls? And has Kaneki truly betrayed his friends and everything that Anteiku stands for?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been a while since I saw 'Tokyo Ghoul'. But I loved it. It was the amazing story of human versus ghoul. You felt for the ghouls as you saw their society. That anime truly embodied the idea of good guys being bad and bad guys being good. Just because you're a human doesn't mean you're good. Just because you're a ghoul doesn't mean you're bad.
This was the thing that drove the anime forwards. Many people loved that. And I did too.
But that doesn't mean the anime continued this theme. Season two was more about loss and grief. With lots of action scenes.

Something that I loved about this season was the multiple perspectives. We saw the nice ghouls the Anteiku group, the evil ghouls Aogiri, the good humans, and the bad humans. It's not a show about a clean and even divide between good and evil. Touka killed, but she was 'good'. Amon was righteous, but he attacked harshly. Even Juuzou who seemed like this crazy killing machine had a heartfelt backstory.
This anime showed us that there is always a good and evil force. It changes from person to person. Perspective changes how things are seen. As the saying goes, history is written by the victor.

Because of the different perspectives, you saw the truth. The truth is that everyone will die. You have to accept this and move on. But coping with your grief is okay. This anime, both seasons, had high body counts. People died left and right.
But the living had to deal with that. It's something to have to take as fact. There is no magical healing potion. There is only death. (Dark but true.)
I honestly think that if there was a third season, it would be great to see their coping mechanisms. I know that if we followed the manga, we'd have a massive time skip (Thanks, Google.) But wouldn't it be cool to see a ghoul's burial service?

The second half of the anime was very action-y. I quite liked the raid at the end. It was tension-filled, and we finally got to see the two employees of Anteiku fight. I never knew they were important ghouls. It was this amazing arc, and I really loved seeing the different fights.
I love action scenes a lot. So it was exciting to see this.

I really didn't like the lack of Kaneki. It was because of the multiple perspectives. I didn't mind seeing Akira and Amon and Juuzou, but I would have preferred Kaneki's perspective more. He was the star of the last season. Why couldn't there have been more about him? He wanted to get stronger and protect the group at Anteiku. I wanted to know more about that. What did he do? I have unresolved questions.

Even though the second half of the plot was interesting, but the first half was tiresome. There were a lot of raids. The CCG and Aogiri really danced around each other. The conflict wasn't anything special. Kaneki wasn't really seen. I was annoyed at his elusiveness. And while the CCG was given depth, I felt like there wasn't a lot of characterization in general. I was tired of this back and forth.

Verdict:
This anime wasn't as amazing as the first season. But I do quite like it. As always, the message is amazing, and the action sequences are fabulous. Not too bad as a sequel for the 'Tokyo Ghoul'. But it could have been much better.

First Episode Test: 'Tokyo Ghoul Root A', 'ReLIFE'

In Tokyo Ghoul √A, monsters live among humans, looking like them while craving their flesh. That is the world Ken Kaneki has struggled to navigate ever since a first date went horrifically awry and transformed him into a half-human, half-ghoul. For months, he has fought against his new cannibalistic hunger and violent tendencies. But after being captured and tortured by a sadistic ghoul, Kaneki has accepted his darker half as his only means for survival.

His choice could not be more timely. Tokyo has become a battleground between humans and ghouls. The CCG, a government agency created to deal with the perceived ghoul threat, has ramped up its efforts to eradicate the inhuman monsters. In response, the terrorist ghoul organization, Aogiri Tree, has made destroying the CCG its priority. And throughout it all, the ghouls who frequent the coffee shop Anteiku merely want to live a peaceful life. But Kaneki, who worked at Anteiku while he attempted to reconcile his human and ghoul halves, makes a shocking decision: he joins Aogiri Tree. Even as his choice sends shockwaves through his newfound friends, many more questions are raised. What is Aogiri Tree's true purpose? Will the CCG triumph over the ghouls? And has Kaneki truly betrayed his friends and everything that Anteiku stands for?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) Did I enjoy the episode?
Yes. I did. It was pretty interesting. And full of action.

2) Did I get something out of this episode? Did I laugh or cry or smile? 
I was on the edge of my seat. What happened to Kaneki? Why Aogiri? I'm confused. But intrigued.

3) Does the plot seem promising? Is there good rising action and a possible conflict? Or is just mindless blah blah?
Okay. We're plunged into the conflict. I was lost for a while since I don't remember what happened in the last episode. But I got it after a few moments of fighting. I know want to know who these new people are.

4) Do I like the characters? Do they have interesting backstories? Do they have interesting personalities and motivations?
I'm confused about Kaneki. Why join? I think we'll see soon. But I don't get it. There's no reason to.

5) Do I like the art style?
Of course. It's gorgeous. Bloody and gorgeous.

Verdict: 

Definitely interested in this one.

The story follows Kaizaki Arata, a 27-year-old jobless man, who fails at every job interview he had after quitting his last company. His life changes after he met Yoake Ryou of the ReLife Research Institute, who offered him a drug that can change his appearance to 17-years-old and to become a subject in an experiment for one year. Thus, he begins his life as a high school student once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) Did I enjoy the episode?
Sorta? Not really?

2) Did I get something out of this episode? Did I laugh or cry or smile? 
I didn't smile or cry or laugh with this episode. I am intrigued, though. What happened to Arata? What made him who he was? I want to know more.

3) Does the plot seem promising? Is there good rising action and a possible conflict? Or is just mindless blah blah?
This seems like the typical slice of life anime. Arata will meet people and learn things. Simple. It'll be interesting if the high schoolers find out he's an adult. That will be something to root for.

4) Do I like the characters? Do they have interesting backstories? Do they have interesting personalities and motivations?
I'm not a huge fan of Arata. He doesn't have a lot of personality. But the side characters? I'm interested in them. Who are they? What makes them special?

5) Do I like the art style?
Not really? Something seems off. I think it's their faces. It just looks strange to me. But their chibi forms are CUTE.

Verdict:

I don't know. This is an interesting anime. I want to see how it goes.

Have you seen these animes? What are your thoughts?

Haikyuu Ship v Ship Battle

What do I love more than Haikyuu? Its ships! I have a separate board on my Pinterest for just Haikyuu stuff. (Which is mostly DaiSuga.)

So I decided to do a ship v ship bracket. Here is mine, all filled out.

If you want to do this on your own, there is a blank bracket here:

It didn't exactly work out. I couldn't make a digital version, so I had to print it out. And write it. And my handwriting isn't the best. 

In case you can't read my awful handwriting, I've typed up the opposing teams. (There are numbers on each bracket. which is what is below.)

You can make it bigger if you like.

Final Four

So these are the final four and my reasons for choosing them:

WINNER

DaiSuga (Daichi x Sugawara)

These two are one of my favorite couple ever. They are so cute and sweet. They are Karasuno's parents the mom and dad. (And, yes, Suga is the mom. Because Suga. GENDER STEREOTYPES!) Their chemistry is amazing. The two of them are awesome together. They have easy banter and cute little looks. I love the two of them. I WANT THEM AS MY PARENTS.

RUNNER-UP

KageHina (Kageyama x Hinata)

These two are the main characters of the show. At first, they're enemies, but then they become close friends. They are hilarious. They yell at each other, but the two of them have an amazing friendship.

And wouldn't that be great if they were dating? SO MANY LAUGHS.

THIRD-PLACE

Tsukisima x Yamaguchi

These two seem like just friends. But they're definitely more. Yamaguchi admires Tsukishima. And maybe as more than friends. The two of them would be the love/hate relationship. But more hate than with KageHina. But Tsukishima would be REALLY BAD at sharing his feelings. Which would be hilarious.

FOUTH PLACE

Hinata x Nishinoya

These two are the short duo. These two would be so funny together. They are so alike. Loud and rambunctious. They would compliment each other really well. Or so I think. Plus, Hinata kinda idolizes Nishinoya. Which would be crazy.

I'd love to see your picks! Tell me who you'd think would win in the comments!

What is a Literacy Volunteer? A Guest Post by LaLa from 'LaLa in the Library

Today, we have another Summer Blog Promo Tour! My guest today is LaLa from LaLa in the Library. Please welcome LaLa!

Wren took a peek at my blog bio and saw that I am a literacy volunteer and asked me to talk about it for SBPT, so here we go...

⚫

When I went for my second college degree I had decided to go at the last minute and all of the work study positions had been filled, so my advisor suggested that seeing I already had course work which qualified me to tutor in the learning center, I should apply there for on campus employment.

Because I was taking American Sign Language as an elective, one of the tutees they assigned to me was a deaf student. She told the learning center's administrator how patient I was being with her and they began to assign me all of the more challenging students I was qualified to tutor (you had to have had an A or B grade in the class the student needed help with, or an applicable class). When they saw how well I was getting on with my ESL students, they added Barry (not his real name) to my tutoring schedule.

Barry was an EOP student who was struggling in all of his classes because his reading had been tested at a fifth grade level. I was not assigned to teach him reading skills, he was getting help for that in the reading lab, but was to read the assigned text he had for homework in his Biology course with him, and help him answer any questions the assignment contained. When it became apparent that whatever they were doing in his reading lab sessions was not helping him raise his reading level, I started brainstorming.

⚫

I asked him what they were doing with him in reading lab and he said flashcards and reading for comprehension sheets that he had to read and answer questions about. He let me see one of the sheets and they were all boring paragraphs about people going in to apply for jobs, or taking clothes to the dry cleaners. I figured he wasn't gaining any reading skills because it was boring and a chore, so I set out to make reading more exciting for him. I used comic books and found easier reading children's chapter books that would be a little more interesting to a nineteen year old, like A Wrinkle In Time. I couldn't work with him during our regular tutoring sessions, so I started meeting him in one of the student lounges when we both had free time, instead of playing cards with my friends.

By the end of the semester Barry didn't need the reading lab's services any longer and when he came back for his second year of school, not only was he not a tutee, he was a tutor! I am sure the reading lab instructor thought she was the reason for Barry's success, but I knew Barry felt differently and that is all that mattered to me.

⚫

What did Barry go on to be? I don't know because I lost touch with him, but I know that he had decided he wanted to teach after experiencing being a tutor himself. And my experience in helping him discover a joy for reading made me want to be a literacy volunteer!

Over the years my literacy volunteerism has taken on many forms. In fact, my first official volunteering was a complete failure. At that time, after you had completed your training, you had to go to the person's home to tutor. I was at college all day so my assignments were at night and not in the best of neighborhoods. I also took public transportation and had to wait at the bus stops alone, so I quit. A while later it was suggested that I would be useful at the Urban League's teen weekend program and I tutored there until I graduated.

⚫

Post graduation my life was filled with day jobs and night music gigs, and then my son came along. After getting an instructional book from the library, and teaching him to read when he was two years old, my passion for teaching reading was reignited and I started teaching the kids I babysat to read, too. Ha ha! We had moved to the countryside when my son was three, but moved back into the city limits when he was eight and I found out that the literacy tutoring program was now library based. I would be giving my lessons at the library, so I signed up and retrained.

I did this for four years until my ex left and I had to get a full time job, but now that I am semi-retired, I volunteer for a program that matches up nonprofit daycares, after-school programs, and food banks with organizations that supply children's reading materials for free. When I am fully retired you will find me back at the library tutoring. I would also like to put together a free program for single mothers, relying on assistance programs, to help them teach their preschoolers to read.

To me reading is important because it is how we gain a lot of our knowledge; especially knowledge about places, people, and things we don't come in contact with in our day to day Iives. Knowledge and understanding of these things is what is going to catalyze world peace and bring an end to bigotry and racism. Consider this... if you help one person to read and in turn they help their children learn to love reading, or they decide to be an educator like Barry, you have made a solid contribution to a better world. Being a book blogger and making other people excited about reading is a wonderful contribution. Those of you who blog to promote a love of books, and a passion for reading among others should be truly proud of yourselves!

La La is a 59 year old book blogger who reads mostly YA, has a 24 year old son at university, is learning Japanese, makes a fab pumpkin pie, and likes a couple of martinis on Friday nights. You can find her pushing indie authors and talking books at La La in the Library and on Twitter @LaLaTOadstOne 

Can't Connect With 'Kiznaiver'? I Agree

Kiznaiver

Studio: Trigger
Producer: Aniplex, Movic, Ultra Super Pictures, Sammy, Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, BS11, Crunchyroll
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Episodes: 12
Episode Length: 24 minutes per episode

Katsuhira Agata is a quiet and reserved teenage boy whose sense of pain has all but vanished. His friend, Chidori Takashiro, can only faintly remember the days before Katsuhira had undergone this profound change. Now, his muffled and complacent demeanor make Katsuhira a constant target for bullies, who exploit him for egregious sums of money. But their fists only just manage to make him blink, as even emotions are far from his grasp.

However, one day Katsuhira, Chidori, and four other teenagers are abducted and forced to join the Kizuna System as official "Kiznaivers." Those taking part are connected through pain: if one member is injured, the others will feel an equal amount of agony. These individuals must become the lab rats and scapegoats of an incomplete system designed with world peace in mind. With their fates literally intertwined, the Kiznaivers must expose their true selves to each other, or risk failing much more than just the Kizuna System.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This anime was truly unique. It had an interesting idea with teenagers sharing their pain in the pursuit of peace (Say that ten times fast). I should have loved this anime more than I did. But a few key things were missing. 

But let's start with the good things first.

There were nine characters in this anime, but I only truly like two of them: Nico and Hisomu. These two were quirky, and they stood out among the crowd.

First, Nico.

Nico is this manic pixie dream girl. She's crazy and has this colorful hair. She's short and loud. I love her character. (Even if I typically had the manic pixie dream girl stereotype.) What makes her stand out is her innocent and stance towards friendship. 
Nico acts like a child. But we all need to be a little childish sometimes. 
She was really the only person who pushed their friendship. I loved that. She wanted friends. She wanted to be close to people. Doesn't everyone want that?

And Hisomu. A lot of people might write him off as a comedic character, but I see something else in him. He's pretty smart. He advises Katsuhira in matters of the heart a lot. Sure, he's a masochist, but he knows a lot about pain. This makes me wonder about his history. Why does he love pain? What happened to him? Why didn't he trust the Kiznaivers at first? A lot of questions come to mind. He's a very interesting character. 

The relationships in this anime are complex. The romantic ones especially. Does anyone remember the confessions from episode 9? Yeah, that.

Everyone and their extended family has a crush on someone. And you know how much I hate love triangles. Anime is really pushing it. I guess, though, I have to accept it. Or focus on a few couples I like.

But let me focus on their friendship. These guys aren't close at first. Actually, they don't even know each other. They are strangers. (Except for Chidori and Katsuhira and Tenga. Because Tenga DOES save Katsuhira. Everyone forgets that.) But this anime is about their bond. To me, it's interesting to see them come together and learn about each other. (Especially in Maki's case. I just want to see more about her. Really.) 
I wanted them to become close friends. Wouldn't that be amazing?

And the OP is gorgeousness. 

Click here for the OP

By the way, don't Google for "Lay Your Hands on Me" because you'll get rick rolled. A lot. Trust me...I did it.

It's beautiful. It's really simple. It's just 'lay your hands on me', but it's filled with a lot of emotion. You understand the lyrics a lot better as you continue to watch the anime. It's about taking someone's pain and helping them through the pain. It's awesome and works really well with the anime. The animation is simple. It just shows the characters in stills with vividly, colorful backgrounds. The characters aren't really moving. Which is okay. But I adore the song the most.

And, now, onto the crucial thing this anime is missing: the plot.

The anime originally focuses on the missions given by Sonozaki. Most of these are boring. Finding the eighth member. Getting to know each other. Blegh, I was bored of that in seconds. The only interesting mission was saving Maki. That gave a lot of insight into her life and her personality. I wanted more of that but maybe for all the characters? I know it's a short anime, but you could still dedicate time to branching out Yuta and Hisomu and Nico and the other characters, not just Katsuhira and Sonozaki.

After the missions, we were taken on this 'Sonozaki and Katsuhira have a past together' arc. Which was almost as boring. We got some background on Katsuhira, but that didn't make me feel for him. 
The ending felt rushed. The plot tried to force tension, but it really didn't work. I was bored. I wanted more. More action, more backstories. The characters felt a little 2-D. If they had dedicated time to missions for saving all of them...maybe I could be more engaged. But they didn't. 

Overall, I was highly disappointed in this anime. I wanted so much from it, but the plot just didn't work for me. At all. 

Verdict:
Definitely not the best. But not too bad. I just couldn't connect with this anime. HAHAHA.

Why I Dropped 'Battery'

Meet Takumi Harada—not even in junior high and he's the best pitcher in the region, although he's frustrated and ready to give up, because he can't find a catcher who is good enough to keep up with how he pitches in this backwater town his family has just moved to. Then along comes a kid named Gou Nagakura...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since I didn't have enough summer 2016 anime to start a new First Episode Test post, I decided to rant on the first episode of 'Battery' instead.

I'm not a huge fan of sports anime. The only sports anime I like is 'Haikyuu', and it's one of my favorite animes. It sets a high standard for other sports anime. I constantly compared 'Battery' to 'Haikyuu'. Which I shouldn't but did anyways.

I have a lot of problems with 'Battery'. Too many that outweigh the positives. But the one positive made me have hope for this anime. That's why I put it on hold/dropped.

The main problem I have with this anime is Harada. He's such a douche. I refuse to say anything less. He's unbelievably rude. Not only to his brother but also his mother and Go. And none of them did anything to wrong him. He's so sassy, and I doubt there are Japanese kids that sassy TO THEIR PARENTS. It's so rude that I can't believe the writer thought that was okay. He's constantly in a bad mood, and I wanted to yell at him and shake him senseless. He made me so mad. 
And his face...it just looked strange next to Go's. There was something off, and I think it was his eyes. The rest of his face was fine. Really.

Another problem is his brother Seiha. Almost all his lines were obvious statements. "Oh, look. It's snow. It's cold." No duh, dude. Snow is cold. He needed a lesson in 'things that aren't redundant to say'. 
Plus, no offense to the seikyuu, but his voice made my skin crawl. It was so awkward.

And the only redeeming quality. Go.
He was amazing. He was nice and funny. And reminded me of Daichi from 'Haikyuu'. Which is a good thing. I loved his character. I only watched this episode to the end because of him. His unbridled hope was overpowering. I wanted more from him. Especially if he changes Harada's bad attitude.

Overall, I couldn't stand much of this anime. I might return to it later. Or not.

Are you watching 'Battery'? What are your thoughts?

A-Z Survey: Guest Post by Dejah from 'Legend of Lost Books'

Today, I have Dejah from Legend of Lost Books for SBPT. She's going to be doing the A-Z Survey from Perpetual Page Turner. Check out the original post here.

Author You've Read The Most Books From:

Lemony Snicket and Lynne Ewing (Tied with 13) (Want an easy way to figure this out if you have Goodreads and keep good track of your stuff? Go to your account, hit “my books”and on the left hand side under your shelves you will see “most read authors”)

Best Sequel Ever:

Hunger by Michael Grant and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Currently Reading:

The Assassin Game by Kirsty McKay and Sing by Vivi Greene

Drink Of Choice While Reading:

Ice Water

E-Reader Or Physical Book:

Physical when I'm home, E-Reader when I'm at work

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Cabel Strumheller from Wake by Lisa McMann. He is so protective and insecure but he is so adorable!

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Hidden Gem Book:

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Important Moment In Your Reading Life:

Starting My Blog

Just Finished:

How To Disappear by Ann Redisch Stampler

Kinds Of Books You Won't Read:

Erotica and Historical Fiction

Longest Book You've Read:

Hunger by Michael Grant (590 pages) ( Go to your Goodreads “read” list, scroll down and there will be this little tab on the bottom that lets you choose how you want to sort or how many books you want display. Choose num pages)

Major Book Hangover Because:

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

Number of Bookcases You Own:

None. That's why my books are all over the place

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Preferred Place To Read:

My couch or anywhere that isn't my bed

Quote That Inspires You:

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" - Dr. Suess 

This was really hard because majority of my favorite quotes come from music

Reading Regret:

The Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

Series You Started And Need To Finish:

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, The Heroes Of Olympus by Rick Riordan, Gone by Michael Grant, Maximum Ride by James Patterson, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer AND A LOT MORE!

Three Of Your All Time Favorite Books:

Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (I'm just going to say 2. It starts with a T anyway)

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

The Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson. It doesn't get talked about enough and I mention it in almost every post.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All Others:

Tied between Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake and Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Worst Bookish Habit:

Looking online for more books as if my TBR isn't big enough

X Marks The Spot: Start At The Top Left Of Your Shelf And Pick The 27th Book:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Your Latest Book Purchase:

The Problem With Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten, and Down With The Shine by Kate Karyus Quinn (All from Barnes & Noble)

ZZZ Snatcher: Last Book That Put You To Sleep:

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Yeah I DNFed that one...

About the Blogger

Dejah is a 19 year old part time college student studying biology. She loves all things Disney and Marvel super heroes. Here favorite book genres are mystery/thriller and retellings of the Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland variety. If she isn’t reading, you can find her dancing and listening to music. Feel free to check her out at Legend Of Lost Books and follow her on twitter at Legend Of Books .