Tokyo Ghoul: re - Episode 13 (Review)
By: EyeSpyeAlex
Tokyo Ghoul: re is back just in time for the spookiest season of the year! I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into the continuation of the series. Check out my thoughts on where the season picks back up and let me know how you feel about it in the comments below!
The Story
Tokyo Ghoul: re opens with the CCG assault on Rushima, an island off of Tokyo Bay. Rushima is the current Aogiri base, and the CCG hopes that a full on assault here will eradicate the CCG once and for all.
Meanwhile, Nimura Furuta and Haise Sasaki arrest Sen Takatsuki’s editor and force him to confess that Takatsuki is a ghoul. Sasaki then heads to Takatsuki’s press conference to arrest her. While there Sasaki bumps into Ayato, and he tells Ayato that Fueguchi’s execution date has been set. Sen Takatsuki then reveals that she is a ghoul. When then see Takatsuki’s backstory, when she was Eto Yoshimura, her break into writing, and her missed connections with her father. She ends the press conference and proceeds to be arrested by Sasaki.
Later on, Nimura and Sasaki talk about Takatsuki’s new book. Her book – Bileygr the King – seems to be a reference to the One-Eyed King, the ghoul who leads all the other ghouls. The humans in the book seem to be a reference to the Washu clan, the CCG’s leading family. Takatsuki later explains to Sasaki that the Washu clan is also known as “V” and confirms that they are ghoul collaborators. She further explains that the RC gates don’t respond to people with cell patterns from the V group. This subsequently ends up being a group Rize was part of, and one she was running away from.
We then get Rize’s backstory, including her relationship with Shachi. Back in the present day we see Arima and the other doves prepare to dispatch Shachi. Before Shachi is killed, he declares that he recognizes Arima’s eyes. This information hopefully did not die along with Shachi.
Back at the Cochlea, Nimura meets with Takatsuki to ask her about the One-Eyed King. When she refuses to give him any information, he switches tactics and presents her with her editor, whom he has had made into a pate. Before he leaves, Takatsuki manages to get under his skin, breaking his façade. As it later turns out, Sasaki had Takatsuki record her conversation with Nimura. In return for her help, Takatsuki asks Sasaki to kill the One-Eyed King.
Sasaki has other plans for the moment. As Ayato and the other ghouls prepare to break out Hinami, Sasaki beats them to it. During a sudden riot in Cochlea, Sasaki makes his way down to Hinami’s cell, releasing her so they can head home.
The Review
Wow. This latest season of Tokyo Ghoul: re wastes no time getting right into the action and drama. Between all the revelations and bloodshed, I wasn’t sure where to focus my attention the most. It was almost a little too overwhelming, but I’d rather have that than be underwhelmed.
One thing I really enjoy about this premiere is the focus on Eto and Rize. They are two characters who haven’t really had their backstories explored up until this point. It’s really quite a shame as they both play such an important role in Sasaki’s life. I’m hoping upcoming episodes explore their history a little more.
The action was particularly thrilling in this episode, but I found the most intense scenes to be a little lacking. It felt as if the fight scenes were sped up to make sure there was more room in the episode. Whether that’s the case, or if it was just an editing issue, it left me feeling like I missed something.
Also, what the heck is happening at Rushima?? We saw it for maybe two minutes and it wasn’t brought up again. The manga shows this battle in epic detail, so I’m hoping the next episode shows us a little more.
New episodes of Tokyo Ghoul: re stream Wednesdays exclusively on Funimation.