Tokyo Ghoul: re Volume 5 (Review)
By: EyeSpyeAlex
Missed my last review? Check it out here!
Warning! Major spoilers ahead!
This latest volume of Tokyo Ghoul: re has Shu confronting Touka about Sasaki. He demands to know why Touka hasn’t made any attempts to return Sasaki’s memories of Ken Kaneki. Touka tells Shu that she wants only the best for Kaneki. She insists that should his memories return to him naturally that re will be available for him to return to.Shirazu talks with Investigator Fura about his difficulties using his new quinque. Fura tells him that it’s good he feels uneasy and reminds Shirazu that they’re taking lives. The pep talk reinvigorates Shirazu to work harder to earn money to cure his younger sister, Haru.
In a surprising moment, the leadership team votes in favor of Sasaki’s undercover infiltration mission titled Operation: Mask. They plan on infiltrate different feeding grounds, masquerading as ghouls from the First Ward. Sasaki’s own undercover mission goes less ideal than planned as many ghouls remember a ghoul with an eye patch mask. Determined to know more about his own conspicuousness in the investigation, Sasaki looks over the archives and finds records of Investigator Amon’s encounters with an eyepatch Ghoul. This nearly triggers a psychotic break, but he is able to reel himself in. When he asks Mado about his connection to the eyepatch Ghoul she dodges his questions, causing him to lash out. We then see a flashback of Mado being assigned to Sasaki due to her maternal nature.
The order comes down for the eradication of the Tsukiyama and Rosewalkd family. Because the Tsukiyama family has ties to a major organization, the CCG is hoping to have this takedown occur without the press noticing. When it comes time to act on the mission, family figurehead Mirumo Tsukiyama surrenders without a fight. Having smuggled Shu out to safety with Matsumae, he has no reason to try and maintain the family image. Looking for safety, Matsumae andShu head to the Lunatic Eclipse building to escape via helicopter. Unbeknownst to him, the CCG is ready and waiting to ambush all ghouls therein.Once the CCG attacks, a bloodbath immediately ensues. While facing off against Matsumae,Investigator Ihei is killed in battle by Milo. Investigator Kijima is also killed in what is the most terrifying death scene I’ve ever seen. Ito is severely injured against Aogiri ghoul Noro.
Meanwhile, Sasaki is attempting to get Shu to surrender, with plans to take the ghoul into his custody. Kanae shows up to defend Shu and overwhelms Sasaki, chopping off his hand before dangling him over the edge of the building. Determined to protect Shu, Kanae plans on killing Sasaki both out of protection and out of jealousy. A flashback to his stand off with Arima allows Sasaki to gain the upperhand and subdue Kanae. Just when it seems like he will deliver the final blow, Sasaki is ambushed by the One-Eyed Ghoul.
The Review
This volume of Tokyo Ghoul: re provides the action I have grown to love and expect from the series. The fight scenes are intense and the deaths are delightfully brutal. One thing I especially enjoyed about this volume is being able to see all aspects of the raid on the Rosewald family from different perspectives. It definitely made the story feel more immersive.
I also really enjoy the character development we see in this volume. Sasaki is really struggling with his split identity and is trying to come to terms with who he is and who he was. It was great to see him stand up for himself and demand answers, even if he didn’t get very far. Similarly, it was refreshing to see Shirazu own up to his responsibilities, both to his team and to Haru. The only real downside to this volume was how quickly Ihei was killed off. She seemed like she had a lot of potential to be an awesome character.Fans looking to pick up Tokyo Ghoul: re Volume 5 can do so in stores or here on Viz Media’s website.Note: Viz Media provided us with a digital copy of this manga in exchange for our honest review.