Tokyo Ghoul Volume 12 (Review)

By: EyeSpyeAlexTokyo Ghoul has got me hooked! This volume delivers in spades as it works to wrap up the series. Missed my last review? Catch it here!The manga starts with the CCG leading a bloody assault on the 4th Ward. At the helm of this attack is Kisho Arima aka Reaper. Renji wants to kill Arima personally as revenge for his slain sister. He gets the opportunity to face him in battle, but is quickly overpowered. Mr. Yoshimura shows up and saves him from certain death.Tsukiyama takes Hinami to his favorite bookstore cafe. While there, Hinami runs into Sen Takatsuki. Takatsuki goes from their meeting immediately to the CCG. She tells Investigator Amon about an underground facility secretly owned by the CCG was purchased from Sphinx Trading Company. Along with the mansion, the CCG purchased a solution made of dissolved ghouls. Sphinx was owned by Nanao Yasuhisa; the twin’s father.This revelation does a number on Amon. Putting on his tinfoil detective cap, he tries to figure out why the CCG would be turning people into Ghouls. If they were, was Yasuhisa killed for his work, or to stop it from going public? Even more startling is that Dr. Kano would've known about the secret chamber, being ex-CCG himself.This volume is also full of awkward encounters. Kaneki goes to visit Yomo and to see Rize for some closure. He gets his wish, and is reunited with a completely manic Rize. On the other side of town, Touka and Nishio visit Nishio’s university. While there, she runs into Hide. The two discuss Kaneki’s “disappearance” with Touka assuring Hide that Kaneki must still be alive.Fresh from his meeting with Yomo, Kaneki confronts Mr. Yoshimura about the One-Eyed Owl being his child. Mr. Yoshimura tells Kaneki of the days when he was known as Kuzen, a “cleaner” who killed humans and Ghouls alike. Kuzen fell in love with a human woman, and the two managed to conceive a child. He discovered she was a journalist covering his organization, and the leaders told Kuzen to kill her.After completing the job, he left his child in the 24th ward, which had no connection to the organization. He also left the child with his mother’s notebook. Once his child grew up, he became known as the One Eyed Owl, a Ghoul who despised the world he lived in. Not wanting his child to be killed by the CCG or his organization, Kuzen took his place as the One Eyed Owl.After this revelation, Mr. Yoshimura/Kuzen asks Kaneki to come back to Anteiku. A chance meeting with Touka - which ends with her angrily telling him not to return - confirms he wants to return. He intends to work behind the scenes like Yomo and really help out the Ghouls. Banjo and the rest agree to come with Kaneki to Anteiku.All while this is happening, the CCG is confirming that there are two Owl ghouls. Not only that, they zero in on the location of the second Owl. They have traced his movements to the 20th ward. At Anteiku.This volume worked double time to try and tie up as many loose ends as possible. We finally have a backstory on Mr. Yoshimura and Yomo. We are closer to getting to meet the original One Eyed Owl. We're inching closer to getting Touka to admit her feelings for Kaneki. With only two volumes left, it will be interesting to see how things are wrapped up. I don't see Sui Ishida leaving any loose ends.Something else that never ceases to amaze me is how the Ghouls are illustrated to show raw emotion. In this volume we get both raw anger and anguish. Yomo is drawn with such anger and rage that his kagune bubbles and pulses on him. Conversely, Rize is drawn with such desperation and hollowness that it evokes pure anguish. For inhuman beings, the Ghouls evoke a lot of humanity.With only two volumes left, I can't wait to see how this ends! Those looking to read Tokyo Ghoul can buy the manga in store and online. Those a little more tech savvy can read the manga here on Viz’s website.[yasr_multiset setid=7]Note: VIZ Media provided us with a digital copy of this manga in exchange for our honest review