The second season of “Tokyo Ghoul” continues directly where the first left off (since the first ended in the middle of a battle). However, as the episodes unfold, the story strays away from the manga, and follows an original script by manga author Sui Ishida. The main arc deals with Kaneki joining Aogiri just after the battle and the CCG's efforts to deal with the utterly destructive group.
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In that regard, we witness the CCG taking the role of the hunted, as the Aogiri attack various stations exterminating everyone inside them. As the Antique cafe group and particularly Toka and Hinami try to deal with Kaneki's exodus, so do his struggles with keeping his sanity intact, which, in combination with the sense of loss and the trauma left by the torturing he succumbed to, have lead to a truly explosive mix. The middle part of the season focuses on a battle inside the facility the CCG keeps a number of highest-ranking ghouls imprisoned, which is quite impressive as it brings various opponents on duels, with Amon and Juzo in particular playing key roles, and a number of ultra powerful entities from both sides revealing themselves for the first time.
The next part of the season revolves around Yukinori's research over Antique cafe but also focuses a lot on the relationship between Amon and Kureo Mado's daughter, Akira, and Hinami's feelings about Kaneki. Again, a relatively uneventful part leads to a grandiose battle that pins the best from both parties against each other, once more introducing some rather fearful new entities on both sides. Drama, however, permeates this part as much as action, with particularly the ending bordering on the melodrama.
Morita Shuuhei seems to have lost a bit the control of the story in comparison with the first part, particularly due to the introduction of so many characters, and the fact the new script seemed to focus on different individuals than the first did. This issue also took its toll on the character design of Miwa Kazuhiro, as many are not as easily distinguishable as in the first part and a number of them look too much alike.
On the other hand, the new rivalries that are created are quite interesting and add to the mystery that permeates the title, while the exploitation elements that set it apart are still here, if a bit toned down by the drama. The concept of family and the way the events affect members of various ones becomes a central point, as it involves members of both sides, and is actually the main source of drama along with the loss a number of characters experience. However, the elements of sophistication that added much to the aesthetics of the first season are quite toned down here, detracting some of the depth of the title.
Studio Pierrot's animation is still top-notch, both in the extremity of the fights and in the calm moments, with the second aspect finding its apogee in the finale where the snow that falls over the carnage that has occurred, being particularly impressive.
“Root A” will definitely satisfy those who enjoyed the first season, since the overall quality both in context and in presentation have remained roughly the same, while a number of battles, particularly of the finale are even more impressive. However, the decline of the title that was cemented on the final season actually started here.
