“It’s world building, however, is irksome”: ‘Tokyo Ghoul’ Surely Deserves a Remake, but Even Its Ardent Fans Know Where the Story Failed Badly
Tokyo Ghoul is no doubt one of the most popular anime and manga series. The work has been famed due to its dark themes, compelling characters, and power-packed fights. However, the anime adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul has received significant criticism all over the world.
The show is known as one of the most disappointing anime series of all time, even today as the adaptation is considered awful when compared with the original source material. Fans believe that unnecessary changes in the original plot and failure to adapt the storyline resulted in its downfall.
Even the most devoted fans acknowledge that the series falters in one significant area: worldbuilding. The story’s premise is a world where ghouls continue to coexist with humans while maintaining their predatory nature (cannibalism to survive).
Tokyo Ghoul’s world is a self-defeating paradox
Tokyo Ghoul is set in a world that defeats the purpose of the work. This happens as the story fails to explain the massive number of ghouls roaming around just in Japan. Despite the many threats and the massive number of humans they need to eat for sustenance, the Ghouls manage to exist alongside humans in society.
The worst thing is that in modern times (in the Tokyo Ghoul world), this might be acceptable. But the ghouls have existed for very long. Their physical capabilities make them the equivalents of a one-man army.
The worldbuilding of Tokyo Ghoul is incredibly lacking.
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They could have become absolute rulers and made human breeding grounds like raising livestock. This raises several logistical and societal questions that the narrative struggles to address convincingly.
Ghouls need to consume at least 12 humans annually to survive. With Tokyo alone hosting an extremely active ghoul population (so much of the story revolves entirely around it), the murder count should logically cripple society. It would be extremely strange with thousands going missing every day. There would be no way the society could function under such pressure.
The ghouls existing alongside humans cannot be satisfactorily explained
Adding to the disbelief is the inconsistency in the enforcement of ghoul suppression by the Commission of Counter Ghoul (CCG), which, despite being portrayed as an elite organization, seems to constantly fail at exterminating ghouls as their actions are clearly ineffective.
The narrative fails to address how ghouls evade detection. For a world supposedly plagued by such a significant threat, with just a city losing multiple hundreds on a weekly basis it is surprising to see how the societal infrastructure remains improbably intact.
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The people who should always be grieving or in fear seem to be living as though ghouls are little more than an urban legend.
While Kaneki’s transformation and story do give insights and a personal lens into the struggle of being a ghoul, the series ignores the much-needed deeper world-building.
You can stream Tokyo Ghoul on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
