Tokyo Ghoul:re – 07

“mind: Days of Recollections”

「心覚え在りし日々 mind」 (Kokorooboe Arishi Hibi mind)

Often times, I feel that Tokyo Ghoul’s strongest episodes are when there’s less action and more meaningful introspection.

So, the auction was actually intended as a diversion from Aogiri Tree’s attempt to hijack the transportation of Quinque steel. Additionally, it serves as an explanation for why top investigators aren’t present for these seemingly important operations, beyond merely patrolling their own wards. The lack of Quinque steel would severely damage the CCG’s ability to fend against ghouls and constitutes a top priority, being guarded by the likes of Marude and Ui. With the Quinque steel being safely protected, and given how the auction raid ended in Big Madam’s death, it’s safe to say that this was a huge victory for the CCG.

The Quinx Squad even grew their reputation. Having played a crucial part in the operation, every remember received a promotion, although it’s debatable whether Urie deserved a higher promotion than Shirazu and Saiko. He disobeyed Kaneki to be at the right place, and even then, I don’t think his contributions were necessary for taking down Big Madam. However, I suppose he made the task easier for Suzuya’s squad, so some credit for assistance is due.

Unfortunately this also meant that Hinami was captured. I felt a great deal of sympathy, because she sacrificed so much to save a person she truly cares about, only he has also forgotten about her existence. But I’m glad Sasaki bailed her from death at Arima’s hands, even if it means that she’s stuck in solitary confinement. And to be honest, I wanted to see how Akira and Hinami would indirectly interact through Sasaki, since there’s incredibly bad blood between the two. Akira’s father killed both of Hinami’s parents, and fashioned them into Quinques that are used by Akira in present time, while Hinami herself played a part in Kureo’s death. Disappointingly, we didn’t get any insight from Hinami’s perspective. However, Akira reminds Sasaki of the appropriate custody period, which indicates to me that she plans on taking matters into her own hands once time is up. Her kagune sings for vengeance and I reckon she’d personally kill Hinami in cold blood if given the chance.

As always, Kaneki’s ensuing predicament stirred my interest. He feels deeply guilty about Akira’s pain at being able to do nothing against Hinami, seeing how she’s served as his mother figure through his time at CCG. But it seems like he feels some level of obligation to the Kaneki within, specifically the trust and belief that others like Hinami place upon him. He is very unwilling to betray Hinami’s loyalty to Kaneki, even if Sasaki ultimately considers himself to be a separate entity, and it was beautiful to see this struggle playing out in a mirror’s reflection. Although he’s suppressing it for the meantime, I feel that it will eventually gnaw away to the point where it’ll break through, and I look forwards to witnessing the aftermath.

The hospital scene showed us a great deal of insight into Shirazu’s situation. Healthcare is ridiculously expensive in Japan, and coupled with the debilitating yet unique condition that his sister suffers from, it’s not difficult to figure out why Shirazu desperately needs money. With his new Quinque being manufactured from Nutcracker’s kakuhou, he can hopefully make enough money to finally cure her condition.

Brief though it may have been, Eto’s reappearance is always welcome in my books. On this particular occasion, it is inexplicably linked with Sasaki receiving a parcel, containing both Kaneki’s old mask and a book signed by Sen Takatsuki. There’s no question that she’s trying to stir something up, considering her twisted interest in him, and there are signs that things have already begun. Sasaki’s habit of frequenting :re and his hallucination of Yoshimura are symptomatic of a subconscious desire, namely returning to Anteiku. In that respect, TG:re does a brilliant job of establishing this conflict of interests between Kaneki and Sasaki, striking an even balance.

Instead of having Sasaki go on a tormented spiel about how he deeply cares for the CCG, while grappling with his unknown past, his affections are laid bare for all to see. He hosts a lavish dinner party and gives out presents to celebrate everyone’s promotions. As Arima commented, it feels like Kaneki is a father figure to the Quinx Squad. After having two seasons where we saw familial community in Anteiku from the ghoul’s perspective, it’s refreshing how :re is embarking down the path of humanising investigators, painting an increasingly grey canvas when it comes to morality. Seeing how this episode ended, I get the feeling that the next arc will address Tsukiyama’s ongoing dilemma, ever since the disappearance of Kaneki Ken. He’s someone who I consider to be a rotten individual, albeit an entertaining character, meaning I want to see how his problems might be resolved.

Anyway, I’m afraid that my coverage of Tokyo Ghoul:re is about to go on an extended hiatus. With my university exams coming up, I’ll need to take about 3 weeks off blogging and sadly, I was unable to find someone else who could help cover in my stead. Obviously this isn’t ideal, and I really apologise for any problems it might cause. But I promise I’ll make up for it by whacking out a crazy megapost. So until then, stay tuned and see you next time!

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