The end is approaching.
Impression
You know, I really miss Haise. He was such a good-natured guy! Kaneki telling Shiono that he likes Takatsuki’s books is as conclusive a proof as we need that Kaneki is now Kaneki again, if anyone still doubted it. We keep going through so many chapters without getting into the current Kaneki’s head, and it’s really making it difficult to take a closer look at him and work out exactly what his current goals are and how he’s going to go about doing things. It doesn’t help that we waited two weeks for Ishida to reveal that Eto wasn’t even home at all. From his interrogation of Shiono and his subsequent conversation with Furuta, it genuinely seems like he’s not willing to let Eto go – the fact that he’s told the rest of the CCG that he believes Takatsuki Sen is the One-Eyed Owl implies that he’s out to incriminate her instead of what everyone suspected about him teaming up with her. It’s odd that he’s waited six months, but he’s literally told them all that he’s found the One-Eyed Owl, and that he’s leading a covert operation to deal with her. So much for that Cochlea breakout party.
The rest of the chapter basically set up the next major conflict, which as long speculated is an Aogiri-centric arc. The opening stages are probably going to be set on Rue Island, and I have a suspicious feeling that Hachikawa and his team are going to end up in a state even worse than Hachikawa’s face currently is. If they find Kanou’s half-ghoul army there, a couple of doves aren’t going to be of much use – even if one of them is Mutsuki. Actually, especially if one of them is Mutsuki, because Torso’s presence and potentially Shirazu’s corpse’s presence isn’t going to do him any favours.
I love how Kaneki has made it to the top, by the way. He’s recovered his memories, and so he knows perfectly well that he’s literally sitting in the middle of the enemy stronghold – in their war room in fact, with all their most powerful executives all around the same table. Presumably none of them have their quinques with them. He’d still probably be hard-pressed to kill them all even if they’re unarmed, but I’m sure he could pick off a few chosen squad leaders by surprise before he’s taken down. I recommend Matsuri. He should also do it with that ‘creepy smile’ on his face.
It’s also rather funny that Kaneki has listed Eto as an S-rate ghoul. From what Nico told him I’m sure he knows that Eto is the same person as Takatsuki Sen, but I guess he’s letting the CCG know what he wants them to know, and that doesn’t include the first-hand info on them that he must have had as Kaneki. I think we should also be anticipating a dramatic clash between Tatara and Hoji, since they seem to have identified Tatara as one of the most dangerous Aogiri executives that need to be taken out. Kaneki can probably beat him if he’s of comparable strength to Eto, but he’s only one person in the end. I really don’t see this arc ending well for the CCG, especially if Kaneki defects.
I really miss his Sasaki persona too. 🙁 As Sasaki, he was so good-natured and kind…but the story’s really barreling into new conflicts and revelations, so I’m also excited to see what happens next.
I’m surprised by how I never fail to be surprised at all the twists Ishida is capable of pulling. TG has a very active Western fandom full of theories, and yet each new revelation manages to feel completely fresh and unexpected. It’s really quite amazing.
What happens next? Why, Tokyo Ghoul:V of course!
You say enemy stronghold, but I see a guy who is mimicking Arima so has clearly become attached to CCG due to his abuse = love mindset.
Is abuse = love something which is ingrained in Kaneki’s subconscious? I wonder if the current him has detached himself from that sort of mindset. I really don’t like how we’ve never had a chance to get into his head since he woke up, it’s making speculation so hard!
Kaneki still wants a death he considers awesome while loved. That was the whole point of Haise waking up and becoming Kaneki again. And yes the whole abuse = love is ingrained into him since it’s been a part of him as far back as his mom beating him as a child. To the point he deluded himself into painting his mom as in a better if still not that great light. Yamori’s torture was so brutal that he couldn’t even do that, which is why he’s one of the exceptions.
I’ve seen people reminding us that that Kaneki wanted to kill the One-Eyed King. If the One-Eyed King is Kaneki, then that means there was foreshadowing all along that Kaneki wanted to kill himself.
ISHIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
there’s also the fact that Eto has outright stated that she is not the “one-eyed king’, leaving only one other option. and there is apparently another Cochlea operation in the works
my theory? Kaneki is waiting for the right time to utterly betray the CCG
Eto seems pretty certain about that at least
Well that should be saved for next weeks chapter. Even then it’s iffy exactly what they mean because Tatara has had a line about the king passing by once and he’s in on all of Eto’s schemes. The idea that he’s going to betray CCG when he’s clearly gunning for Eto and wants her taken down his own way suggests he has his own goal and betraying CCG is not part of it currently.
By any chance, do you mean that ‘”ou” ga tooru’ line? I know some people are claiming that’s a reference to Mutsuki, but I reaaaaally think that’s pushing it, even for Ishida. I’m a firm believer in his mirroring and the subtle bits of foreshadowing (like how the current Kaneki now looks just like his mother) but my suspension of disbelief ends with lines like that. I also draw a line with regards to anything to do with tarots. I think tarot people are finding many things that aren’t there.
People take the tarot stuff too far and see it in images when it’s not, but Ishida really does incorporate it into his stuff a lot. Even the TG deck of cards has a theme and the Calendar itself hints at some things. Since you’re now caught up. The calendar has the first hint about how Matsuri didn’t like his wife as her face was scribbled out. Also Nishiki got married. Yay.
Apparently there was a 17 on Eto’s face this week. And the ‘Goodnight Haise, I’ve had enough of dreaming’ page supposedly had a massive 2 somewhere. I… to me they just… they might be there sometimes, but as fantastic as Ishida is he isn’t James Joyce. It honestly reminds me of English Literature classes in school where we had to pretend authors and poets were perfect masters of language and look for things which might not all have been there in the first place.
I’ve seen the red, white and black jokers for the TG playing cards, both that and the calendar do have hints that I think are believable (the one with a loli Hairu in the Sunlit Garden is particularly cute). Nishiki got married? Is this to Kimi or someone else? Weren’t some people predicting that she was killed by Torso and that’s why Serpent was after Torso?
Nope in the Calendar shows the two married. So sometime between the original and Re they got hitched. What happened afterwards is unknown. There’s also some other cute stuff like Amon, Takizawa, and Kaneki as movie monsters or Kaneki, Hide, and Touka as kids together hanging out. It’s pretty cute all around.
I’m going to mention a bit more on this when I post Chapter 61, but even if he does eventually betray the CCG I don’t think he has any lasting allegiance to Aogiri and Eto. His allegiance is very much to himself, and possibly V depending on who they are and what they want. Kaneki isn’t interested in being the One-Eyed King even if Eto seems to have assigned that role to him.