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Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Sheep Movie Review: Tokyo Ghoul (2017)

Tokyo Ghoul (2017)
Tôkyô gûru (original title)
29 July 2017 (Japan)

Director: Kentarô Hagiwara
Writers: Sui Ishida (manga), Ichirô Kusuno (screenplay)
Cast: Fumika Shimizu as Tōka Kirishima
Masataka Kubota as Ken Kaneki
Nobuyuki Suzuki as Kōtarō Amon
Yo Oizumi as Kureo Mado
Yuu Aoi as Rize Kamishiro
1h 59min
Action, Drama, Horror
Ken Kaneki is a bookworm college student who meets a girl named Rize at a cafe he frequents. They're the same age and have the same interests, so they quickly become close. Little does Kaneki know that Rize is a ghoul - a kind of monster that lives by hunting and devouring human flesh. When part of her special organ - "the red child" - is transplanted into Kaneki, he becomes a ghoul himself, trapped in a warped world where humans are not the top of the food chain. (from manga)


Holy sheep this movie is a lot of flocking fun! Let me start out by saying I haven't read the Tokyo Ghoul manga or watched the anime. I'd seen some images online but didn't know anything about the plot. And from what I've heard, prior knowledge of Tokyo Ghoul could affect how much you like the movie.

anime Kaneki
live action Kaneki
Apparently, the movie doesn't explore the deep moral issues Kaneki has to deal with since he is part human and part ghoul. And the manga is a lot more violent and gorier than the movie. But by focusing on the action element they have made a movie that will appeal to a wider audience...like me! This is a case where the intensity of the trailer is a reflection of the movie.
Ghouls are human flesh-eating "monsters" that look human. There are some bad ghouls that see people as livestock but there is a group of ghouls trying to coexist with humans and have found an alternative method for getting flesh. An organization called the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul) hunts down and kills ghouls. Ghouls and their culture are a bit like vampires, but they need flesh instead of blood.
(left) Touka is one bad ass ghoul!
Ghouls have a special organ called a kagune that emerges from their back and can be used as a weapon (you can see them in the trailer). Ghouls can have different looking kagune. High-quality CGI effects were used to create the ghoul's kagune looks great.

There is some humor throughout, but Tokyo Ghoul is a drama/horror/action film. You are laughing one minute and then things take a drastic turn. There are some excellent choreographed fighting scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat. The writers went with lots of blood instead of gore. I don't remember seeing a rating, but it probably falls in the low R rating...some scenes are pretty intense.

The movie was action packed and exciting. Sui Ishida (creator of Tokyo Ghoul manga) has created a dark and exciting supernatural world.

And just in case you didn't realize. The movie is in Japanese with English subtitles.


Here are some YouTube links to scenes from the movie:

Exclusive Tokyo Ghoul The Movie Theatrical Clip - "Training with Touka"
Tokyo Ghoul: The Movie - Official Clip - Ghouls Among Us
Tokyo Ghoul: The Movie - Official Clip - Dinner Date
Tokyo Ghoul: The Movie - Official Clip - The Mask We All Wear
Tokyo Ghoul: The Movie - Official Clip - Flavor of Fear


4 1/2 "ghoulish" Sheep





SharonS

4 comments:

  1. Where did you see it? We don't normally care for movies that require translations via subtitles... Do you know Japanese?

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    Replies
    1. It was a limited release. Luckily it was playing at one theater not too far from me. The only Japanese I know is sushi. THe only way to see it was with subtitles and after a while you don't even realize you are reading them. But you do have to pay attention.

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  2. Gosh I want to see this so bad!! :D

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