Tokyo Ghoul (2014)

Tokyo Ghoul took narrative risks that paid off completely. Sui Ishida's willingness to subvert expectations while honouring its themes makes it genuinely original. The Episode 12 arc is one of the great story arcs in all of fiction.

Tokyo Ghoul has some filler episodes that slow the pacing. Get past them. The story arcs surrounding Root A arc are worth every minute of slower content. The best parts are genuinely great.

Tokyo Ghoul raises the bar for what anime can look like. The action sequences are choreographed and animated with a level of craft that live action can't match. the body horror imagery is jaw-dropping every single time.

Tokyo Ghoul was the first anime I watched and it set an impossibly high standard. The story of Touka Kirishima explores the cost of survival with a maturity I didn't expect. I've watched dozens of anime since and this remains the peak.

Tokyo Ghoul isn't just a great anime — it's a great work of fiction full stop. Sui Ishida's storytelling is dense, emotional, and intellectually rigorous. The theme of what makes us human is handled with genuine philosophical depth.