I remember seeing all these post all over my Facebook about Tokyo Ghoul being made into a live action film. My first inital reaction was excitement just for having another Japanese film to watch. The film was directed by Hagiwara Kentaro and stars Kudota Masataka(Death Note), Shimizu Fumiaka, along side a whole slew of actors/actresses that have made a name fore themselves over the years including, Aoi Yu. It's box office sales didn't do too bad but it could have been better considering the manga counterpart is so popular in Japan as well as outside of Japan. There's rumors that's said to be plans for sequel.
A college student is attack by a monster known as a Ghoul while on a supposed date. Before he is eaten an accident occurs that almost kills him and his attacker both but he is magically saved….. at a horrifying cost!
Tokyo Ghoul is one of those live action adaptions that follows the manga's plot almost down to the ink that was used to make the panels in the manga. Kentaro took special care not to ruin much of the core details that make up Tokyo Ghoul's universe. Well expect for a few little minor details that is. Certain places that a few key events happen in the manga were changed to speed up the storyline. Taneki's dismay caused by Rize was given an extended scene to add absolute effect to the feelings that our main character on top of one character being omitted from the film to save time(His story might go more in-depth in the sequel.). Other than that, the film moves along just retelling the original story in a live format. Some viewers might complain that there isn't enough action in the film adaption. I kind of agree with these people because the script creates a slow build up of tension like shit is about the go down. Then the fight scenes don't last long enough to fulfill the thirst you gained from that tension. Fights happen in the film respectively but they don't feel to me like" go all out" kinds of fight scenes. This could have been due to a lack of budget to create the effects which is understandable. The creators worked with what they had and the end result of the action is good enough to me. However, there's room for improvement. Back to my point of the plot seeming too slow for some viewers, You guys have to remember that Tokyo Ghoul goes through some slow plot moments in the manga and anime. I'm reading Tokyo Ghoul: Re now and a lot of time, the plot is slow getting to the action. The Tokyo Ghoul Anime also had episodes that didn't have any action scenes at all. So you get where I'm going with my argument. Slow source material equals slow live action film. Drama aspects of the film discusses the Ghouls vs. humans concept in a dark emotional form of storytelling. You experience a new inside look at Taneki's conflict being on the borderline of being a human and a Ghoul. The ending of the film leaves you wanting to see more of the manga come to life. It would be a shame if this film didn't get a second part.
I was super amazed at how good the cast looked in their roles. Most of them looked like the characters form the manga just leaped off the pages straight into reality. Kubota doesn't actually look like Taneki because he doesn't have the baby face that the character had. He does make up for the mismatch in looks by having talent. The director could have picked a good looking, cute, actor to play Taneki(depending on who they had picked, it might have gotten more ticket sales.) but there is no guarantee that he would have served justice to the character. Kubota embodied Ken as soon as the Director yelled action as can be seen from the moment the film starts. He walking around in the darkness that it Taneki's mind while bring all the war of emotions to the forefront. His performance grabs your attention each time he is on screen. The investment in the role is there. You can see it in the great performance he gave. Aoi Yu is another person that stood out the most in this film. She's not in the film that long but she played the HELL out of Rize's character. I was very skeptical that she couldn't pull off such a dark role. She shut my ass up though. Aoi proved that she has the acting chops to play whatever role she damn well pleases. The presence of Rize lingers long after she makes her exit since she brought a strong aura too the character. The character is somewhat terrifying in the manga casing the actress playing her to bring their A game. All the rest of the cast did well. I was caught up in how good everyone looked. The costuming was even done right.
The manga's scenery was modeled after places in real life Tokyo so you can imagine that it wasn't hard to find these places for the film. I enjoyed seeing the real life counterparts on screen and each location is shot stylishly. The effects weren't as bad as some people claimed them to be. For the most part, they looked good until you get to Touka's Kagune. Her Kagune looked kinda of cheaply created. When it lit up, the effect looked better.
This is one of the better live action films. I put it up there with Rurouni Kenshin live action films. Let's hope that there will be another film or films. Otherwise, this film will feel strangely incomplete.
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