Sui Ishida’s second instalment of Tokyo Ghoul is a testament to how unique an experience it always is for me whenever I dive into manga. Official statement: I don’t do it often enough.

I was a little worried that I’d forget where the first book ended & how this second book would begin, but, contrary to my belief, I was on Kaneki’s bandwagon successfully within the first few turns of the book’s pages. I don’t wish to spoil this series for you & so I shall keep this review rather brief, but I thought to leave you with some lessons I learnt from my time with the ghouls for a second time:

– Fight for whatever it is your heart believes, regardless of who may or may not stand by your side as you do so

– There really is nothing like unconditional love – run towards that as hard-to-find as it may, at times, seem

– Be your authentic self as it is unsurprisingly tricky to be anybody but unapologetically you &

– It pays to think outside of the box

In a time as unprecedented as the one we face at the moment, manga may well provide you with a healthy dose of escapism, where for a few hundred pages, you’re in another world entirely. Having read a book that brought me into its world page turn after page turn, I sincerely hope that you too are familiar with a similar sense of being elsewhere. If not, then allow me to reassure you that, when (& only when) you do find yourself there, you’ll have a yearning for that feeling time after time, much like myself.

Socially distanced hug from myself to you,

Sheeza