Attack on Titan/進撃の巨人 Shingeki no Kyojin - a live action failure

  If your a beloved fan of the amazing anime franchise Attack on Titan then I've got some bad news, the live action adaptation being a disappointment is an understatement, Attack on Titan: Part 1 in my personal opinion fell flat on its face. 

  The sad truth is that they had all of the right tools to build an epic, they had titans, walls even the 3D manoeuvre gear but instead they watered the source material down to a hollow shell of what it once was, the trailers showed all of the promise of the original franchise but sadly that is all we got to see of the anime being brought to life and that made the movie even worse. 

  Like the anime the movie is set in a post-apocalyptic world where what's left of humanity has been confined inside three huge walls. The walls were built to keep humanoid creatures known as Titans from getting in and for one hundred years its worked. This all goes to hell when a Titan that bigger than the wall appears and smashes a giant hole through the wall and lets in all of the titans and then death and war ensues for the foreseeable future.

  The film follows three teenagers Eren, Mikasa and Armin, they see witness the death and destruction that titans bring and two years later they join the army so they can fight titans and reclaim their home. In a massive battle Eren get eaten by a titan and later rips his way out by becoming a titan himself and begins decimating other titans around him and giving humanity a new hope in the war with the titans. 

  So where did they go wrong? Well to begin with they chewed up the original storyline of the manga (which was a piece written genius) and spat out something vaguely similar. One of the key defining moments in the anime is when Eren is forced to see his own mother being devoured by a titan, this then sets Eren on his path to take revenge and become a titan himself this character element is what makes you the audience emotionally invested in Eren's story, and for some stupid reason this never happens in the movie, it just doesn't happen and instead Eren's drive to kill titans is because "he wants to see the world outside of the walls" which is really weak reason and sounds stupid when you shout it out of the titans. 

  As character screw ups go, they really did a number on Mikasa, being Eren's adopted sister and love interest, her character was vital in the manga and anime, she also was one of the most badass characters in the anime and brought intensity to the story. In the movie for some reason they thought 'pretend killing' her off for two years was a good idea and just leaving Eren and Armin to join the army brought the movie down seeing that her character kept Eren on the straight and narrow and forced him to become better person and focus his anger. In the last twenty minutes of the film they bring Mikasa back and apparently she has been training in secret with a veteran titan killer, this development brought the movie to screeching halt, because the movie failed to establish there were soldiers fighting titans or they had veterans. Mikasa was integral to the storyline and she was barely in it. 

   Armin barely got any screen time, which was a shame because he was the only character they got right in the movie, he was the strategist that came with masterful plans to kill titans but none of this was used in the film. The titan killing veteran Captain Shikishima was a pale imitation of Captain Levi the most beloved character in the original franchise, simply because he was just awesome on the battlefield and had calm attitude in combat, once again none of these elements were in the film and the character was wasted. 

  The movie score was up and down like a yo-yo, at first the soundtrack was similar to the anime but then suddenly Godzilla music would awkwardly interject and completely destroy the atmosphere the scene. The soundtrack of a film is a foundation that you need to get right otherwise the film fails, the soundtrack creates atmosphere and helps build emotion which this score did not do (at all). 

  The setting and location of the film is actually one of the few elements I was happy about, it actually looked like the anime and manga. The giant walls and crumbling houses really set the scene and showed you what conditions were like within the walls and revealed why they needed to defeat the titans. 

 Another positive note was special effects in the movie, everybody expected the titans to look like monsters from a b-movie, I actually thought it gave the movie some charm and a unique quality that it drastically needed. Sadly as the movie progressed the effects wore thin and just became annoying to watch, the gore helped lighten the annoyance and made the titan scenes fun to watch which was not a good thing, mainly because blood and gore is more of an embellishment not a core element that drives the movie forward. I believe they may have blew most of the effects budget on Eren transforming into a titan, because its the only scene in the movie that's worth sticking around for. 

  As a whole, what made this movie such a disappointment was how much hype there was for it, I expected the movie to be adaptation of the anime and that there would be some changes but straying from the original story that made the franchise what it is was the what killed it. As a viewer you have no emotional investment, even if you haven't heard of the anime or read the manga the plot was filled with so many holes you wouldn't have a clear idea of the actual story and what the character's goals are. 

  For perspective the video below is an example of the fantastic source material the movie makers squandered.

Dead Rising: Watchtower - a successful game movie

  With all of the different zombie movies and TV shows being produced, most people would over look a movie adapted from a zombie video game series. Especially when it doesn't have a theatrical release, but Dead Rising: Watchtower isn't a movie to be overlooked. 

  Movies made solely for the internet have a stigma of being badly made and having poor quality, but with the help of Legendary Pictures Digital this movie managed to break the stereotype and prove itself to be a film you would actually want to see on the big screen. 


  The Dead Rising game series is a violent, gore filled zombie-fest, each game is set in a location this is suffering a zombie outbreak and you play a protagonist that fights their way to safety, the story lines usually feature a conspiracy that 
points to the government or the military causing the outbreak in the first place. The game series is labelled under the sand box game genre which means your actions in the game affect the ending. The entire game series had positive reactions from its target audience, so it makes sense they would attempt to capitalise on movie profits. 

  The movie is set in the Dead Rising universe and references the game and even has the original game protagonist Frank West (Rob Riggle). The film revolves around a reporter Chase Carter (played by Jesse Metcalfe) trying to get a lead on a zombie virus outbreak but instead gets trapped in the quarantined zone as the outbreak spreads. The virus begins turning people after the anti virus called "Zombrex" no longer has any effect on bitten survivors. Chase meets up with other survivors including Crystal (Meghan Ory) who is only person who has a working supply of "Zombrex". This development leads to the a conspiracy that the outbreak was planned and Chase plans to survive the outbreak and expose the set up to the world, so he forges weapons from household objects and fights through hordes of zombies and crazed raiders, all whilst trying to keep Crystal alive.


  Through out the movie the characters are well developed and you really gain sympathy for them due to the situation they are in, the best example is Chase Carter because he starts out as a typical pushy journalist looking for a story, but as the movie progresses he becomes a likeable character. 

  Most internet movies usually look amateur or just look like they were made on a small budget, Dead Rising: Watchtower on the other hand has high production value, with professional camera angles, authentic set design with locations that look like they've been ravaged by a zombie outbreak and panic induced chaos. The movies atmosphere builds up a sense of urgency at steady pace that pulls you in as a viewer and compels you to watch, the atmosphere of the film also comes across like a comic book movie would, by throwing you into a universe where zombies are now a common phenomenon.

  This film is filled with references to the game series but none of them are more obvious than having Frank West in the movie. In the the first Dead Rising you play as Frank West trying to survive a zombie outbreak in a shopping mall (George A. Romero didn't sue them shockingly). Rob Riggle portrays the live action game character but in this he's out of the zombie killing game and is now a published author of zombie survival book and he is being interviewed by a news anchor woman as the movie progresses, each scene with him in is hilarious as he is constantly at odds with the anchorwoman and keeps irritating her with his simplistic and violent comments and its all done a satirical manner. They also reference the game series with games creative and innovative weapons they use in the film including buzzsaws attached to sledge hammers and weedwackers connected to hedge trimmers. 

  Many critics today think that zombies are no longer a genuine threat and they don't scare anyone, well in Dead Rising they come in vast numbers, they not like Romero zombies that shuffle slowly but they not fast REC zombie either, DR zombies keep a normal scary pace and they ridiculously strong and can chew through limbs, so having chainsaw near by helps. This movie does manage to make the classic zombie a genuine threat again. 

  This film really does rise above the label of "internet movie" and shows itself as a film that can be taken seriously and be classed as one of the better zombie movies in the last five years, with all of the other zombie franchise out there this film really is a breath of fresh and can be watched by both horror movie fans and gamers alike. 

  

Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme - The animated origin

  As far as marvel characters go Dr Steven Strange has to be one of the most influential and mystical of the universe, his comic book series opened up a completely different world to comic fans and gave them an alternative to the science based heroes like The Fantastic Four and The Hulk. The animated movie produced by Lionsgate and Marvel Animation studios does a great job of giving Dr Strange an origin that stays true to the source material but also makes Dr Strange's impossible life seem possible and relatable to the audience watching it. 

  The movie's narrative relies heavily on two major genres, the first being fantasy in this case dark fantasy, with the amount of vicious monsters and violent demons that the heroes of the movie have to face it could almost be a horror which lead into the next genre, supernatural. The movie is filled with mysticism and magic, Dr Strange's world revolves around those two elements so its fitting that they used utilised frequently in the movie's narrative. 

  What shocked me first with the movie was the soundtrack, its almost had a Disney quality to it sounding very majestic but then suddenly had a chilling effect on me, this mirrors the message of the story which is that magic is something wondrous but like all things powerful it has its darker, scarier side that must not be underestimated. Due to there being no real human expressions in an animated movie the soundtrack is used to convey the emotions of the characters and situation they have been placed in and the score does a very good job of reflecting them. 

  The opening scene is laid out in a way that allows the audience to understand what kind of world the movie is set in and has characters that will be featured through out the whole movie, it also reveals one of the many monsters that cannot be seen by normal humans only those who have spiritual gifts, Dr Steven Strange being one of them as he is the only one to see a group of mystic warriors fighting a shadowy tailed beast. 

  The character of Dr Strange is first seen as an egotistical and arrogant man that only cares about improving his own reputation as a doctor that cures the impossible. This would seem as a very dark take on a comic book character but staying true to the source material, Dr Strange was a pompous man before became the Sorcerer Supreme. Personally I love an origin where the hero starts out a bad guy and is shown the error of their ways because it make them more relatable, and your more inclined to see how they will develop in future story arcs. 

  The movie starts off strong with Dr Strange discovering an epidemic of children falling into comas, he accidentally peers into the one of the children's minds and sees demon with a face made of fire called Dromamu this startles him and he drive back home in fear. As he drives he hears children's voices and sees an illusion of boat filled with children, as he tries to help them he instead drives off a cliff and crashes. Three days later he wakes up to find his hands are completely crushed and means that his days as a surgeon are over.

  After Months of wasting all of his finances on supposed 'miracle' cures he is approached by on the mystical warriors he saw at the beginning of the movie named Wong. He tells him to go to Tibet to find a hidden temple and then hands him a map of its location. Wong proves to be a very caring and friendly ally to Strange and in some ways he is his mentor in battle. 

  Strange arrives at the temple to find Wong waiting for him, he takes him to see the Ancient One the current Sorcerer Supreme, who tells him that the only way to fix his hands is to master magic and free himself of his burdens. Strange reacts negatively to this development and argues with the Ancient One but he's put in his place by Mordo another mystic warrior. 

  In a flash back we learn that Strange became a doctor to save his younger sister of a fatal illness, but he failed and became the way he is due to his guilt and self loathing. Strange starts doing chores for the Ancient One, which metaphorically starts becoming his training, while this goes on Mordo and Wong go battle two major demonic creatures, but in Mordo's arrogance many of the mystical order are killed. Strange gives up his training decides to leave but he gets caught in a blizzard in which he subconsciously face his guilt and finally forgives himself and accepts that he couldn't do anything to save his sister. 

  Dr Strange's character development at this point in the film became the heart of the story and a vehicle for explaining who magic works in the Marvel Universe, this also forms an explanation for how the magical side of the universe co-exists with scientific side. 

  After months of training Strange learns the arts of magic but the threat of the fire faced demon Dormamu has risen, The Ancient One and the what's left of the mystic warriors to New York City to defend the Sanctum Sanctorum. But unbeknownst to them Mordo has aligned with Dormamu and sabotages them and kills The Ancient One and injures Wong leaving only Strange to face him and defeat him. 

  The movies age rating is actually a twelve but it features alot grim deaths that which give the impression that the makers were aiming more at an adult audience than a younger one. 

  In the final confrontation between Dr Strange and Dormamu, Strange accepts his new life and becomes Sorcerer Supreme and defeats Dormamu sending him back to his dimension and trapping him there. With the threat of Dormamu gone only Dr Strange and Wong are left and it is up to them to find more prospects and protect the world from the dark on that lurks in the shadows.

  Dr Strange's world was by far the most radical and experimental in the Marvel Universe and the animated movie really brought that too life in a relatable and compelling story that any body could follow and enjoy. 

  

  

  

  

Attack on Titan/進撃の巨人 Shingeki no Kyojin - The Third Trailer

  The second highest selling manga series and Best TV Animation of 2013 is looking to win awards in the Film industry as well, that's If the newest trailer is anything to go by. 
  
  For those who do not know what Attack on Titan, the story simply revolves around what is left of the human race living in the confines of a walled up settlement that has been section off into three cities, this settlement is now under attack from an ancient threat known as Titans; giant humans without genitals that consume humans. The story follows the humans struggle to survive and fight the Titan menace, this includes Eren, Mikasa, Armin and Captain Levi (these names have been replaced with Japanese one due to the target audience being mainly Japanese), members of the Recon Corp. that use steam powered grappling hook harnesses called 3D manoeuvre gear to bring down Titans. The manga and anime was praised for its drama, action, storytelling and violence. To make a live action movie so soon after the release of its source material should give you an idea of how impact-full this franchise has become. 

  What makes this new trailer so different is that the previous trailers really only set the scene for the movie and only showed us locations and and shots of a few titans including an epic shot of the colossal titan. This trailer revealed quickly edited footage of the main characters fighting Titans, the main characters in training and becoming members of the Recon Corp., seeing the 3D manoeuvre gear in action and a Rogue Titan fighting other Titans. Being excited to see this movie is an understatement, its got all of the signs of being a great adaptation of the franchise and i'm confident that it will be successful. 

Fallout 4 - Post Apocalyptic Fun

  After years of waiting and praying for the next Fallout game to be announced, on 3 June 2015 Bethesda released a trailer that had every Fallout fan going apes**t crazy (including myself). Since the disappointment of Fallout: New Vegas, fans of the franchise have been hesitant towards Bethesda's ability to make a game that could top Fallout 3, the MMORPG Elderscrolls Online did not help the company's image in anyway, but I am happy to state that this isn't the case with Fallout 4 and that Bethesda totally came through for us. view the trailer below. 

  After the trailer was release fallout fans were salivating at the new prospects that they may hold and we didn't have to wait long because at the 2015 E3 Gaming convention Bethesda put on a presentation on all of Fallout 4's new features.


  The one of the new features was the character creation, Fallout 3 creation system was very basic and you could only choose what feature you wanted, this is still advanced for character creation suites in most games today but Fallout 4 has taken it one step further. In Fallout 4 you can literally change anything on your characters face from jaw structure to skin pigmentation, you tweak and modify almost everything on your face and of course you can be either a man or woman and because the game creators are just that damn thorough even your child in the game will take on small similar characteristics of your characters facial features as any descendant would. A nice touch in the released footage is that you choose you stats and first name by registering for your place in Vault 111.
  Its no surprise that Fallout 4 will be running on next generation graphics, the game looks crisp and clean but still manages to capture the bleak outlook of the Fallout universe that we all love. 
  
  The Dialogue has also changed because for the first time ever the protagonist on the game has a voice and you can choose his dialogue in system that very similar to Mass Effects dialogue system, when I first heard that the protagonist would have a voice I was sceptical at first assuming that it would take the role playing element out of the game but now game are becoming something more the just RPG's and that you have give this new element a chance and see where it goes. 

  Just like the previous Fallout games you can have a four legged companion that will join you on your adventures and I personally love this, because pet and companion always brings story development, excitement and maybe sadness to the game pending on your actions and the consequences that follow. 

  The VATS system has returned and it looks and play smoother than ever, VATS is the targeting system you can use to slow down time and target specific limbs to cause maximum damage to an enemy, the actions are quicker and the the damage looks realistic and detailed. 
  The interface for Pip-Boy has been overhauled and completely updated. In the Fallout Universe the Pip-Boy is your wrist device that allows you monitor your health, stats, inventory and even tune into radio frequencies to find out who's out there. With the Fallout 4 collectors edition you can actually get a fully working real life Pip-Boy that you can even slot you phone into. The Pip-Boy has been a constant element in all of the Fallout games and i'm glad that they have done away with it, the device even sometimes had storyline elements seeing that it's one of the few pieces of working technology in the wasteland.  


  Fallout 4 will now introduce a completely new element that has never been seen before in Fallout and that is being able to craft and build, this includes weapons, armour and even your own home or settlement. With this development you can become a leader of prosperous community or a leader of vicious raider either way it your choice and it is epic. The crafting system goes as far as you being able to you use any item or scrap of metal to make a weapon or shelter and to cap it all off you can even build your very own power armour (yes you read correctly). 

  After all of the waiting Fallout fans can breath easy knowing that there is a whole new Fallout just around the corner and that it's going to blow all of the others out of the water, the game appears to be massive in scale and will entertain you for months maybe even years, i'm looking forward to seeing what kind of story Fallout 4 will tell and to see if it can beat Fallout 3. If this information wasn't enough to sway your criticism and scepticism then watch the video below and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. 

 

Avengers: Age of Ultron - Nuff' Said!

  Just when you thought Marvel Studios had out done themselves with Guardians of the Galaxy, they managed prove us all wrong and produce another epic all star super hero team up known as Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

  Taking inspiration from the 1960's Avengers and bringing the infamous genocidal Ultron to life and having him battle the earth mightiest heroes, along with bringing in old and new faces into the battle. this movie goes all over the world, featuring the legendary Marvel city of New York, South Africa, South Korea and the fictional country of Sokovia. All of the founding Avengers appear like Iron man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and of course Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). This awesome cast list is then backed up by James Spader giving his voice for Ultron, Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the smart mouthed speedster Quicksilver, Elizabeth Olsen as the chaotic Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany as The synthezoid Vision. With a cast like this how could you go wrong and with the genius that is Joss Whedon I don't think you can. 

Warning spoilers below. 

  So the main story of Avengers: Age of Ultron is that now the world is safe from Loki and the Chitauri, now they're mopping up what's left of Hydra after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and hunting for Loki's sceptre so they can take back to Asgard, they come across The Twins; Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. After a successful mission Stark and Banner examine the sceptre and find a thinking programme within it. This programme becomes sentient, take the name Ultron from Stark's peace keeping programme and infiltrates Stark's technology and disables Jarvis, Stark's loyal computer programme. Ultron builds a body and reeks havoc in the Avengers tower and states his going to save humanity by destroying it (villain logic). 

  So the Avengers rally and chase after Ultron to South Africa where they encounter The Twins once again this time working with Ultron and this time Scarlet Witch messes with all of the team which leads to a balls out "Holy S**T that was epic" fight between Iron man and Hulk. The battle wrecks half of South Africa and a dozen buildings (which would make Superman jealous), we get to see the Hulkbuster armour in action and they batter each other until Hulk regains his senses. The team regroup and recover after getting their asses handed to them by Ultron and The Twins. The Avenger prepare for round two which results in them trashing half of South Korea, Black Widow being captured by Ultron but they do end up creating The Vision so that's a win. Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver learn that Ultrons plan is to destroy world and they are totally not down with that, so they rebel and offer help to the Avenger because they're just a pair of messed up kids with powers. 

  Now with new members to the team, the Avengers plan the final fight with Ultron in the fictitious country of Sokovia, where he's been secretly building a huge F'N jet propulsion system under the city which will lift it up into the sky and then drop causing extinction level event. The Avengers rally once again and battle the legions of Ultron bots and try to stop the city from rising and when all seems lost, Nick Fury shows up with a helicarrier (because he Nick Fury, that's why). They use the helicarrier to save the citizens of Sokovia, and all of the Avengers team up in one huge badass fight with all of the Ultron bots, Iron man, Vision and Thor melt Ultron Prime, but sadly in the evacuation Quicksilver get gunned down saving Hawkeye, Scarlett Witch flips out destroying every Ultron bot surrounding her but leaves her post and one shot up Ultron bot gets through starts the doomsday process leading to the avengers trying to save everyone they can. Scarlett Witch finds what was left of Ultron Prime and tears out his mechanical heart in the spirit of revenge. Thor and Iron man stop the landmass from destroying the world by shattering it, Hulk leaves in the quinjet and Vision destroys the last Ultron bot. The movie ends with the Avengers at their new base with Thor gone back to Asgard, and both Iron man and Hawkeye leaving the team, only Captain America and Black Widow are left to train the new team members. The last scene show Scarlet Witch, Vision, War Machine and Falcon are now Avengers and Rogers is cut off before he finishes the infamous line "Avengers Assemble". The after credits show Thanos putting on the Infinity Gauntlet and stating he will take things into his own hands thus setting up for the Infinity war. 

  There were plenty of awesome elements in this film, but James Spader's performance as Ultron was scarily convincing and amazing, he breathed life into the character in way no one else could, he achieved this by making Ultron more human that machine, Ultron's reactions were perfectly human, even his language was human and the way the character came through the screen. Seeing that Ultron's psyche was based off Tony Stark's it only fitting he would have the personality of a human, what makes Spader's performance even more impressive was how he translated the fact that Ultron believes he saving humanity but is actually going to destroy humanity and that he doesn't know the difference, and the interesting element is that he got the philosophy from Tony Stark's psyche, which could possibly be the foundations for Civil War. 








  Since the after credits clip of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the anticipation of seeing the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver being apart of the Avengers was building to boiling point. The two characters comic book history is long and full of madness and family drama. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen did a fantastic job as The Twins even though I still find it weird because they played husband and wife in Godzilla, but their acting made me forget that fact. Johnson portrayed the more cocky and arrogant Quicksilver that one in X-Men: Days of Future Past and Olsen is first movie incarnation of the Scarlet Witch, and she plays a very grounded and emotional woman who can tap into other peoples emotions and it probably the most powerful member of the Avengers. It was good see that there characters weren't wasted and they were given sufficient screen time. 

  The introduction of The Vision was expertly done, using the Mind Infinity stone to give the synthezoid life and having Paul Bettany play him was a genius casting choice. Bettany is one of the few actors in the world that can literally play any role he's given and make the role his own. Vision's character in the comics was always trying to truly understand what it means to be human and the only way he could do that was to join the Avengers and fight along with them. Because Vision carries the Mind Stone and thus gives him an insight into the major threat that is too come, this makes Vision a centre point in the marvel movies to come and his awesome line "I'am on the side of life" can only an epic foreshadowing of the space lord of death, Thanos.

  I can't write about this movie without mentioning the awesome fight between The Hulk and Iron Man in his hulkbuster armour dubbed "Veronica". This fight was every comic book fan's nerdgasm on screen, comic book are renown for epic hero fights such as Hulk vs. Thing, Drax vs. Thanos, Iron Man vs. Dr. Doom, Wolverine vs. The Hulk and even Batman vs. Superman. Epic comic book battles are usually landmark points in comic book story arcs and so its fitting we get to see one in the movie that ends phase three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

  The most interesting dynamic thrown in the film was the developing romance between Banner and Romanov. To most comic book fans this element was found to be very confusing because The Hulk always loved Betty Ross even when she became Red She-Hulk (yeah digest that one) and Black Widow ended up having 'relations' with Hawkeye and then Captain America in the comics. Personally I was on board with this story development simply because storyline wise both of the characters have had terrible pasts, they've both been shunned by the world for their actions and the two getting together will develop both characters and bring out more well acted emotional scenes that can fill the gaps between epic fighting and explosions. 

  With all of the awesome characters in this film, I though the interaction between Captain America and Thor was spot on, their team work with dialogue and whilst fighting was one of the defining elements in the film (especially the shield and hammer combo moves). In the comics Thor always held Steve Rogers in high regard after witnessing his courage and valour in combat equally Rogers knew he could always trust Thor because his outspoken mentality and always speaking his mind, this respect even led to Captain America being able lift Thor's hammer Mjolnir in the Fear Itself arc. 

 With the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever expanding with new characters and a new team of Avengers. It's going to take alot of original thinking and revolutionary film making for Phase Three to top the last two phases. I like how Kevin Fiege ends every phase of movies with an Avengers movie and how all of the secret ending amount to an epic conclusion. Avengers: Age of Ultron was another incredibly victory and featured awesome scenes, balls out fights and even more foundation building for future characters and movies. I hope by Infinity War we'll get to see all of the MCU characters come together in massive showdown with big bad titan Thanos, but the question is where will Marvel and Disney go from there? 

Why is Tokyo Ghoul so popular all of a sudden?

  If your wondering what the video is above then read on, last year it was Attack on Titan and the year before that it was Sword Art Online, what these anime have in common is that they've both become spontaneously popular in a matter of months of being out. 2015 is the year of Tokyo Ghoul, an anime about cannibalistic humans with red tentacles coming out of their back sounds more like a midnight horror movie, but its actually a whole lot more than that.  

  The concept of this anime is that the city of Tokyo is plagued with a species called "Ghouls" human like beings that have a set of red tendrils called a "Kagune" and they sustain themselves on human flesh. These monsters prowl the streets wearing masks killing and eating humans to live. 

  Ken Kaneki, a college student who is an avid reader meets a purple haired girl named Rize Kamishiro who also has an interest in reading. Ken goes on a date with Rize having the time of his life but she reveals herself to be a ghoul and attempts to feed on Ken, but both of them are caught in an accident. Ken suffers fatal injuries and has his damaged organs replaced with the nearest possible donor, that donor was Rize. 

  Ken wakes up in hospital and learns that he's now half ghoul due to his organ transplant, with one of his eyes pitch black and a new craving for human flesh Ken is taken in by a group of ghouls that run a coffee shop named "Anteiku". Whilst working at the coffee shop Ken learns that not all ghouls are monsters and some have control over their urges and live passable lives with humans. Sadly some ghouls are monsters and enjoy bringing pain to others and this leads Ken into a war with many fronts, and forces him to become a ghoul of great power at the cost of what left of his humanity. 

  With an epic story like that you can see why so many have gravitated to the anime, it filled with so many different elements but at the end of the day it main theme is horror and it checks all of the boxes in that department, featuring gore, blood, shadows, predators and violence. But Tokyo Ghoul also has other themes entwined in it narrative, like explosive action with huge battles amongst powerful ghouls and the theme of drama filters though the charismatic characters and their intricate story lines and backgrounds.

  Tokyo Ghoul does an excellent job of following the mental struggle of Ken Kaneki, he starts out timid and weak, he becomes a ghoul and his life is turned completely upside down but he still tries to remain human showing great fortitude, but when Ken is captured by a sadistic ghoul called Jason who lives and breaths to inflict pain on others he is tortured in many different and horrific ways, Kaneki fights to hold on to his sanity but after being pushed to breaking point he is forced to accept his ghoul half and put his humanity aside, by doing this Ken's hair turns white and his nails turn black, his strength is boundless, Kagune is far more powerful and he devours Jason knowing he cannot go back to what he once was. 

  I think one of the main reasons why Tokyo Ghoul has been so prosperous is because of its concept, there so much pain and suffering in the world and Tokyo Ghoul tries emulate that in a more believable sense, ghouls are a physical representation of violent nature that dwells in criminals and murderers but also appears as the discriminated minority that is being blamed for the actions of others and their uncontrollable nature. The human element in the anime The Commission of Counter Ghoul (CCG) are representation of how close minded officials deal with matters they don't understand fooling themselves into think its for the greater good. Many anime fans and average people will resonate with Tokyo Ghoul due to frustration with the world. 

  Tokyo Ghoul is an anime with multiple layers and if you give it sometime and patience you'll discover that it's not all gore and violence but also a story of survival and one poor soul trapped between two worlds struggling to find existence and meaning.