FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Tokyo Ghoul

Scene from Episode 1: Tragedy. The 'binge-eater' Rize lures Kaneki to a secluded area and attacks him after their date.

Tokyo is secretly under attack by flesh-eating ghouls. Since the ghouls look like their prey, authorities are having a hard time eliminating them from society. A 'binge-eater' ghoul (ghouls usually eat once a month) is particularly wreaking havoc in the city and as authorities rush to stop her, a young college boy Ken Kaneki unwittingly runs into the binge-eater and goes on a date with her, believing her to be human. As expected, the binge-eater, who is called Rize, attacks him but subsequently dies after a beam falls on her. Kaneki is taken to the hospital where the surgeon transfers some of Rize's organs to him, turning Kaneki into a half-ghoul, half-human abomination. The subsequent episodes follows Kaneki's life as he tries to resume his normal human life while struggling with his ghoulish instincts. He also introduced to the staff of Anteiku Cafe who are all ghouls and learns how the ghouls organize themselves in order to survive in a world where they are hated and hunted.

Scene from Episode 2: Incubation. Toka gives Kaneki a tough lesson about being a ghoul.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

It's a basic fish-out-of-water story. Kaneki somehow becomes half-ghoul and learns all about the ghouls' lives. Naturally, the ghoul whose organs are transplanted to him happens to be an extra powerful one and he inherits these traits, giving him an edge over other ghouls who pose a danger to him.

People may not take to Kaneki immediately because he's kinda whiny. But I think it's understandable, considering that he's been practically torn out of his previous life and forced to live a life he did not choose. His moral compass is necessary and makes him essentially a stand-in for the audience.

I do like Toka, the tsundere, and Yomo and the mask guy. From the opening, there are bound to be more interesting characters who are probably going to be introduced in the later parts of the series. 

The art is good but not High School of the Dead level of good. The same goes for the animation and production values. I don't particularly like the music but they're passable.

I have to admit, I'm not as excited about this series as I was before and I don't know if I want to continue it. 

Scene from Episode 3: Dove. Kaneki goes hunting for food with mysterious Anteiku staff, Yomo.