Not only is it the last Wednesday of August, it’s the last day in August which means it’s yet again time for Experiments in Manga’s monthly giveaway! This month you’ll all have the opportunity to win not one, not two, but three volumes of Sui Ishida’s Tokyo Ghoul as published in English by Viz Media. The giveaway is open worldwide, too!
Tokyo Ghoul has been doing very well for Viz Media. The first volume has currently been on the New York Times’ Best Sellers list for fifty-nine weeks strait. The eighth and most recent volume is currently at the top of that list, and other volumes are frequently found on it, too. While I haven’t followed the series closely beyond the first few volumes, there are still quite a few things I like about the manga. In addition to the series’ dark and gritty aesthetic, I particularly appreciate that the protagonist must come to terms with who he is, struggling to find his new identity after a near-death experience leaves him part-ghoul and part-human. In general I find explorations of personal identity to be engaging and Tokyo Ghoul‘s supernatural variation on the theme to be interesting.
So, you may be wondering, how can you win the first three volumes of Tokyo Ghoul?
1) In the comments below, tell me a little about your favorite half-human from manga. (If you haven’t encountered any half-humans, simply mention that.)
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).
Not too difficult, is it? Participants in the giveaway can earn up to two entries and have one week to submit comments. If you have trouble with comment form or if you prefer, comments can be sent directly to phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com. The comments will then be posted here in your name. The winner of the giveaway will be randomly selected and announced on September 7, 2016. Best of luck to you all!
VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address in the comment form, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.
Contest Winner Announced–Manga Giveaway: Tokyo Ghoul Trio Winner
Kaneki is my favorite half-human, one of my favorite protagonists. As someone who plays the stereotypical “beta-male” part, I like when and how he has strong moments, and how his character develops from that point. For example (while still being vague enough to avoid spoilers), when he chooses to not fight, not eat, not retaliate, you can see and understand the struggle he goes through to maintain his resolve in those situations, and how he doesn’t do so perfectly. This is beautifully woven into his backstory and the philosophy “it’s better to be hurt than to hurt someone,” making all the details of the character make sense, be likable, be sympathetic towards, and yet still leave room for incredible evolution, which is also masterfully executed.
Do “demi-humans” count? In that case, I’ll go with Sato from Ajin. A terrible, terrible individual, but he sure keeps me on the edge of my seat. It is always entertaining to see what he will do next.
If he counts, Akira from Devilman is my favorite demi human. The manga itself is a classic and for good reason, everything about it is so well put together it’s amazing! The characters are one of its strongest points so it’s only normal for the protagonist, Akira, to be one of my favorites half-humans.
I really like Rin from Blue Exorcist,even tough he is half demon, and after all the bad things that happened to him ( and his brother) he still remains so positive. His charm makes the -sometimes slow – story really fun to read.@nanapo_94
Kaneki ken is my favorite half-human. I love how he protects others. He would never hesitate to put his life on the line if someone important to him is in danger. He is so selfless.
Wow that’s a tough one. ^^; I’m stuck between Yusuke (Yu Yu Hakusho) and Grimmjow (BLEACH). Both are softies underneath that delinquent exterior/bravado. Wish Grimmy had more appearances, but still love him bunches.
I thought this was a really prevalent trope, but I couldn’t think of nearly as many half-monster half-human characters as I though I would. I guess I’ll go with Cirque du Freak’s Darren Shan, because I was obsessed with that series (both the novels and manga) in middle school. Hiyori from Noragami also deserve a shout out since she’s awesome
Twitter: http://twitterr.com/watoonya/status/771068072094343169?s=09
Darren’s a good shout, love the novels too and I still think it’s an underrated YA series. Also, first time I’ve heard it has been adapted to manga~
I can’t actually think of any, the only one I could say that I absolutely loved would be Kaneki (there’s another character from another series I’m thinking of too, but even mentioning his name would be a spoiler, so I’ll refrain haha). But srsly, Kaneki’s characterization was so realistic. In a way, he’s a very relateable character and while watching the anime, I could really sympathize with the poor guy and the horrible plight he has gone through. He’s so genuinely kind too. The tragedy of Kaneki Ken is indeed a tragedy.
Twitter: Retweeted this giveaway’s tweet as @otometimes
Posted on behalf of Keiara:
My favourite half human character has to be Yukio Okumura from Blue Exorcist. In contrast with his brother ,his personality is less exaggerated and somewhat of an average person would have in similar situations in the Exorcist universe. To add to this I think that his intelligence and skills played a big part in helping his brother get a hold of his current situation. His powers are also really cool tbh
I’ll go with Karasuma Eishi of Yellow Tanabe’s Birdmen.
Part sentai tribute, part action/fantasy, and part coming of age drama, Birdmen stands head and shoulders above its typical peers due to the rich and nuanced textures ofits character, and as the lead, Karasuma is the most prominent example of it. I like middle-schooler protagonist; it’s the sweet spot of an age where when kids are mature enough to start exploring complicated feelings and emotion, while still retaining the sense of childhood innocence often lacked by high-schoolers. Karasuma himself is a very interesting protagonist, a kid with plenty of rough edges and relatable insecurities, but who is also deeply perceptive and observant. I like the way he’s thinking, and how he finds solution in a way that’s often atypical but very effective. It’s been very interesting to see how his struggle to adapt to his new physiological features and learn to fly parallels his internal difficulty to really accept himself and the people around him~
Posted on behalf of Joseph:
I haven’t encountered half-humans in the manga I’ve read so far, but I enjoy them a lot in the anime I’ve seen like Blue Exorcist, Outbreak Company, and Re;Zero.
My favorite is Ichigo (half shinigami, half human) from Bleach. He fights for the ones he cares for and never gives up.
Ryoga from Ranma 1/2 :)
OH MY GOSH! DEFINITELY TOKYO GHOUL:RE. ALL THE WAY!! Tokyo Ghoul: RE is one of my favorite Mangas. It’s a sequel manga following Tokyo Ghoul. It might be spoilers since it’s the different. But it touches the opposing side, the humans. It developed new light to them so we can feel for this side. However it just breaks our heart with mad feels for the ghouls being left alone… 😢
Oh my gosh, there’s so many but I’d have to go with Rin from Blue Exorcist
Here’s a godly giveaway! :) My favourite half-human… Can Tohno Akiha from Tsukihime be called a half human and half demon? Meybe, i guess…
Kaneki Ken! To be honest, I liked him months before I even got into Tokyo Ghoul. I thought before and after he was turned into a Ghoul, he was an innocent human who, well, didn’t deserve it. A victim of circumstance. I will admit that his character became even cooler when he left himself fall into insanity after being tortured. Perhaps one of the most badass tortured souls in Manga.
I tweeter the post btw! I’m @Shotacare on twitter~
Not that i hate Kaneki, but i simply cannot like him XD i prefer Rize
Retwitted as always: @MauroPellencin
Not sure if she technically counts as half human, but I always loved Aya from Ayashi no Ceres as she tried to stay strong when her family were out to get her.
My favorite half-human is Kaneki Ken because I love his tragic story. And if I think about it, he still kept to his human side / maintained his humanity by not eating human flesh but rather sticking to those coffee cubes (I think that’s what they were?).
1. My favorite half human character is Ichigo from Bleach. I love that he’s so loyal to his friends and does anything he can to protect them.
2. I tweeted about the giveaway as @Bamboopanda27.
Thanks for the amazing giveaway! :)
I usually prefer 100% human characters but Yusuke from Yu Yu Hakusho is my baby:,) I love his character development in the series.
(RT @busha69)
My fav is Allen Walker! Just love everything about D-Gray Man, though Allen makes it a little bit more special in my opinion ^_^