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Private Notes
Quinx (ghoul like modified human) squad leader Kuki Urie and his frustrating underling Ginshi Shirazu are surveying Tokyo in search of the ghoul serial killer Torso, who has been killing women and eating their torsos but leaving the rest of their bodies. Eventually, they meet with photographer Chie Hori, who gives them valuable information in exchange for the underpants of senior Quinx Haise Sasaki. Hinami, now an Aogiri Tree member, warns Torso to be careful because they are close to catching him. Learning that the culprit is a taxi driver, Toru Mutsuki (one of the members of the Quinx Squad) discovers him and is brutally attacked in his car. However, this allows Ginshi and Urie to locate the killer and lure him into a roadblock trap. While they face the killer, however, a mysterious and exceptionally strong ghoul named Orochi attacks, massacring all of the officers maintaining the roadblock, and allowing the taxi driver to escape. Sasaki appears and faces Orochi, but then suffers a hallucination of Ken Kaneki telling him to "accept" him in order to kill Orochi brutally. Sasaki then unleashes his kagune.
When Sasaki removes Orochi's mask during their fight he is shocked to see the face of Nishio underneath, who calls him "Kaneki", prompting his memories to flicker back and forth and drive him insane. To prevent Sasaki from killing his fellow CCG agents, Akira Mado tranquilizes him. After returning to his senses, Sasaki demotes Urie for endangering his squadmates and promotes Ginshi to Quinx Squad leader. Sasaki then spars with Kisho Arima, before telling him that he was worried that the memories of his past self "Kaneki" were returning and that they might drive him away from his family with the Quinx Squad. Later, Torso meets with The Rabbit (Ayato Kirishima), to become a member of Aogiri Tree. Sasaki, Ginshi, and Mutsuki then begin investigating a ghoul nicknamed "Nutcracker" who has been crushing the testicles of her victims and stop by in the coffee shop :re (the same one owned by Touka Kirishima). While at the shop, Sasaki recognizes and is recognized by Touka. After tasting the coffee she makes for him, he begins to cry, subconsciously recalling his time at Anteiku. He then thinks to himself that he had never before seen anyone so beautiful.
Kanae von Rosewald brings Shu Tsukiyama the underwear that Chie Hori had collected from Haise Sasaki, but the latter falls into despair after realizing that he couldn't recognize the scent as Kaneki's. Later, the Quinx Squad continue their investigation of Nutcracker and cross-dress to disguise themselves at a nightclub where she had been sighted. At the nightclub, two members of the Clowns recognize Sasaki as Kaneki and note that "for Kaneki to come out, Sasaki will have to ‘die.’" The squad, alongside Juzo Suzuya, then follow up on a lead that takes them to the auction where the Nutcracker had been selling her victims to the gourmets.
Kidnapped and entered into a circus-themed gourmet auction, Toru is sold off to Big Madam. However, Suzuya initiates an assault on the auction in which many ghouls and CCG operatives are killed. Eto watches the chaos from afar in amusement, and sends in a mysterious ghoul called Takizawa, who brutally kills a squad leader. During the fray, Torso and Kanae fight over who gets to keep Toru.
Takizawa, revealed to be former Investigator Takizawa, now a crazed one-eyed ghoul, slaughters an entire squad of CCG operatives, while another squad is killed by Nutcracker. Meanwhile, Sasaki and the Quinx Squad face off against Kanae, who furiously blames him for Tsukiyama's reduced mental state, but is critically injured and rescued by a mysterious ghoul named Matsumae. Big Madam and the other auctioneers are attacked by Suzuya and Urie (who lied to Toru and Suzuya about being unable to radio in help in order to prevent backup from preventing him from distinguishing himself in battle), but mid-way through the fight, Urie is critically injured and swallowed by Big Madam. The episode ends with Takizawa leaping from above and attacking Sasaki, who is forced by his superiors to fight the SS-rated one-eyed ghoul alone.
Sasaki suffers multiple hallucinations of Ken Kaneki, while Takizawa is beating him inside the auction room. Meanwhile, the Nutcracker is killed by Quinx Squad members Ginshi Shirazu and Saiko Yonebayashi. Big Madam fights both Urie, who nearly goes insane, and Mutsuki, who unleashes his kagune. She comes face to face with Juzo, who despite that he was tortured by her, is unable to kill her. She is eventually wounded by fellow Suzuya squad member Hanbee Abara, who covers Juzo's ears while the CCG investigators kill her. Meanwhile Hinami, realizing that Sasaki is Kaneki, and Saiko hearing Sasaki's screams, they both rush into the auction room, where Hinami fights Takizawa in order to save Sasaki. Sasaki fearfully accepts his Kaneki side and fights Takizawa. They both pierce each other with their kagunes and fall down.
Hinami is arrested by CCG operators led by Kisho Arima. Sasaki, having survived his encounter with Takizawa, saves her from execution by asking to take her into custody. She is imprisoned in Cochlea ghoul prison. In the following weeks after the operation, the members of the Quinx Squad are being promoted while Sasaki becomes senior investigator. At the next morning, he hallucinates that an investigator is Yamori. The same night, Eto delivers him a package with Kaneki's old mask and a book signed by her in it. He goes to the :re cafe where he is served coffee by Touka. After he leaves, Touka, Uta, Yomo and Nishio discuss about Kaneki. Sasaki starts searching about Kaneki and then suffers a hallucination of Yoshimura and Anteiku. On the same night, Tsukiyama is in terrible pain despite eating many people.
Tsukiyama is always hungry and can't control his kagune.In the meantine, Tatara refuses Ayato's request to rescue Hinami from Cochlea. Sasaki is approached by the ghoul investigators Nimura Furuta and Shiki Kijima who tell him that he is going to work them on the upcoming Rose Investigation. In CCG HQ, Sasaki and the Quinx Squad are informed by the investigator Kori Ui about the Rose ghoul gang (actually members of the Tsukiyama crime family), who attack Furuta and Kijima. They are saved by the investigator Hairu Ihei. Gang member Yuuma is arrested and tortured by Kijima in Cochlea. Sasaki visits Uta to learn more about the mask and Takatsuki's book. Uta lies about both of them. Sasaki then asks him to make him a new mask. Chie Hori delivers Sasaki's photos to Kanae von Rosewald and Tsukiyama recognizes him to be Kaneki.
Tsukiyama wants to make Sasaki remember that he is Kaneki. He and Kanae find him on the street, along with the Quinx Squad, and Tsukiyama runs towards him but fells down. Sasaki hears him saying "Kaneki" but he doesn't recognise him. Sasaki goes to Uta's shop and orders masks for the entire Quinx Squad, in order to impersonate ghouls for the upcoming Rose Investigation. Kori Ui rejects the plan, knowing that Sasaki is a ghoul. In the meantime, Kijima's video of him torturing Yuuma brutally and provoking Rose gang to kill him has gone viral. Tsukiyama plans to release him and to use Kaneki/Sasaki as a key person by restoring his memories. Tsukiyama makes many failed attempts to speak to Sasaki, so Kanae bribes some Aogiri members to attack the Squad in order to isolate Sasaki. However, Yamori's old gang attacks Sasaki by accident and Mutsuki battles with Torso but he is attacked by the ghoul Grave Robber. Sasaki kills his attackers with his kagune. Saiko is almost killed but she is saved by Amon Kotaru who is revealed to be alive. Eto watches the entire scene.
There’s a lot going on this week, yet I feel like the most interesting theme I noticed wasn’t intended. writE: The Absent One would have been near perfection in either of the two previous seasons, but under Watanabe’s watch, bad habits and poor planning bring it back down to earth. It’s actually a problem that predates him, but this season’s new direction did him no favors. The penultimate episode was almost great as long as you don’t think about it too hard. Even when Tokyo Ghoul: re gets rolling it can’t help but trip over its own feet.
Well, that happened. It’s finally over. 12 episodes have never felt so slow and yet rushed at the same time. It’s almost as if a drunk speed freak powering through lean read the script and they used what he spat back out. :re has been uneven, confusing, and sometimes just sad. Why break that trend in the end?
