The Fear of Transformation

the fear of transformation | Tokyo Ghoul
What do you do when you have to become something new?
Tokyo Ghoul, at least when you don’t count Root A and :re, is a popular, if somewhat debated anime. It follows Ken Kaneki, an average person who becomes a ghoul, a creature just like humans but who can only survive from eating their flesh, after a date gone wrong with Rize Kamishiro. Although the eventual care of Touka and Anteiku help Ken, Kaneki’s time as a human transforming into a ghoul is a fear-wrought one, as he’s forced to explain and analyze his changed life in a new light. Are he and Touka monsters like the CCG’s Amon and his society says, or is it just mentality and establishment worsening his transitional life? Is Ken simply scared of change, unable to handle it by a lack of knowledge? While the anime may be melodramatic and “teenage edgy” at times, it still paints a great picture, one well worth a video essay, of the almost body horror nature of transformation, and a discussion and analysis of how the social mindset surrounding it can be the real monster.
An anime video essay explaining and analyzing Tokyo Ghoul and the fear of transformation (change)
0:00 Introduction
2:09 Part 1 | Monster Loses All
19:03 Part 2 | One & the Same
30:24 Part 3 | Subjective Perspective
41:38 Part 4 | To Be a Human?
54:31 Conclusion
#anime #tokyoghoul #videoessay #professorviral

[@camcam794]

I related a lot to Ken when I first watched Tokyo Ghoul as someone living with a disability. I have ulcerative colitis, my immune system attacks my colon and as a result, my colon has bleeding ulcers and inflammation throughout it. It’s so painful. I can’t eat a lot of the foods I want to eat. If I do I get sick in the same manner ghouls do. Eating, sharing meals with people, is a huge part of how we socialize with people. So not being able to do that anymore, really fucks with your head, and your sense of self. You don’t feel human anymore, you feel like a freak, an outsider. The scene of touka forcing herself to eat the meal her friend made was so relatable, because I’ve done the same. I didn’t want to let the meal, that my friend took the time to make, go to waste, because I appreciated them. I suffered the consequences later though, much like touka. Transformation is scary, especially when you’re not expecting it, when it makes you feel so different from others.

[@bluecanine3374]

Oddly enough, I kinda understand because I have family that got into competetive strongman and weightlifting sports. They have to control their diet to such an insane amount that it basically takes variety and joy out of meals, but we as a society have long built our culture around meals. What do you do when you want to catch up with a friend? Go get coffee or a bite to eat. Birthdays? Cake with a meal attached usually. Anniversaries? Take them out to a fancy restaurant. Yes some people do different stuff, but the point is sharing a meal is ingrained in basically all human cultures from the times of cavemen huddled around a fire. The shared joy of making or enjoying something, that can even have associated memories attached that trigger again from even the smallest smell. To keep up with those incredibly strict sports said family members told me you basically have to retrain your brain to not see food as something to enjoy or experience and instead like gassing up your car and just intaking nutrients when needed to run your body correctly. Really depressing sounding

[@camcam794]

@@bluecanine3374 I had to see food the same way as well. There was a point when I could only drink vegan protein shakes, and I just had to view it as fuel for my body. so I could continue to live, no matter how disgusting eating the same thing was over and over again. Touka went through the same thing when she was pregnant, and she had to force herself to eat that burger.

[@PrinceOfSpace221]

Its really inspiring and insightful to read all these experiences with food. Ive had a gluten and wheat allergy growing up that attacked my knee joints preventing me from walking properly and meant growing up meals were expensive and difficult. Stuff like cake day at school where everyone would be enjoying a slice and i ws given an apple. Since then more foods have been made available to me, but having sauce on meals still feels alien and abnormal. Ive since then also become lactose intolerant and gained a sevear nut allergy, so foods have become even more of a thing i have to consume rather than something to enjoy. I always dread being taken out to a restaurant, or having to eat something different to my few safe foods because although boring to outsiders, it dosnt try to kill me

[@jimmyneutron3282]

Relatable experience.

[@ssjgogetadbzgt]

As someone with Crohn's it's the same. There was a time when I ended up with a fear of food, I didn't want to eat for the fear of pain. My (now ex) husband didn't make it better. He didn't understand and would always try to get me to eat I would just get sicker till I ended up in the hospital

[@blueberrydragon5160]

I have a chronic illness that slowly turn my brain to mush and leaves me tired all the time (ME/CFS). I can’t eat a lot of things. I can’t continue my studies anymore (and even when I was still studying, it was all I did- eat a bit, sleep, try to go to college). On the worst days, I can only lie in bed, everything spinning around me. I can’t tolerate sounds, nor light, can’t speak and sometimes can’t even reach my waterbottle when I’m thirsty. It makes me fel sub-human. I used to be a high achiever, had big dreams. Now, I feel like an animal caged in my own body. There is no cure.

[@ethansalazar799]

My condolences

[@PeterH-tu1kj]

Your existence IS valid! Its ALWAYS TRUE, no matter who you are, no matter what the situation, no matter the serrcomstance. YOU!! MATTER!!!

[@AmeleeBasham]

Having lived out these same status debuffs since childhood, gaslighting myself because I wasn't able to live up to normal, as a master of apathy (lul) I would say part of change is not condemning yourself with word curses that lead to stagnance. I'm uhh 27 now? and despite chronic side effects, have found alternatives ways for me to function through lifestyle changes. Unexpectedly, I have even been able to help people way beyond my age with my romantacized hobbies of research that honestly... was just for survival. Yet choosing to be grateful and move forward (or backward works too!) and try despite limitations or despair can be an ushering point of self discovery too. Be there for yourself in thick and thin, because I can promise you, giving up and seeing where it takes you is a bottomless pit. -but taking breaks or resting is different!! I'm proud of you for just breathing彡 ( ´･ᴗ･`)b

[@WhoBeMe-zb3ry]

That sounds terrible, 😞 If all you did today was make that comment, I thank you for it. You can think, so you’re still human to me. 😃

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

Bro you got more balls than i ever would

[@leahime]

tokyo ghouls manga is absolutely beautiful. i highly recommend everyone give it a read.

[@DarkEnigma1115]

The first one yeah, but not TG:RE in my opinion.

[@ProfessorViral]

I can't vouch for it, but given the quality of the original season in 12 episodes, I could guess it's great

[@shineixio4156]

@@DarkEnigma1115I enjoyed reading RE but it was kinda confusing cause so much was happening

[@thefatkidfromzamosc1936]

Agreed, the anime didn't do the manga justice in my opinion. I mean it was ok it made a different kind of a story but i do still think that the art in the manga is just unmatchable. Not even the art (tho i did read it like 3 years ago so i'm writing of the top of my head) but i watched the anime first. 3 season all of it and when i read the manga it felt better more confusing yes but at the same time more impactful. The story was better it's not the best story ever made it's not the best manga I've ever read but i do think of the manga more fondly then the anime. But it's just my take. And Kaneki in the manga was more polished than in the anime i understood him more and pretty much everyone else ;P

[@Extendo-]

@@ProfessorViralcompared to the manga the anime is poor

[@JanbluTheDerg]

I think this fits fairly well with one character from Animorphs, Tobias. Spoilers for an old book series with events from the first few books but... So Tobias gets trapped in the body of a red-tailed hawk (It's unclear whether it was intentional or not, but it doesn't help that he liked that morph a lot due to his messed up home life), and we see how this affects him and his friends. For one thing, he becomes a reminder for his friends about what happens if you spend more than two hours in a morph (after which you get trapped in the body you morphed into), and this is actually used early on to motivate some characters to escape a morph during a time when they were flirting with the deadline. Something that makes Tobias feel horrible, being used as an example to be feared. That's the minor thing. The major thing is that Tobias is now a hawk, with two minds. One human mind, and a hawk mind. The hawk mind wants to do hawk things: hunt to eat. The human mind does not. At first, Tobias eats food that his friends leave out for him, and sleeps in a drawer with a blanket, but he feels very disconnected from it. He can't eat the vegetables, and the hawk prefers to sleep on a branch. Tobias can't go to school, he can't watch TV, he can't play videogames. He can't even remember what he looked like. And when he does gain a human body, briefly, he can't remember how to make expressions, he's stuck with the fierce glare of a hawk. Pretty early on, Tobias is in an emotional moment, and he loses control, killing and eating a mouse. This sends him... well he tries to fly into two doors, and then he tries to fly into some glass, but those attempts fail. He then spends a few days hiding behind the hawk mind, living purely as a hawk and forgetting who he was, save for strange dreams. When he manages to eventually reconcile with himself, he settles on this weird new existence: He is a human, and a hawk. He has to kill to live, but he can at least mourn. He becomes more at peace with himself, for now. He jokes about his diet, and he jokes about being a bird and being in some sort of hierarchy of bird. At a different point in the story, Tobias eats a skunk kit, easy prey after all. Another character becomes very angry with Tobias over this, but he decides to help save the remaining kits, keeping watch over them and driving away other predators. During that time he accepts frozen mice. At some point he proposes a question: "What is better, to kill and eat my own mice or to eat the mice that someone else has killed for me?" in response to another characters predator-prey existential crisis. He is a human and a hawk, he can kill a baby skunk one day and decide to save the rest from suffering the same fate.

[@pokemonsliver]

A truly brilliant video. Tokyo Ghoul has always been a series that speaks to me on a personal level. I'm autistic. My brain sometimes does not respond the way a, let's say, standard model brain would. At my lowest times, I would question my own humanity because of how alien I would feel around other people. What resonated with me most about the ghouls was the masking they would do. No, not the masks they wear while hunting, but the mask they preform when with normal people. Pretending to be one of them, pretend not to be bothered by certain stimuli, in their case food mine sound, to fit in. Always being carful to not let your mask slip less you be ousted. Sure no one will kill me if my mask falls, in this day and age at least, but the fear of exposure is real. But I and the ghouls wear the mask anyway because we want to connect with people, have friends. Even if life would be so much easier if we could stop masking. Again, great video with a lot of food for thought.

[@ProfessorViral]

I feel that a lot. I always have to take time away from people after long stints not alone because of how taxing it can be to somewhat mask at all times. Watching Touka so bluntly express the way this makes connection more difficult has struck me ever since I first watched the series for that reason

[@benjamintay9619]

Same, man. I, too, am autistic and I literally have to force myself to put on the front of bring able to tolerate certain sounds and even certain people to make sure I remain in check.

[@erinbathie-moore8478]

I'm also autistic, with adhd as well, and I completely feel this. Tbh, it got so exhausting that I only "enter the human world" when I need to, but otherwise am as "weird" as I need to be since I'm mostly at home

[@DaxterL]

I am not diagnosed but i relate suspiciously to too many aspects, factors and experiences many of those on the spectrum describe. There's always been this unseen distance, to many i would be "normal" just bit weird at most, but i always felt like i have to behave up something, this constant presence of that imposter syndrome. Ironically enough i'm in a much better place both mentally and physically with good company around me, right mindset, but that only makes that distance even wider, as if i've finally climbed the mountain and the view is gorgeous, but there's hardly anyone around and the air is so thin it makes me dizzy. "i can only fall"

[@teleport1208]

oh man this is my favorite trope of all time and my guilty pleasure anime. so glad to see such an in-depth analysis of what happens after the 'body horror moment' and an exploration of the reasons i couldnt put into words before that make it so compelling!

[@ProfessorViral]

I'm very glad I could provide that! It was my first exploration into why I really loved that trope as well

[@JustinTK416]

“That thing KZbin won’t let me say no matter what the context or level of respect.” The ambient shade there is something I feel deeply. Like who tf in there is just like “Ya know what will help people’s mental health in this really dark and complicated societal climate? Making it more complicated to talk about or mention a major issue under any circumstances!” Anyway, love the video! Just thought I’d mention that as someone mutually frustrated with the way they treat the words as the issue.

[@kenpanderz]

"harmful cleanliness" is a thing for sure

[@JustinTK416]

@@kenpanderz Yeah, I get wanting to have trigger warnings and all. To a pretty liberal extent, I get wanting people to know what they're getting into when they click on something. But the way it's been described is that saying that "S word" can get you not just aged restricted, but insta striked. I kinda respect the sentiment. I know some people who have kinda bad pasts with all that, but I still feel like this system is over zealous, and they would agree.

[@ThePonderer]

I’ve been thinking about this idea a lot lately, and why it is that the notion of being forcibly made into something inhuman (or even forcibly made into a different human) gets under my skin so powerfully. I think it’s the idea of “who you are” ostensibly dying, but without the closure of actual death.

[@SlugSage]

I've never wanted to watch Tokyo Ghoul until now. Thanks

[@ProfessorViral]

It can be very sloppy and dramatic at times, but the original season is still quite good

[@unkown2615]

Asn an autistic person the idea of trransformation never scaried me. I don't have a set sense of self so I feel like I can simply morph into another person or thing... I don't know this is simply me and im facinated with this fear people have.

[@MySerpentine]

Also autistic, also don't really care about transforming. My self-image is pretty blurry anyway, and being human is boring.

[@heyitsFluxxy]

I'll never transform into someone who doesn't look forward your videos

[@baval5]

This was a big theme in the meta discussion of Armored Core 6, with some players trying to promote the worst ending (where you genocide an entire species and the planet they live on) as the best outcome, because it removes the possibility of humans becoming something else. Even in real life just the idea of humans becoming something other than what we currently are, even if its an improvement, provokes great revulsion in some people. It goes without saying that this was also a theme *in* the game, with certain people being very strongly against the evolution of the human race.

[@femthingevelyn]

honestly when I played through ac6, I played through without the different endings, and just did whatever was new when it came up, and it still astounds me when presented with the choice of "we can do a genocide, we can do a genocide, or we can maybe try something that isn't a genocide" people started arguing about which genocide was better.

[@baval5]

@@femthingevelyn whats the other genocide?

[@femthingevelyn]

@@baval5 you have the first genocide with the whole Fires of Raven business, but then with the Liberator of Rubicon, your systematic laughter of important Arquebus members with the express intent of stamping them out and completely removing them from the planet, considering they have a culture all their own comparable to a country or nation in the real world, it's still a genocide.

[@femthingevelyn]

​@@baval5You have the one with Fires of Raven, but the systematic slaughter of the important members of Arquebus in an attempt to completely drive them from the planet, that's a genocide still

[@danielsurvivor1372]

@@femthingevelyn Wait there were two genos? What was the second one?

[@RandomGuySky7537]

Dbz tackles this concept in great depth. Goku is implied to fear his saiyen heritage due to how primal and destructive his monkey form is. It is responsible for killing his grandfather and it makes him physically and mentally less of a human and more like a wild animal

[@kristopher3623]

This arc is also resolved through the introduction of super saiyan which is goku finally accepting his saiyan heritage and becoming 1 with his saiyan nature.

[@xXBoykisserXx]

If you're interested in Tokyo Ghoul at all or were disappointed with how it went, I highly recommend reading the manga, it is so much better.

[@EternaMidnight]

This is why I completely loved the first season of Tokyo Ghoul, then was totally confused and appalled that all the interesting psychological stuff was dropped in the next.

[@aldiascholarofthefirstsin1051]

Read the manga.

[@dontburstmybubble686]

32:23 Actually the liver regenerates or whatever so they really could sustain ghouls indefinitely without ANY casualties if they really thought about it.

[@guidedexplosiveprojectileg9943]

Aint no way that'll be enough, it takes to long.

[@HotTakeAndy]

Yeah, no. That’s why people die of sclerosis of the liver.

[@failed_human_being]

WAKE UP proffessor dropped another banger 🔥🔥🔥

[@ProfessorViral]

Too kind, thank you 🙏

[@Prophetofthe8thLegion]

I was perhaps too pragmatic for this kind of stuff. It just kinda makes sense that when bad shit is happening you must change/evolve no matter the cost.

[@XJBG1001X]

55:56 What a great thing to say! I've thought this way for a while now, and it's fun being on the side of the story, rather than the one who doesn't believe it. I've been told many stories from friends, and I show that I believe them, only to find out I'm the first one to do so. Others who know the storyteller would ask me if I believe everything they say, and I say, "Yes, what reason do they have to lie about it?"; often leaving the question-er in awe. We know what we know, until we don't, but that shouldn't stop ua from trying to know. What a great video!

[@femthingevelyn]

when i was first coming to terms with my gender, i felt a bit of a connection to Kaneki, the fear of what it might mean if i was onenof those people that those around me kept fearing as a threat, like i had made one critical mistake that would ruin me, i felt the frustration starting to crack the world around me, wondering why i couldnt stop hurting people, wondering why i couldnt just let them in, wondering why they wouldnt just leave me alone. Seeing on my phone screen reflecting back to me in the dark, someone else who couldnt stand who they were becoming, who couldnt stand who they used to be, and then seeing him come to terms with it, letting himself not just live in that halfway in between state, but demand respect in it, it felt cathartic. I hated Juzou when they came on the scene, their backstory disgusted me, for a while i dropped the manga there, seeing on the page the same thing i heard from the news and family when they thought there wasnt anyone who would hear that also cared, it felt like a betrayal, a knife i had nearly forgotten about suddenlt being turned and dug in. i came to find some peace in Juzou later on too, but this manga as a whole fucking wrecked me for a few years

[@Exile_Sky]

34:15 What's really interesting is that there is a practice that would both allow you to make off with bodies, not harm anyone, maintain secrecy, and none be the wiser. Mortuary or Moratorium. No one but you, or special occasions, sees the body go into the casket or furnace in the case of Japan. Always have ash on hand and grinding the bones is the same and not useful for the Ghouls anyway. In places where bodies are buried people who die via unknown circumstances or murder are exempt as the body might get dug back up at a later date. Thousands of people die of disease and accident every day. The body going missing with cause no harm or stress, as they have a nice grave or urn in either case.

[@jaydedepato6995]

Hey, I just want to thank you for making this video. I'm a suicidal NB who's about to turn 18 and has been terrified of that transformation. I, as AFAB, have always been terrified of the changes that "becoming a woman" entails; ever since I was a child, I would literally pray to God--Yahweh--that I wouldn't ever physically develop, that I'd be locked in place forever and not have to look or sound or think like an adult woman. That people wouldn't see me and think the things they say. In a way, I have retained a lot of that mindset even as I've become more jaded and have had to just accept the changes, by way of trauma and life itself. It's been really tough, especially lately. I just recently was discharged from yet another hospital stay after trying to end my life again. I still don't feel ready to be tossed to the wolves--a whole adult world that I can't possibly be expected to navigate on my own--but this video has given me a little bit of hope. I really appreciate the part where you pointed out how by trying to reject being a ghoul, Kaneki becomes the worst version of a ghoul, driven to extremes and never being able to trust himself because he is pushed to such by such intense denial. That really resonated with and inspired me. Thank you for making this video, as well as all the others. Your words have been very impactful on me from the very start, and I'm glad I found you on here. I hope you are able to do well and survive. ❤❤🫂🫂

[@aidanjack3094]

Very beautifully said, I’m 20 and a guy but I’m truly horrified of the opposite sex it’s from trauma that I can’t seem to get away from so I somewhat understand what you’re going through. It took me until I turned 20 to fall in love it was with a girl that pushed so hard to open my shell and even though the relationship itself didn’t last long the impact it’s left on me is truly incredible. There’s someone out there that will want to confront your fears with you and even if that never truly happens work on being happy about yourself compliment yourself daily treat yourself to nice things. Just love yourself. I’ll always have the fear of women looking at me as a man I know that. And I know I’ll always have to deal with that. But I know in the end I’ll have someone that truly loves me for me and not for my looks even if in the end that person is me. I believe in you do your best you’re a survivor and that will always make you strong.

[@PeterH-tu1kj]

My comrad in being non-binary, you are not alone. With a population as big as that of earth's human population, there's a TON of us here! We're not alone.

[@EtamirTheDemiDeer]

Fellow nonbinary here. You have a future, I promise

[@KirstenMarie_MS3]

Having been through 4 psych admissions and even more residential treatment programs myself, I'm just curious; has any mental health providers have ever mentioned a form of cognitive distortion called "catastrophizing" as well as how to challenge catastrophic thoughts and reframe/restructure them? It's a pretty common feature of several co-occurring disorders, especially PTSD. It's normal to feel a level of anxiety and fear over what the future has in store. But it's not exactly being tossed to the wolves, either. Very few people expect an 18 yro to navigate life without help or support, whether emotional, physical, academic, monetary, or all the above. You have 3 complete strangers offering what emotional support they can. As for other basic needs, there are a number of programs and organizations that can help with other areas of life. 18 is also still a pretty long way from being an adult when it comes to brain development. Your brain is still developing up to age 24-25.

[@Mortablunt]

No such thing as a November Bravo, unless you happen to have a cloaca! I know how you can figure out real quick. Imagine World War III is kicking off and there’s conscription, but girls are exempt. You’ll be putting on those high heels and lipstick real quick under those circumstances, and dropping the blue hair and nose piercings.

[@Charrrllss]

this idea reminds me a lot of nanachi and mitty

[@nilladrawsstuff]

Yk what as someone with commitment issues whos terrified of things around me changing i take this video as a personal attack. 10/10 video will definitely watch this again

[@ProfessorViral]

Don't worry, they're all personal attacks against myself haha

[@surge-fox]

The subjectivity of life has always been a very interesting subject for me because of most people never even think about it. Love the video😁

[@ProfessorViral]

I feel the same way. I'm glad I can make it a less solitary concept!

[@stevemayor9423]

A truly excellent video essay! Tokyo Ghoul is, and forever will be, despite its flaws, my favourite series of all time. Thank you for the great analysis, Professor. Congrats on hitting the 100,000 subscriber milestone 💯👏🎉 Keep up the great work!

[@ProfessorViral]

Always happy to give people a bit more of their favorite! Thanks for the kind comment 💙

[@zero69kage]

I have a very different relationship with the idea of transformation. It's something that I've always wanted. I've never really been able to see myself as human and yet I'm trapped inside a human body. I feel like I'm not allowed to live as myself, to see my own face in the mirror, or to live the way that makes me feel free. I wish people could see me for who I am and not the face I'm forced to wear. Even if all they see is a monster. The only thing I've ever wanted is to be free, but it's always been so painfully out of reach. 👹

[@ZAllen-bt6kb]

Lables: "A justification for actions against others." Man that goes hard af...

[@marocat4749]

Cute skirt :3 Oh god after the end, i think , stay strong and keep on that ther are enough human humans, Also its the hardest step, probably. And oh god i think of the terry pratchet quote, the worst thing you can do is trating humans as things, thats where it starts to go bad

[@sewerbrat]

That pen throw part made me have an epiphany and I thank you for that.

[@squeethemog213]

Damn good video! Thought provoking, excellently delivered, and leaving me with a lot to think on. Thank you for your efforts. You're awesome :D

[@ProfessorViral]

Always happy I can do that, it's a big part of the goal here 💙

[@Bob.Roberts]

Well-detailed and explained, and with a level of passion that echoes the often-intense spectrum of emotions put on manifestation in this series. Some say this series is very meme-able and merely incorporates past ideas from other stories, but I say this fits well with the Kafkaesque theme of this story. Incorporation and transformation. It may bear resemblance to, but not quite, and the effort put into expounding upon those differences is significant. I don't know why I'm explaining the same thing three times, the rule of three, the triad. Insightful video.

[@RobinFMG]

Bro when did you grow to 100k subs?!?! Congrats man been loving your content for years

[@Sooosio]

Viral thanks for another great video. Hear most of your thinga while i work and go back and rewtch old ones. Thanks for the work you do and the time you take to do it

[@ProfessorViral]

Of course, I'm happy I can provide that!

[@Majoranimefan123]

@ProfessorViral I’ve been waiting for you to do a Tokyo ghoul focused subject for so long! Thank you thank you thank you!

[@revy281]

Thank you for the video. I really enjoyed it. 😊

[@ProfessorViral]

Thanks for the support!

[@Azlare9_9]

as a trans person all im gonna say is i felt so connected to the i am a ghoul scene.

[@ProfessorViral]

Tokyo Ghoul is the most accidentally trans anime. Thats really what the whole video was for me, but I always hate to say specifically because Internet

[@Azlare9_9]

@@ProfessorViral "even if it's a life in shackles if you have somebody who accepts you for what you really are how reassuring would that be?"

[@BlackReshiram]

god i fucking wish i could become a cool fucking sickass monster w human intelligence and superpowers

[@ProfessorViral]

People reading HP Lovecraft be like:

[@BlackReshiram]

@@ProfessorViral fhgjvc ive never read him but i do love cosmic/existential horror LOL

[@captainzork6109]

Dayum. I like your get-up with the black nail polish and all. I'm jealous! Wish I could pull it off like that :D

[@Wildgamer2205]

nice video as always Viral! I got a cool video idea. How about you do a Saga of Tanya the Evil/Violet Evergarden Video on how war turns us into killing machines (Tanya the Evil section) and our strgule to find our humanity again once the war is over (Violet Evergarden section)

[@coletrain41]

To anyone wanting to get into Tokyo Ghoul, the Manga is the way to go. The anime is pretty but leaves way too much out.

[@mikankitsune0440]

I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and PTSD. My body is in constant pain and it doesn't work how it's supposed to. My limbs come out of socket, and every day tasks are physically difficult. With PTSD, I have moments of heavy disassociation, to where I'm afraid the happy moments in my life are dreams and I'll wake up back at my worst moments. Stories like Tokyo Ghoul are something I heavily relate to in a lot of ways, especially seeing as my PTSD is surgery related and has often caused me to have massive food aversion for just about everything periodically.

[@spectacularspider-man4886]

Uuu a tokyo ghoul video. Lets feast

[@Godofnoobs-vs4os]

I love your videos

[@LC...031]

10:22 u did it to hit a trickshot👍🏾

[@Lumberjack_king]

8:18 exactly you are either born a human or born a ghoul there is no in between to have a human suddenly become a ghoul is horrific

[@soren_ur_bookshelf_demon9402]

This could be a hot take, but this show helped me heal with my eating disorder (BED) more than any "support groups" or Doctor visits did.

[@ProAZZeater]

Life is in a very painful transitionary period. I hope this helps a bit.

[@TheRaven5138]

Rainy beach day on spring break so I’m inside watching this now

[@elvis5384]

I don't know who you are, i don't know why i'm here, but your content is fire! Keep going!

[@ProfessorViral]

Thank you, I'll try my best to!

[@rossjones8656]

Man, i really should look at this series because i have a character that is similar yet different so this could help me.

[@IchigoShinagami]

Maybe I am messed-up, but I don't have a fear of transformation, I intensly yearn to be changed, corrupted, not to be Human, to never be myself anymore.

[@theoff8411]

That's very interesting. Could you please elaborate?

[@CallMeeKarma]

Lol… ようこそ to how every Minority/ LGBTQIA+/ any ‘non-White’/ Female-Femme Identifying person/ Survivor of ANY & ALL Tragedies/ Illness/Etc. Etc. feels….? If it’s an ED, gender dysphoria, or result to rxpe/ physical/ sexuaI abxse, illness… you can’t seriously think you’re edgy enough to have an unpopular opinion about something so simple. This is a video I see describing the psychology behind the view, the crazy thing is that there are different ways people experiencing things.

[@CallMeeKarma]

It’s extra. Being Edgy and “Pick me” about something probably over 70% people, Are either forced to live in, or can’t imagine not feeling.

[@CallMeeKarma]

I mean going through chemo, I had so many feelings about it. I hate myself for being weak. I thought I deserved it, I felt hopeless. I worked hard, my entire life, to have all A’s. Going from my dream career, apartments in West Hollywood and back home, being independently, wealthy. Engaged… To being broke. Sick, in pain every day. With Debt that Will take years to pay off. I wanted to suffer the worst way possible, and quit existing. {I hated that I failed. I still feel as of my entire life was worthless and a waste. I’m grateful for surviving it, but also desperately wish I didn’t. From a body horror aspect Opposite of the aforementioned example. I, like thousands and thousands of others, had to endure the ache of wanting to rip my own skin. off break open all my ribs just so that I can breathe air. And then after finally getting a fresh breath -when I felt like I couldn’t- I thought I would be able to grant myself, the luxury of taking , an iron scrubber to the inside of my body. Then maybe fill a tub with bleach. 🤷‍♀️ that was in response to being vioIated.. Change is all you want those moments. Sometimes you don’t even want to survive, you just want to be clean you just want things to be different.

[@CallMeeKarma]

That’s why this is ¢ringe. “Pick me”… Edgy try-hard vibes💀💀💀 かわいくない。

[@kenpanderz]

there are no monsters, only people who are treated as monsters, in monstrous ways.

[@SmallOneEyedKing]

Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul re is my favourite manga of all time. And it changed me.

[@AffinityShadow00]

Damn Prof ☺️ sorry for the delay, um about that changing into something else, I learned that when I was pregnant, you don't have control of your body anymore and there is a dead line, it was a bit of a mind fuck 😆 but at the end there was this little person and a new roll as mother, being adopted she's my only blood relative, and I felt belonging too, her middle name is Mika, Japanese for new beginnings 😆☺️ thank you for the wonderful video 🥰

[@Goommy]

11:11 I am staring RESPECTFULLY

[@ProfessorViral]

Since it's with respect 🤣

[@Goommy]

@@ProfessorViral You look fucking cute in a skirt, what can I say~ For the less flirty portion of this comment: When I first saw the title of the video, I wasn't expecting it to be mostly about physical transformation, but your ending bit is making me look forward to what might be the part 2 of this video/idea. It might be self-centered, but for a lot of your videos that I've seen I tend to think about how they apply to me and my mess of a life, and the idea of not knowing if I'm acting like a proper person or a monster is something that I've struggled with a lot, especially recently. This video also made me go watch the first Tokyo Ghoul video you made, regarding Jason's torture scene, and I love how you spoke in it. You sounded so excited and off the cuff, it'd be great to hear you talk like that again!

[@atzon8]

nice

[@ProfessorViral]

Thanks!

[@BloodDragon-rp4xc]

all i took from this video is that you can just randomly look amazing in a skirt no matter what

[@ProfessorViral]

It's a life hack. People see the frill and think the outfit is cute lol

[@MySerpentine]

I feel like you could make a somewhat similar video about The Thing, although that's seen very much from the outside.

[@awesomeswifter1138]

It's funny how no matter how far i come in life, there are still reminders out here of Tokyo Ghoul and why i connected with this series so much as a kid, as a kud bullied extremely before i even liked snime or was really nerdy i was outcasted cause i had ADHD and had many issues paying attention and learming, i felt like a monster because i couldnt truly relate to anyone around me, pretty damn edgy for a 14 year old, thats whem i discovered tokyo ghoul, the anime. And WHILE I FUCKING OPENLY HATE THE ANIME. I also admit that i wouldn't be who i am had i never watched it, while i think the manga is severe leagues above quality even with its rushed emding, Tokyo Ghoul is an imperfect masterwork and has formed many of my own personal philosophical beliefs within, the anime will forever be garbage to what is a beautiful series about overcoming yourself

[@AnthonyRusso93]

Now we don't categorize people's height as average. 5'11 is short and 6' is tall

[@truedante98]

11:20 Smash. Next Question?

[@orang375]

I have no such fears

[@ProfessorViral]

I'm glad. I hope it's in a truthful and healthy way

[@shaynemaskall6984]

Hello Professor Viral, the line what do you do when you become something new has never been truer; to tell you the truth. Like for example in Cell's at Work and Tokyo Ghoul we see characters become something new. In Cell's at Work a regular body cell becomes Cancer; this is usually lethal for us higher lifeforms, cancer cell is a parasite. This has many similarities to the Ghouls in Tokyo Ghoul who are in essence.....parasites of humans.

[@johnynoway9127]

i just saw an anime called Aoi Bunkaku (its a collection of stories but im refering to the 1st one in particular)

[@gabrielamaral978]

This is really interesting, because for me, eating have became a pain. I'm a type 1 diabetic, and i really lost all the pleasure in eating, because i have to take my medicine... that envolves me injecting with needles in my skin... not a pleasant sensation. Even if i'm already 5 years diabetic and i'm quite accostumed to it... i can't not perceive that it changed my relation to food deeply. I now go to parties and eat cake just because of my consideration to others... not because i crave the sweet taste that got related to pain in my head. Didn't know i would relate to an anime that i watched before beeing diabetic.

[@naomilauzut92]

Looks like I need a whole dinner for this video

[@sasha1mama]

I'd gladly surrender my physical humanity if I could be a Mewtwo instead, psionic powers included.

[@candyloverthegreat871]

For some reason I thought you were going to talk about The Metamorphosis by Kafka lol

[@ProfessorViral]

I have read it, but putting visuals to books is a lot harder, so I've just never discussed them here

[@anyarobinson2334]

11:08 I love how they talked about their gender not 5 seconds after I came back from their twitter bio because I didn't now what they were 😂

[@ProfessorViral]

Honestly forgot I had a Twitter bio lol

[@Niemandzockt]

All this food talk is making me hungry

[@ProfessorViral]

These pretzels are making me thirsty

[@ev6639]

Cyberpunk:Edgerunners is what made me scared to transform and nkt becomening a normal human

[@srensen9948sander]

Dammmm you need too read the manga, these themes character and world was build up so much better and deeper and Layers then the anime.... Living tragedy..... Not enough talking about anymore

[@Lumastarrr]

didnt even watch the video cuz it just came out but this video is so goated

[@ProfessorViral]

Hopefully that'll hold true 🤞

[@MosesMoss-uy8sd]

back again in school with4 tests 6 essays and 5 assignments, ready to watch this banger instead of geometry, thanks for your wonderful content my dude also im seeing jordan peterson tomorrow in atlanta georgia anybody else going?

[@SmallOneEyedKing]

Can you explain Claymore

[@luniers4629]

As mixed race, in a very white community in Europe I very much connected with Kanji's worldview when he became a ghoul when th series came out. I've found a better place with likeminded people.

[@sirSithis917]

hmm? there is the saying "lost in translation" while watching this I'm thinking that saying may apply to all human interactions, regardless if both are speaking the "same" language, because each mind has its own translation/experience/reality...🤔

[@jklol1680]

❤

[@ProfessorViral]

💙

[@wakaitsu]

This explanation does work for a good story, but the joke is - nobody questions it in a good story. The questions rise when a character in the story transforms into (or starts as) something objectively better than a human, yet continues to whine how much they wish to go back to \ become human. Like, lets say a werewolf who doesn't lose control over themselves when they turn. What not to love here? You get to be a big, fluffy, cool wolf, you become faster, stronger, less vulnerable to diseases, you have a hyperactive regeneration, and getting some meat really isn't a problem in modern society. It's a win literally by every book, yet - we get whining of how they wish to be "cured". Bruh. Even more frustrating when said whining is coming from a creature that is objectively superior to humans. Lets take Albedo (Genshin Impact) for a recent example. He's a homunculus. He has enhanced senses, reinforced cold tolerance, he needs a lot less resources to support his life and has much wider range of those available to him, his lifespan is a lot longer and he will stay young-looking for the majority of it. He's literally objectively superior to humans in every way. And yet he also whines about how humans are better and how he wishes to be one. Like, WTF, BROTHER?! Why would you wish to downgrade so bad?! And it's not like socials are at stake, quite the contrary - Albedo has a picture-perfect social presence, he has a loving family, a stable job, his coworkers adore him, and lets be honest, at this point he can announce his nature out loud on the grand square and nobody would bet an eye because he's simply too good of a person for anyone to care about his origin. So socials aren't in the picture either. So what is it then that humans have and he doesn't? Nothing. Nothing that is. It's just the game wants to pat players on the back.

[@tesscantarticulate]

They threw that pencil. No doubt about it

[@tesscantarticulate]

I've never seen this show before. "I don't want much. I just want to live my life the same as you do." This can easily be viewed as a trans allegory.

[@ProfessorViral]

Tokyo Ghoul very much feels like the most accidentally trans story I've engaged with. The difference between the groups being as jarring as eating human flesh makes it difficult to use as a comparison, since that could make someone assume there truly is something dangerous about the out group, but overall the feelings the characters express ring very true

[@tesscantarticulate]

@@ProfessorViral I've definitely never consumed human flesh, I have been treated like I do though.

[@guidedexplosiveprojectileg9943]

​@@ProfessorViralthere is a trans person in tokyo ghoul

[@trenton8211]

Id absolutely love to be a ghoul, being human sucks we need to evolve

[@naaga7932]

You realize what you're saying lmao😂

[@syrenet]

Tbh, looking at what humanity is nowdays. Even if you tranform into man eater, i'd see that as net positive.

[@ProfessorViral]

Personally, I don't think seeing humanity as something awful on the whole has any beneficial impact. I think we've all just started paying attention to or being shown the worst examples

[@gonzalomeadearanda5751]

being a ghoul is much like being gay, in a nutshell

[@ProfessorViral]

Tokyo Ghoul is the most accidentally queer story haha

[@gonzalomeadearanda5751]

@@ProfessorViral I noticed gr8 video BTW

[@Hashillama]

the question now becomes, why do you have a skirt and fishnets?

[@ProfessorViral]

If you have to ask, given the topic, then you aren't thinking hard enough

[@Hashillama]

@@ProfessorViral come on, it's a joke, I fully realize and comprehend the topic.

[@goldenfistgaming4886]

11:12 I wasn't expecting bro to be a femboy 😭

[@ProfessorViral]

Given the topic of the video, you could easily intuit a bit more than that

[@trfyhrghty4222]

🙂👍👍

[@ProfessorViral]

🤝

[@Overthinking_Media]

I don't actually know you're stroy and it's almost Ironic it's on a video about tranformation, but after watching this one I clicked on your "The Fear Of Love" Video and the first thing that hit me was "What the fuck? This is another of Virals videos right? Who's voice is that?" because how much deeper it sounded. Perhaps you were just suffering from a cold or something, but are you taking vocal lessons to alter your voice to a higher octain or something?

[@ProfessorViral]

I haven't purposely changed my voice at all, although I did look into the techniques to do so months ago and tried. But it was probably just situation, I recorded that video late in a stressful situation haha

[@arstotzkanplaguedoctor]

🎠

[@TheCrimsonPhucker777]

What would happen if Toka made meals with human meat? Could she eat food in front of people??

[@Elias-qp7cz]

What anime 00:23?

[@ProfessorViral]

Ergo Proxy. It's just on the edge of being too pretentious and abstract, but if you can deal with those, a fantastic series that covers insanely interesting concepts

[@lulunightfever]

i promise you no one sees you walking by a corner and says “here comes a woman” 😭 fun vid tho

[@ProfessorViral]

Don't ever leave a comment like this, please. It's disconnected from the point and pretty rude

[@WolffyRiolu]

Please read the manga the anime leaves a lot of stuff out and changes things.

[@bobmartell5849]

👍🐻👍

[@ProfessorViral]

💪😎💪

[@dyzphoriia]

subscribed the second you pulled out the skirt

[@elios7623]

ok fine.... i might finally watch it tbh I always saw it as over hyped and grew tired of it without even watching it but i'll give it a chance... yeah i'm being a hypocrite lol

[@ProfessorViral]

I think it is quite close to being a genericy show for 14 year olds, because it does have those elements. But it actually does something with those elements instead of just having them to be "cool"

[@MrMythul]

I don't believe kaneki knew that regular weapons wouldn't work on a ghoul's body. What he was trying to do was cut the organ out of himself. He even stabs himself in the area of theedical scar

[@ProfessorViral]

Included in the thoughts from that section is the TV broadcast stating that ordinary weapons can't harm ghouls, so he was aware of the fact to some degree

[@MrMythul]

@@ProfessorViral you are totally right actually. That is my bad. Teach me to double check my facts before I comment.

[@astrosmithsin3153]

Bro why are you trying to change my preference 😂😂

[@irisdaniels2318]

if they cloned human body parts, i can see how it might be an easier alternative.

[@Calzonelly]

9:13 closeted gay complexion