A Mosaic of Ghouls

Tokyo Ghoul: Days offers a novel in stories based on the bestselling series.

By Nick Mamatas October 21, 2016

Editor's Sidebar: Where we hear directly from VIZ editors about series they're working on.

Back when I first started working at VIZ Media as "trade books editor"—that is, the editor of all the stuff that wasn't manga, such as our Haikasoru series of novels, and Studio Ghibli artbooks—I was asked this question during an interview:

"Why would anyone read a novel, when there's manga to read instead?"

The answer is, I hope, obvious. Reading text alone isn't harder, or less visual, than text with pictures. Text can engage the imagination in unique ways, and words carry connotations and resonances that offer meaning and enjoyment beyond the sheer informational load they carry.

Of course, another question emerges: Why read a novel that's about a manga setting and its characters, such as Tokyo Ghoul: Days? The novel is even illustrated—so why not just make the story a manga?

The answer is found in the structure of Days. It is a novel in stories, or a mosaic novel. The same events and characters are examined from different perspectives and points of view in a way that a visually-oriented manga cannot quite do. When we can see the faces of all the characters on page all the time, the perspective is that of a witness, albeit a witness who can occasionally read minds.

In a novel composed of linked short stories, we find ourselves reading from one character's perspective and then from another's. An unnamed musician who barely appears in one story can be the main character of the next one, or of the previous one. The same conversation or circumstance can feel radically different depending on the point of view.

Sometimes, the lack of visual information can lead to greater insights into character and plot. Try Tokyo Ghoul: Days, and see some of your favorite manga characters in a whole new way.