The second season of Tokyo Ghoul saw the return of composer Yutaka Yamada, who worked with several singers to bring Root A to life. And to life he brought it! From his raw and gritty signature style to his ability to convey emotion through melodies, Yamada doesn’t miss with this soundtrack. It’s pretty much perfect. Instead of telling you, why don’t I let you judge for yourself? Here are the Top 5 Tokyo Ghoul: Root A songs. Enjoy the list!
The list of the 5 best songs in Tokyo Ghoul: Season 1 can be found HERE!
*Solely songs unique to Tokyo Ghoul: Root A were eligible for the list.
5. Alone (feat. Julia Shortreed)
If I’d have to pick one word to describe the song, the word I would choose is “soothing”, as the song has a calming effect. It’s Yutaka Yamada’s composition that makes the song feel ethereal, and thus, it feels otherwordly. With a calming vibe, the song can only be described as being soothing, although the message can be heartwrenching.
While I enjoy the song, my opinion of Alone is ambivalent. But why’s that? I have a problem with the song’s lyricism and the line structure, as most of the time it makes very little logical sense. For one, there’s a line as follows: “we’re far so apart”. Why not change it to “we’re so far apart”? It wouldn’t change the meaning of the line at all, but would sound a lot better. While that’s just one example, there are some other notable issues with the lyrics of the song, with the opening line being one of them. What is “I have done so far” supposed to mean? Perhaps the line is supposed to be “what I have done so far”? That would make sense. However, that’s not the case, and these examples showcase that the lyricism isn’t up to par with some of the other songs on this list.
Overall it’s a really enjoyable song, with a great melody and a distinctive voice, but it also has some flaws lyrically that won’t allow it to rank any higher. Therefore, I feel good placing Alone as the 5th best song on my list of the top 5 Tokyo Ghoul: Root A songs!
4. Wanderers (feat. Lisa Gomamoto)
Wanderers is a great song, largely thanks to Lisa Gomamoto’s heartwrenching delivery of the chorus, where she pours her heart out. Every single line is sung with pain and anguish, which shows that Lisa understood the tragedy of Tokyo Ghoul, and the sorrowful storyline of Kaneki. While that may seem like a small challenge to overcome, it’s actually one of the hardest parts of creating music for an anime; it has to fit the show! Therefore, I applaud Yutaka Yamada and Lisa Gomamoto for pulling this off so effectively, as it nails the skin-tearing song it tries to be!
The song has a rather short lyrical portion, but it’s packed with meaning. In its core, the song is about moving forward and doing unwanted things; like it or not. It’s about “moving on” and doing what’s necessary to reach a goal, and that’s significant to Kaneki’s journey. Considering that Kaneki joins Aogiri, he does something he has to but doesn’t want to. Thus, Wanderers tackles Kaneki’s inner struggle with himself, and does so effectively.
Another part of the lyrics that caught my ear was the reference of “lights” being blown away. That could refer to losing hope or dying. When you consider what happened to Kaneki at the hands of Jason, the torture could be seen as a form of death, right? He went in a one person, and came out a different individual. Thus, “killing” (blowing out the lights) himself or dying at the hands of Jason.
While there are plenty of other interesting lines in Wanderers, I’ll leave it at that.
3. Amazarashi – Kisetsu wa Tsugitsugi Shindeiku
“Kisetsu wa Tsugitsugi Shindeiku” Lyrics
The ending song of Tokyo Ghoul: Root A is the only uplifting and energetic song of the show, and it’s an absolut banger! Amazarashi (Hiromu Akita) comes through big time with Kisetsu wa Tsugitsugi Shindeiku (Seasons Die One After Another), a song that perfectly finishes off every single episode of the season.
The beauty of the song lies in it’s deep and sorrowful message, which is wrapped up in an up-tempo rock instrumental. In turn, the song comes to life with a sense of happiness, in waking sorrow, but there’s a triumphant vibe to the mix that elevates the song’s energy level, which is absolutely brilliant. Therefore, I really enjoy the song, and find it to be among the best Tokyo Ghoul songs, period.
2. On My Own (feat. Kathrine Liner)
Yutaka Yamada and Kathrine Liner come together in a magical way, creating arguably the best song in Tokyo Ghoul: Root A. But what’s so great about it? Firstly, the instruments used in this song are really well mixed. Especially the drums that slowly ramp up and elevate the track to new heights. Secondly, it has an explorative song structure, with 2 verses back-to-back, and 2 choruses consecutively. Thirdly, Kathrine Liner’s voice is baked well into the song, and she delivers the heartfelt message nicely. Thus, it’s a song that is firing on all cylinders!
On My Own is easily one of the best songs from Tokyo Ghoul: Root A. From its deep message to it’s composition, it’s pretty much as good as it gets. In the end, it’s all about preference, so I’ll ask you; what is your favorite song from the second season of Tokyo Ghoul? I, for one, have On My Own as #2 on my list.
1. Glassy Sky (feat. Donna Burke)
Donna Burke made Tokyo Ghoul: Root A feel so special, and that’s hardly surprising, when you consider how she poured herself into every song she’s a part of; Glassy Sky is no different. Together with Yutaka Yamada’s masterful production, the two come together for a touching song that’ll bring tears to your eyes and bring you back to Tokyo Ghoul.
Lyrical Breakdown
What makes the song special is the “glassy sky”, and what that reference could mean? But it’s not as clear as glass. It’s quite the opposite. There are many great theories, with one of them being literal and figurative self-reflection, where the “glassy sky” refers to literal glass. If you watch the opening for Season 1, we see many characters walk past windows that show their reflection. Not only that, but we see glass shatter behind characters like Touka and Rize. But what could it mean? The “glassy sky” could refer to how the characters see themselves, and how they pass judgment on their actions. The “glassy” part refers to literal glass reflections, but the “sky” part refers to an outer-body view of yourself. As if you’re not really present in the moment.
Another way of looking at this reference is taking it literally. That brings us to the shot of Kaneki sitting on a chair with a blue sky above and beneath him. Remember? That opening scene shows Kaneki literally looking down at a floor that reflects the sky above him, making it look like he’s sitting in clouds. But if he looks down at the floor, he literally sees a “glassy sky”.
What’s “Glassy Sky”?
The “glassy sky” reference is a special one, without a doubt, and if I was to interpret it without knowing anything about Tokyo Ghoul, I would say that it refers to looking at the sky with tears in your eyes. While it’s merely my own theory, it’s not too far-fetched. When you consider that so many tears are shed in the anime, it makes sense, doesn’t it? When you have tears in your eyes, and look up at the sky, you see a “glassy sky”. And it could be a reference to keeping on to hope, as Kaneki did during his torture. After all, where do we all look to for hope and help, when we believe that nothing can save us? We look to the sky, in hopes of higher powers.
Conclusion
There are few anime that rival Tokyo Ghoul musically, and Glassy sky is one of the reasons for that. It’s a song that pulls at your heartstrings and makes you feel what the characters in the anime are feeling. It’s not just a song thrown into an anime, it’s an anime in the form of a song. Therefore, I’m more than happy to crown Glassy Sky as the best song of Tokyo Ghoul: Root A!
