I knew this manga was one of the more popular and beloved, but I'm encountering the story for the first time just now. I think the first tome makes a good start by setting up Kaneki's transformation, teaching us a bit about ghouls through a few different encounters, and highlights Kaneki's cherished friendship with his childhood friend, Hide. I love how this friendship grounded him as a human and that after many telling him he belongs nowhere, he found someone to tell him his uniqueness can make him belong to both worlds rather than none.