As for the review itself:
I initially decided to pick up this series upon seeing some out of context panels floating around on the Internet. The art style looked vaguely similar to one of my not-so-favorite manga, Gantz. And as it turned out, they were indeed made by the same author, Hiroya Oku. I was willing to overlook his past transgressions and give him another chance with this story. It started out quite good, with an original premise that I hadn't really seen before, some decent art (compared to the early days of Gantz, at least) and one very unconventional protagonist, both visually and in the context of other manga that I have read.
Story: 8
The plot has a great hook, that of a gentle but dying old man and a psychotic teenager being accidentally killed by aliens, only to be recreated by the aliens as super powerful machines with godlike powers. A showdown between these two characters will obviously happen at some point since their ideals are completely opposite from one another, and it really shows as almost every chapter focuses on fleshing out these two characters as they continue living their day-to-day lives and attempt to cope with the changes made to their bodies in their own ways, using their new powers for both good and evil things in accordance to their own respective morality. It's a very dualistic set-up, kinda like Jonathan and Dio from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Speaking of which, there's some slight body-horror in this work, like a character opening up their body like you would do with a computer case only to reveal the complex machinery that's inside it, with nothing human or even organic remaining. The idea of what makes someone ''human'' came up in my mind a lot as I read this manga. Overall, pretty interesting concept that I've no problem with at all.
Art: 6
I'm not a very huge fan of Hiroya Oku, truth be told. Without getting into too much detail, I find his style of drawing to be very bland and inorganic, since he relies a lot on his assistants creating 3D models for him to trace over with a pen in order to create a scene. Characters often looked very rigid and samey-looking in Gantz because of this. And I was happy, for a while, when I realized his art had improved since Gantz. Characters have way more variety in their facial expressions, there's a lot more motion going on a lot of times and it generally looks pretty appealing, with a nice coat of realism in a lot of places. I'm giving the art a 6 because some panels look very similar to others for no reason, and could be positioned more appropriately to create a better flow and a less repetitive reading experience. Some assets aren't ''drawn over'' either, being left as their original 3D models, like airplanes and certain objects in the environment, for instance. Things like these looked particularly ugly and jarring since they obviously aren't 2D objects like the rest of the things on the page. I've seen this sort of ''2D mixed with 3D'' technique applied before, especially in Asano Inio's works like Oyasumi Punpun, and seeing it being done so poorly here only makes Oku seem more like an unskilled artist to me.
Characters: 5
The plot had me deeply invested in the titular character, Inuyashiki. I couldn't recall reading any other manga that featured such a relatable character, that of an old family-man who has one foot in the grave and whose family isn't very fond of him because of his frail nature. He had me interested in the plot until some cracks started showing in the character department; some characters behaving in rather jarring ways that felt unnatural, which broke my immersion at times. That's one of my main issues with this manga, the characters suck, safe for Inu. There's barely any progression going on for them.
One very early example of this that I can think of are the aliens that accidentally kill Inuyashiki and a nearby youth called Shishigami in the beginning of the story by crash landing on Earth with their spaceship. Immediately upon realizing they killed two earthlings, they begin to swear and curse each other out like teenagers in a VERY uncharacteristic manner (maybe a creepier portrayal would've been more effective) and proceed to revive the two men using alien technology, turning them into two incredibly powerful machines with godlike powers. It just so happens that Inuyashiki is a very kind person who intends to use his new powers to help humanity, while the young Shishigami happens to be the edgiest, most brutal psychopath on the planet.
Although Inuyashi felt relatable and grounded, like someone that could really exist, Shishigami just doesn't. He's a cold-blooded, cruel monster who kills other people for pleasure with his powers and uses those he doesn't kill for his own personal gain. But at the same time he's also a loving son who cares deeply about his mother and would do anything for her happiness... These two contradicting elements just don't add up, but I'll admit they probably could've worked if Shishigami had been written better as a character, like Guts from Berserk, who can simultaneously be portrayed as a murderous demon and a caring, protective person on the inside, with both traits pertaining perfectly to his character. The rest of the cast is quite forgettable. Overall, Inu is the only one worth paying any attention to.
Enjoyment: 5
Started off strong. Weakened in the middle part. Turned into complete disgust by the time the final chapters rolled out. Never seen a story go south this quickly in terms of enjoyment. It had some pretty whacky moments of intense escalation that raised my eyebrows, but it's all ruined by how the story ultimately ends.
Overall: 5
Only read if you've enjoyed Gantz, any of Oku's other works, or if all the negative things I said in this review don't sound all that bad to you. Just remember to enjoy yourself. Cuz by the time I finished this, I wasn't enjoying myself anymore.
