I have commented in previous posts on social media, but I repeat: I have a routine to know absolutely nothing before reading a title. Synopsis? What's that for? I like to analyze a work without external influences and, from time to time, I rely on notes to see if the time spent was rewarded or not.
With "Inuyashiki" it was no different. In fact, this one, which is part of Hiroya Oku, author of "Gantz", was an even more extreme case: I didn't remember that it was a heavyweight author, because ... I didn't read "Gantz" either (and the anime was shit, so) I only understood what it was because in the series there is a character who is a fan of the work (very cool part, including)! And to conclude, it is still seinen, a demography of which I am not assiduous. He had everything he didn't like, did he? But it turned out to be an amazing read, with social criticism and still working with stereotypes in a very interesting way. And, of course, in this review, I comment on everything!
Now the Synopsis. Ichiro Inuyashiki has a family, a wife and two children, none of whom care about him. When he learns that he only has three months to live, he realizes that the only one who will miss him is his dog. Shortly after this realization, he is killed in a landing of aliens. Then he is rebuilt by them as a machine with a human exterior. How will his life change now that he is not human?
Hiroya Oku's work was released in the Seinen Evening magazine by Kodansha in January 2014. The original series won a live-action film adaptation that will debut in 2018, as well as an anime adaptation by the MAPPA studio scheduled for October (airing by the time of this review). The manga will be finished with 10 volumes.
We are accustomed to a kind of stereotype for heroes and villains; we have a vision that for both there is the involvement of special abilities and powers, and how they are so different from ordinary people. In "Inuyashiki", the author approaches the subject in an interesting and critical way. The introductory chapter serves to situate the type of world in which the protagonist lives, a Japan that is full of violence and that there is no shadow of a possible altruism. The weak are oppressed and the strong dominate. But contrary to what might be assumed, the "villains" of this plot are ordinary people, teenagers or even adults, without any mythical power. And the "hero" of the plot? Well, he's just an old man, who has no one to really call him, who is weak and is in his last days of life.
Unlike One Punch-Man (for example; something mainstream in today's standards), who has all a comic content up the bald protagonist who defeats all his enemies with a single punch, in that title sense of humor is something rare. The mood of the manga is tense and in many cases, it becomes annoying, not by visual means, but by the way it approaches the situation. Your hero and his unusual villains serve to shock. Don't expect a happy reading, much of the first volume was either with pity on the protagonist or another similar to it.
Recently I made a kind of "clean" in my collections of manga and I was deciding minutely what would continue and what would drop. Honestly, I had thought of reading "Inuyashiki" to do a review for the site ... until I start reading it.
I understand that the topics covered are different, but here what I am evaluating is the way the authors unroll the plot; this series is more concise while the other types of manga are just average/good, but you would probably need to lean on more chapters to win over the reader. Certainly a great surprise - and I will certainly collect it.
Hiroya Oku's trait is very realistic and detailed. In order to see these characteristics, it is only necessary to observe the protagonist: the author has a whole concern with wrinkles of expression, the design of the whole body, hair, etc. In addition, the details of the "machine character" are incredible, with various props, cannot put defect.
The debut book brought me right away. The introduction is strong, but well done, development is also not to be desired and that finale still arouses curiosity enough to want a continuation. But I must point out one thing: Inuyashiki's theme, focusing on the part involving aliens, is a subject that if not working right can end up being disappointing. I confess that I have high expectations, but it is a theme that from beginning to end needs to be thought, a bad explanation for the paranormal situation would compromise the entire manga, even if it only appeared on the last page of the last chapter; in addition, the author still has to deal with his two protagonists, Ichiro Inuyashiki and Hiro Shishigami - the teenager who also suffered the same "accident" that Ichiro - knowing how to measure the importance of his roles for the plot - something that complicated for a work that will end with ten volumes.
Funny how easy it is for audiences to accept a character with the characteristics of Saitama, but it is difficult to visualize in Ichiro the potential of a hero. It may even be the "fault" of the stories we consume - most of which insist on putting young characters because their target audience is also new, have a question of identification - but there is the view that the elderly are those who should be protected, not those who protect, or worse, those who are pushed aside just because of their age. Hiroya Oku brings a strong social critique here, coming from a country that today has an age structure with a higher percentage for the elderly than for children and pre-adolescents, the same country that in 2013 had a minister who declared that "the elderly should hurry and die".
At first, it may be strange to have a oldish as the main character and of course, it is unusual. But the author creates a favorable scenario for him to be welcomed by those who accompany him; of all the characters that appear, Ichiro appears to be the only one to bother with the injustice around him and what shows to have feelings. The character can be a machine, but it is the most realistic of the plot.
Story: 10 | Art: 9 | Character: 10 | Enjoyment: 9
Score: 9/10
I don't have a personal note for this one because all my main reasons are justified in the context of this review.
