Welcome to another episode of Inuyashiki! This week we head back into the Inuyashiki/Shishigami conflict and get to see new sides to both of them. Lots to talk about this week, so lets jump in.
Continuing the parallel theme going on between our two main characters, we see new sides for each of them this week. However the clear star of this episode was Hiro. We finally see a different side to him, showing he does have people he cares for. To me, this made him a more real character, and a tad more terrifying. To the first point, I found it difficult to believe that Hiro would have nothing left of his life before becoming a cyborg, so seeing his family made him more than just Hiro the Murderer. As for being more terrifying, we saw how deep his devotion to his mother ran. Right now he murders to feel something, with no impetus for anything bigger. With his mother however, it’s clear she is being setup for some terrible event that will push Hiro to greater evils.
However the most interesting scene to me came at the very end of the episode. We get a peek into Hiro’s dreams, though we don’t know it at first. He gets a tiny papercut, which at first confused me. But the joy on his face, his voice, his jumping with joy. We were shown clearly that Hiro doesn’t enjoy what he has become. That he longs to become human again. It’s a really good shot that almost makes me sympathetic for Hiro. It must feel like he is trapped in a body that isn’t his own, and it reminds me that he is just a teenager dealing with all of this. This and seeing him cry over his mother were unexpected yet welcome. They don’t excuse his actions, but they do explain them abit.
On the other end of the spectrum we have Inuyashiki. Everyone’s favorite old man spent his time this week split between helping people and preparing for war. Up until now he has focused purely on helping people. We see in dialogue that even with the Yakuza he was not conscious of what he did to them. Yet in this episode, during his conversation with Ando, he proclaims that to stop Hiro he might have to kill him. He spends time with Ando learning how to use his body for combat, since Ando knows what Hiro can do. We see Inuyashiki embracing this new body more and more, loving his ability to heal people and preparing to use it to become a “Hero”. The contrast to Hiro, the comparison between the two, is my favorite part of Inuyashiki and it only gets better when the lines between them begin to blur.
There are a few other scenes worth mentioning that contribute to both characters that I couldn’t fit into their main discussions. The small scene of the young girl confessing to Hiro only to have him walk away seemed unneeded to me. I am sure however that she will become relevant, perhaps seeing Hiro commit a murder, in the future. Inuyashiki practicing with his arm in the junk-yard, with no results at first, only to create a crater. Seems a bit extreme for his special weapon, but I look forward to seeing how Inuyashiki reacts to the property damage he will inevitably cause. Finally there was Hiro’s family. I enjoyed these scenes, meeting his step-father, when before we only had a phone conversation. I hope they get used again to motivate Hiro, or as his only link to humanity left.
Finally, lets mention the general sound and animation for this episode. There were highs and lows for me this week. Starting with the lows, Inuyashiki and Ando’s voices during their meeting felt flat to me. They have been different from normal anime the entire season, but this episode in particular felt off. With their performance up till now though I am willing to chalk it up maybe just being where I watched it. Inuyashiki’s full-body CGI model continues to be off, but the lip-syncing on it is a great touch. For highs, Hiro’s family and the shot of the city from his new apartment zooming to the train car stood out to me. Its nothing you would put in a showcase, but it works for Inuyashikis pacing/theme.
All in all another good episode. The ending is a cliff-hanger and Hiro’s mother sets us up well for his eventual even deeper plunge. Ando and Inuyashiki’s meetup gives each of them someone to talk to and we get a witness to the old mans heroics. I, and I hope many others, am looking forward to Inuyashiki each week. It has become my focus for this season. It is a true shame that, as a Seinen/Psychological Thriller, it won’t get the same attention as Moe or Shounen shows like Food Wars.
See you next week and make sure to tell me what you thought of the episode down below!
