Hiroya Oku (奥浩哉 Oku Hiroya, born September 16, 1967 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka) is a mangaka who is the creator of Gantz, Zero-One and HEN, all of which have been serialized in Young Jump. He has finished working on his most renowned manga, Gantz, which began in July 2000. His manga often contain explicit violence and gore, as well as sexual situations.
He won the second prize of the Youth Manga Awards in 1988, under the penname Yahiro Kuon.
He designed a character for Namco Bandai's Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 fighting game, Soulcalibur IV named Shura.
Inuyashiki has to come to terms with his conflict with the yakuza. It appears that Shishigami Hiro is doing good, but is that by intent or accident? And despite his seeming turnaround there are multiple forces out there seeking the home invasion serial killer. Overall readable but not put-down-able. A 7 out of 12 for this lovely drawn series, a Three Star read. 2024 read
Inuyashiki goes from being mediocre back to boring again with this fourth volume. It’s the same with most superhero stories: every time the focus shifts to the good guy, things get really dull - it’s only entertaining once the hero and the villain are battling, or the focus is on the villain doing shady shit.
The book opens on the aftermath of the Yakuza dinner scene and gets resolved within a chapter - why wasn’t this included as the finale to the last book?!
Then we’re onto the murderous sociopath’s bestie, Ando, who decides he’s going to help Inuyashiki defeat his crazy friend Hiro by showing him how to use his bizarre robot powers. Which means most of the book is exposition and tedious lesson learning. And I wish Ando didn’t look so similar to Hiro - it’s just unnecessarily confusing for them to look alike!
But by far the worst part of the book is how Hiro is written, or re-written rather. In Volume 2 he got his powers and immediately murdered a random family in cold blood. Now his personality is radically different - he’s suddenly empathetic and caring! Wha… huh?! It doesn’t make any sense how someone can go from full-on sociopath back to being a semi-ordinary teenager - and there’s no explanation as to why or how! Totally unconvincing - such sloppy writing.
I guess it was kinda fun to see Inuyashiki figure out just how powerful he is and see the net closing in around Hiro towards the end. But there wasn’t much compelling in this fourth book and it’s basically killed what little interest I had in this series!
The narrative mainly centered on the main protagonist and the antagonist, exploring their stories separately.
Inuyashiki's storyline was decent, offering some depth and intrigue. However, Samejima's character was a major letdown. He kills without any clear reason or motivation, making him seem one-dimensional and basic compared to the rich complexity of Inuyashiki. The contrast between the two characters is stark, and not in a good way.
The villain's side needs significant improvement to match the depth and nuance of the protagonist's arc.
Overall, this volume failed to deliver the excitement and engagement I had hoped for.
So this volume feels like a bridge of sorts. Half about training, half about moving on in life. However, it's actually pretty interesting. We have Inuyashiki learning to use his weapons and powers he's gained. Yeah we've seen him fuck shit up before but never really on purpose. So Hiro's old friend, who is now scared of him, begins to help train him. Then you have Hiro, the kid who goes around killing because he can, starting to figure out life. After he finds some soul searching he thinks maybe it's best he stops killing and despite being a robot maybe try to live a human life.
Good: The art is still pretty solid. Some scenes are downright amazing. Also really enjoyed Hiro's progress. The final moments in this volume kind of make you forget his past sins even though once you remember you can tell him to go fuck himself. Also liking how our main character is finally learning to use his new talents.
Bad: It's a very quick volume and went too fast. Some overly long "What!?" and "How!?" panels. Like there's a part the characters are in shock for about 8 pages...it's a bit much. Also, how do becoming a machine robot creature give you powers to heal everything? Weird.
Overall this is fun volume. It feels like a bridge for something HUGE coming. I also think Hiro is becoming more compelling the more they go on. I hope it continues to get better!
Great superheroes need to have a sidekick. Inuyashiki gets his, and the young man not only helps Inuyashiki start to understand how to use his powers but how wonderful it is that he is using his powers in such a selfless, heroic way. I found the brief hospital scene to be especially emotional in its illustration of not only the immediate effects of Inuyashiki's miraculous powers and his drive to do good but in how it is starting to effect the community in which he operates.
Very good, intense and mature! Volume 3 was very brutal, with rape, that I wasn't sure I wanted to continue with this seinen series but I did want to try one more volume and I'm glad I did. The story is becoming very deep. Inuyashiki continues to help and heal people he has also found Samejima's friend who wants to help the old man. The authorities have found out about Samejima but he may have had an epiphany wanting to change his ways. The art is absolutely superb in this series, very realistic and life-like. Due to the depth of the characters and story I am certainly going to continue on with the series and am willing to put up with some uncomfortable parts in the future as long as they don't become gratuitous, and seeing as how the plot is developing I've reflected and don't think it has been gratuitous to this point, but do take heed volume three is very brutal.
Très bon volume! Le meilleur jusqu'à maintenant je crois. La dualité bon/méchant est assez simple, mais on y ajoute un peu de profondeur et de nuances dans ce dernier tome. Belle évolution de l'intrigue et des personages. Toujours une aussi belle finesse pour les illustrations. J'aime beaucoup, je devrai commander les prochains bientôt!!
La historia es buena pero siento que están haciendo todo para salir del paso, pasan cosas sin contexto alguno, sin sentido, verdaderamente creo que la historia tiene mucho potencial y lo están desperdiciando todo pasa muy rápido y hay muchas cosas inconclusas.
Sé que apenas voy en el volumen 4 y quizás lo estoy juzgando muy rápido, ojalá sea así.
El tomo comienza con el final de la historia de los Yakuzas, y justo después de eso viene la parte más interesante: Ando (el amigo del psicópata) se da cuenta de que hay otra persona con superpoderes y decide buscarlo.
Todo lo que pasa despues, siento que lo he leído muchas otras veces en otras historias de superhéroes: la escena de entrenamiento y descubrimiento de los poderes, el arrepentimiento del villano de turno justo antes de que pase algo malo... no hay muchas ideas originales.
Por otro lado, se me hace dificil por ahi distinguir a Ando de Hiro, son muy similares, y eso hace que a veces las escenas sean muy confusas.
Me sigue gustando, pero espero que mejore en los próximos tomos, el final promete.
I like where this is going. The lines between good and bad are beginning to skew. Hiro, who is conveniently named, has decided to use his power selfishly good by saving his mother from terminal cancer. He then decides to treat her to all the things she deserves. At the same time, he continues to invade homes and murder people. At one point he dreams he gets a paper cut and is human again. It is interesting that he would dream this as he is thriving off his new powers. Hiro struggles with the ability to “feel alive” and is looking for it in the wrong places. Meanwhile Inuyashiki is trying to do good but I eventually see this backfiring on him somehow. Can’t wish to keep reading.
The story has regained its momentum, after the previous volume's tangent. There are parts of Inuyashiki that make me question the story logic -- for example, an older man walking around without a shirt not raising any eyebrows? -- and at times, the tone is downright maudlin. Still, an interesting story I'd like to see play out.
En este tomo encontramos un final muy agridulce, con decisiones que ya es muy tarde para tomar. Además Inuyashiki demuestra una vez mas que es mas humano que muchos humanos de verdad.
Fifty-eight-year-old Ichiro Inuyashiki is down on his luck and still struggling to find a place in the world after living for so long. He’s constantly ignored, disrespected and put down by his dissatisfied family and judgmental peers regardless of how much effort he puts into trying to give them everything he can to make them happy. He’s too depressed and afraid to stand up for himself and he struggles to find a reason to keep living such an unfulfilling life. Things seem to brighten up for him after he adopts a cute and affectionate dog he names Hanako, but his happiness is instantly robbed from him when he learns from his doctor that he’s been diagnosed with cancer and has less than three months left to live.
Ready to run away from all of his responsibilities and burdens, Ichiro takes a long walk away from home with Hanako and stops to take a rest under the night sky in an empty park to gather his thoughts. Just when things seem like they’ve reached their lowest point, a UFO of all things comes crashing down to earth and lands right on top of the frail old man and a nearby bystander. It seems to be an unfortunate end for Ichiro, until he wakes up completely unscathed and feeling healthier than ever. Hanako is still by his side when he awakes, and both of them know that something isn’t quite right. It seems that the aliens driving the UFO took pity on the poor old man and performed an emergency operation to bring him back from the dead, upgrading his body with their superior technology and leaving him with a few new tricks up his sleeve to keep him safe from harm, such as enhanced vision, hearing, strength, durability and the ability to fly.
With his new and improved hearing capabilities, Ichiro overhears a group of young thugs ganging up on homeless people and beating them to death with baseball bats in the distance. He instinctively rushes to the aid of their next victim and gives the kids the scare of their life after awakening his new superhuman abilities. The homeless man is saved and the kids are brought to justice. For the first time in his life, Ichiro feels like his existence actually means something.
After saving the homeless man, Ichiro takes control of his life with his newfound abilities by using them to save thousands of innocent people from death and violence. After living through one tragedy after another, Ichiro finally finds his purpose, becoming a hero of the people and earning the love and respect he’s desperately wanted since he was a young boy.
Unknown to Ichiro however, the boy that happened to be at the park on the night of the incident went through a similar procedure. The antagonist is a sociopathic teenage boy named Hiro Shishigami, who was blessed with the same godlike powers as Ichiro after having his body reconstructed by the aliens. Unlike the kind old man however, Hiro has no intentions of using his powers for good. And so begins an unlikely battle between a heroic, lovable grandpa and a young genocidal maniac.
Inuyashiki explores what happens when people suddenly gain the power of gods. Some people use it to turn their lives around, other people use it to take revenge on the world. Power doesn’t always corrupt a person, there are a few genuinely good souls out there that put their power and influence to good use. Ichiro is a humble man that only feels alive when he saves other people from death and despair, he uses his power out of love for humanity and only wishes to be loved in return. He’s fragile and reliant on others, but he’s selfless and heroic all the same.
Hiro only feels alive when he sees other lives come to an end. He hates the world and he feels nothing towards others, with the exception of his mother, a single friend from school and a girl he develops surprisingly warm feelings for. This is where his sociopathic tendencies begin to get more complex, because he genuinely seems capable of having strong feelings toward a select group of people. He also cries for fictional characters when reading his favorite books and he even breaks down in tears when bad things happen to the few people he cares about. His unpredictable nature makes him a terrifying and fascinating individual, breaking the definition of a pure sociopath or psychopath.
That being said, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more interesting hero/villain dynamic than that of a sweet old grandpa and a demented teenager. One thing I absolutely loved about the dark subject matter of the story is that the extreme violence and psychological horror elements throughout the series were taken very seriously. It’s never done just for shock value or being over the top, even though there are quite a few incredibly disturbing moments. Every single time someone dies or a cruel act is performed, the characters always take the time to reflect on the aftermath of the consequences of what happened and gives you enough time to soak in the pain.
Ichiro values human life, and even sheds tears when he has no choice but to use violence against irredeemable criminals that refuse to surrender to justice. Even Hiro begins to reflect on his life choices and abuse of his superhuman powers after the consequences of his actions catch up to him and transform his unstoppable rampage into an ocean of guilt, regret and self-loathing. Not a single act goes unpunished in this series, and the way these actions linger in the characters' minds and forces them to take a second look at themselves is masterfully done.
It’s a very original take and criticism on the superhero genre. Heroes and villains are criticized in equal measure. You can rarely do something good without having a few negative consequences that go along with it, and the opposite can also be true. It portrays society in a nihilistic, yet very believable way by cleverly integrating parodies of twitter drama and forum-based chat sites such as 4chan, where everyone is desensitized to kindness and cruelty and get off on dehumanizing each other from behind the safety of a computer monitor. If a superhero or a supervillain were to appear in this day and age, many people would probably shrug off their actions because they’ve been so desensitized by internet culture and ultra-violent media. People can hear about school shootings and terrorist attacks that killed thousands of innocent people on the news everyday and not bat an eye because they’ve heard the same old story so many times before. As sad as it may sound, sometimes people just come to expect the absolute worst from the world and they grow numb to the shocking events that transpire every moment. The satirical yet harsh social commentary benefits the adult superhero narrative to great effect.
Inuyashiki isn’t all doom and gloom, however. It’s actually a very heartwarming tale about being able to overcome your status as an outcast, accepting your role in the world and coming to terms with your past in order to change your life around for the greater good. I think the ending really hits home with these themes and messages, and it sure as hell sent me through an emotional roller coaster.
If there’s one thing to take away from this series, it’s that everyone has a hero inside of them waiting for their chance to shine. No matter how feeble, meaningless or cruel your past actions may have been, there’s always a new opportunity waiting just around the corner if you ever decide to make a change for the better and bring something good into the world. These acts of kindness might not make up for the things you’ve done in the past, but there’s no denying that they have the potential to make the future a brighter place for someone else. No matter how insignificant they may seem, every little action, choice and sacrifice you make has the power to change the future. It’s never too late to start doing the right thing.
Cerita kembali berpusat pada dua tokoh utama di manga.
Sahabat Hiroshima, Andou, mulai menyadari ada sosok lain selain Hiroshima yang mungkin memiliki kekuatan yang sama. Dia ber asumsi bahwa apa yang sedang terjadi di Jepang ada sesuatu yang bertolak belakang, pertama, banyaknya pembunuhan keluarga tak bersalah, dan yang kedua kesembuhan tiba-tiba para pasien rumah sakit yang telah diultimatum memiliki penyakit akut. Yup, salah satu kemampuan mereka berdua selain merusak, membunuh, juga menyembuhkan.
Yakin dengan asumsinya, Andou mulai mencari sosok lain itu. Beruntung ia dipertemukan dengan Ichirou. Dengan bertemunya ia dengan Ichirou, dimulailah latihan mengalahkan Hiro. Meski memiliki kekuatan yang sama, Hiro sangat mampu mengendalikan, memanfaatkan dan memaksimalkan kekuatannya. Berbeda dari Ichirou. Dia membutuhkan Andou untuk menyadari kemampuannya lebih dalam.
Lambat laun, nyatalah peperangan antara keduanya, meski bagi Hiro, ia belum sepenuhnya menyadari bahwa sahabatnya telah berbalik menyerangnya.
Jadi, bagaimana nasib Hiro, yang secara sekilas sudah saya inti di volume berikutnya bakal terbongkar sosoknya?
Hmmmm... Sebenarnya kisah peperangan antara antagonis dan protagonist begini sudah bisa ditebak endingnya. Tapi yang menjadi pertanyaannya, bagaimana Ichirou mengalahkan Hiro?
Ichiro has now teamed up with Ando, who is helping him understand and train his newfound abilities.
Over the weekends, Ichiro goes out to hospitals to heal the sick, so Ando tags along, noting that Ichiro is a true, bonafide superhero, with tears in his eyes and everything.
Ichiro's able to heal a small boy, but they're found and caught, to their relief, doctors and nurses were waiting for them to arrive and lead them to the patients that need their help the most.
Shishigami, on the other hand, keeps helping his mother, even treating her cancer and healing her completely. After finding a new apartment and promising to care for her and give her an easier life, not to mention the fact that he's seen the error in his ways, he is actually found by the police, but narrowly escapes them.
What kind of fate will befall upon Ichiro and Hiro?
Andou, Hiro's classmate, wants the latter's killing of innocents to stop. He is aware that Hiro is too strong for him or the police to face. He deduces that there must be another with the same powers. Inuyashiki welcomes the chance to get to Hiro with Andou's help.
We find out more about Hiro. His parents are separated, but he loves his mother whom he lives with and also enjoys visiting his father. His mother has cancer until he heals her using his powers. His focus is now on improving his mother's life. He swears off killing people, but the police catch up to him, so he is is now on the run.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Inuyashiki wakes up after having decimated the yakuza compound with lasers and rescues the poor girl they'd kidnapped.
Meanwhile, his miracles and Hiro's home invasion murders are making headlines and it's only a matter of time before someone figures it out. But even if they do, how do you take on a cyborg? With another cyborg. Ando teams up with Inuyashiki to take down Hiro, showing him some more technical perks that come with being robotic.
The story is becoming very deep. Inuyashiki continues to help and heal people he has also found Samejima's friend who wants to help the old man. The authorities have found out about Samejima but he may have had an epiphany wanting to change his ways. The art is absolutely superb in this series, very realistic and life-like.
The story continue in an interesting development. The only draw back is that every time the author wants to highlight a tragedy that happens to any character, he gives them cancer. So many people have cancer in this story, i wonder if that is something that will have some kind of revelation in the end or its just the first misfortune that comes to his mind 🤔
Oku Hiroya es de mis mangakas favoritos desde que leí Gantz, y sigue demostrando porque es de mis favoritos, el mensaje que trata de dar es muy potente y la forma en que todo sucede es muy satisfactorio, creo que peca de conveniencia en algunos casos, es decir algunas cosas no se explican bien, pero eso no quita que el mensaje quede excelentemente plasmado.
Our supervillain gets humanized somewhat and is shown as to not be, somehow a totally misanthropic antagonist, while his previous actions have indicated that he's one.
The logic - whether real or fictional, is out of the window, and we're into "Who's stronger my dad or your dad/ the gorilla or the chimpanzee/ the whale or the elephant" territory.
Definitely a set up volume for bigger things to come. Liked the ending. However, Hiro's personality change was a bit rushed, even though it does make sense within the story. Nonetheless, I feel they should have fleshed out his character more to really make the end more impactful
Casi 4*. Si. Une la trama da un giro (sin intentar hacer broma del nombre), se puso un poco lenta. A veces es necesario el cambio de ritmo. Espero que, como siempre lo digo, respetando las decisiones de los autores sea por una buena razón.