Inuyashiki Vol. 3

犬屋敷 [Inuyashiki] #3

by Hiroya Oku

A LIGHT IN THE DARK: With his newfound powers, Inuyashiki has taken a new lease on life and has decided to help as many people as he can. But as day turns to night, the seedy underbelly of society comes out, and a depraved Yakuza member by the name of Samejima preys on an innocent woman. Inuyashiki must save this woman from a grim fate, but will he be able to take on a small army of gang members and rid the streets of Samejima's darkness?

Genres: Manga, Comics, Science Fiction, Seinen, Horror, Fiction, Graphic Novels

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 23, 2015

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is buzzing nicely now; in this volume the revitalised aged hero Inuyashiki has to cross paths with the Yakuza! You know there's often a immovable force that no one can deal with from local street gangs through to the Taliban, well in this book the immovable force is the Yakuza, but it is also Inuyashiki! An artful constructed antagonist and an expertly crafted hero-in-training makes this volume a compelling mix of horror and adventure. A 7.5 out of 12 Three Star read.

2024 read

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

The absurdly simplistic good/bad power fantasy that is Inuyashiki continues in Volume 3. The murderous sociopath from the last book is nowhere to be seen as a new baddie is introduced: a giant Yakuza scumbag who abducts women, shoots them up with drugs and rapes them until they’re dead – honestly, the villains in this series are so irredeemably OTT evil, it’s almost funny!

Unstoppable cyborg old man who seems to be made of sentient guns vs the latest Big Bad – so Inuyashiki is still basically an R-rated kid’s show but it’s well put-together and entertaining in a trashy way! Inuyashiki goes all Batman: Year One as he takes on the assembled heads of the Yakuza, albeit in a much bloodier and more violent way than Batman ever did! Hiroya Oku’s art remains very slick and the visual of the frail old man battling dozens of gun-toting gangsters and a crazy huge nutjob was amusing.

Inuyashiki is about as complex as custard but who doesn’t enjoy a steaming bowl of that every now and again, eh?

[S. Zahler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third volume of Hiroya Oku's seinen manga Inuyashiki features an unexpected left turn into truly nasty subject matter that is delivered vividly and viciously by the writer/artist. It is perhaps the single most emotionally engaging and distressing comic I've read since Chris Ware's incredible and tremendously depressing fictional biography, Lint (Acme Volume 20), though this volume of Inuyashiki is not a realistic drama, but a wicked amalgam of body horror, science fiction, yakuza, salaryman, and post-human genres presented in an equally oppressive and impressive page-turner.
Few villains in comics that I've ever come across radiate as much menace as the Yakuza villain Jima depicted herein. His actions and design yield one of the most palpable depictions of evil I've ever seen in a comic, and I cannot think of any illustrated villain ever having quite this much immediate presence. Bravo, Oku-san.
I hope the series doesn't collapse in later volumes like those Tsutomu Nihei mangas did, but this volume is conclusive enough that future issues won't ruin the virulent and superbly manipulative story within, and the first two volumes are almost as good.
Inuyashiki is recommended for fans of History of Violence, Robocop, Takeshi Kitano (a top 10 favorite director of mine), Tezuka's MW, and the best Death Wish movie (Part II, the unrated edition).
Inuyashiki Vol. 3 is a harrowing and confrontational manga, and moments after finishing it, I purchased the rest of the series.
Update: I finished reading the entire manga. The perils, horror, vividness, and atmosphere on display in Volume 3 are not reached again--and some of the books (esp. 6 & 9) are too repetitive/lacking in tension---but the piece works as a whole and is recommended.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's brutal!:))

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume begins in a starkly different manner compared to the previous ones.

We delve into the life of a Yakuza member who exploits people for sexual pleasure. His ruthless actions intersect with the lives of a young couple, who are striving to build a future together. Their happiness quickly descends into a harrowing nightmare as they become entangled in his web of corruption and violence.

In their darkest hour, when all hope seems lost, Inuyashiki appears. With his unwavering resolve, he steps in to try and save the day, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness.

[MarinaLawliett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Igual es de lo mejorcito que he leído en estos últimos años??? Increíble la resolución de imágenes y escenas de acción. Increíble el juego y uso de las sombras y degradado. Increíble Inuyashiki. MUST PROTECT!

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad things happen to good people.

Inuyashiki takes on the Yakuza and the particularly vile Boss Samejima.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was a little of a mixed bag for me. It feels almost like a different story at first. It's about a Yakuza boss who is just a crazy fuck. The first few pages he forces another Yakuza to suck his dick. Then we focus on a couple who are together and talking about getting married. Then the Yakuza spots her and decides to make her his. Our main robot hero doesn't even show up until about 2/3rds into the story.

What I liked: Art is still really solid as always. It fits this style really well. The ending is both pleasing to the eyes and heart. It's a wonderful moment. I also thought that having the female character being displayed as strong and smart when fighting was good. Sometimes they keep the victims weak and you can tell this one shouldn't be.

What I didn't like: Felt like a odd place to put a subplot so early in the story. Also found it weird how the old guy found them so fast. I wish there was a bit of build up. Also it went by so quick that it was pure based on action. Fun but felt like missing a little something!

[Alo ★ · Rating 1 out of 5]

pero k chucha leí hermano nada tiene sentido jejsdiexne igual esta perro el dibujo

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intense, brutally violent volume. This volume features Inuyashiki only as he takes on a deranged yazuka member. I was hesitant going into this volume knowing from the summary and the mangaka's previous work that it was going to be of a sexual nature and wondered if perhaps it would be past my tastes. I needn't have hesitated but it is indeed acutely violent, but not how I had imagined. The most disturbing scene is the opening one of male on male rape. There is a lot of female nudity during an abduction and attempted rape, which turns into physical violence. This abduction is pretty much the crux of the story and it seems to be a one volume case for Inuyashiki. It's an intense read, the art is stupendous and emotional but it doesn't really further Inuyashiki's character at all. It also doesn't appear that there is any plot advancement either leaving me to wonder if the sexual nature and violence of this volume are only gratuitous. This influences my 4-star rating of the volume, and I'll wait for the next one to see where the plot and characters go from here.

[Rici · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zeichenstil - wie immer top. Nun beginnt anscheinend der Kampf gegen die Mafia! Hoffentlich wird seine Familie nicht in Gefahr geraten (obwohl diese doch ziemlich arrogant ihm gegenüber war).

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inuyashiki undertakes a superhero mission to save a young couple from the threat of the yakuza. Things do not go smoothly.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am still on the fence on this series and I stick with it because I love the older protagonist, and simply that there is one! But this volume had a fair amount of disturbing stuff, including things that can be triggery so I was taken a bit aback. I will stick with it though as I'm curious to where the story will go.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5. Très bien! Magnifiques scènes d'action, assez brutale, plus sombre également. Probablement pas la plus grande évolution au niveau de l'intrigue principale, mais tout de même un très bon manga!

[Blaine Riesberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPU8O...

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

They just dropped us in some horrible mess and for why

[Mir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really disappointed in the decline in quality and interest vs vol 1.
It hardly even connects to the original story until late, mostly just gratuitous violence and sexual assault.

[Terrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, this series has definitely gone down the drain a bit quickly. I think what I liked about the initial premise was the focus on family life to go with the body horror element of becoming something you're not.

I feel like we're getting these side stories now with characters we're supposed to empathize with, but it doesn't really work since you don't get the sense these are main cast members. The male fiance character is bland for bland's sake. His bride to be is a damsel, albeit I did enjoy when she got out of that hairy situation previously.

This ends on a cliffhanger, which is always a bit annoying. I just feel like the "plot" that is there moves too quickly, and there's not enough substance. I'll probably look into later volumes, but right now I just don't really care about these characters and this story. I hope the next volume brings our hero home for some family drama. He's got 4 separate family members, and these family members have acquaintances of their own, so surely they could explore something there.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like volume 3 didn't really include any of the interesting personal complexity of the characters, though I did appreciate the relationship between the kidnapped girl and her boyfriend/husband (though I can't help wondering if this was supposed to be fan service, since the girl was pretty and the guy was a low-level, unattractive but nice guy salary man). I'm sure that this volume would be well-received by those reading the series who are more interested in the action aspect, and who are more a fan of Hiroya Oku's more "realistic" (ugly people with the strength being robots) art style than I am.

[Variaciones Enrojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña de sorco2003 para el foro Psicomics:
http://psicomicsyanimacion.foroargent...

Inuyashiki, tomos 2 y 3, Ivrea; esto es genial, pero genial de verdad, esto era seinen y no lo sabia. A donde lleva la historia, es ingenioso, dan ganas de ver el proximo paso. El dibujo, como ya dije con el tomo uno, tiene muuuuchaaaa foto apenas retocada, no desentona con el aspecto gral, pero de alguna forma corta el ritmo de lectura.

[Adam Spanos · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an intense read, the art is stupendous and emotional but it doesn't really further Inuyashiki's character at all. It also doesn't appear that there is any plot advancement either leaving me to wonder if the sexual nature and violence of this volume are only gratuitous. This influences my 3-star rating of the volume, and I'll wait for the next one to see where the plot and characters go from here.

[Derek Royal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume read more like a sideline, or a tangent, than anything. The engagement with the yakuza made sense, condensed as it was in this single volume? Also, this is much more violently and sexually explicit than the earlier books. I'm okay with this...just an observation.

[Jesus Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un villano distinto , en este caso un Yakuza super alto, que decide intentar secuestrar a una chica, y el viejito-robot después lo enfrenta dos veces. Digamos que aun esta como en definición de los personajes.

[Don Witzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third volume doesn't progress the story much. Full of action , and amazing artwork. This series still has my interest and looking forward to next volume ...

[Juan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Después del elemento sorpresa explorado en los dos primeros tomos, este tercer tomó es una historia de superhéroes muy normalita.

[L A L A · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok a whole bunch of crazy went down in this volume. Finally getting to the character development that is coming from Inuyashiki Ichiro (the old man).

[insert-a-snoopy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art style, especially the freeze frame sort of action shots, reminds me of panels from I Am a Hero by Kengo Hanazawa. I really don’t mind it.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series.

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.

***

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[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was definitely better than the previous volume, but the young guy wasn't even mentioned at all and neither was Inuyashiki's family. plus he discovered he could "heal" people and animals and it shows him outside a hospital saying "i can heal everyone" but then never shows it again? and the girl's boyfriend dies and there's like a whole chapter on how he tries to revive him and fails and he's torn up about it and the chapter ends.... but then the start of the next chapter he's alive and talking? what? also, if he really wanted to save people and he could heal them, went wouldn't he be doing that? why would he be trying to kill yakuzas instead? even if he only did it sometimes they should have shown it. it doesn't show it at all. he just says "oh I can heal others" and he's crying from happiness but then never shows him doing it again. if he doesn't in the future in the next few volumes I'm going to be annoyed.

[Lila Cyclist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kurang suka dengan volume ini. Ceritanya agak random dengan adanya pasangan yang harusnya bahagia, tiba-tiba kebahagiaan mereka direnggut oleh geng Yakuza yang menguasai Jepang. Belum lagi adegan di onsen laki-laki yang bikin jijay... Ugh...

Well, mungkin cerita melenceng ini pengen diarahkan bagaimana Ichirou, pria tua yang tiba-tiba punya kekuatan harus beradaptasi dengan kemampuan supernya. Lucunya, saya kok kepikiran kenapa Ichirou ngga make topeng ya, macam Spider-Man gitu, biar ngga gampang dikenal orang? Berbeda dengan Hiro yang keranjingan membunuh, tanpa topeng, ia ngga bakal dikenal. Wong yang didatangi ia mati semua :/

Membaca manga ini bikin ngga bisa berhenti karena selain ceritanya seru, gambarnya cantik banget dan chapternya dikit dikit. Jadi tau tau sudah ganti chapter dan volume.

Lanjootttt...