「犬屋敷麻理」 (Inuyashiki Mari)
“Mari Inuyashiki”

Well I’d say it’s safe to say the excrement has firmly hit the rotary device. Inuyashiki certainly wasn’t holding back with its cliffhanger last episode, but I’m not sure I was expecting the results this week. Mass murder sure, but a unilateral declaration of war accompanied by some left field development for one terrible daughter? I might never cease to be surprised by Inuyashiki, but some things are definitely more surprising than the rest.

While Hiro’s shift into Terminator mode is arguably the least shocking aspect this week, it’s still intriguing how it played out. I honestly was expecting Shion and/or her grandmother to die, and by hell they very nearly did, if not for the wondrous power of mechanical godhood. There’s definitely some cheesiness throughout the scene (notably the SWAT-esque boys shredding grandma without a second thought), but it’s arguably realistic in the sense you can never predict how a forced entry will go. Everything comes down to a few seconds, and with adrenaline pumping and no certainty as to the physical or mental state of the suspects, any move (ex. Shion’s scream) could quickly be taken as an act of aggression. Plus the whole scenario led to an even greater display of wholesale slaughter so cannot complain too much about the details. If anything I’m left more confused about why Japan’s police force would let Shion and grandma go when they know their faces and have a bank account to track. Probably just have to chalk it up to them worrying more about an invincible cop killer I guess. Maybe a conspicuous lack of manpower too, always a possibility.

The more fascinating part this episode, however, had to be the focus on Mari. Once again I was fully expecting Hiro to be the one who would bring her into this story, but lo and behold Ichiro actually revealing all, albeit coincidentally. This development, much like Hiro’s before, shows Inuyashiki is not so much a story about two duelling cyborgs with clear cut mental differences, but how simple changes in circumstance, big or small, are often all it takes to find a meaning in life. As the bodies (and subsequent experiences) of Hiro and Ichiro have given both a new outlook on life and a reason to press on, Ichiro’s support for Mari’s dream (and potentially his acts of kindness) give her the encouragement needed to persevere in her desire. Whether down to Mari simply not seeing what was before her eyes (teenagers have a terrible habit of that) or Ichiro not being home enough to stay in tune with her, both have been metaphorically talking past one another up until this point. Of course Mari has yet to reveal what she knows to her father, but with Ichiro’s secret now out in the open, I imagine it will not take long before Ichiro finds common ground with the family who have all but left him to die. After all considering the path Hiro is now walking, it won’t be long before robot grandpa starts gracing the Inuyashiki television screen alongside the bang bang boy. The future of the Japanese police force depends on it.

With only three episodes remaining and Hiro now essentially at war with the Japanese state, I dare say we are in for some amazing fireworks as Inuyashiki gears up for its grand finale. What that is I have no bloody idea, but with talk of an asteroid and the likelihood of the military getting involved, you can be sure it will not disappoint. For better or worse, Inuyashiki has come too far to give up just before the finish line.

25 Comments

  1. I’m somewhat concerned what will happen to crime with all the police being dead. Then again, Japan’s crime rate is already among the lowest in the world, if not the lowest. And with all the Yakuza being out of commission, it probably won’t be too bad.

    Dickson Cider
    1. There would probably be bigger problems than crime with the police all dead I’d think. Chief among them the military-enforced martial law sure to result as every organ of the state tries chasing down and neutralizing Hiro.

    1. I try to explain:

      While holding their hand, he could inject some nanomachines that “repair” the wounds of them, since their Brain are intact and did not “die”, it could be possible

      Since this is not use of Time and Space Magic… *gough*

      Worldwidedepp
  2. I honestly thought Hiro was behind the meteor, flying into space to push it towards Japan in revenge for Shion and Grandma, but alas it is simply a coincidental asteroid, maybe something for the robo-duo to come together to fight in the finale?

    I can MAYBE buy into the police’s “panic and slaughter” an unarmed HS girl and her grandma because they’re dealing with a dangerous Serial Killer, but I kinda feel like the Japanese Police Force would (or should) have more self-restraint than that, that whole scene felt more like American SWAT and police than the Japanese equivalent. Maybe that’s just my bias based on the few interactions I’ve had with Japanese police.

    Froboi
    1. Restraint should have definitely been shown, but I could understand their overreaction if they did not know how Shion and grandma would react. For all we know they believed both would try and defend Hiro and had orders to shoot first at any sign of resistance in order to minimize casualties. It’s not often Japan has to deal with such blatant mass murder after all.

  3. As its if Terminator say “I’l be back!” from Part 1.. You surly know the scene where he walks into an Police Station and shoot around, with no care of the World, right?

    But he shoot only the ones that stand in his way. Here he even kill the ones that had nothing do to with it

    Army would be next? If the Police can not handle him, even their SWAT Team is dead.. Will the Army take over?

    Worldwidedepp
    1. Also:

      The Asteroid

      I bet there are some future plans to use him like an gigantic Gauss Weapon, like in Heavy Object Ep 11-12. Just an reminder, alone the Air Pressure Shockwave of this Rock can destroy many buildings.. Look at Russia in the near past, when an Meteoroid hit the ground and break many Windows..

      Define Asteroid or Meteoroid.. i think its about the Mass.. Speed + Mass = A-Bomb behavior..

      I know, its Anime. But try to give it a bit Real Life Anchor Physics

      Worldwidedepp
    2. JSDF will most likely step in, but that will just escalate it and not in their favor, conscious Hiro needs to “bang” them all, but unconscious his autonomous mode takes over and kills everything, so when a RPG knocks him out it’s all over for the army

      John
      1. I am curious, then all Human exploit tricks do not work on him.

        He do not need Air to breath?
        His skin is bullet proof? (Cyberpunk 2077 would be proud)
        His skin is even heat/cold and other element proof?

        I bet he even can replica the gravity well from this Apperigo Ships. So trow him into a big Holy with help of Gravity would not work

        i wonder if normal Humans are capable to stop him.. But seems like now that he begin to show worn out symptoms like the Grandpa

        Worldwidedepp
      2. Also, trowing this Asteroid on him would be like in Heavy Object Ep 11-12 this Gauss Weapon… Alone the Air Pressure Shockwave would crash many buildings and break even more windows.. Just look back to this meteoroid impact lately in Russia

        Worldwidedepp
      3. Pretty sure nothing works on him but the aliens themselves, from episode one when they were reassembled it looked like they were recreated based on their original form using some sort of liquid tubing, he’s basically like t1000 but more techy. His only weakness so far is not drinking enough water. Drink plenty of fluids kids.

        John
      4. It’s still not clear just what Hiro’s (and Ichiro’s) limit is. The JGSDF obviously has no chance, but Hiro doesn’t appear to have the ability to wipe out anything more than a squad or two at a time before shutting down. They could theoretically win through attrition, especially if Hiro’s unconsciousness was due to say overheating.

        If he and Ichiro are powered by fusion reactors as some have hypothesized for example, all it would take for the military to win would be to stop Hiro from drinking water for a while. No fusion fuel, no bangs.

      5. Yeah, but i dunno if “starving” will help here. How long he can run without refueling if he do normal things, so he can hide in the mass of Humans.. Infrared, X-radiation or like in Terminator Dogs? How he can be found out in this mass of Humans?

        Worldwidedepp
      6. Total Recall with Schwarzenegger, when he where found out in disguise.. this kind of thing are inside my mind…

        The JDSF have only the Helicopters with their Infrared and modify cameras..

        Worldwidedepp
  4. The asteroid is an unexpected twist in this story line.

    Will Hiro be convinced by Ichiro or Shion to sacrifice himself and save the planet
    as a final act of redemption? Honestly, I can’t see Ichiro defeating Hiro in any
    meaningful way and the way the series has been (expectantly very well done as
    with the reveal to Ichiro’s daughter), and it seems like something really big (e.g. an
    asteroid) is the only thing that can take out Hiro. Let’s face it, they’re saying the
    asteroid is larger than the one 65 million years ago, so if neither Ichiro nor Hiro
    act against it, what will be left?

    I think at some level, Hiro really does/did want to repent; if he didn’t have a trace
    of sincerity, he wouldn’t have done anything at Shion’s request.

    Can’t wait to see how it plays out…

    mac65
    1. I think the key for Hiro is that he does care, but it’s only for a very small subset of people. Before this group was confined to his immediate family and Naoyuki, but after they were stripped away, Shion wound up filling the void. Hiro is doing things for her because she means something to him, not because of a desire to repent. If Shion asked Hiro to kill more for example, I bet he’d manage that no problem.

      As for the asteroid I’m guessing that’s how this story will end as well. If neither Ichiro nor Hiro can kill each other, have something even stronger eliminate them and force them to selflessly act by having that thing destroy everyone else.

  5. I feel like Ichiro should be a bit more careful on when he uses his power because if someone like his daughter do decide to follow him around, they’ll know his secret.
    And I’m curious to how the country would react if there WAS someone like Hiro out there. Would the police force give up because they cannot defeat it? I’m trying to imagine how it would’ve been like in real life.

    lunascha

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