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「獅子神皓」 (Shishigami Hiro)
“Hiro Shishigami”
So how about that new One Piece? Inuyashiki certainly set itself apart last week with that tearjerker of an introduction, but for round two? Well shock and awe only gets one part way in describing what the hell just happened. Blood, suffering, and a distinctive love for manga; Inuyashiki definitely knows how to make evil look evil.
While an antagonist was always necessary for Inuyashiki to get off the ground (hero shenanigans without one quickly grow boring), Hiro (Murakami Nijirou) definitely takes his role to its extreme. He’s senselessly slaughters without a care in the world, only has a thing (apparently) for manga, and makes no qualms about even trying to hide the evidence. It’s textbook sociopathy (not psychopathy, if that friendship is actually real) and a common antagonist archetype, but it serves a vital purpose here. Hiro through his actions provides the nihilistic foil to Ichiro, a boy who seeks that feeling of living by taking the lives of others rather than preserving them. Whether or not the means of indicating this were excessive (the bath/drowning scene in particular disturbed the hell out of me), there should be no doubt for anyone what this kid is: a remorseless killer who must be put down. Light Yamagi this is not.
What I particularly enjoy about Hiro’s setup though is what it represents beyond the foil. Typically stories often make older characters the villains while the youngsters fight in the name of good, a way of representing progress and personal growth. Inuyashiki, however, upends this script, having the geriatric Ichiro walk the path of redemption while the young Hiro indulges in selfish depravity. This for me is a very intriguing twist because of its altered focus, emphasizing the importance of life experience and the value of upbringing on the development of character in place of coming of age and self-discovery. Need look no further for an example than both Ichiro’s and Hiro’s use of their new bodies; one sees it as a way to help others in need, the other only as a tool for personal enjoyment. Both characters seek their own place in the world, both have their means of going about it, but both cannot coexist with the other—their incompatible mindsets guarantee it. While we likely have a bit of time yet before Inuyashiki reaches the true meat of its story, the central premise should be pretty clear now. For Ichiro or Hiro to live (spiritually as well as physically), the other must disappear. Permanently.
Having provided two strong and radically different episodes with only the possibility of more, consider Inuyashiki picked up for coverage. This show has tickled my fancy in all the right ways and hit my emotions in spots I did not think possible. While there’s always the risk Inuyashiki could crash and burn later on, I have my hopes up hard the best lies ahead. After all, the eagle eyed might have noticed Ichiro’s daughter is part of Hiro’s class. Oh yeah, you can bet the bank we have not seen anything just yet.
Very tough for me to watch, it had me very anxious.
At each point I was thinking, somebody’s gotta stop
this nut and save those people. But no one did. I
thought for sure the girl would be saved. Intense.
And then the olde guy shows up.
What a clif-hanger! Can’t wait for the next episode.
You’re not the only one, I seriously thought he would spare the girl once he discovered her love of manga, but no, only death in this house. I’m not one to like a show just for the violence, but Hiro is such the perfect villain it’s hard not being overly interested in what happens next. Especially when his opponent is a geriatric father with nothing to lose.
Did you hide in your safe-space with your playdoh after watching this?
https://randomc.net/image/Inuyashiki/Inuyashiki%20-%2002%20-%2026.jpg
Accidentally killed by the person you love is maybe one of the worst way to die. I don’t remember the entire killing scene was this disturbing in the manga 🙁
https://randomc.net/image/Inuyashiki/Inuyashiki%20-%2002%20-%2013.jpg
Hiro reminds me a lot of Andrew from Chronicle movie. A teenager suddenly got an unimaginable power without any responsibility. This is the most possible thing that would happen.
https://randomc.net/image/Inuyashiki/Inuyashiki%20-%2002%20-%2028.jpg
There are 3 types of anime psychopaths in my opinion : the maniac, the yandere, and the apathy. The maniac is the one who kills in a over-the-top way or has iconic maniacal laughter, like Light Yagami. The yandere is the one who crazed in love, like Yuno Gasai. The apathy is the one who kills anyone calmly just like breathing air, like Yoshikage Kira. Hiro Shishigami falls on the apathy category. I mean does that face shows any empathy? And wow, Hiro’s voice actor really nails the realistic voice.
The power to discreetly kill and manipulate.
Let’s be real. We would all use it if we somehow got it. At least to satiate our curiosity. It’s the human way. Doesn’t matter how kind or old you are.
To know you behold so much power but choose not to use it, that’s the ultimate beauty.
https://randomc.net/image/Inuyashiki/Inuyashiki%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2033.jpg
https://randomc.net/image/Inuyashiki/Inuyashiki%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2029.jpg
I regret wishing the episode would get to the action already after the first few minutes were kinda boring. Hindsight is 20-20 for sure. During the car part I was like, “dude you do know those cars have people in them right?” and then when he randomly decides on a house i realized who this kid was. Man, after his first kill I thought it would be over but nope the monster just kept on killing. I was seriously eyeing the fast forward button. I can handle the typical killing and gore in an anime/movie but the way he messed around and tried to make conversion with the people as he killed them was unsettling to say the least. Does he see them as toys or tools to meet a personal need? I wounder what happened to the kid to make him soo disconnected to his humanity? So far it seems he can process emotions with manga characters but can’t seem to do the same with real people who actually react to what he is doing to them….!!?? Does he feel dead inside/ no empathy?… urg he seems to enjoy it too. He might not be a psychopath by definition but he sure has some kind of psychopathy. No normal person would test out their “powers” on people with the intent to kill. The explanation for his actions will heavily effect the grade of the anime for sure. Seeing the old man not rush on over or “super” run made me mad but i guess he just doesn’t know he can do that yet, sadly. I really hope the old man gets his act together fast and puts down the kid before he can torture and kill more people otherwise this anime will be hard to watch with more scenes like that. Talk about the worst possible guy to “give powers” to geez!
Lol. Bro. Why are you so unsettled?
This has been examined in anime multiple times. Remember Lelouch? Remember Yagami Raito?
I’m pretty sure this is as psychopathic as someone gets. There’s no empathy here at all.
I would say that he killed those people as a source of sensation, he does not really feel much of anything under normal circumstances so he needs an extreme situation to feel anything, to feel “alive”. The old dude has the same issue to some extent, but he solved it via the strong positive sensation of saving another person’s life. It’s actually a fairly common thing with serial killers, they crave strong stimulus because they feel so little normally, the feeling of power over another person’s life is the sort of sensation that makes them feel alive. The whole thing about liking manga also makes sense from this perspective, emotions and situations in fiction tend to be exaggerated for dramatic effect, to evoke strong emotion in the audience, which is exactly what he seems to be seeking.
LOL, you sound like a weak, limp-wristed person.
The VAs for Shishigami and Inuyashiki are live action actors by trade.
Inuyashiki:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumiyo_Kohinata
Shishigami:
http://asianwiki.com/Nijiro_Murakami
Apparently it’s their first time doing anime voiceovers.
Medically, sociopathy and psychopathy are the same thing.
They are not and Pancakes is also misinformed. It is simply a misuse of the terms due to conflation and lack of knowledge. Some psychologists consider it the same and label it under the umbrella ASPD, but there are also psychologists who disagree with such a notion and consider psychopathy a separate, distinct condition. However, research is still currently limited due to sample size and contemporary research ethics.
There are several key characteristics that can be difficult to properly notice at first. But having an imaginary friend is neither a feature of psychopathy nor sociopathy. For our purposes in accordance with this story, the key trait to know in regards to psychopathy is disregard for another individual’s sense of self or personhood.
Right now at least current research has both psychopathy and sociopathy considered similar conditions largely separated by their “severity”. Both have no care for the feelings or personhood of another for example, but it is thought sociopaths may be able to forge meaningful and genuine ties with certain people, specifically close friends and family. It’s why I specifically mention Hiro’s friendship, if it’s genuine he cannot be a psychopath, it goes against the very definition.
Such pedantry though should not distract from Hiro’s overall condition. The kid is very much wrong and needs to be put down before he wreaks further chaos. Whether a psychopath or a sociopath, he’s a significant danger.
Yeah, I wanted to reply back but my neurons were too totaled from sleep deprivation so here’s the response lol. Not to mention my eyes were tearing up from the dryness… Not a pleasant experience I must tell ya ( ; _ ; )
Anyways, I have not come across any research or records that suggest a propensity for sociopaths to form distorted but intense emotional links with other persons but there was this one video on Youtube that’s since been unfortunately obscured by the algorithm which proposes this particular observation. But since there’s little out there to suggest anything of the sort, I’ll leave it as is
Other than that well, you know me man. I see a potential psycho, then it’s time for some ‘public execution’~~~ Ohohoho, scary me. But seriously, do you genuinely wanna meet one? Trust me, you DON’T.
I have to say, I really didn’t think much of anything on this series when I saw it listed in the preview beyond, hey that might be interesting, but this is quite possibly one of the better anime to come around in the last number of years, even with all the cringe inducing horrifying killing…or maybe because of it, at least in part.
I’m not sure it’s one of the best, but it definitely has surprised me tremendously. A geriatric main character followed up by probably the most offsetting bit of violence featured in anime of late? Saying I’m intrigued is an understatement. My only concern is the show losing its touch later on, but if it can stay as eye popping as it’s done right now, it’s easily in the running for AOTS IMO.
As a manga reader, it definitely gets better, so you dont have to worry about a trainwreck happening unless the anime staff somehow butchers up a pre-made premise/story.
I just hope the anime will actually finish the entire story, since the manga isnt that long to begin with, only like 60-70 chapter ish.
Thanks for telling! I always worry about these types of stories falling apart eventually and my cynical ways never help lol.
As for finishing the entire manga I believe that is the intention considering its length. The show is only running for 11 episodes so the writers must intend on reaching the end.
The art style reminds me of Btooom. But this definitely does keep my interest. Looking forward to next week. 😀
I can imagine that they went for live action actors to give it a sense of authenticity, but I’m still not a fan of it, especially when you have all the other roles picked up by seasoned anime seiyuu. The difference is always so obvious that it just sounds too weird to me.
As for the anime, I can’t believe how brutal this episode was, but can’t say I’m not intrigued. Love the OP. MAN WITH A MISSION did it again.
That’s the hypothesis regarding the voice actors right now at least. For Hiro though it works like a charm, his utter lack of emotion at times fits his mental state perfectly and adds a real sense of terror to his actions. Just have to wait and see how well it works when Hiro and Ichiro finally come to blows.
oh… some gantz fan posters on the wall.. i knew it
Wait!? I was thinking that the Old men is the only one with this Body. Now we get an Army of them?… it kinda implode here… Will the Old men now go there an “correct” the “fix” the other ones?
I think its just those two. Wasent the the kid the same one that showed up when aliens warped on the old man?
WTF!!.. This didn’t go anywhere near what I was expecting.
DAMIT!! now that i know theres a MANGA, and it completes too?!
Theres no way im gonna be able to resist SPOILING this.
This is it, I think I found my anime for Fall 2017!
I really like how they contrast episode 1 and 2 like opposite ends of the world.
And I kinda really like how the animation, art and feel resembles Gantz. I guess in fact its the flow of the story or rather actions of the characters really reminds me so much of Gantz. Well of course they were made by the same creator
Perhaps in this Boys mind the World of the manga (i bet it is Gantz) is real for him.. And you know what Gantz is about? fighting against Aliens.. the others you shoot there, are always the Bad Aliens.. So in his mindset all other Humans are jus Aliens in disguise and need to be killed to end the game
That’s actually quite profound.
Those who are autistic / mentally ill must feel that there could never be an adequate understanding with other humans. Because to them, the other people are like a different species. The whole structure of the brain and the amount of, as well as the types of, information that can be taken in, are different.
Alright, time to watch the episode. I’ve been really ditching my anime lately and it shows… Must be the ‘creative’ frustration that’s building up pressure until my inner ‘supervolcano’ explodes, oh well… 😀
I was already interested in this anime, but after this episode, my hype levels have maxed out.
So I made a mistake, thinking that Hiro’s friend is some imaginary one but after watching the episode, I understand it now.
After observing who Hiro is and the behaviors and paradigms he displays, I’m beginning to form a concept that might better explain this phenomenon. Yes, there’s more info to go by even though it’s just hypothetical at present. I wonder if I should focus on this as my undergrad thesis hhhhmmmm…. Decisions, decisions…
https://randomc.net/image/Inuyashiki/Inuyashiki%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
Hiro? What happened to your time powers? And what happened to being a hero.
Wow… I don’t think the name ‘sociopath’ does enough for Hiro.. That one boy is some crazy, twisted maniac.. And to think he would cross paths with the grandpa so soon. This show is so good!!!!