Watched it for the first time in 2018 and it slapped, watched it again two more times since then (finished the third time a couple weeks ago) and it still slaps.
Inuyashiki is about an old man and a teenager who get accidentally killed by aliens and are then rebuilt as killing machines. Ichiro Inuyashiki (the old man) gets pretty much ignored by his family, he finds out he has cancer and only has a few months to live, but all attempts to tell his family fails. He starts becoming really sad because of it, asking himself if they would even cry when he died, and he then goes to cry in a random park with his newly found dog Hanako. In the same park, there's a teenager standing beside him, Ichiro notices him right before they get both killed by the interplanetary car crash the aliens caused. And it's basically how the show starts.
This small review will contain spoilers, so don't read further
I loved the actual story and plot of the anime, it's really simple yet emotional and engaging. Seeing Ichiro "finding" his humanity by saving people is just heartwarming, whilst seeing Hiro (the teenager) killing people to find his is engaging. The contrast between the two characters is really neat and interesting, some episodes you will see Ichiro save people, and others you'll see Hiro kill some. I liked how several times Hiro tried to stop doing bad deeds but the world simply didn't let him. He would've became a good guy if the cops didn't find him when he started saving people to make up for all the people he had killed.
The characters are just good in this show, the side ones are nothing special, but Hiro, and most significantly Ichiro, are just really great. Seeing Ichiro just save people again and again, and then them tearing up is just so emotional and wholesome to watch. I'm not someone who easily gets emotional because of movies and shows, but seeing the last two episodes almost made me tear up, my eyes were really watery. When Ichiro tried to revive Marie, that was probably the most emotional moment of the anime, or maybe it's tied to the last one. But the acting during that scene was just incredible, it was so freaking sad and you actually felt everything (I did, at least).
Hiro Shishigami was quite the good character as well. He's simply a sociopath who happened to get (almost) godly powers. Most of his murders were unjustified and quite atrocious, but a lot were really satisfying to watch. Like when he killed those bullies and 4channers, or even when he killed all those civilians in the city and the police department. Even if those murders were objectively bad, I personally just found myself enjoying them. Anyway, the saddest parts about his character is when his mother kills herself, when he starts becoming good, and when he sacrifices himself for the few people he loves (Ando, Shion and her grandmother). I think the way they made Hiro killing a bunch of cops enjoyable for the viewer is by making the cops attack him, whilst also killing Shion and her grandma RIGHT AFTER he started becoming a good person by saving as many people, and more, than he killed. That way, the audience asks itself if Hiro really is a bad guy or not. In my opinion, he was, but became good when he started saving those people. I think the cops were wrong in this particular scenario, if they had let Hiro get away with his murders, he would've kept saving people.
Since Ichiro is the protagonist and Hiro the antagonist, of course you're gonna expect them to fight at some point, even more so when their philosophies are literally opposites, however, when they do fight, it's quite underwhelming, but I don't think it's a bad thing. Inuyashiki is more about two persons trying to find and keep their humanity after basically losing it and becoming killing machines, it's not about which character is the strongest.
The soundtracks of the anime is good, not Bleach level of course, but it's not bad by any means. The opening by MAN WITH A MISSION and the ending by Qaijiff are great and fit the anime quite well. Unlike most animes, they don't play the soundtracks often. Hiro will be killing a family and it'll just be silence, no music whatsoever.
Also, something I really liked is how the characters speak more realistically than in most animes. In most animes nowadays, characters will always have over-exaggerated reactions, but in Inuyashiki, whilst still being a bit unrealistic, are more believable.
The only true bad thing about this anime in my opinion is the CGI/3d used for animation during fight scenes and transformation scenes and whatnot. The CGI isn't that great and at some points it ruined a bit of the enjoyability.
The ending of the anime itself is also good, which is not quite common. It's sad, but understandable, and isn't a cop-out.
Anyway, Inuyashiki is definitely an anime worth watching. Only 11 episodes and a good story, it won't waste your time. Overall a great anime that 2017 wasn't ready for, deserves more recognition.
Sometimes I wish the anime continued but then I ask myself how could it with that ending? Still tho, I don't like when shows I enjoyed are over lol.
