Last Hero Inuyashi is a series that we follow assiduously (review volume 1), so, on the eve of the publication of the third volume of the series, I suggest you return to the second volume to better discover it!
Last Hero Inuyashiki
Author: Hiroya Oku French publisher: Ki-oon Japanese publisher: Kodansha Release date: 10/09/2015 Number of volumes: 2 in France, 5 in Japan, Status: current series Price: 7,90 € Synopsis
At 58, Ichiro Inuyashiki is far from being a role model for his children. Old before age, despised by all, he has lived all his life as a shabby office worker and has for any friend only his dog Hanako. As if that weren't enough, he is diagnosed with terminal cancer during a routine check-up… It is too much for the poor old man. As he cries in despair in a park in the middle of the night, a blinding light appears… And that's the impact! When he wakes up, lying in the grass, Inuyashiki is no longer the same. He has been transformed into a super-powered cyborg, free to do whatever he wants with his new powers, best or worst. And he's not the only one in this…
This review may contain spoilers, which should be read at your own risk.
In this second volume of Last Hero Inuyashiki, we witness a real opposition between the power and abilities of the two characters discovered previously: Ichiro Inuyashiki and Hiro Shishigami (teenager who was with Ichiro during the crash of the alien ship). This last character appears very little in the first volume but is developed a lot in the second. The two protagonists act in opposite of each other: Hiro violently attacks a family for no particular reason, which freezes the reader a lot. So we understand very quickly how the roles will be distributed: Hiro is portrayed as the bad, the evil. Very cruel and aggressive, we see the character insensitive to his own acts of cruelty. On the other hand, Ichiro is portrayed as a good person, who tries to act in order to prevent Hiro from continuing his misdeeds. This second volume of Last Hero Inuyashiki traces the struggle between a good embodied by Ichiro, and an evil portrayed by the violence and cruelty of the character of Hiro.
In this second volume, I find that the rhythm is present and that the author anchors us in his work: we go up a notch compared to the first volume, without forgetting the contrast between the actions of the two main protagonists. Which, if we do not think about it, can be compared to the current reflection of society. The only black spot I will mention would be summed up in one question… Ichiro and Hiro were given this power. And despite their surprise, we can see them using their ability without problem. I think one might have hoped for a more detailed description of the "instructions for use" of their capabilities.
A volume that is devoured very quickly, with features always as precise and pleasant to see. Focused more on the character of Hiro, we still end up wondering how far he could go in his morbid actions. In what direction will the third volume, scheduled for release on February 11, 2016, lead us?
Last Hero Inuyashiki is undeniably a work in which Ki-oon places a lot of hope. They show us once again with the major stand they will hold in Angoulême. A stand to discover that will be set up in the colors of Last Hero Inuyashiki and Unlucky Young Man !
