Fantasizing about instantly acquiring superpowers is something you do as a kid — or when you're late for an appointment and imagine flying to it like Superman. But what if your power-up comes when you're creaky in the joints and counting the days to retirement?
That's the premise of "Inuyashiki," Shinsuke Sato's turbo-charged, over-hyped screen adaptation of Hiroya Oku's hit comic. A mysterious white light transforms middle-aged salaryman Ichiro Inuyashiki (Noritake Kinashi) into a cyborg with incredible powers, including the ability to swing through the urban landscape like SpiderMan, high above his fellow corporate drones.
The same thing happens at the same time and place to Hiro Shishigami (Takeru Satoh), a cold-eyed teenager who looks like he has just escaped a fashion shoot. Deciding he is no longer human, and thus no longer subject to human laws and morality, Shishigami devolves into a killer who terrorizes the nation. Meanwhile, meek and mild Inuyashiki slowly morphs from wishy-washy peacemaker to reluctant hero, saving people from Shishigami's wrath. Inevitably, the two cyborgs clash.