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Watching 'Dororo'

My thoughts on the MAPPA remake of the Tezuka Osamu classic.

By BoblobV2Published 5 years ago 5 min read
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Dororo is an adaptation of the classic manga that was written and illustrated by the legendary mangaka Tezuka Osamu (Astro Boy). The show is a co-production between studio MAPPA (Terror in Resonance), and Tezuka Productions (Young Black Jack). Furuhashi Kazuhiro (Hunter x Hunter) took on directing duties, while Ike Yoshihiro (Days, Ergo Proxy) created the music for the show. Dororo started airing in the winter season of 2019, and ran for 24 episodes.

Summary

The story takes place in feudal Japan, where war is a constant occurance between the various factions, and demons run amok killing what humans remained after the battles. A warlord named Daigo sacrifices his first born to-be, to the twelve demons at the temple of demons, in exchange for peace in his land. When the baby, Hyakkimaru is born, he is born without a majority of his limbs, and is essentially a husk of a human, barely alive. He is taken from his mother, and is left to die. Against the odds he manages to survive and grows up with a single purpose, to kill the demons that took his limbs, and get his body back. Along his journey he meets Dororo and a collection of various other characters.

Narrative

The structure of the show is primarily episodic in nature for the most part, with an episode or two being dedicated to a single story in the adventures of Dororo and Hyakkimaru. Despite the episodic nature of the show, rarely does it not have a few threads pertaining to the overarching story. Beyond that there is the occasional episode that focuses solely on the central story of Hyakkimaru and his desire to reclaim his limbs. As this show is set in feudal Japan, a bleak era with constant conflict, the world that Dororo depicts is one that is filled with strife, horror, and despair, and that is before the threat of demons are brought into the picture. This is a world where good people are forced to do terrible things just to survive. It does not hold back at all in depicting the very worst that humanity has to offer in times of war, and as a result of that, there are some episodes that I found genuinely hard to get through, because of the visceral nature of the presentation of when people are at their worst. The show also has the very interesting mechanic where unlike most other shows, when a character gets stronger and stronger over time, this show has its protagonist become more and more vulnerable to physical harm and illness as a result of getting his body back, which increases the risk that much more.

Characters

The characters are all well defined, even those who are only there for a single episode. Their character traits and motivations are made clear for the viewer, and their stories resonate by the time the duo move on in their journey. When the show decides to reveal the backstory to both Hyakkimaru and Dororo, we instantly understand why they are the way they are, and why they stick together through thick and thin. In their journey together, it is not just the side characters that change, the two change significantly by the time the final episode runs its course, and it is a selection of changes that has many highs and lows along the way to build them into the characters that they end up becoming. The high quality of character writing is not solely reserved for the protagonists and the side characters, but also the antagonists of the show where even their motives and actions are justifiable. By the end of the show you are left with the question of, is all this pain worth it for one person? The show does a fantastic job in answering this question and you are left satisfied.

Visuals

The visuals of the show are stunning. The background looks to be predominantly made up of a water colour style with a muted colour scheme that really emphasizes the tone of the show. The character designs has the overall model of the original characters created by the great Tezuka Osamu, however they are updated and changed where appropriate, in order for them to to both be integrated into the bleak nature of the show, and resembling the style that is prevalent in modern anime. This, I feel, is a good move on the part of the animation team, as maintaining the traditional style of Tezuka Osamu would have created a sense of dissonance between what the show is telling you, and what the animation is telling you. The animation does not hold back when it comes to displaying the atrocities that are taking place in the land by showing all the gruesome details. Lastly the fluidity of the animation is fantastic as the battles and the fights that occur are exciting to watch, and mixed in with the strength of the narrative, makes some of the fights both exciting and intense.

Music

The music is fantastic in the show, using a lot of traditional styles that are commonly associated with Japanese music, used to make the scenes pop all the more. Making the intense moments exciting, the tender moments that much more wholesome, and the scenes of horror that much more haunting. Beyond that, the music and animation for the openings and endings of the show are all sublime, perfectly capturing the tone of the show, and preparing us for what's to come while also easing us out from the show. What is also a nice touch is that in the first opening to the show they had the character of Dororo drawn in the original style of Tezuka Osamu as an homage.

Something Different

The only time this was not the case for me is the curious episode where everything that was said is the opposite to what the characters meant to say. Here the tone of the show completely shifts, the colour palate is brighter, and everything takes on a humorous feel. Even the animation and character design is looser in order to emphasize this change. Then again that could have been the point as the premise is that everything is opposite? It was an odd episode.

In Closing

If my glowing praise is not an indication enough, this is a show that I highly recommend. It is twenty four episodes long in total, and has a definitive ending to the narrative, which is a rarity when it comes to anime. Dororo is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

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About the Creator

BoblobV2

Writing about anime, and anything else I find interesting.

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