Dororo – Anime Review

Hey, guys welcome back to Animeindia.in. So today I am going to review Dororo Anime for the audience who loves dark, fantasy anime.

About Assassination Dororo

The 2019 Dororo anime series is based on the manga of the same name by Osamu Tezuka. The adaptation departs from the original material in various ways, but follows the basic premise of the manga; A young ronin named Hyakkimaru along with a young hedgehog, Dororo must face multiple demons in Sengoku-era Japan who have stolen various parts of his body to retrieve them.

The 24-episode series aired from January 7 to June 24, 2019 on Tokyo MX, BS11, and the Jidaieki Senmon Channel, and airs exclusively worldwide on Prime Video. Kazuhiro Furuhashi is directing the series, with Yasuko Kobayashi handling the series composition, Satoshi Iwataki handling the character designs, and Yoshihiro Ike composing the music. Twin Engine produces the series. The opening theme “Kaen” (火炎) is performed by Queen Bee, while the ending theme “Sayonara Gokko” (さ よ な ら ご っ こ) is performed by Amazarashi. The second opening “Dororo” (ど ろ ろ) is performed by Asian Kung-Fu Generation and the second ending theme “Yamiyo” (闇夜) is performed by Eve.

The series reinterprets some stories that also appear in the 1969 television series, for example, The Story of Bandai, which was spread over two episodes of the first series but was completed in one episode of the 2019 series.

Plot Of Dororo

Daigo Kagemitsu, who works for a samurai general in the Warring States period of Japan, promises to offer parts of his unborn baby’s body to 12, demons in exchange for complete domination of the country. When the baby is born, Daigo throws it into a river, hoping it will die. A kind sage, however, finds it and adopts it. The wise man equips his poor son with prosthetics. Time passes and the baby turns into a boy who calls himself Hyakkimaru. Every time Hyakkimaru eliminates a demon, he recovers one of his body parts. Hyakkimaru rescues a boy thief named Dororo from a gang of men whom the young man tried to rob. Together they travel the countryside in search of the demons that possess Hyakkimaru’s parts. Throughout their travels, they are faced with a host of monsters and ghosts.

Overwhelming Aspects Of Dororo

The anime animation is one aspect where Dororo anime shines. The animation resembles the original manga artwork. I personally liked the suspense going forward in the story. Dororo genre is Dark Fantasy‎, ‎Historical‎, and ‎Supernatural‎. Which it certainly provides with its era of Samurai with old Japanese demon stories. The action scenes are consistent throughout the anime. Hyakkimaru using his prosthetic limbs to fight the demons provides satisfaction.

The second redeeming quality of Dororo is its music. The Music was made by Yoshihiro IKE who is well known for his work in Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary and ergo proxy. The soundtrack made the anime feel complete. The soundtrack in the background gives you the feel and depth of scenes. The opening song is also great for the series.

Underwhelming Aspects Of Dororo

The biggest flaw of the anime is the inconsistency of the 24 episodes. The fights scenes are rushed in the anime and other scenes are slow and some become hard to watch. In original manga had 48 demons while the anime had 12. The motivation of the demons is not very clear and it becomes confusing for the audiences. The character like Nuinokata (Hyakkimaru’s Mom) and Jukai (Prosthetic maker) are somewhat wasted.

Conclusion

If you guys want to see a dark fantasy anime with demons in the story then it is a good pick. But the slow pace of Dororo can make you leave in b/w. Overall it is a complete story that could have a better ending but still, it is a good anime to watch. I will recommend it if you are free and like Demon – Samurai stuff.

Where can I watch Dororo?

In India and worldwide, The Dororo Anime is available on Amazon Prime Video as mentioned above. Whole 24 episodes are there.

Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Have you seen the anime or read the manga? Who do you think was the best Demon among all 12?

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