Dororo First Impressions

“I always feared that some day I would begin to doubt Buddha. I’m glad to die before that day comes.”

Osamu Tezuka is one of the most storied names in anime. As the mind behind Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Black Jack, Phoenix, and many more, he served to shape the manga and anime industries like few have. The breadth of his library of works is such that it isn’t uncommon to see new takes on his classic characters, but Dororo is an interesting example of a dark work by Tezuka which was never completed. This leads to the question of whether this new series, a co-production of Tezuka Productions and Studio MAPPA, will be capable of constructing a satisfactory ending to the series and do the legendary creator justice. The answer to that question won’t be found in the first episode alone, but it proves to be a particularly enjoyable start to what will hopefully be a notably stylish and extremely good anime.

Much of the first episode is devoted to exploring the backstory of one of Dororo’s main characters, Hyakkimaru. In this version of the story, during the Sengoku era Hyakkimaru’s father made a pact with 12 demons to bring him prosperity. In exchange the demons took the eyes, ears, nose, limbs and skin from his first born. This is largely in keeping with the original, though the total number of demons has been quartered, presumably to accommodate the shorter modern anime format. Upon seeing the newborn child, the father was overjoyed at the confirmation that the demons had made a deal with him. He then ordered the midwife to dispose of the still living child. Despite his condition and abandonment the child survived and the narrative picks up 16 years later as the cursed child Hyakkimaru wanders the countryside killing demons via some truly awesome prosthetics and reclaiming what was taken from him at birth. Our other main character is the titular Dororo, a young thief who is saved from a demon by Hyakkimaru’s intervention. I’m really interested in seeing how the show will progress. Not only does Hyakkimaru need to kill the demons in order to reclaim what was taken from him at birth, but since his father, Daigo, tied his fortunes to those demons it is unlikely that he’ll sit by as they’re eliminated.

The production for this series is crisp and stylish while still harking back to its classic roots. Studio MAPPA hasn’t exactly been a slouch when it comes to visual quality these past few years, but I think this is definitely a high watermark for them. The show has a distinctive style that could perhaps best be described as Rurouni Kenshin meets… maybe Samurai Champloo? This isn’t a great juxtaposition since both of those series take place in the Meiji era, and neither one quite matches the tone of Dororo, but the structure of the faces in Samurai Champloo is a good point of comparison for the character models seen here. It’s harder to put my finger on why I felt the need to cite Rurouni Kenshin, but it may just come down to Kazuhiro Furuhashi’s directing. I love the animation for the opening, but I don’t know how I feel about the song “Kaen” by Queen Bee. It’s an odd match for a dark fantasy historical drama and the English lines feel out of place. It might grow on me. There are parts of it that work well, but then the singer shouts out, “I’m so serious!” Still, any issues with this production feel nitpicks. Even if I hadn’t already struggled my way through the first episodes of W’z and The Rising of the Shield Hero, I feel Dororo would stand out as a bright spot in any anime season. I can’t wait to see how this one develops.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• The inner workings of Daigo’s family intrigue me. Hyakkimaru’s mother was opposed to his decision to kill their child, and it’s clear that even years later she still thinks back to the son she never got to name. They have a second born who seems like a nice enough child, but he’s an unknown factor at this point.
• Daigo received a distinctive x-shaped scar on his forehead when he made his deal with the demons as a bolt of lightning struck him there. What I’m saying is he’s clearly the love child of Harry Potter, Scar, Himura Kenshin and Gendo Ikari… One guess who he gets the parenting skills from.
• Does each of the 12 demons correspond to something taken from Hyakkimaru? With his limbs, facial features and skin I count a total of 10 things taken from him. I wonder if I’m forgetting something.