Whenever I decide which shows I want to try out at the start of a new anime season, I always read through Random Curiosity’s lovely preview guide.
Every season there’s always bound to be a show or two that are sequels to something I skipped or simply haven’t watched yet, and over the years I picked up tells for when a show in the list is one of those and automatically skip over it.
I thought Dororo was one of those and almost skipped it.
Thank Buddha I didn’t.
Turns out, the (2019) after Dororo’s name in the preview guide wasn’t meant to indicate a sequel, but a reboot as Dororo is actually one of Tezuka Osamu’s manga from the late 1960s. Yes, that Tezuka Osamu.
The episode starts with a lord whose lands have fallen victim to famine and sickness, killing the local Buddhist priest so he can strike a deal with demons to save his subjects and lands. The demons listen and as payment take the lord’s (literally just about to be be born) first son’s organs. All of them. Including the skin.
When the lord returns to his manor to check up on his wife, he is told that his son has been born, but that things have gone… wrong. While miraculously alive somehow, his son is nothing more than a collection of bones. Seeing this, the lord knows his wish has been granted and is jubilant. After all, his lands are now going to prosper and he can always have another son.
Knowing his firstborn won’t live long anyway, he orders the midwife to dispose of the child in the river. Said midwife takes pity on the babe however and puts him in a fishing boat that she then pushes downriver… only for her to be devoured by a youkai moments later.
We fast forward a number of years. We first are introduced to a traveling doctor who patches up corpses he finds on the battlefield with prosthetics. He claims it’s nothing special, just that it’s better than simply throwing away his prototypes.
Then we meet the titular Dororo, a young kid who tries to peddle some wares he stole from ruffians in town. They find out, catch him and teach him a lesson, initially only wanting to beat him up a bit. But after Dororo refuses to back down, they intend to drown him in the river but stop when an eerily doll-like young man (Hyakkimaru) shows up at the bridge nearby. Following his gaze they find a youkai made of mud who promptly swallows them all, then tries to eat Dororo as well.
Hyakkimaru then… takes off his arms to reveal a set of sword and proceeds to whoop some soggy youkai butt.
When Dororo run to Hyakkimaru afterwards to thank him, Hyakkimaru’s mask falls off to reveal a face that is nothing but muscle, until suddenly the skin starts (re)growing at an extremely rapid pace. The scene then briefly switches to the doctor we saw earlier saying Hyakkimaru’s name as he puts a mask on a fallen soldier’s corpse.
Honestly, I went in completely blind. I only knew people were praising the first episode a lot; you can now group me with said people.
The show had me within minutes when it was clear they weren’t going to hold back. I’m not quite sure I’d go so far as to say it’s a horror show just yet, but I was getting serious Nioh vibes from this episode. It’s also rumored Dororo may have been an inspiration for From Soft’s upcoming title Sekiro, which should give you a pretty good indication of the tone of this show. At least judging by its initial episode.
It’s also fantastically animated. The fight between the demon and Hyakkimaru was incredibly smooth and, most notably, there wasn’t a hint of CG in sight!
Not really sold on the music for the OP and ED yet, but the OST itself is generally setting-appropriate which I can always appreciate. Voice acting is also well done as far as I can judge from the first episode, with Dororo being voiced by an actual child instead of an adult pretending to be one. It’s something that doesn’t happen often, but when it does generally works out wonderfully. (Barakamon says hi!)
All in all very impressed with the premiere and looking forward to where it’ll go. I’m speculating that Hyakkimaru wanders around the country slaying youkai to regain his organs, as his face returning almost immediately after slaying the mud demon seems to imply, and that the doctor is the one who gave Hyakkimaru his current prosthetic body —who is now currently trying to replicate his succes of reviving corpses? Lastly Hyakkimaru’s father, the lord, seems to be looking for his son possibly to atone for his sins. The only question is where Dororo fits into all of this.
Luckily we are pretty much guaranteed roper pacing and a satisfying ending, as the original manga was only 4 volumes and the show, from what I can tell, is set to be 24 episodes. It’s also co-produced by Tezuka Productions and MAPPA. Tezuka Productions haven’t done too many stand-up titles lately, but MAPPA on the other hand has shown numerous times over the past few years that they can produce consistently high-quality shows.
I am hype.
