Dororo

Dororo has a wonderful story and great acting. Unlike some people, I have the ability to enjoy a well written, well acted story and can easily forgive issues that I am sure budget constraints had a hand in.

I understand that there are some scenes that are beyond the budget, but in my opinion they were handled very well.

The protagonist and his companion were easy to like and understand. The story had some nice twist. The story was so well told that I had my Wife watch it and she hates this genre. Well she does not get it sometimes. She really loved the film! It is not too gory and as far as gravity defying stunts, well it is a fantasy tale and there really were not a lot of them. And they were no where near as physics defying as any of the Transporter films. This is a very good film.

The previous poster surely was unaware of the history behind this grand movie. Dororo is based on the manga author of Osamu Tezuka which is one of his many manga titles (Atom Boy, Black Jack, etc.). The original story takes places during the warring states of Japan. However, the movie changes that as well as some minor parts here and there.

The main plot of the story is that a general pledges his soul to demons in exchange for power to destroy other warring clans. In exchange for this power, the demons (all 48 of them) want to have his first born son. The general agrees and he is granted his power. However, when his first son is born, the baby is without arms, legs, and other various body parts. (It looks more of a body with a head and a small mouth.) Disgusted by this, the general places him in a basket and sends his son downstream. The son is later retrieved by a man who was passing by. The man turns out to be a scientist who then makes body parts for the general's son (48 parts). A blind traveler appears and informs the scientist of how the general's son became that way. The traveler hands the scientist a sword that helps defeat monsters and demons. This sword is then attached to the boy, Hyakimaru. When Hyakimaru becomes older he learns of his fate and sets out to avenge his father and the 48 demons who took his body. Each demon he defeats with his sword gives him back a piece of his body.

Even though the title of the movie is called 'Dororo', it has little to do with the character other than that she (thinks she's a he) is Hyakimaru's sidekick. Her main reason for tagging along with him is for his sword and for an adventure. She provides some of the comedic relief from the one-dimensional character that Hyakimaru is.

I was timid about seeing this movie, but was quite pleased with how it turned out. I throughly enjoyed the music and soundtrack as well as the parts of New Zealand where it was filmed. If you have read the manga, anime, or know about the story itself, it is worth looking into. Also, if your Japanese is good (maybe about level 2 on the JLPT), then you can pick up on some of the minor jokes here and there. I'm glad that it won some awards and was acknowledged. I eagerly look forward to the sequel....

In the year 3048, the wounded Lord Kagemitsu Daigo (Kiichi Nakai) proposes a deal to rule the whole world to forty-eight demons in their sealed temple. In return, the demons ask forty-eight parts of the body of his unborn son. When the mutilated baby is born, his mother puts him in a basket in the river flow to save his life. The baby survives and becomes the demon slayer Hyakkimaru (Satoshi Tsumabuki) that slash demons to retrieve his body parts. During his journey, he meets the female thief Dororo (Kou Shibasaki), who was raised as a boy after the death of her parents by the evil Lord Daigo, in a small town and she befriends Hyakkimaru and joins him in his quest seeking revenge against the Daigo's clan.

I saw the trailer of "Dororo" and I found it very promising. It is a good fantasy, based on a historic moment of Japan, with reasonable special effects and developed in a slow pace. The story could be a little shorter; Satoshi Tsumabuki and Kou Shibasaki show a great chemistry; but the character Dororo is silly and annoying in many moments. Nevertheless it is an entertaining movie and I will certainly watch the possible sequel, since it still has twenty-four demons to be slashed. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Dororo"

...Dororo kicks arse and has much nicer, more natural scenery for its walkabouts.

Okay, so some SFX would be at place in an episode of Power Rangers, thus inevitably costing it a huge amount of would-be fans, but with its tongue-in-cheek tale to suit its SFX - in parts making their badness seem deliberate - who cares? Not all films are for everyone, but for those Dororo IS for, it satisfies totally!

Dororo follows a young Pinocchio-type man as he saunters Japan, killing demons to regain his lost body, and with it his humanity. Joining him on his quest is the troubled nameless thief he dubs "Dororo"; her own motives are unclear at first, but when revealed, aid the plot rather well.

Filled with action, slapstick antics and being the fruit of a script which can successfully carry a viewer on a high from start-to-finish, Dororo offers 2hours and 18 minutes that you won't want given back, instead, you'll gladly accept the exchange of time for watching this great flick.

Even though the film seems complete in itself, its story does insinuate that other adventures (i.e. "sequels") could very well stem from it.

I've seen that parts 2 and 3 are set to be made - for once, these will be sequels that I'll be looking forward to.

I do not usually comment movies regardless of how good or bad I feel about other comments on it, but I think this piece deserves my time. Dororo might not be the greatest fantasy movie of all time, but it's story telling, visuals and wonderful acting deserve their place amongst the best. I have never seen the original comics it is based upon and I am not going to compare it to other popular fantasy titles either. It is a movie that stands on its own, represents perfectly Japanese style of cinematography and gives the western audience an opportunity to have a good look on eastern mythology themes. If you can close one eye over few lower cost effects, there is absolutely nothing you will find lacking except the next two episodes to be available much sooner :)

Pretty please, if you can not find a good word for anything that is not made in US, then do not watch. This movie does not deserve you and you do not deserve it.

P.S.: I would like to send the best regards to the reviewer who turned the movie down while admitting he did not understand a word from it. I might next try to watch movie ala Forrest Gump with muted sound and rate it as bad comedy. But perhaps it would be better if you stick to rating Japanese porn movies. I believe there should not be much problem if you do not get what they are talking about ;)