Dororo

A remake of 1969... one of the Classics Anime... its A must watch for all anime fans

This show contains everything you would want in an anime

Dororo is a great anime about a child that was born with a terrible curse and his journey to defeat the demons that cursed him. It's a great mix between realism and old japanese folktale, and a great mix between action, drama, and mystery.

Everything this anime does is shockingly well. The animation is smooth, the writing is great, and most importantly the atmosphere is unparalleled. The world is immersive and deep, and while the main character himself can't speak a word it's incredible how much you're able to feel for him and everything he's going through. There's a constant sense of mystery in the air that keeps every episode fresh and with good pacing, and the demons themselves are very creative and make for great fights.

Overall, a pretty damn amazing anime that's a breath of fresh air from your run of the mill action anime thanks to avoiding every cliche that's plagued the last two decades, which is ironic considering the source material was made half a century ago.

The story of Dororo was originally in a 1960s Manga, it had a more simplified design to it which was a massive rave then, but it was still a massively successful series that lasted 2 years, not staying too long and not wearing out its welcome. It was later adapted to an Anime of the same name in 1969, which was then remade into a Manga in 2018, that is still currently running(circa 2020) which this Anime is drawing from.

So what can I say about the remake of a remake that tells the tale of two very different people during the Waring States period of Japan?

This has to be one of the best Anime series I've seen in my lifetime!!! Studio MAPPA artfully takes myth, legend, history and fantasy, blending them together in a nearly perfect way that has had me floored from start to finish. The art style is gorgeous and gruesome in places, not pulling punches as so many would these days when depicting life during a war, it has traditional Japanese woodblock style art intermixed with detailed and flowing animation, outstanding Siubokuga (Japanese Ink Painting) scenes and stills that give looks on the characters, monsters and areas we explore each episode. Combine that with some classice anime Ultraviolence that gives proper context to it and pair that with religious symbolism throughout.

Add to this the delicately woven stories of the ambiguous central characters Hyakkimaru and Dororo and the detailed and sympathetic foils to the heroes in the wonderfully fleshed out list of side characters, the story of Dororo is one ANY Anime fan should watch and will love.

Anime like Dororo are so hard to come by. A 10/10 from beginning to end. The story contains samurai and demons, which is pretty common in the genre, but the execution of the story is what makes Dororo so good. The plot has so much depth to it, and it tells its story with great pacing. The main character, Hyakkimaru is so likable and empathetic, by far one of the easiest characters to cheer on for. And the art is dark and moody, which adds so much to the atmosphere. I can already tell that Dororo is going to become a classic, and it is for sure a 10/10 masterpiece.