Dororo

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....

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.

Dororo is a great genre film. It's an adventure movie kind of akin to a live action 'Ninja Scroll'. In fact, by keeping a simple, straightforward plot (boy's father pledges a number of his unborn son's body parts to demons in exchange for power - years later the boy is a man, and back for revenge) it elevates itself head-and-shoulders above most films of it's kind, as well as the manga and anime equivalents, which tend toward overly complicated and downright convoluted, soap opera-ish plots.

On the other hand, it falls prey to many of the problems of those genres - perpetuating the trend. Problems that include science defying scenes (a little in a fantasy film is O.K., but it gets to a point where... well, suspension of disbelief becomes impossible... no one, let alone an infant is going to survive even a minute without a heart) of which ludicrously over-the-top wire work is just one small part.

To be fair, action movies have been getting dumber, and with more "gimme-a-break" moments worldwide (any British action film starring Jason Statham, or recent Hollywood efforts such as 'Wanted'), still, it leaves one asking do we really need another film in this vein? Movies like Dororo', and 'Hero', are a far cry from the believable samurai pictures of a master like Kurusawa and Mizoguchi.

Still, it's pacing is far better than most, resisting the temptation to have non-stop fight scenes, and a dash of restrained humor thrown in for good measure. And it's fun to catch all the little homages to other films - everything from 'Edward Scissorhands' to 'A Fistful of Dollars'.

If you love the genre, you will love 'Dororo'. If you even like the genre, you will probably really like 'Dororo'. If you don't, it's definitely not going to convert you, and despite it's superiority within the genre, is unlikely to impress you favorably.

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"

I was really pained to see such negative comments about this movie.. by someone from japan itself.

We don't have to feed on eve dished out by the Hollywood.. and we certainly don't have to compare our movies to Hollywood. Sure Hollywood produces top quality movies but then eve doesn't have to be Hollywood style...

Having said that I think Dororo is no less entertaining than any action flick. Sure there r glitches here and there but who cares...

I thought Kou Shibasaki as a wicked crook was both hilarious and brilliant .. Her language [ A local dialect of Japanese ? ] increased my fascination for the Japanese language even more..

Dororo for me represents another aspect of the Japanese culture which I have come to love and respect.

I request to the people who know ... to comment, having a broader perspective in mind ... because for many, this place is the primary contact for information on movies..

Can't wait to for Part 2 & 3 ...