Dorohedoro

SHOCKING! Despite early concerns of a crappy CGI adaptation of Q Hayashida’s legendary comic, we’ve been blessed with a fantastic adaptation full of heart and passion from the staff involved. If you can wrap your head around the at-times dizzying pace and make peace with the (quite well done in my opinion) CGI main character models, you’re in for chaotic, bloody and quirky trip through the gloriously dingy Hole and a devilishly fantastical world of Sorcerers. This is a series that oozes with style and original ideas, that feels as if Shin himself is taking a hammer to the temple ... of the current anime landscape. It’s got grit, it’s got heart and it’s got some dang beautiful art. If you’re willing to indulge me in a rather lengthy and extensive review of this fantastic new series by studio Mappa, please read ahead!

Dorohedoro, based on the manga penned by Q Hayashida, for years has constantly been hailed as an example of “a manga that could never be adapted into an anime” in numerous lists/articles and threads online. Her sketchy, densely detailed art style has been compared to manga like Tsutomu Nihei’s Blame! and while less refined than works like Kentaro Miura’s Berserk, falls into a similar category of manga so detailed, some feel it would be impossible to accurately portray frame for frame in animation. Interestingly, both of these properties have received anime adaptations, In Berserks case multiple. Disregarding the Berserk 1997 anime series, both Berserk and Blame’s more recent anime outings were made possible through the use of CGI character models...to varying degrees of success. So why am I going into this long winded break down of two completely different anime in a Dorohedoro review? Well, I think it’s obvious what everyone’s “hot takes” and opinions on this series are inevitably going to bring up the CGI models for the main characters, so I might as well get it out of the way at the top and bring up some cases for you to think about and compare.

There will be people who will go on and on about their disdain for CGI use in anime and that if a show uses it, it’s automatically terrible, makes their eyes bleed and is sending the industry backwards. So, a quick question and answer

Would I have preferred if the main character models were 2D? Yes certainly, of course.

How do the CGI models stack up to other series using them? Definitely above average, and their skill using the CG tools drastically improves as the series progresses. I only might put the CG work below something like an Orange production like Beastars or Houseki no Kuni, but those series benefit from having some entire shots and environments rendered in CG, allowing things to blend more easily. Dorohedoro on the other hand does a great job of blending the CG models with beautiful 2D art and backgrounds on a level I haven’t seen in a Tv anime, and only improves as the series continues.

Last question...Am I happy to get to enjoy an adaptation of the manga that has this level of passion and dedication to the direction, music, sound and art regardless of the sometimes iffy CGI models? ABSOLUTELY! I understand the hate and vitriol aimed at works using CGI, but it’s annoying and disheartening to see so many people completely shut down at the sight of it and make no attempt to judge a work on its other merits or actual use of the CGI. Besides that, I’m just honestly thankful to be able to see a manga I truly love come to life in an actually well executed and competent adaptation and have others be able to learn about and enjoy it.

So, now that THAT’s out of the way (at least for now) let’s get into what makes this series special in its story and characters, and what has been most noticeable as far as the production is concerned.

This story stands out for a lot of reasons and isn’t something I think most anime viewers are used to seeing. This is achieved through a bizarre yet strangely straight forward set-up, set in a very detailed and intriguing world constantly doling out more information. The basic premise is this, ‘A man has had his head turned into a lizard head by a magic user, he wants to find out who did it with the help of his friend.’ Bizarre enough as it stands but how does this man and his friend hope to solve their conundrum? Well, after detaining a potential culprit, he bites down on their head. They then enter a sort of parallel world where they meet another man inside of his head who tells them “you’re not the one”. Once our protagonist asks what the man inside his head says and gets his answer, they precede to mercilessly kill them, usually by slashing them to pieces. This is the opening scene of the show, and perfectly encapsulates what Dorohedoro is all about, both in the types of scenarios and violence to be encountered and also the very carefree attitude at which characters in this series meet these situations.

This is Dorohedoro’s tone, and it’s one of its greatest strength. While many anime series that use this level of violence and gore would simply come off as edgy and shocking for the sake of it, the creativity in the violence the author paints and the lackadaisical attitude most characters take to it pushes Dorohedoro into a sort of campy and fun dark comedy, while also remaining genuinely disturbing. If I could describe Dorohedoro in two words, it would probably be joyfully sinister. The characters constantly joke around and banter with each other, they love talking about eating food (mainly gyoza for Kaiman, our protagonist) and drinking beer, this applies even more so to the “antagonists” of the series. On the flip side they also love slashing people to bits, bashing heads in and murdering others in very graphic and morbid ways, but this also applies to our protagonists! It makes for some very interesting characters that you still root for because it isn’t that they’re “evil people” necessarily. It’s that everyone in this brutal and metal-as-hell world (well two worlds actually) just lives by the status quo which happens to completely revolve around the authors love and celebration of all things horror. These violent yet joyful characters are at the heart of what makes Dorohedoro so enjoyable. All of their designs are distinct and striking with many often wearing creative and freaky masks. Dorohedoro also features a bevy of well realized females, not only in their characterization but also in their more varied than body types than we see to be the norm of most anime.

For a little bit more of an elaboration on the “two worlds” comment and general trajectory of the story, Dorohedoro is mainly concerned with two major groups of characters that resides in said worlds. The world of Hole is a “shit hole” comprised of unfortunate citizens who’ve drawn the short straw in life. It’s a kind of urban/industrial post-apocalyptic setting, filled with an endless number of ruined buildings and factories. Here, people are constantly struggling to get by and also to survive attacks from denizens of the other world...the World of Magic Users. The World of Magic Users is where people who have the ability to produce magical black smoke live. This world is considerably more vibrant and the magic users tend to have it quite a bit better off. This smoke power they use can have any number of interesting effects and properties but many of them transform the target into something. Magic users can also produce doors with their magic that lead to Hole and many of them use these doors to experiment on and torment the citizens of Hole. The first of two groups the bulk of our story revolves around are the previously mentioned Kaiman (who had his head turned into a lizard by a magic user) his best friend Nikaido and a rag tag group of Hole dwellers. They are hunting magic users to find the one who changed Kaiman’s head and quickly find themselves caught up in the business of the second group, the most powerful magic user En and his family of hitmen. From then on, all sorts of chaos and shenanigans ensue. While the story can certainly move at a fast clip at times I also love its ability to slow down and meander at others, building up and showing us various aspects of Hole and The Magic Users World as well as taking time to show us more intimate moments with both the sets of characters. This balance of both forward momentum and relaxed character development and world building is something I think many people find a very endearing aspect of the show.

Compared to the manga, however, while we do have a lot of fun and relaxed moments with characters...some character development and world building is sacrificed in favor of a faster pace, something I have to grin and bear as a viewer but obviously something I DO have to bring up and hold against the adaptation. This first season received a 12 episode run and it seemed obvious heading into the last half/third in and around where they were planning on ending the season. Working on a time constraint and not knowing for sure if you will received a second season unless sales are good certainly leads a director to create what they feel is the most appealing version of a story they can fit into the time they have been granted. As a viewer who has read the manga, I’m left simply thinking to myself as I watch “oh, they made this a bit harder to understand” or “ah they skipped this line of dialogue”. While some of these things might go completely unnoticed by a newcomer, some certainly stood out as odd directorial decisions and some were more egregious cuts we could all agree the show would benefit from having in. An example I can think of for the former was when a certain character is visited in jail. When he explains why he is being sentenced to death he says it was because he was selling Devil Manjuu and is called an idiot. Unfortunately, unlike the manga we are giving no way of understanding why this would be considered a crime and only given a “Devil Manjuu can get you killed” from the “What we learned”. An example of the latter would be during the baseball episode, where Fujita and Ebisu share a moment alone. In this scene Fujita saying how no one cares about his plight of avenging Matsumura, breaking down in tears. We are then shown a somber looking Ebisu looking up at him telling him that she cares. It’s a small scene, but an important one that does a lot for Ebisu’s character (as she’s almost entirely used as comic relief) and also for her and Fujita’s relationship leading up to an arc that begins next episode. Besides cut content, the anime moves at a blistering pace that puts the already fast paced manga to shame. This was something I noticed brought up numerous times in discussions on the series as it aired, and while I can’t necessarily attest to it making the show harder to comprehend, you do have to pay quite a bit of attention to gather all of the information thus far and put it together in your head. Compared to the more relaxed paced manga you can read and flip at your own leisure, with more accompanying notes and explanations to reiterate things already explained in the chapters/volume (the anime does this somewhat with the “what did we learn segments at the end of each episode) It definitely can be difficult to digest at times.

When talking about how it would be near impossible to adapt the extremely detailed art style of Q Hayashida, that might have been true if we were talking about your average anime production and staff. This is where Shinji Kimura comes in as Art Director and we all gasp and say, “Well ... I guess it would be unadaptable WITHOUT someone like him”. There is so much gorgeous background art in this series it could make your head spin, and Kimura san is definitely who we have to thank and who has really put his heart into this project. If you are unaware of who he is, he drew background art for Akira, My Neighbor Totoro, Angel’s Egg, Blood Blockade Battlefront, Tekkonkinkreet and many, many others. He’s one of the best background artist/at directors in the business and has now blessed us by working on Dorohedoro and allowing the shows artistic merits as a whole to totally outweigh the questionable CGI main character models. Whether it’s portraying the ruined cityscapes, dingy alleyways and smog billowing industrial shots or the extremely colourful take on the World of Sorcerers with its crazily detailed gothic architecture, you’re in for wallpaper worthy background shot after wallpaper worthy background shot. Reverence to the creator and many inspirations to the original work can be found hidden throughout various shots and again shows that not only do the staff respect the work, but also that they aree having fun fitting these Easter eggs into the show. Many shots will feature “9”s painted on the walls (a reference to the author, Q Hayashida). A shopping trip reveals Ebisu looking at the original Dorohedoro OST and even reading off track names. Another quick shot during a baseball game features some figures strung up that look suspiciously like a 90s metal band Hayashida references numerous times throughout her series. It’s these sorts of nods that tip this series over-the-top in terms of fan service, creating original shots and scenarios not even seen in the manga that will have any Doroheads head spinning.

You may also be wondering why I keep specifying “main character models” and that’s because there is still also a ton of 2D character art and animation throughout the series. If a character is only appearing in an episode or two they tend to be animated completely in 2D including Asu, Chidamura, Asuka and all of the various 1 off characters. Additionally, flashback scenes which feature characters in different costumes or a slightly different appearance are animated entirely in 2D such as flashbacks of Shin, Noi and En which sometimes take half an episode. Point being, for all the moaning about CG in this series, there is actually a SHOCKING! amount of great 2D material as well, even outside the backgrounds.

In addition Yuichiro Hayashi’s directing does a great job of adapting the original work and many of its more surreal moments that I assumed would be difficult to pull off (such as Kaimans memories or inside his mouth). His shot composition, use of 3D space and even first person perspective shots give the show a very lively feel and show he’s really not half-assing it. A major worry going into this series was if Hayashi would be able to maintain the level of graphic violence and gore the manga is known for and he gets away with a surprising amount. While it’s obviously not on the same level as the comic, he does a commendable job to the point I don’t really see a need for any uncensoring or scene changes come the blu-ray (besides an oddly blacked out brain in episode 2). Between Hayashi’s directing, Kimura’s art and Nomoto’s CGI directing (more on that next paragraph) the series really comes to life and shows what a passionate staff can accomplish, making almost every frame a quality one and every shot competently rendered.

While the choice of CGI models for the main characters is certainly mystifying and a knock against the show I certainly can’t ignore (I mean, I went into pretty great detail off the top of the review) allow me to elaborate a bit further here. Firstly, coming off my extreme praise of the background and 2D art, they certainly clash with them (sometimes more so than others) but they put in a commendable effort to draw over them and try to blend them into the environment. Kaiman in particular is a bit problematic for me, as the sameness in colour of his lizard face definitely makes him look less rugged and gritty than the manga and a little too smooth. I also felt the flap of his mouth when talking really stood out due to the CG (not that I exactly know how they could do it better). On the flip side other shots look surprisingly well good and really stand out as examples of CGI models that have then been coloured over and almost tricked me into thinking I was watching 2D animation. A particular scene of Noi removing her outfit/mask really stood out as some great CG work. They obviously use these CGI models during many of the action scene which can be a bit of a mixed bag. Kaiman’s and Nikaido’s detaining of Ebisu and Kaiman’s short encounter with Shin, for example, seem especially fluid and the camera work is quite good. On the other hand, while passable, scenes like Nikaido’s fight with Noi seem more janky and the use of slow-mo used to convey a “dynamic feeling” not easily conveyed compared to 2D animation sometimes works against it. It’s a mixed bag, but one where I genuinely feel the staff improved their technique with using the models as the series progressed. Just compare that Noi and Nikaido fight with Kaiman and Nikaido's fight in episode 12, it's like night and day! Another less action focused example is a close of shot of Shin’s face in episode 11, leaning in to give an intimidating look to Haze. The way the CGI modeler uses shadow in this shot combined with his vivid and changing facial expression showed a level of skill with the CG tools to create a level of menace not seen earlier in the series. While I don’t want this to come off as some kind of Stockholm syndrome, I actually really started to feel as though the models worked quite well and became accustomed to them fusing with the “style” of the series. While the CGI models are definitely one of the weaker aspects of the series, I can’t help but emphasize one last time how commendable a job the staff working on integrating them into the environments and aesthetic of the show did and how the fact that said environments and aesthetic are so stunning, it sort of “cover-ups” some of the weaker artistic aspects.

While we’re still fairly early in the story and the characters haven’t necessarily had to perform a large breadth of acting quite yet, they’ve all done a commendable job thus far. Wataru Takagi as lovable dopy/whiny Kaiman has been great (I especially loved his girly voice as Pie-man) and relative newcomer Reina Konda has done well realizing the lovable Nikaido. Episode 12 was likely their greatest challenge from an emotional standpoint and they did a great job pulling off their tender scenes together. Some other stand outs are the boisterous Noi, performed by Yu Kobayashi and the always hilarious and ridiculous Ebisu performed by Miyu Tomita. From reading the manga I think Kaiman and Ebisu were two characters that people were going to be watching if they got right and I believe they’ve nailed both. Besides them, En is his stern and powerful self, Shin is wild and intimidating. One character who I imagined a bit different in my head is Chota. While his voice is growing on me I always imagined him coming off a bit more aggressive and yelling more. It will take further story progression and events to see how well these actors perform more serious and emotionally charged scenes, but only time will tell. For now they’ve all been performing their characters to great effect.

Finally I’ll briefly touch on the music which is....what do you know.... also great! The manga of Dorohedoro actually had a companion OST commissioned by Hayashida, featuring various artists from six different countries. It’s very dark, industrial and grungy, and the perfect fit for Dorohedoro. The TV animes soundtrack doesn’t use these tracks, but almost all of the songs on that OST seem to be emulated in some shape or form in th TV anime OST. Standouts include the Drum and Bass tracks similar in style to VOODOOMs track from the manga OST and a song extremely reminiscent of Candie Hank’s Zombie Slushie that plays during an action sequence when Chidamura is introduced. Others like the horrifying track that plays when entering Kaiman’s mouth and confronting the man inside with terrifying screeches and squeals was a particular stand out along with the awesome call out to the song Transformations (Im sorry my ability to critique music isn’t great so I’ll save you me trying to make up words to describe them). The lighter tracks that play during the more comedic moments with En and the family perfectly encapsulate the goofy carefree vibe of the room and seemed like the most original to the Tv anime, not reminding me of anything off of the manga OST but still working as great additions. On top of the OST, the opening and multiple ending tracks are all great, and the accompanying animation for the OP of Nikaido cooking gyoza as opposed to your usual anime opening of character shots and story scenes is very refreshing. It shows the staff knows how to convey the unique vibe of the series as well as how important gyoza are to our main duo! They even manage to squeeze in a little anime original Jonson backstory which is a cute and welcome touch. The fact we received a new ending song and animation almost every 2 episodes was an unexpected and welcome treat. While some were weaker than others (such as Seconds Fly) the variety and fact we had a nice surprise to look forward to every 2 weeks was great.

All in all, Dorohedoro is about as enjoyable an adaptation anyone could have asked for. When the anime project was initially reveal, I think almost all fans tightened up with a fear of what was to come. When the early PVs were showcased revealing the CGI models for the main characters, many were disappointed, but at the same time, most expected as much. For those being attentive to the PVs however, they likely noticed the beautiful art and 2D animation and were then holding their breath in hope that the project didn’t drop the ball. I think with the shows release, all but the most cynical fans and 2D-animation-only purists were pleasantly surprised with the product we ended up receiving. Hayashida’s world is so unique in its rich lore, character and setting and the staff involved have given the tender loving care to take this “unadaptable manga series” and given a *GASP* commendable and well realized adaptation complete with actually well realized and ever improving CGI. Now, if you’re a fan, let’s try to support this series the best we can and get more seasons!! So......

What did we learn this time??


1. Don’t always base a book by it’s cover! When done right, you can actually become accustomed to even liberal uses of CGI.

2. Shinji Kimura is a godly artist.

3. Dorohedoro has single handedly reinvigorated my passion for anime and of buying tons of merch.


What will we from season 2? That is still a mystery

That is...

DOROHEDORO

Dorohedoro is a one of a kind show and is perfect for people that want a gritty (and very violent) anime. I first got into anime watching the older, more unconventional anime and recently the trend has been towards more toned down anime. Which is expected as anime has really expanded its viewer-base. However, Dorohedoro is a throwback to the old days of more unconventional anime while still bringing a totally unique and engaging story to the table. I cannot stress enough just how unique this show is and it does it in a way that is totally earned. Nothing about this show is cheap. ...

Story 10/10

So this adaptation only covers part of the manga and so far the story has been engaging, unpredictable, totally crazy and entertaining. You cannot ask for more. The best thing is, as somebody that has read the manga, it will only get better.

Art 9/10

The CGI is hardly noticeable and the backgrounds are phenomenal. I repeat the backgrounds are phenomenal and really establish the atmosphere of the world of Dorohedoro. The only (very minor) issue is that the CGI takes a bit of getting used to simply because it is not standard in anime.

Sound 10/10

The voice actors are all brilliant in acting out the larger than life characters they portray. The music is great. The OP and EDs (of which there are SIX!!!, with a twist on one of them) are great. Overall they knocked it out the park in this department.

Characters 10/10

Along with the story, the characters are the best part of Dorohedoro. There is no character that can be pigeon holed. There is no clear distinction between the good guys or the bad guys. The characters themselves have great dynamics and every character, including minor characters, brings something to the show. Along with the story, the best thing about Dorohedoro.

enjoyment 10/10 and overall 10/10

This is a one of a kind show that everybody should watch as soon as they get the chance. It truly deserves a sequel to cap off a brilliant first season.

-Note: English is not my native language, I apologize for possible mistakes. (This review does not contain spoilers)

The world of Dorohedoro is one of the rarest and most original I have ever seen, it's violent, dark, confusing, with many strange things in it, without falling into the typical. All accompanied by a surreal and unpolished artistic style that gives you the feeling of being dirty and visceral, using elements such as magic, demons, curses, accompanied by comedy and dark humor, all with a steampunk aesthetic and that some might define like gothic-cyberpunk.

The concern of many fans to know that the manga would receive an adaptation, ... was if the studio in charge could do a good job trying to adapt Dorohedoro's style, setting of the manga, possible censorship and in general to catch the atmosphere of the manga.

Luckily for everyone, MAPPA has managed to bring the atmosphere of the manga, with a very good direction that is perfect, achieving an authentic madness along with a rhythm that feels fast and being faithful almost completely with the story and a scenario very well accomplished. Clearly it's not the same, since adapting the previously mentioned artistic style of Dorohedoro is a very difficult task, in addition the 3D animation or CGI is deficient in many moments, sometimes it manages to integrate very well into the scene and others not so much, but in general this happens unnoticed and it turns out to be a very decent CGI, which manages to look good in most of the moments.

Background art is one of the first things you can highlight, it captures that surreal atmosphere very well. On the sound/OST side the opening and the endings are incredible (moved, fun and colorful) The series has many Eds that change every 2-3 episodes, which seems incredible to me, each one of them turned out to be fun and very good.

The characters are the best thing of the show, each with their own goals or motives that move them: tough, strong, each different and all have an incredible charisma. The best thing about Dorohedoro is that there are no good or bad, there are no villains or heroes, rather they are groups with different objectives that end up crossing each other, it's not a black or white world, everything is gray. It's a gray world full of chaos and strange things everywhere, the two groups of protagonists (group of En and Kaiman) are interesting and with excellent chemistry, in the end you do not know who to support.

In conclusion, Dorohedoro is a bizarre and fun, super nice from start to finish with a plot of mystery and madness that makes you ask at all times "What the hell is going on?" along with a cast of wonderful and super nice characters that drive the story at all times.

Art and history manage to stay as faithful as possible to the original material. The series cut a few non-relevant things, but overall it did an acceptable job animating each page, the animation probably would have been much better if they had kept a full 2D animation, although the CGI fails at times, the emotion is similar to the manga created by Q Hayashida, so I think there is a lot of merit in this adaptation that, despite not being perfect, there is no denying the amount of effort and respect for the source material.

I hope MAPPA confirms a new season and can manage adapt the whole story, they done a great job bringing this world to anime.

History: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Art: 8/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 8.5 / 10

Dorohedoro may not be for everyone as it's a somewhat simple, grotesque, confusing and violent story, but it's a fun story that I could easily recommend to anyone who enjoys the anime world.

Since I started reading Dorohedoro manga about 10 years ago it always been my all-time favorite and of course I was hyped for anime adaptation when I heard about it. Also I was scared at the same time for MAPPA with overusing of 3D CGI to completely destroy the muddy but highly-detailed art and all the greatness of the original that Hayashida Q invested 18 years of work to create. For me this manga is just one of a kind, without a single cliche and there never was or will be anything resembling it. As manga have high concentration of gore, dismemberment, black humor and ... even some high quality ecchi ;) I also wondered if the show will be ruined not by 3D CGI alone but by censorship too. The point I'm making is that my worries was almost (coz I didn't get confirmation for ecchi :D ) completely dispelled after watching a few episodes and the enjoyment was 10/10 for me as old Dorohedoro fan. I already like how it starts with exact same moment as in manga and following it without deviation. At first pacing seemed to me a little too fast, but there's not a single crucial scene missing as well as not a single of this important scenes was ruined by 3D CGI or censorship, some are much more gory in the manga though, but anime already surprised me with its own gore level as I initially expected shadows, black bars, rows of light etc everywhere. And there's so much material to adapt that I guess pacing is not a problem, the more events from manga will be in each episode - the better.

Speaking about art - it's not so bad and annoying like in certain anime even when they're overusing 3D CGI, but when they're not using it - art is really decent, especially the Hole's scenery - it's as good as in original. Opening was fire! Favorite part of it is Nikaido deliriously chopping meat on the table, it's like...so symbolic for Dorohedoro or something. Personally I don't feel first ending at all, but ending 2 "Night Surfing" became my most favorite ending theme of all time. Overall I put OST of this anime adaptation in its strong points. I love how they made instead of preview after ending the same funny "what did we learn?" as in the end of each volume of manga, looking forward to it in each episodes. Caiman's voice (first recognized it as Okuyasu voice from JoJo4) is somehow totally like I expected it to be, it suits him perfectly, but I didn't think Nikaido's will have voice like this, it's not that I don't like it, but I still need some time to get used to it in next episodes. Characters? They are the best. Easily strongest side of this series. They're so badass and funny and non-cliche and absolutely outstanding I can't stop loving them all, same feeling I'm experiencing only with One Piece. There's complex amnesia plot (to put it mildly, avoiding spoilers) and many unexpected twists lying ahead in this show, and though I know every part of it already - it's full color and animated now and I know it will be great all the way to the end, wherever the anime adaptation is stopping!

I'm kinda fanboy of the title so don't take my words as justice, this title is not for everyone liking at all. Better watch first episode or read first 4 chapters of manga that was adapted in it and see if you like it or not. If you already disliked it after that - you won't enjoy Dorohedoro in the future as it will be even more dark, confusing and full of gore. Though at the same time Dorohedoro never will be truly depressing /or give you a strong psychological pressure, dark antiutopia as it is - it's mostly positive and funny, specifically because of this I think Hayashida Q is a genius.
That's all I have to say for now, except NIKAIDO IS BEST GIRL

Eh. This anime wasn't actually bad, but I really didn't enjoy it at all. Objectively, the story was OK, animation was solid, and overall universe was kind of neat. However, a couple of glaring issues combined with personal taste made it hard to finish for me.

My main problem was the complete lack of any consequences for anything in the show. Someone dies or is on the edge of death? Doesn't matter, Noi or Kikurage will just heal/resurrect them. Literally, probably half or more of the main characters at some point die or are mortally wounded, only to be instantly fine within minutes. Why even ... bother?

Another issue I had was the characters. Who is Nikaido? Well, she makes good gyoza and she likes Caiman, I guess. Also she can skateboard. But she has no personality of her own. Caiman is better, he's funny at times. I really hated Noi and Shin, mostly because they're just OP and constantly should die but never do because plot armor.

Lastly, what has changed by the end of season one? We're basically no closer to knowing anything about caiman other than the whole mushroom exposition video and Risu. But we're basically back to square one - Caiman and Nikaido are hanging out again, no one important died, and the En group is after them.

I don't really like the whole surreal dystopia genre with people just dying left and right, especially when the main characters are all plot immune to said danger. So that probably colored my enjoyment. I could see liking this show, it was fairly decently done (I even recommended it to a friend of mine who I think tends to like this genre) but for me it wasn't good.

I am confused but I enjoy.

Wow, this anime really surprised me by being so fucking good. I feel like that MAPPA has improved their CGI skills. They manage to blend the CG very well to 2d animation. There are many things I like about this anime. For example the unique abilities of the sorcerers, character designs, backgrounds, OST and of course the characters

Story is very simple. We follow Caiman who was a normal human but due to some sorcerers power his head turned into a lizards head. Now he hunts down sorcerers to find out the man who made him into the creature he is. ... He usually works with a female named Nikaido. We also follow the villains doing stuff like killing people, eating and just doing random shit.

Characters. They are amazing. Caiman is very tall and immune to magic. He is very funny and likes to eat Gyoza. He always chomps sorcerers heads to find out if he is the one who changed him. Nikaido is Caimans best friend and later turned out to be a sorcerer but keeps this a secret from Caiman. She owns a restaurant. Shin is a villain who wears a heart looking mask. He doesn't use magic on weak people, instead he uses a hammer. Noi is Shins partner. She is very strong and she can heal people. Ebisu is a comic relief character at this point. Something bad always happens to her like transforms into a zombie, gets her face bitten off etc. Fujita is another comic relief character. He is mostly seen with Ebisu. His chemistry with Ebisu is beyond great. En is the villains leader. He has and obsession with mushrooms and he only eats mushrooms. He is related to Noi.

This show has probably one of the best villain groups. Shin, Noi, Ebisu, Fujita and En are super hilarious together. Almost the entire 4th episode was just following them around and it never got boring. The chemistry between them is great. Who cares about the main characters if you can have these guys.

I recommend this anime a lot.

When you get an anime adapting a critically claimed manga with fantastic art, your first thought is usually
GAAAAAAHHhhHHhHHhhH NOT AGAIN
Luckily for us, the adaptation of Dorohedoro, a manga I unfortunately have not read, seems to be a pretty decent adaptation.

Story:8
Dorohedoro is known for its wacky and nonsensical plot. And this certainly lives up to that. If I were to tell someone I was enjoying this show, and explained the plot.... they would probably think I was a bit weird. At least, weirder than normal. Let me explain it to you. A half crocodile man bits down on the heads of wizards so the ... man living in his throat can determine if they are the one who transformed his head into a crocodile. Although, I can’t give the plot anything lower than an 8. It may be strange, but it manages to be entertaining and interesting.

Art:8
Now. This is what I and many other people were worried about. However, I am happy to report that the CG is surprisingly decent. The background art is detailed and stunning, and the CG animation is watchable. Some shots look cheap, most of them due to the look of Caimans head. However, there are plenty of good looking scenes that balance out the bad, so definitely an 8/10.

Sound:9
Definitely one of my favorite parts of the show. The OP is one of my favorites this year, and ED 1 has another fantastic song. ED 2 is more fun, not too weird but not normal either. Overall, the music and sound design in the show is really good.

Character: 10
Easily the best part of the show. All the characters are fantastic, fun and likable. This is one of the few shows that doesn’t really have villains, just morally gray characters that care about each other and have fun personalities. Only anime can make something like this work. A wacky story driven by a colorful cast of rich characters.

Enjoyment:9
This is shaping up to be my favorite show of the season! I didn’t think I would like this as much as I do.

Overall:9
Give it a shot! It most certainly is not for everyone, but those who do stick with it will be rewarded with fun characters and eccentric plot.

Dorohedoro is an awesome story. A great anime which I effortlessly binged in two days. A story and world so captivating it kept me hooked till the last minute. This is a ruthless story about lighthearted revenge, identity and friendship.

∞∞∞ Art ∞∞∞
The op is totally on crack. Just watching the op is enough to get high, the dynamic color palette, the absolute crazy cooking scene, they are itch a certain vibe within me. It really feels like the animators wanted to challenge themselves and tried to capture the creativity into those 90 seconds.
Dorohedoro is an anime which is mostly made by CG. This put me ... off at first glance, but I’m glad I still stayed, because the CG isn’t bad at all. It just took me a few episodes to get used to the style. The best thing is that the CG doesn’t feel alienated from the drawn background, and that is important in anime immersion.
The level of detail and colors used is also done splendid. The story taking place in a hole, it is in general all gray and muddy. However the background kept it interesting to keep watching. The opposite of the gloomy hole is the sorcerer world and is painted as a happier place with vibrant colors and attractive costumes. The art is really good tailored with the story and personalities.
I would say that some gore isn’t for all people out here. It can get creepy and bloody sometimes, but it isn’t overdone. Personally I liked the amount of action and sometimes I went “ouch, that must have hurt”. A job well done for this kind of CG.

∞∞∞ Sound ∞∞∞
The op and ed songs are so good. I sometimes listen to them because they are catchy and funky, setting the right tone for the madness of Dorohedoro. The soundtrack gives off the right vibe, making your journey trough the story pleasant and lively.
My only complaint is the voice acting of Caiman. Sometimes he sounds like a man and other times like a man kicked in his nuts. I guess that is part of his personality. The other characters are also done very well and convincing. Their VA sounds a bit more relaxed and low-energy in contrast to Caiman and that makes them a bit more pleasant to listen to.

∞∞∞ Characters ∞∞∞
The characters are what makes me absolutely adore this show. They are painted as people who are trying to survive and live. And honestly for a comedy like show this feels like a breather without all those cliché personalities. The main character isn’t a saint, the antagonist isn’t “just” a bad guy and that makes it so watchable. The side character gets enough time to show they aren’t hollow either but they don’t steal the light of the mc. Ive got to say that Ebisu is so lovely and if I would be a sorcerer, I want to be her partner. Im glad that the character design isn’t unrealistic. Strong characters means muscles, thus adding some brickness to the waifus.

Caiman is first presented as a victim in the start of the anime, which he “unfortunately” is. But soon we learn that he isn’t victim like at all. While he struggles with his identity he isn’t put off by it. We got a strong character which presented himself badass, thus slaughtering all that is and isn’t in his way.

En, the mafia boss, is absolute kick-ass. He loves mushrooms and loves to eat his opponents. He is a feared name in the magic world and for good reason. Not because of plot armor, but because he is not only strong and charming, he is almost a main character on itself. What Dorohedoro did right is not to make him edgy or cliché like. Caiman is his is obstacle and he is an obstacle for Caiman. It was so interesting to see how they dealt with each other.

∞∞∞ Story ∞∞∞
The story is another one of its strong suits. While we know that Caiman is on some sort of quest he isn’t to fixated on it. It comes like a natural flow of events. We get to see him in action and other times we get to see a bit of his thoughts. What is done really well is that I’m convinced that he lives IN a world with problems and tries to battle them. It feels like the world has more to offer and that there is more lore and things to discover with each new episode, like that all sorcerers wear masks. The anime conveniently explains the in and outs of the world without making Caiman look like an ignorant fool (something done in surprising many anime).
The way sorcerers work and their world is also done convincing. While not giving away all their information they show us bit by bit how that “other” world is built up from and how we slowly getting a perspective shift to En (the antagonist).
The story isn’t to serious and neither is Caiman. It feels really relaxed to watch this and since no episode ends in a cliff hanger or tries to climax, the story plays out like a calm river.
Another big plus is that there are no ass-pulls. Those are moves, which are convenient to present an easy plot. Dorohedoro took the hard road and showed us how brutal and powerful story telling really can be.

∞∞∞ Enjoyment ∞∞∞
I really enjoyed watching Dorohedoro. It is so funky and lively to watch making it easy to finish it in two days. If you love story rich anime with lots of crazy action packed characters and a touch of madness I highly recommend to watch this. If Dorohedoro is one thing I would call it unique.

Read the manga instead.

Japanese animation studios have recently become fascinated with using CG in their work flow. I have no idea why. It looks terrible.

As a master once said: “Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is whatsoever. I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”

"I Believe the Tool of an Animator Is the Pencil" - Hayao Miyazaki

I find it offensive particularly because the art in the manga ... is so good. There's a few exceptions like the background art is fantastically recreated (by Shinji Kimura who also worked on the art direction of Akira, Steamboy and Angel's Egg) and the VAs do a good job, but otherwise, Q Hayashida's talent is not translated faithfully.

Let me start by saying that one of the things that weighted in my grading for this show was the overall refreshment and unique feeling of this show compared to your generic standard shows that are there for 12 episodes of fan service or shows that have continued for far too long.

While I am not a fan of the art style... I must be honest, they pulled off an extremely good job with it! This show contains gore, great visuals funky characters and an extremely interesting plot.

Let's start with the story. Our duo Nikaido and Caiman live in a place called the Hole. ... In their are all the people without magic. They are pretty much used for those who do posses magic and are used as guinea pigs. As the obviously don't accept this they have a lot of strong people that physically fight and kill against those with magic and vice versa.

The city of magic is... quite an interesting place, it contains demons that are capable of many things, including trades. Most of the demons are friends of the individual called En. He and his party pretty much rule over the magic domain. He is also the enemy of the duo.

Now let me get one thing straight, in this show... everyone is a villain. There is no good. There is only bad and worse. People get murdered left and right. People kill others for some pocket change or just a bad argument or hell it can be a festivity.

This is actually quite good for this show, why? Because every character is lovable and gets his/her own fair time in the show including background story and character development. For example in an anime that puts heroes in the spotlight it would be very weird to like the villains more than the main cast, but in here it's normal if you like the odd characters, because they all are worked out properly. They all have their own unique charm, including the side and potentially background characters.

This show has one of the catchiest openings. I have never skipped it, same thing applies to all the ending variations. There are quite a few and each is not exactly original but very unique. When the opening starts you know that you are in for one hell of a weird adventure and every single episode will keep you entertained.

This show contains very muscular folks, including the women. They are extremely good at combat too! So if you are here for the ecchi slim girl show you are at the wrong place.

Due to its unique charm, funky characters and great sense of humor this show was extremely enjoyable for me. I have not watched as much anime this season as I did in the past, that is because everything is starting to become the same well selling plot, the same kind of animations, the same kind of fights, just a slightly different story.

Dorohedoro was the refreshment I was looking for and the one you perhaps need as well!

Out of all of the shows that aired this season, there was none that managed to make me go “what the f**k am I watching” quite like Dorohedoro. Trying to make sense of this show has been a challenge as it’s not like it is a show where there is a mystery to make sense of. Instead, it’s trying to make sense of the tone and atmosphere that this show is showcasing to us. In simple terms, this show is very unconventional and surreal. But despite that, what we have here is without a doubt one of the most entertaining anime this season. Why? Well ... I’ll tell you.

Sit back relax and bite on someone head to see if they are the one for you as I present to you the anime review for Dorohedoro. Let’s begin.


Story: 9/10

Hole. A dark and decrepit place where death is a common occurrence. It’s a testing ground for magic users to use their magic on the citizens of Hole. Merely playthings to them. However, one person is immune to magic which is our main protagonist Caiman. He is searching, encountering and killing every magic user in his way to find the magic user that turned his head into that of a lizard. Along with his friend Nikaido, they search for the that magic user; hoping to return Caiman back to normal.

For an anime as bizarre as this, the plot plays it pretty safe and straightforward. There aren’t any complicated plot threads or mysteries, it’s a simple revenge story. It honestly plays perfectly to the bizarre nature of Dorohedoro because with how the show is presented, a more complicated plot would only confuse the viewer because of the weird tone clashing with the complicated plot. It wouldn’t gel well so a much simpler plot allows us to get to grips with the tone and world much better with an easy to understand plot.

Speaking of the tone, it’s a unique blend of horror, action and comedy with a touch of fantasy to it. Now normally, such a blend would leave a total mess in tone. But somehow, Dorohedoro makes it work because if there is one thing that covers the entire show, is that it never takes itself too seriously. That I think makes it work because it would have been jarring and confusing otherwise if it took itself seriously. Dorohedoro is having fun front and foremost. It’s having fun with its gruesome kills, the banter between our characters and the world that our characters are in. Speaking of which, the world that Caiman lives and the wolrd that magic users live is very interesting. You can tell how bad things have gotten since the magic user’s arrival with how Hole has accepted it and how the magic user’s world looks and operates. It’s all genuinely fascinating and how both worlds are portrayed as polar opposites. But I do have one small gripe with this show and that the pacing is rather janky. Now it ain’t all bad as the majority of the show’s pacing is really good and the episode goes along smoothly. But sometimes the pacing can just feel off at times and it feels like we are speeding up to get from one place to the next. It wasn’t to the point of annoyance but it was noticeable when it happened.

Now, this all one thing, but the glue that holds this show’s plot and world together is without a doubt, it’s characters.


Characters: 10/10

So yeah, I love every character in this series. They all have a personality that makes them charming despite their murderous tendencies. Each of their personalities are easily distinct from one another. Whether it be Caiman’s loud voice and how he gets easily excited or Shin’s real lack of f**ks given, it works well with the shows quirkiness to help define each character and what makes them so enjoyable. Like, I didn’t expect En, the show’s main “antagonist,” to have a personality that differs from the type of character this show initially presents. Even Johnson, who is literally a giant, bipedal cockroach who only says one word, “Shocking!” has a personality that makes him unique from the rest of the cast. Of course, that’s even if you consider En to be an antagonist because there is no good guy in Dorohedoro, just lesser evils. Despite the people of Hole and the World of Sorcerers are generally trying to live in a nice society, they would love nothing but to cut each other up into pieces if you p*ss them off. So the show does a nice balancing act of making the cast likeable without hiding their murderous intentions.

But that is just one element that makes them enjoyable, the other is their chemistry. Having great personalities and charm is one thing, but if they can’t either clash or mesh together, then it has an empty ring to it. Dorohedoro does both very well. Whether it would be the chemistry between Caiman and Nikaido or Shin and Noi, their interactions with one another help make the show’s best moments more vibrant as their personality's mix well together to make for some intense moments, or some very funny banter between one another. It helps make the show’s entire cast more enjoyable, and it easily makes its characters the highlight of the show.


Animation: 9/10

I was coming off Beastars when I started watching this show, so the cgi was difficult to get used to but I got used to it after two episodes and I can say it does look good. Sure, it’s not studio Orange level of quality cgi, but it still looks much better than the majority of shows that use cgi animation. This is because the characters are still expressive and they have a gritty detail to their designs, matching the grittiness of the show’s world. In fact, the character designs just look great in general as they have plenty of features that make them unique. The magic users especially do with their masks but also how they look in general. They are easily recognisable.

But what sold the animation for me was the background art. It looks f***ing gorgeous. Whether it would be Hole or the World of Sorcerers, the world just looks great with plenty of detail and finesse to it to really make the world of Dorohedoro gritty, dark and something that looks interesting to explore. It really does help set the stage of the world of Dorohedoro. Whether it would be in Hole or the World of Sorcerers, it really seals the deal that the animation in Dorohedoro is much better than I was expecting, even with the cgi animation.


Sound: 9.5/10

It’s fair to say the ost of this series always seemed to match the tone of the scene. Whether it would be a more comedic scene or a more horror themed scene, there is an ost that perfectly matches the show. I would say though that the horror part of the ost was more memorable due to the heavy metal vibe really matching the tone of the world, especially with Hole. That’s not to say the comedic side of the ost isn’t forgettable because it certainly is not and it matches well with some of shows more comedic moments.

But the sound section wouldn’t be complete for me without what is probably my favourite opening this season, "Welcome to Chaos" by (K) NoW_NAME, because this has to be what it feels like to be on psychedelic drugs. But it’s not only that, it is also a good opening for spoiling and not spoiling what is to come in the show. When you first watch it you are like, “what the f**k is this?” Then once you watch the show more, it actually starts to make sense and it’s just symbolic of what is to come in the show. It perfectly matches Dorohedoro as it is surreal but you like it in a weird way to make it rather captivating.

Now the ending sequences. This was a case of quantity over quality except not really because the endings are rather good. I would go on about each of them but that would drag this out too long, but they all retain the quality art style and bizzare tone throughout. My favourite one is the third one, “D.D.D.D” by (K) NoW_NAME because it is just one big DOOM reference and as a hardcore gamer, I’m a sucker for that.


Conclusion:

Dorohedoro is something that shouldn’t work but does in an unconventional way. It’s gritty and psychotic sure, but with a sense of irony to it that gives it a comedic edge. For those who were expecting a pure, gritty horror show, this ain’t it. It’s more in the vain of a horror comedy that somehow works considering the world and setting. Its world building is great, characters are fantastic, animation was much better than I thought it was going to be and the ost is a great tone setter. Sure, it’s not what I look for in a horror anime, but I am also open to pleasant surprises and that’s exactly what Dorohedoro is, a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I was going to and has become my favourite anime this season easily.

If you have not watched this yet, I highly recommend this series as it a fantastic horror comedy with plenty of grittiness and gore to it to satisfy your bloodlust and plenty of comedic moments to make you laugh.


My Personal Enjoyment: 10/10


Overall Score: 9.5/10 Recommendation: Go f***ing watch it

Yes. It's entirely cgi (at least for character models). No, it doesn't look like RWBY or some other garbage.

I need a minute so let's talk about how this anime is probably going to take the top spot on Mappa's trophy shelf.

This artstyle is the most experimental thing I've seen... probably ever in an anime. Using beautifully hand drawn backgrounds that show there isn't a lack of budget or talent, cgi models that move well and don't feel like a rubber doll flopping around, amazing hand drawn skins over those models that feel almost borderlands-esque, and of course the occasional still image thrown in for sight ... gags as if you're watching an episode of Flap Jack or something.

Off the art style alone I'd give this a 10, because Dorohedoro already has a following because of the source material being amazing. I haven't read the source material, but I can still tell that it translates well into this. I'm a bit of a Mappa fanboy but it's because they've consistently put out amazing adaptations such as this in the past few years.

So, story:
I want to spoil absolutely nothing here for you dudes so let's talk about how this story FEELS. It's a roller coaster, it's confusing and awkward at times, and everyone's already said this. It's pretty fucking engaging and can swing from serious shit into what feels like a filler episode which is actually still effecting the plot while having fun. Don't read reviews to figure out the story on this one, it's out, enjoy it.

Art:
Already said it. 10/10. It's incredible, it's risky, it's incredibly well thought-out and skillfully created. It's off-putting for the first episode because I thought I'd been slipped some drugs while enjoying the hell out of it. Not as trippy as something like mob-psycho but definitely more artsy in it's own way.

Sound:
Music's solid. Some of the music is great. None of the sounds were off-putting as far as normal sound-effects go so I'm saying 10. Idk, I'm a music guy not a sound-effect guy.

Characters:
Same as the story, watch it. None of the characters really seem boring in this. Some are predictable, but they're all still very fleshed out and you WILL be given perspectives, backstory, and all that jazz for every important character.

Enjoyment:
See everything above.

Dorohedoro is idiosyncratic. In other words, it’s really weird, to the point where there’s nothing else in anime that compares. It’s gory and full of grotesque monsters, but it’s also quite funny. Definitely more funny than scary. Everything is run-down, dirty and overcrowded, yet there’s life around every corner, happily crawling by. Q Hayashida has created a dismal, filthy world and populated it with a bunch of cheerful monsters. That’s really what comes across most of all in this first episode, that Dorohedoro is full of life. It’s a master-class in world building.

What am i worried:

I was worried about Dorohedoro being a little too CG heavy, but aside from a few scenes, ... it’s well animated and really captures the dingy, lived-in aesthetic of Q Hayashida’s manga, not to mention the oddball chemistry between guys like Caiman and Nikaidō.

Is the storytelling coherent right now? Probably not at the moment, no. I wouldn’t blame anyone watching this feeling a little… bewildered. That’s certainly how I felt and I’ve collected a lot of Dorohedoro‘s manga, but have faith, dear reader, things are explained… eventually!

Dorohedoro’s debut episode was certainly something. Combining a pulpy premise with a cyberpunk walled city get-up, Dorohedoro is bound to be one of the most unique shows to come out this season. Not afraid to mix in grotesque violence with some run-of-the-mill corny dialogue, the show is a bit of an oddity to say the least.

The show opens in the chasm of Caiman’s open jaws, as one of two apprehended thugs looks like he’s about to get turned into a snack. That is until a mysterious figure emerges from Caiman’s esophagus, only to stare down the thug and exclaim that “he is not the one”. (Episode 1)

Attempting to save his endangered friend, the other thug emits a black smoke from his fingertips, which is uncannily deflected off Caiman’s scaley exterior. After Caiman realizes the thug in his mouth is no longer of any use to him, he releases his jaw only to dice up the boy with his combat knife. In a moment of confusion, the other thug conjures a door and slips away into another dimension.

As it turns out, these two thugs were sorcerers who exist separately to the world Caiman and Nikaido inhabit. While our two protagonists live in the ghettos of “The Hole” the aristocratic-like sorcerers are essentially a gang of delinquents who make trips to “The Hole” to practice their sorceries on the locals as if they were lab rats. 

RESULT:

There is a littlebit issue. In terms of the visual execution, the show is mediocre at best. With a reliance on shoddy, cell-shaded CG used in places that I can only imagine were to fill up the production schedule combined with its choppy framerates, a lot of the show’s critical moments didn’t deliver in the way they should have. 

On the narrative side of things, the episode is certainly a bit disjointed. While it’s not uncommon for some of these quirky shows to use unconventional storytelling techniques, Dorohedoro has already relied on using a flashback for a minor event from a minor character no less. The flashback felt extra cheap considering it didn’t event flashback to anything we had actually seen. Perhaps this was used to place some semblance of importance on the character in question, but all around it felt like a cheap way to communicate some level of importance tied to the event, without properly conveying what the even was. 

Overall, the episode kept me captivated for the full 24 minutes and it was even over before I had realized how long I had been watching. If anything, that is indication enough that I will happily keep watching this show, and recommend it to anyone who has their curiosity piqued by the premise. I’m looking forward to the wild ride MAPPA is about to take us on.

Rating: 6/10

Let me the voice of dissent and declare that Dorohedoro is crap! I mean it.

Every episode is filled with stupid "comic relief" and absolutely unessential character interactions which do not help the series at all. About half the things that go on in the show has no connection to the main plot. No story whatsoever, only glimpses of a promised plot that never really makes it into the show. I don't know if the studio was having money problems or not but I think they forgot to hire a character designer. None of the characters have any real motivation and their choices are plain irrational. ... Terrible world-building, if there is any world-building at all. As for the plot it started out original, then got stale from the 3rd episode, and by the 8th episode was all over the place which is how it stayed till the end with some new info crammed into the last episode so we tune in for Season 2. I'll pass.

About the violence and gore and stuff it is just for show and only skims the surface. Watch some 70's anime if you want violence and gore. Despite its hype I failed to notice any original or dark themes. "Ohhh some evil people are killing us and we have to fight to survive, while figuring out what is going on"- is almost every anime ever.

People going on about how good the animation is has no clue about animation. They just saw an unique look and feel and went Woaahhhhh! The fight scenes are plain disgusting. Btw similar visual tones can be found in so many older anime- check out Paprika, Devilman, Blood+, Kagewani etc.

I probably wouldn't have watched this show without my brother, who had read the manga, insisting I give it a shot. I'm really glad now that he did as it's probably my favorite new anime of this season. Maybe I'll even read the manga when I have the time.

The art style of CGI is honestly one of the best I've seen recently. The only thing I think that's better is Land of the Lustrous. They use some similar techniques here where they will use traditional animation here and there but you won't notice unless you know what to look for.

I do wish they could have ... done 100% traditional animation like you see in the OP but I can understand why they had to use CGI. Action sequences with traditional animation is expensive and this series has a lot of action. Regardless, they do an excellent job and really push the envelope of CGI animation.

As for everything else it's one of the most amazing anime I've seen. While the story is interesting it's the characters that really drive the plot, as it should be. At first you'll think the sorcerers are just 'evil' but it's so much better than that. It's that every character in the story, including the 'protagonists', is batshit insane and it's wonderful.

If you want an anime that has an interesting narrative, insane action with all the gore you could ask for, hilarious comedy and compelling while crazy characters then you should watch this anime.

After watching ‘Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure,’ ‘Fist of the North Star,’ and ‘Battle Angel Alita,’ you may deceive yourself into thinking you have seen all the weirdness that the anime medium has to offer. But then you watch a lizard-dude (Kaiman) — with a fully grown person living inside of him — eat sorcerers whole as he gets chased by a red-headed sorcerer (En) who turns people into mushrooms and proceeds to chow them down. But before you have a chance to question the moral implications of this subtle portrayal of cannibalism, you become mesmerized by the absurdity that is Dorohedoro.

Set in a cryptic, ... post-apocalyptic world, where sorcerer’s practice their magic on the humans who live in the ‘Hole.’ Kaiman and Nikaido, earnestly, search for the sorcerer who turned Kaiman into a lizard-dude who is immune to magic. Admittedly, the characters adhere to conventional archetypes that one could see in a myriad of other anime or western cartoons. For example, Kaiman’s oafish demeanor and unremitting hunger is reminiscent of Homer from ‘The Simpsons.’ Nikaido, on the other hand, follows the provocative, action-girl archetype, in which she kicks ass and conveniently keeps her jacket unzipped so we can stare at those ‘Humpty Dumplings.’ Seriously, though. The back pain! And the En family — En, Shin, Noi, Fujita, and Ebisu — serve as a foil to inhibit and circumvent Kaiman and Nikaido’s plans. In essence, do not expect the level of character depth or exploration as the recently finished first season of Beastars.

But what’s the appeal, then?…

After all, Dorohedoro is the not the type of anime that will pull any punches. Or kicks, or bites to the face. It is a grotesque anime that will show you a world that you never dared to imagine. And through this exploration of objectionable horror, something ‘SHOCKING’ will happen: uncomfortable and uncontrolled laughter. In a way, it is like an extreme version of the ‘Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror.’ With Kaiman staring as Homer, En as Mr. Burns, and Ebisu as Ralph Wiggum. In all seriousness, Dorohedoro comedy is top-notch with its use of dark comedy, slapstick, shock humor, situational, and anime-esque comedy. The latter one, however, can sometimes be a detriment when used to liberally; notwithstanding, Dorohedoro, wisely, chooses to use restraint when it comes to this modern day trapping. Up until this point, my favorite joke was when Kaiman was carrying his own head in a jar while walking down a dark alley in the middle of the night. I mean, what kind of mushrooms were going to Q. Hayashida head when she wrote this hallucinogenic laugh-riot!

Modern day animation is in the midst of a transition period. While in the 90’s and early 2000’s studios predominately used 2D animation and aesthetics, recent years have seen a shift to 3D-CGI. It is not that one style is superior to another, yet one can’t turn a blind eye to the atrocities of Berserk (2016), Ajin, or Knights of Sidonia. On the flip side, one shouldn’t ignore the successes of Beastars, Fate/Zero, or the action sequences involving the gear equipment in Attack on Titan. Despite some intermittent moments of wonky aesthetics and overly vibrant color choices, Dorohedoro’s animation has been quite good. In particular, the background aesthetics have been superb with its portrayal of grays, blacks, yellows, and browns. The animation has been relatively smooth and the use of blood provides a nice contrasting effect to all the sepia tones.

As for the character designs: I’m ambivalent. They are not awful by any stretch of the imagination. But the character faces, in particular, leave much to be desired. I have mentioned this more than once in my Dorohedoro episode reviews, that the blocky/pudgy faces are absent of detail. As a comparison, check out Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust’s 2D character aesthetics — from the year 2000 (which was 20 years-ago) — and compare the differences in their respective facial aesthetics. Granted, the budget for a feature length is different than a 12 episode series. That being said, one can’t help but wonder how good the animation could have been if they elected to use a 2D aesthetic. With all that in mind, however, Dorohedoro’s animation and art style are pleasing to my eye.

Dorohedoro’s OP — ‘Welcome to Chaos’ — is somewhat disappointing given its repetitive nature and lack of inclusion of the En Family. By no means is it bad. However, similar to the animation, it feels like there was unrealized potential that could have made it extraordinary. Which is a good segue to the overall tone of the series: great concepts/ideas, average execution. That being said, Dorohedoro is still an exhilarating series that warrants your time. Just make you come into this one with an empty stomach, because in one scene you’ll be starving, and in the next you’ll be sick to your stomach.

Bon Appétit.

Thank you, MAPPA! Once again do you bring hope to modern anime with this adaptation. Dorohedoro was just what I needed. It´s gruesome, it´s gory, it´s violent, it´s absurd, it´s cool, it´s funny in a very sick and dark way, and absolutely freaking enjoyable. Fair warning dear new watchers do under any circumstances eat mushrooms before or during this watch. End warning. So, let me take you on a fangirl rant of this awesomeness called Dorohedoro!

It´s been a while since I wholeheartedly enjoyed a seasonal anime this much. In an ocean of trashy Isekai and cute anime girls doing cute things for no reason, Dorohedoro ... rises like a paradise island. It has everything that the ocean has not; substances, solidity, interesting and weird mammals, and let´s not forget mushrooms.

Hayashida (author and artist of the manga) has some sick and brilliant imagination. He has created a completely unique setting and characters. Sorcerers with creepy masks and magic in the form of smoke, magical experiments, hierarchy systems, gangs, two sided conflict, a lizardman with amnesia, gloriously fished up characters, violence so explicit that Hellsing looks like it´s Dorohedoro´s cute little sister and lots and lots of mushrooms *shivers*.

It´s no good and evil, it´s just survival and loyalty to the yours and mine. It´s no deep messages of society’s problems, just an insane portrayal of something like it. Sorcerers with creepy power that uses non-sorcerers as giny pigs for social climbing. A dude with a lizard head looking for the sorcerer motherf*cker that messed him up by kicking their ass and letting the guy living in his mouth take a look at them, and finally transform them to shish kebab together with his awesome friend Nikaido. Oh, Nikaido. You are as welcomed as a female lead as spring after winter, a cold beer after a day´s hard work, and a warm cosy bed a cold night. Especially after suffering through 7 whole episodes of Plunderer*shudders*. She is badass, super cool and can cook the best goyza´s. She is the best girl of the year, no contest. She and Caiman (lizard dude) are the best tag team ever. Creepy wizard in the Hole, stay clear or you will have a triple bad day ending in tiny bloody slices.

And guess what? The supposedly bad sorcerers gang members are also super cool and fished up! Except En,He is just super-duper creepy freaky. I just say mushrooms *shudders again*. But hands up for the tag team Noi and Shin! Noi is so far away from any female stereotype that she creates a whole new category. Shin is also a crazy badass which you can´t help but love, the dude has suffered and raised a top. I actually adore Noi´s and Shin´s partnership, they have each other’s back, everyone should have that kind of a friend! And #shipping and stuff.

MAPPA has done excellent work (once again I might add). The art is faithful to the artist, the animation spot on. I might have mentioned that Dorohedoro is slightly violent? Well, violence and gore fall flat without great animation. MAPPA has cut no corners. The action scenes are totally awesome, no censoring the gore and violent story, and the amount of detail in the backgrounds are staggering. Cuddos cuddos cuddos! Truly talented people <3

The voice actors are awesome, they play their mental characters brilliantly, and brings it all to life. Arigato!

Dorohedoro made me excited, happy and slightly disgusted, just like I like it! Every episode was an insane, ludacris, slightly nauseating ride which I looked forward to every week. And in all this insanity it was – wait for it – a red thread! Or threads, neatly woven together which created a solid platform for this violent mushroom trip. Recommend to all that was vomiting on all washed out contributions these past seasons and has a solid stomach. And remember, eating mushroom during the watch is not recommended (even if I highly suspect that Hayashida may have popped a couple of magic ones when creating his work).

No matter how good this is or how good people claim it to be, the 14fps CGI gives me eye cancer, I just can't watch this. At least it's not Berserk 2016 level of bad, but still, sigh, it's kinda disappointing that Q Hayashida’s legendary comic wasn't able to receive a worthy adaptation. Characters or moments which were supposed to be met with horror or shock are met with "heh, look at that lame cg model". Aside from Houseki no Kuni, most CGI in anime is just bad and dorohedoro sadly is not exception

Also, the way it keeps alternating between 2d and the crap 14fps ... CGI removes all sense of immersion and enjoyment, it just becomes weird

Just read the manga or something if you really want to see this plot through despite having a hard time with the animation

Okay, we're finally into our horror anime month reviews. I went through my list of requests and I did find some horror genre stuff. Starting with Dorohedoro. This one was handled by MAPPA and based off of a manga by Hayashida Q. I don't know the manga writer but I do know that MAPPA has been involved with more anime I'd consider sub-par or worse, like Banana Fish, Garo or Kakegurui than it has anime I've actually liked. The only anime they were involved in that I watched and liked was Dororo. So, I'd like to see something good here, but I don't expect it. ... Let's dive in.

Story:

Our protagonist is Kaiman, a lizardman living in Hole. A wretched hive of scum and villainy where sorcerers come to test their spells. He's looking for the sorcerer who gave him a lizard head so that they can fix him. Even though he kills sorcerers regardless and their spells wear off when they die, so you'd think the checking part wouldn't be needed. He's working with his friend, a young woman named Nikaidou. Little does he realise, that she has a dark secret that could threaten their friendship.

The big issue with the series is that it doesn't always seem like they thought things through. Kaiman opening his mouth and having sorcerers talk to the man inside is a great example. It's established pretty early on that he kills sorcerers regardless. It's also established that their spells wear off when they die. So, as a rule, there's no reason for him to check. He could just kill them and, if he still has a lizard head, he would know that wasn't the right one. Especially since he plans on killing them any way. I think there are two times in the series when he puts someone's head in his mouth and decides not to kill them. And a couple cases where he tries to get the kill but fails. The world building is another aspect where that shines through. It doesn't feel like there was a defined concept for the world to begin with. It feels like the world building is being made up as the series progresses.

The comedy varies. There are definite gross out jokes that rely on the audience finding vomit or human waste or some such thing funny to work. I will say, to the series' credit, those jokes are in the minority. Most of the humour relies on you having a dark, macabre sensibility. And that actually works quite well for me. I like macabre comedy. I can also appreciate that a lot of effort went into balancing the dark humour with some actual creepy content that could work in a straight up horror work. It's not an easy aesthetic to pull off, but I think Dorohedoro mostly manages it well. I also do think they end it on a strong point where they're clearly going for more but they give you a solid climax for something that happens within the series. I do also think that the series does a good job of staying compelling throughout. There's always some source of tension that still needs explored.

Characters:

The characters are pretty interesting. They have a good balance of quirky and complex. At least with the main characters. There are some side characters that are a bit one note but it's mostly characters who don't get much screen time which is kind of understandable. I do also quite like the character dynamics. The friendship betwixt the two leads is pretty nice and I do think it develops really well throughout the series.

Art:

The series uses this weird, Cel-shaded style that actually winds up working quite well given the weird horror comedy aesthetic. It wouldn't work that well if this were pue horror, but it works very nicely for a horror comedy.

Sound:

MAPPA got some strong acting for this one. Takagi Wataru, Kondou Reina, Kobayashi Yuu and Hosoya Yoshimasa all give strong performances. If there's a weakness, it's Tomita Miyu. And it's not anything that's her fault. Her character is just the one that does the comedy that gets slightly annoying in how over the top it is. The music works quite well. Know Name did a good job. They also did the music in Fairy Gone which wasn't quite as strong.

Ho-yay:

There's a blatantly gay sorcerer who's interested in the main antagonist. That's all you really get for ho-yay.

Areas of Improvement:

1. Dial back the gross out jokes. They're the biggest weakness of the comedy by far.

2. Play Ebisu with more subtlety.

3. Think your world through more cohesively.

Final Thoughts:

This is definitely the second best anime I've seen from MAPPA. I know, it's not exactly stiff competition, but this is a solid series with a lot of strong elements. If you have a penchant for macabre humour, I would say give it a watch. For me, I'm giving it a solid 7/10.

Q Hayashida

I'm a huge fan of the manga. This is easily in my top 5, and I've been a manga fan since the early 90s. I was very nervous about a CGI anime, but this series, just like the manga, only gets BETTER with each episode. It took me years to get into the manga due to the violence factor, but once I did I binged it in a few days. It's been years since I experienced anything like this with a manga/anime. Please keep watching--there are so many more amazing things to come with this series! The soundtrack and backgrounds are a huge ... plus.