Dorohedoro

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Dorohedoro is one of the best manga I have ever read. The writer managed to depict a deep, dark plot and an unlimited imagination.


Story 9/10


To begin with, we find that the story is simple, as it talks about kaiman man with a lizard face. Having amnesia and he is searching for the magician how did this for him. Simple, yes!!. But this is only the beginning, and you will not understand the depth and strength of the story events until Volume 7, so here the mystery will reveal. And You will find yourself fascinated by the greatness of the story.

Art 9/10

...
Dorohedoro have an iconic art style. The art shows the darkness and creepiness of the story. Also, it’s unique and clear!!. The background drawing photographed the manga world. Everything was perfect. I can’t even describe how beautiful the drawing was!.


Character 10/10

One of the strongest points of the manga is the character. Every single one has a unique character you will never know who’s best for you. The relationship between the main and side character is fabulous. You will remember every single character and you will feel attached to them!.

Enjoyment and overall 10/10

I repeat, this is one of the best manga I have ever read. it’s a dark fantasy manga, but also there is a dark comedy. This means you will laugh and be afraid at the same time! >> This happened to me:) overall you may take a while to get into it and feel comfortable with its unusual style. But trust me it worth to read.

Story:
The premise of Dorohedoro is very simplistic and weird, but it's nothing like that. Q Hayashida (the author) has crafted nothing short of but a convoluted tale filled with phenomenonal world building, horror, gut-busting dark comedy, some action and an absolutely perfect long form mystery storytelling. Dorohedoro is also a very raw and gritty manga, there's tons of body horror and also lots of nudity. What I admire about  Dorohedoro is that nudity isn't used to sexualise the female cast. Majority of seinen manga use nudity as a way to sexualise the female characters, but in Dorohedoro seeing the female cast being nude is just ... like a natural event and is in no way sexual, this is something I truly appreciate of Q Hayashida.

Art:
Dorohedoro's raw and gritty atmosphere is elevated even further with Hayashida's art. Her style is rough, sketchy, gritty but definitely matches the atmosphere of Dorohedoro, it also perfectly conveys the theme of it. Each panel is jam packed with minor details and debrises, like mushrooms, hobos, broken signboards, litters on the ground, etc, etc. These minor touches really brings the world to life and makes it feel real. The characters also look fucking good. I especially love Nikaido's design, she has a blonde hair with blue eyes, wears dark baggy clothes which strikes a direct contrast to her Chinese design and also wears combat boots with gloves. Hayashida also does a wonderful job at the horror scenes. Picture this, thousands of mushrooms bursting out of your innards and growing till they rip you to pieces. Yes, Dorohedoro is filled to the brim with these kinds gory scenes and they are drawn sooooo grotesquely, which I absolutely love.

Characters:
If for anything Dorohedoro is a must read for its characters. If you love a large cast of well developed eccentric goofy characters, Dorohedoro's your shit and if you love  strong female characters who can take care of themselves without a man, then Dorohedoro's gotcha covered. The female casts of Dorohedoro are literally one of my favs. Noi is probably the THICCest character that I've seen, she has healing magic but that doesn't mean she's weak, I mean she literally karate chops a dude in half with her fucking hands. Nikaido is my most favourite among the female cast though, she's kind caring, good at making gyōzas and I'd literally love to have her as a partner. Ohh and she also decapitates a dude with her bare hands. Ebisu, is weird and kind off like the comic relief character of the series and is also capable of turning to a freaking T-Rex. The male cast are also fantastic and justbas badass as the female cast. Kaiman is literally a dude with a Cayman for a head and chops up magic users using to pairs of daggers. Shin is a magic user who uses a hammer and smashes Hole's peoples just for the fun of it. Fujita, well is Fujita. En, is the strongest magic user in existence, who uses mushroom magic, who is also very caring for his familia and would literally annihilate anyone who harms them. There's more characters but I doubt I'll be able to explain everyone's quirks and traits.


Enjoyment:
Dorohedoro is nothing short of but a masterpiece and is definitely one of my favourites of all time, if not my most favourite manga. It's got a fantastic plot filled with dark humour, gore, nudity, mystery and occasionally some action. The artsyle is absolutely gorgeous (in its own way) and portrays the underlying tone and theme of the manga. The cast are eccentric and quirky, with both strong male and female leads and are enjoyable to watch. I highly recommend this manga to everyone who loves seinen or just wants a fun read

This is a series I would reread over and over again; not only for how much I enjoyed it, but for how complex and well-written the story is overall. There’s so much going on within the series, and the way the author weaves each plot thread together is fantastic. They really made reading and figuring out each plot thread immensely enjoyable and fun. It also has some of the best worldbuilding in all of manga; and don't even get me started on the characters! This series probably has one of the best casts across all manga. The author does a great job at making you ... love everyone and want to see them succeed in their goals, and even though they’re badass while fighting, it’s those smaller moments in life between them all where they really shine imo. The art style is also fantastic. The rough style compliments the setting and tone of the manga extremely well. Only complaint I can say/think of is how they handled one character in the second half of the series; but it feels so minor that, when put next to all the positives of this series, it doesn't really bother me. This is the closest manga I’ll ever get to a masterpiece next to Akira or Fist of the North Star.

Summary:
Dorohedoro is a very unique piece of art with gore, ridiculous fight scenes, puzzlingly confusing and suspense-inducing mysteries, interesting and complex characters, a wonderful art style, and hilarious running jokes. The story is absolutely one of the most eccentric and distinctive I’ve seen. The plot follows the protagonist, Kaimen, as he travels through a post-apocalyptic, magical world in search of a sorcerer who turned his face into a lizard's. Along the way, he attempts to put the pieces together while suffering from amnesia, and he meets quite the cast of unconventional teammates, villains, and in-between. The story helps to blur the lines between good and ... evil. I recommend this manga to anyone who enjoys humor, dark subjects, and doesn’t mind some shocking gore.

Story: 9/10
Dorohedoro has a phenomenally complex plot. It starts off somewhat simple and builds in a way that makes the characters grow. The mystery unwinds at the perfect rate, making you understand what’s going on just enough to remain intrigued but not enough to ruin the plot twists. It’s one of those stories that gets absolutely bizarre in the right ways, and you just can’t get enough.

Art: 10/10
The art is phenomenal. Q Hiyashida is a talented artist with a unique, dark style. Her artwork adds to the world-building and makes the characters even more interesting. Some artwork is over-the-top, which adds to the comedic aspects of the story.

Characters: 9/10
Stories are useless without interesting, relatable, and heart-warming characters; this story has them all. Every character grows internally and externally, and they are all unique. The cyber-punk fashion vibes from the art also help the characters stand out. You definitely won’t have a hard time telling them apart on the black and white pages because they are so eccentrically designed. Also, the writing does a great job of incorporating the characters’ struggles, which are hard to find in other stories that have such intense plots.

Enjoyment: 9/10
This is the first manga I have completed, though I have started many. The plot, characters, art, and humor kept me interested throughout the story. I have even brought in volumes to share with my friends at work because it's such an imaginative story to explore and discuss. I also enjoyed comparing the beginning sections to the anime (which is quite similar, plot-wise). The original artwork is amazing. I will say, however, that some volumes towards the end drag on in parts, so the pacing is more inconsistent. Nonetheless, I enjoyed every volume of Dorohedoro and recommend it to anyone interested in this genre of art.

Overall: 9.25/10

Dorohedoro is my drug. I read the WHOLE series within two weeks, and most of that time was me waiting for more volumes to arrive!

There is so much to say about this series:

-I've never met a character in this manga that I dislike. Every single character is badass and funny and more! EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. IS. GOATED.

-Love the vibe and mood this manga has. Violent, post-apocalyptic, gritty and dirty??? AMAZING

-Art is absolutely amazing. It fits the vibe and feel of the manga.

... -Amazing story with many twists and turns

Q HAYASHIDA IS MY QUEEN AND GODESS THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS MASTERPIECE

This review contains mild spoilers

It started off slow for me but beginning vol 5-6 it started to pick up and i was enjoying it. And It was around vol 10 when I kinda started getting lost. I feel like the author did not do a good job in revealing really important things in the manga caiman’s identity... i found that part when caiman changed from a lizard to human anticlimatic. And it started to go downhill from there again.

Honestly this series could’ve been shortened to 15 vols. Thought that reviving en didnt realy bring anything to the plot. and the ending when caiman turned ... into a sorcerer and his power was the power of gyoza mann.... that was disappointing.

Probably the mangaka had a certain end point in mind when first starting the series and then wrote past it and just had to put something together. The ending would've benefitted from looking back on all the past chapters and focusing on resolving all the open arcs. Characters were severely underutilized, there were so many possibilities for that final battle. Kaiman did not need to have gyoza magic it was ridiculous.

Shin and Noi obviously just wrecking shit, Shin getting completey obliterated and then immediately regenerated by Noi wouldve made for some amazing art. Dokuga and the surviving cross eyes couldve done something more at least, Dokuga's poison magic never gets addressed beyond a cute character quirk for the most part.

Shou just died so unceremoniously I legitimately thought he would play a bigger role and there would be more revelations regarding his character. They literally could have revived him with Kikurage and used his OP dematerialization for some insane magic combos but the joke was haha nobody cares about him they can barely remember him.

Nikaido's devil form was kind of a disappointment and it was never even addressed how she used her magic to bring Kaiman back. Hell even Chota could have contributed somehow, or he would have been a good candidate to kill off for stakes. Hell I'm pretty sure Chidaruma in his new human form was never really even shown! Story just went back to the normalcy of the beginning so it could come full circle, a big disappointment considering how much richness was there to draw upon.

Pros:

Well-constructed mystery plot that doesn't drag or overstay its welcome

Great worldbuilding and a magic system that doesn't feel shamelessly borrowed off of something that already exists

Enormous cast of likeable characters in which even minor characters get a chance to shine

Fun and memorable character designs

Gore and humor in equally welcome quantities

Cons:

Frequent POV changes mean that a lot of the chapters consist of other characters getting filled in on stuff they'd missed out on

Art can make for some pretty confusing fights at times

The final fight felt deceptively simple considering how long the buildup to it was

Overall, i'm sorry i know this manga is so hyped up but the second half was a total miss for me...

Dorohedoro is a well-designed, atmospheric manga with a specific style and sense of humour that carries the series through its story. The author Q Hayashida illustrates her personality so well in the pages of the texts by using juxtapositions of grim and depressing settings and subject matters with deadpan deliveries, sarcasm, goofiness, and silliness.

The characters in the manga are mostly powerful magic users who each have what is essentially a personalized super power (sometimes very arbitrary but always unexpected- such as turning people into meat pies) or they are weak and vulnerable victims to the violent world around them (such as all of the ... inhabitants of hole and magic users who can't produce much magic). All of the characters in the manga have personality and charm. This is the strongest aspect of Dorohedoro, and where Q Hayashida shines through the most. Kaiman, Nikaido, Shin, En, Noi, Ebisu, Fujita, Risu, the staff at the magic victims hospital, everyone is clever and has their own personality.

That is, unless they are needed for explaining what's happening in this crazy world, and this is where the story is lacking. Unfortunately, the logic of Dorohedoro is inconsistent at many times, and the explanations for the effectiveness of the magic being done to drive the plot along can be convoluted and hard to follow. This results in the manga drunkenly stumbling through the plot a bit, resulting in weird or awkward compromises (such as Risu and Aikawa's relationship) or anticlimactic conclusions (such as En's arc). Maybe it was because they were rushing to finish the series, but after about the half way point of the manga there was a shift to begin concluding to the finale and tying all the loose ends, which happens more or less but not in a very satisfying way.

Even so, I enjoyed the world that the author created and enjoyed reading it, I just wished I could have spent more time to explore each character's depth that was clearly visible from the start, something I think that got wasted on the main villain of the story, who had no depth or personality whatsoever.

(This review contains mild spoilers)
I'll keep it short and focus on the second half as I already spent my energy on the anime adaptation which follows the manga strictly.

Pros:
● Very good foreshadowing for the first half
● Amazing worldbuilding, future punk + magic, why not!
● Nice tiddies, I approve them.
● I really liked Nikaido's skill description, it puts alot of weight behind her actions.

Cons:
... ● After first half, plot feels patched up, made on the go.
● The idea for the creation of the final boss is a bit too cliche, embodiment of feelings strikes... yet again...
● Final arc dragged for too long and it ended with an anticlimactic boss fight. Ass-pull Gyoza Wand had to be summoned! Someone dropped the ball seriously..
● Second half (aka final arc) was too action heavy till very end, I think overall character development suffered there a bit. There was just not enough room for feelings, it remained intense for dozens of chapters.
● Kaiman's past took alot more episodes than present Kaiman's development. When Nikaido behaves affectionate towards him, it just looks unreasonable because Nikaido literally spent more time with many other characters.
● Epilogue wasn't satisfying enough. It was one solid slice of life chapter but since the cast is too large alot remained unanswered.. Some side characters feel unfinished/unpolished despite their common appearence Dokuka, Tetsujo, Kasukabe, Kawajiri. I feel like they all had to say a couple more lines...
● The author teased the romance between Kaiman & Nikaido, Shin & Noi, Haru & Haze, Ebisu & Fuji many times but never developed it. I know forming couples is common trope, therefore authors are avoiding it these days but after many crucial events how do they even maintain their "friendzoneship" ? Honestly at some point they just behave like robots..This one is maybe too personal but my eyes searched for some more sparkles!

Overall, I am blown away by Dorohedoro. After anime ended with cliffhanger, I dipped all the 190 chapters, 18 years of work in 3 or 4 days. No regrets! It was a unique experience for me because I have never read a "gory" manga written by a female author before. It didnt leave a strong and dramatic aftertaste. Story is gory and a bit silly after all... I couldn't help myself but notice the drastic improvement in artwork after volume 3, and it got even better gradually. Problems here & there but I got hooked up in the end..

Dorohedoro is by far my favourite manga series.
ART 8: the dark, sketchy, grainy style reflects so well the tone of the story and although it can be hard to follow panels because of it, the gory pictures just look so much better with a darker less, conventional cheery manga look.

CHARACTER: Dorohedoro has so much character, not only because of its weird and wacky setting, but because of its story telling and use of character designs.

STORY: You aren't treated like a baby and you are not spoon fed every little plot point, which I appreciate a LOT however because of that, it does make it ... hard to follow sometimes, and I found myself checking the wiki here and there to clear up my understanding of what happened, but even without understanding every single detail, its still a really well flowing story with so many moving, intricate details.

Enjoyment: I couldn't stop myself from reading it, its a huge breath of fresh air given how different it is from anything, and because i personally love weird character designs, m and post-apocalyptic settings it was perfect for me.

Overall: 9.7 IF you like the genre. I can completely see people who don't like gore or weird settings not enjoying the series, or finding the art style hard to get used to, but if you just hop along for the ride, it will probably deliver for you.

I just finished reading this after binge reading it within the last few days after watching the first season of the anime.

All in all this manga is phenomenal. Unhinged. Bonkers. And I loved every second of it.

The art style was at first difficult getting used to, but its unique and creepy aesthetic adds to its overall chaotic style. The character design ranges from grotesque, to creepy, to hilarious, to attractive, to stoic. The design of the world(s) itself also abides to a range of beautiful to grimy and hellish. But presentation doesn't really matter if there is no substance behind it.

The story of Dorohedoro ... is... confusing. Until it isn't. The mystery of Kaiman's identity is a constant as the series progresses. But it goes places I had not even considered, and the scale of the conflict that is the result of this mystery goes way beyond any of the expectations I had. Granted I got frustrated with it at times as I had just wanted a fucking answer to the mystery after feeling so close to getting the answer, but I am sure that was a carrot on the string that was intentional by the author.

The characters are by far my favorite aspect of the story. Not a single character is wasted. The protagonists are their own personalities (some may have more than others), the antagonistic characters are actually very likable but not wasted as the conflict goes beyond them, and the side characters help flesh out the world and are not annoying or stupid. I personally love Johnson the most.

I cannot recall a manga experience I have had that had me actually laugh out loud as often as this one has while also making me wait on the edge of my seat to see what would happen after a cliffhanger in a certain chapter. Very glad I took the chance on it and dove all in. I highly recommend this manga :)

Español

Una de las principales fortalezas de su historia es el fantástico conjunto de personajes, porque pese a que podría decirse que Kaiman y Nikaido es la pareja protagónica, conforme avanza la historia, se agregan más y más personajes, cada cuál aportando su punto de vista en diferentes planos narrativos, constituyendo un relato coral.

Si viste la adaptación en 2020 también lo habrás percibido de tal manera, pese a ser los antagonistas, la familia EN son otros protagonistas en vez de ser únicamente adversarios. Conseguido por la entrañabilidad de cada personaje, sea por su marcada personalidad como EN, Shin o el mismo Kaiman, otros en su excentricidad ... en el caso de Ebisu o Kusakabe, por el arco de su historia teniendo a Nikaido y Fujita o porque es una cucaracha respecto al querido Johnson.

Con un elenco de personajes tan variado en personalidades y diseños da la apariencia de una historia caótica, lo cuál corresponde… hasta cierto punto. Una de las sorpresas del desarrollo del manga frente a las impresiones que tuve de su adaptación animada es sobre la regularidad de los elementos “irregulares” dentro de la historia, como el reconocido partido de béisbol, pensaba que la mayoría de su desarrollo estaría sujeto bajo esa impresión y al contrario, la mayoría suceden durante la primera temporada.

Desde cierto punto, todos los eventos estarán relacionados al hilo conductor principal de alguna manera, y no es que pierda su elemento caótico y de extrañeza, sencillamente será reenfocado para propósitos de la historia, es decir, no se dirigirá a una trama tangente intrascendente, siempre estará vinculado al trasfondo de algún personaje o del mundo. No lo considero punto negativo o positivo, simplemente es algo que me sorprendió dada la impresión que tenía y que usualmente leo de otras personas respecto a Dorohedoro.

Y de lo anterior es implícito que aún en la extrañeza e irregularidad del comienzo, hay una historia estructurada desvelándose tras cada nueva sorpresa, que además crece en complejidad y alcance, consiguiendo que en su tramo final, cada capítulo tendrá una inesperada revelación. Es factible perderse en las explicaciones tras ciertos oscuros misterios o inesperadas revelaciones, más lo importante de la situación sigue entendible e interesante.

Tampoco quiero implicar que se embarque en únicamente historia en un tono ominoso y serio, al contrario, conserva esa singularidad de los personajes en todo momento. La obra tiene un sentido del humor sea intencional o inconsciente acerca de los sucesos, que aún en la peor masacre dado lo absurdo y grotesco de lo acontecido, no sea un golpe emocional sino adrenalínico, con ganas de seguir leyendo hacía que ha conllevado el nuevo giro.

Eso sí, aún teniendo ese enfoque acerca de los sucesos tampoco implica un trasfondo hueco, de hecho, considero que la obra tiene implicaciones muy valiosas en la construcción de su mundo y la cadencia de los sucesos para un análisis más detallado en una apropiada relectura.

De todas formas, en la primera lectura disfrutarás de un entretenido viaje donde captamos uno de los mensajes principales, la amistad y camaradería, más allá de las factibles parejas entre personajes (todas ellas muy merecidas) hay una idea general acerca de la amistad, apoyarse cada quién unos con otros porque aún si no comparten sangre, llegan a ser tu familia.

Y es un mensaje muy especial viniendo de una serie reconocida por los altos contenidos de violencia, y precisamente, no podría terminar sin mencionar el espectacular talento de Q en absolutamente todo. Un diseño de personajes muy variados y todos memorables, un detallado de fondos que en varios paneles es casi que inconcebible, las impresionantes portadas, su excelente trazo para las escenas de batalla en un estilo muy reconocible, “sucio” y “oscuro” usualmente le denominan, al leerlo entiendes porque.

De único “pero” calificaría el final, ciertamente las expectativas y entramado que fueron construidos para ese punto podrían haberse resuelto de una forma más memorable para el lector, a la par de otros grandes momentos del manga, pero tampoco considero que sea estropeado o empañado el transcurso.

Dorohedoro es una serie que presentada como caótica, en realidad tiene una historia bastante compleja y planificada, puede que sin una conclusión al nivel de los hechos que le llevaron allí, más no elimina a las partes que le conformaron. Creatividad y brutalidad en escenas con corazón, en un Hole en medio de una eterna lluvia, sigue habiendo la esperanza de un futuro algo mejor.

English (Translated with DeepL.com (free version))

One of the main strengths of its story is the fantastic set of characters, because although it could be said that Kaiman and Nikaido is the main couple, as the story progresses, more and more characters are added, each one contributing their point of view in different narrative planes, constituting a choral story.

If you saw the adaptation in 2020 you will also have perceived it in this way, despite being the antagonists, the EN family are other protagonists instead of being only adversaries. Achieved by the endearment of each character, be it for their marked personality like EN, Shin or Kaiman himself, others in their eccentricity in the case of Ebisu or Kusakabe, for their story arc having Nikaido and Fujita or because he is a cockroach respect to the beloved Johnson.

With a cast of characters so varied in personalities and designs it gives the appearance of a chaotic story, which is fitting... to a certain extent. One of the surprises of the manga's development versus the impressions I had of its animated adaptation is about the regularity of the "irregular" elements within the story, such as the well-known baseball game, I thought most of its development would be subject to that impression and on the contrary, most of it happens during the first season.

From a certain point, all events will be related to the main thread in some way, and it's not that it loses its element of chaos and strangeness, it will simply be refocused for story purposes, that is, it won't go to an inconsequential plot tangent, it will always be linked to the background of some character or the world. I don't consider it a negative or positive point, it's simply something that surprised me given the impression I had and usually read from other people regarding Dorohedoro.

And from the above it is implicit that even in the strangeness and irregularity of the beginning, there is a structured story unraveling after each new surprise, which also grows in complexity and scope, getting that in its final stretch, each chapter will have an unexpected revelation. It is possible to get lost in the explanations behind certain obscure mysteries or unexpected revelations, but the substance of the situation remains understandable and interesting.

Nor do I mean to imply that it embarks on a uniquely ominous and serious story, on the contrary, it retains that uniqueness of the characters throughout. The work has a sense of humor whether intentional or unconscious about the events, that even in the worst massacre given the absurdity and grotesque of what happened, is not an emotional blow but an adrenaline rush, with the desire to continue reading what the new twist has entailed.

That said, even having this approach to the events does not imply a hollow background, in fact, I consider that the work has very valuable implications in the construction of its world and the cadence of the events for a more detailed analysis in a proper re-reading.

Anyway, in the first reading you will enjoy an entertaining journey where we get one of the main messages, friendship and camaraderie, beyond the feasible pairings between characters (all of them very well deserved) there is a general idea about friendship, support each other because even if you don't share blood, you become your family.

And it's a very special message coming from a series known for its high content of violence, and precisely, I couldn't finish without mentioning Q's spectacular talent in absolutely everything. A very varied character design and all memorable, a detailed background that in several panels is almost inconceivable, the impressive covers, his excellent stroke for the battle scenes in a very recognizable style, "dirty" and "dark" usually they call him, when you read it you understand why.

The only "but" would qualify the ending, certainly the expectations and framework that were built for that point could have been resolved in a more memorable way for the reader, on par with other great moments of the manga, but I do not consider that it spoiled or tarnished the course.

Dorohedoro is a series that is presented as chaotic, in reality it has a fairly complex and planned story, perhaps without a conclusion on par with the events that led up to it, but it doesn't eliminate the parts that made it up. Creativity and brutality in scenes with heart, in a Hole in the middle of an eternal rain, there is still hope for a better future.

(Spoiler free review!)

Dorohedoro is basically what would happen if a demonic cult wrote The Bible and then made a manga adaptation of it because, sweet mother of Teresa, I've never seen so much blasphemy concentrated on 190 chapters. And I love it!

The story is about an amnesic crocodile-faced guy looking for the black magic user who made him look like that so he can recover his memories. All character are AWESOME and have immaculate drip, every single one of them has something to contribute to the plot. The fights are grotesque and brutal, the ground and the walls always end up covered in blood. The ... worldbuilding of Dorohedoro is intriguing and original; I've been watching anime and reading manga for 13 years and I've never seen anything like Dorohedoro's magic world, its messed up religion and its questionable festivals.

In conclusion, if everything mentioned before catches your attention, stop wasting your time and give Dorohedoro a try!

for the first 20 chapters you might not even understand whats going on with this world , but props for the writer for keeping it like this because when everything starts to become more clear it amazes !

you follow a guy with a lizard head ... not joking ! he is a human being with a lizard head trying to understand whats going on , youll follow the story through some amazing characters and more amazing mystery that is hidden to a far later part of the series .

i cant guarantee youll enjoy this because it is very confusing to follow and youll ... probably get lost trying to figure it out but i like puzzles and this was 100% my jam !

It's really fun. Read it please and have fun.
MyAnimeList won't allow me to write less so i'll just say that i hate anime and manga fans they're the most insufferable kind of people, even football fans are more fun to be with.
Stop being so annoying and enjoy stuff, it doesn't need to be the best thing in the world in order to be pleased with it, that doesn't mean you have to just consume anything and not be able to be critic, it mean's you have to stop being such a whinny little bitch about entertainment and be able to understand the different context in ... which different works find themself.

When the extraordinary is in everyday life. That defined what is Dorohedoro, a great manga!

The manga's story begins calmly, telling something small while seeing the daily lives of various characters. However, the author gradually inserts pieces and mysteries that reveal a great epic journey.
This could be bad, as the plot focuses on several characters instead of just the protagonists that could tire the reader, but the author is very skillful in making characters so charismatic and fun that seeing their day to day is worth it. How can you not laugh at Ebisu with Fujita? Or enjoy Noi's relationship with Senpai? Or even, finding En ... a thought-provoking character or being curious about how the cross-eyed group is important in the story? All of this is skillfully and calmly constructed by the author with minor conflicts with sensational action scenes until the big moment.

The protagonists, Kaiman and Nikaido, are so good to watch. They are quite charismatic and fun, in addition to both keeping mysteries that end up making the plot very interesting.
By the way, the manga world is the best thing about it. There are several small details that make it so immersive, where every detail is creative and important for the functionality of that world.

Finally, the art is sensational. The author is very creative and skillful in drawing grotesque creatures while doing awesome framing and action scenes! Aside from the weirdness lol.
That said, the manga isn't perfect. Particularly, the beginning of the final arc in the main store took a while to really kick in, but over time it recovers and remains very good from start to finish.

No spoilers.

I don't read a lot of manga. However, I can whole-heartedly say that this manga was SO AMAZING. I have never read such an interesting story that has made me read non-stop. It takes a lot to keep my attention. Normally, if I don't find something interesting after the first episode or in this case volume I don't continue.

Dorohedoro has a crazy interesting story, great world building, lovable characters, beautiful art, and gory panels that I loved to look at. I enjoyed this SO MUCH. My favorite manga ever. I loved this rollercoaster of a manga. I can't wait to read more of Q ... Hayashida's work.

Dorohedoro review(spoilerfree):

Dorohedoro is one of the most unique and original stories I have read. Its a cyber magic-dark fantasy story with horror,insanely well done mystery to go along with action and humor.
It utilises two of my favourite story telling techniques wonderfully: Multi-perspective story telling and World driven narrative(and its amongst the very best in this aspect,sheer genius).

There are multiple factions who are always fighting,
What they’re really fighting in the end is all the amount of hate who was never addressed, who was never questioned or explained, that just seemed like a normal thing "this is how it always has been”. And it was ... not a real human rebellion.
It deals with themes like identity crisis and personality disorder,hate and redemption, friendship and 'found family' extremely well.

It takes place in a three-pieced world,one inhabited by magic users,one by humans called hole and devils in hell. The world building is only behind the likes of One piece and LoTGH, its so very intriculate and fleshed out and it makes the story feel really functional, the setting and story are really interdependent and aspects from initial chaps endup being really vital.

And the art work only amplifies it giving life to this really original,creative world. The messy,raw artstyle sets well with the tone and the panel composition and overall paneling makes the complete art department godly.

The story seems quite simple for first 30-40 chaps but it goes to an entirely different level of complexity. Its wacky wierd,creepy and also seem stupid but its really well executed. Some of the stuff which really piss me of in other stories don't do that here as everything is very well setup, from origin of the world to the conclusion of the story,everything becomes clear. The mystery is as good as it could be and puzzle pieces are dropped everywhere from start to end.

The cast is one of my top favt,really lively and cheerful and likeable, each have their own quirks and own relationships. There are multiple factions and u endup liking everyone from them as every team gets enough focus. There is no big bad here.

There are few assspulls in the final parts but besides that,this was one heck of a ride and ending really warps up everything brilliantly. The central mystery and the way it established and resolved it was magnificent.

ALL THIS IN UTTER CHAOTIC SHAMBLES AND CARNAGE......

THAT IS DOROHEDORO
Overall a nice 10/10 and maybe top 3 manga.

Loved it, how the author kept the mystery of Caiman till the end consistent. And the root cause for the events turn out was unexpectedly normal and fitting. Ancient problem could bring disaster in future; that's where all the mystery lies. This manga also proves comedy would easily fit with dark themed thriller plot line. Be it Story or Art, it is outstanding. And about the characters; you will not find positive side or negative side, while their actions are justified enough to make them all likeable. +1 points for Bonus chapters in the end of each volume. World building is limited in the story ... but, it's okay! because plot revolves around limited characters (top tier in respective worlds) and limited places. Very perticular !

History goes like, Chidaroma the infamous devil is known to everyone but his past are what magic users unheard of. Chidaroma believed to be the ancient creature, who used to manage hell (form where he was managing, for whom wasn't mentioned) alone. When he got bored, he created human like creature called magic users and ruled over them. On the other hand Chidaroma kept exploring world to find new creature; that is where he discovers human who are not like Chidaroma's made magic user. He get along with them, played with them and quite enjoyed his time in both world. With this the trouble came, when magic user started coming through portal and disturbed the lives of normal humans by bullying them or using them as their magic experiment body. Magic user show no boundary of insanity that they killed large number of humans that formed a size of mountain of dead bodies. As the bodies disposed it created a shape of deep black hole in the land. From this incident Chidaroma called this place as whole while the place of magic users as magic world.
Most people are unaware of history of Hole and Magic world, still the modern world suffers through same problem i.e people of hole are being victimised by magic users. Mostly ametures magic users come to hole to practice their magic by applying their magic smoke on humans of hole. Main character Caiman as well is the victim of magic users as he believes(because he doesn't have memory of his past) his head has been turned into a lizard head by a magic user. He is on hunt of magic users that come to hole for practice, in order to revive his old face and memories. He is supported by his female friend Nikaido who is a Gyoza restaurant owner in Hole. Caiman's trouble begins when she counter En's family members. En is most powerful magic user(mushroom producing smoke) in magic world with large number of henchmen's under him; on the hunt of cross eye gang (They are from Magic world and they are magic user who can't produce magic smoke, but with medical study learned how to hunt magic user. They smuggle magic powder after capturing or killing elite magic users)
Now, the story progresses in between Caiman's mystery and En's past regret, with involvement of Cross eye gang and Caiman's fellow hole mates. If you want to know more, kindly read it. Absolutely terrific.

this is my first review so don't it is not gonna be a good
and spoilers for this manga i am gonna talk about the mostly the first part of the story you have been warned .
dorohedoro
is one of my favorite manga of all time for me.
story 9/10
it is a story about a man with a lizard head called kaiman him with his best friend nikaido and they try to find the asshole who did the magic on kaiman, and so they kill mages and a mage by the name of en is angry to find that alot of his mages to be killed ... and is trying to kill kaiman.
so the art is a 9/10
i enjoyed the art, it is a good style to show the story and is very dark themed and i love it for that.
characters 10/10
this manga can make all the characters lovable, it is a very strong point for the manga and is the reason why it is praised so much, like the antagonists aren't villains but people that are kinda messed up and feel real most of the time.
enjoyment 9/10
i highly recommend this manga to anyone who want to read a comedy horror, with alot of gore but still laugh at it.
over all 9/10
thanks for reading this review bye
i will try to make more in the future

*this is a passion review, prepare for a lengthy thank-you letter to the manga*
I found Netflix's Dorohedoro anime adaptation about a year ago and was so intrigued watching it then. The cliffhanger of season 1 compelled me to check out the manga for the rest of the story. At that time I wasn't in my manga reading phase so the feeling fizzled and passed me...

..until recently, after about a week of binging it I have JUST finished reading through the entirety, and first thing to say is: I'm going to miss the crew and characters that made the story of Dorohedoro so very enjoyable to ... read! Every individual and major person had so much depth and personality throughout the entire reading. I could read on and on about their daily lifestyle and further adventures. I will miss them terribly but I am glad to have read this and learned of them.

Story 9/10 - Dark, Chaotic, Violent, Ridiculous, Enthralling, always something to learn and be surprised by.

I personally love this genre of storytelling. From the gritty dark, post apocalytic urban ghetto setting, or the ridiculous nonsense that occurs constantly, to how deep the rabbit hole the story goes as we learn more of the plot. It kept me hooked to read more and more so I could unravel the mysteries of Dorohedoro. The first half of the manga was a breeze to read through, though I will say the latter half had a very prolonged arc (wont spoil) that I did enjoy but definitely felt constant additions to keep it going...

THE WORLD IS WELL MADE, you will be pleased to discover the layers upon layers the world and the story has in store for you. The story also has a good way to "show, not tell" what details it would like for us to learn. At the end, understandably, there will be a lot of exposition dialogue, and "history/context lessons".

Art 8/10 - Gritty, Beautifully Drawn, may seem to get busy or confusing visually.

Trigger Warning: Lots of death and gore. If you're checking this out, you'll see that instantly from the get go. But if you can stomach and get used to it, or that's your style, the art and illustration is superbly made. It is an older manga and may have the previous years visual manga aesthetic, but I love that personally.

I will have to say it does get very busy visually in the panels, with extra extra details, shading, linework, figures, and more. It can be great to admire as you read, but I can imagine it being confusing or a visual sense overload. You get used to it as you read.

Characters 10+/10 - I would rate it much higher out of 10 if I could.

Dorohedoro is a story with a cast that do a little bit of everything. They don't take themselves seriously, yet they also take themselves seriously. They are just as sweet and heart-warming as they are murdering psychopaths. If you want a cast of persons who do a little bit of it all (with a good sprinkle of chaos), you will fall in love. Each major character has a massive part to play, and the author does an amazing job as intertwining everyone in such a fun and exciting way! Following each character in what they will conjure up next is such a thrill. I will deeply miss their day to day events. They all have such good chemistry and the world, along with the story plot, all envelopes so nicely together.

Enjoyment 9/10 - Had a BLAST! Only 1 thing.

If you can't handle the confusing and chaotic nature of Dorohedoro, it will be a hard journey to keep through with it. It does well to have so much fun and craziness, but if it doesn't appeal, it's going to be difficult (which makes sense duh).

Fun fun fun, however! There are very small moments here and there, where the writing may seem too convenient or contrived for the progression of the story (especially in the 2nd half and approaching the ending). I know wrapping endings aren't easy for any story, but yes at times I read and ask myself, "Is this Dorohedoro style chaotic convenience? or is it hmmm a bit forced?" I don't know the answer, maybe this is just my personally unease.

OVERALL 10/10 - 10 Because it has way too much good to feel bad for.

I feel more bad that the story ended. But the plot was fulfilled (one way or another, no spoilies!) And I am glad with what I got, and there is not need for extra plot creation. I wouldn't mind more or a sequel, but it's mostly because I am closely attached with the cast. This dark and messy yet fun and enduring story in a grimy and crazy world is always so fun for me to read.

That and I have it fresh in my mind. If you decide to read it or are reading it currently, Cheers and eat lots and lots of gyoza!

side/note - I love this style and genre. This is more light-hearted but it personally gives me vibes alongside AKIRA, Blame!, Biomega, Knights of Sidonia, Elfen Lied, Future Diary, Berserk (from a visual aesthetic, genre, world, or story perspective)