The story is about a swordsman, Hyakkimaru, who has born lacking forty-eight body parts because of a curse caused by his father. It's a lone wolf journey sort of story, where our protagonist eventually finds a funny, yet complex fellow, Dororo, who happens to have a very detailed backstory that holds great importance for the plot's progression.
Tezuka is a very straightforward writer and his stories are usually, regardless of their quality, easy to read and having an idea of what's going on. Its themes are easy to understand, the characters don't occupy more time than necessary, the conversations are light without ruining the mood and even though the tension is little to nonexistent, it's easy getting engaged and curious about how things are going to turn out.
Themes are simple but extremely well executed without the feeling that Tezuka's trying to force them down through our throats. Poverty, for example, is everywhere. We know that, don't we? One thing that, however, most leaders and governments around the world aren't willing to let citizens be aware of is the fact poverty and violence are strongly connected. There's a panel in the manga where Dororo states that two things are necessary in this world: money and a sword. A child, whose innocent childhood was stolen by generalized violence, matures fast and grows up to become one of the several 'bad guys' the reader can see throughout the entire manga. Exploitation giving rise to an overall discontentment of the population, violence used as a weapon by the nobility, ruining the life of commoners and their opportunities, and characters losing grasp of their dreams and happiness due to being surrounded by such a grim atmosphere.
Hell can freeze before Tezuka supports War in any way possible. However, in spite of given important matters, the characters do not serve only as receptacles of themes or ideas, but rather are individuals living miserably in a ruthless place, struggling to find their path and pursuing meaning wherever it is due. The protagonist is violent but doesn't want to fight. He's striving for something more meaningful, he's trying to reach his wholeness, though willing to shed lots of blood to achieve it. He develops, but not as much his cute companion Dororo who's been through a lot and which we get along with over time. He always tries to push things to their comical side, always hiding his nasty past behind a big smile and childlike innocence. I must confess, I adore his character and you will surely get surprised by how captivating he is in the long run.
I must, however, denote some problems. I appreciate the focus of Tezuka and his willingness to make so much of little time and space, but it's undeniable the fact he doesn't explore a lot of what he presents and it piles up to the point where one cannot forgive but ask: "What about that?". At the same time I applaud the author's astonishing ability to create interesting side characters, I also pinpoint the fact most of them fall flat in the long-term as their arcs are too short and leaving a lot to be desired. Examples being two nihilistic characters they find (a possessed swordsman and a kid with suicide tendencies), Midoro's relationship with her son and one that particularly bugged me so much: the woman-spirit who's found by Dororo and that shares a lot of sympathy towards him. Lots of interesting interactions, possibly leading to an equally interesting background, backstory, development, etc. Unfortunately, we will never get any of that.
The artstyle is Tezuka style. You know it, you love it. It's simple, straightforward and extremely easy reading. Some visual jokes here and there involving paneling, the paneling itself being commendable for its organization and interesting presentation, always following a pattern of three to four panels in scenes where scenarios are being highlighted, never overloading the reader with needless visuals. The mood is clearly soft, so are images in general.
This manga is a hidden gem and like many other Tezuka's works, it is worth the time of anyone. It's accessible, fun and poignant. It has a purpose, a story to tell, characters to flesh out, points to make, themes to convey, enjoyment to provide, so on and so forth. I wish you good leisure while reading this.
