MAPPA 2020: Dorohedoro.
Seinen manga is one of the most difficult to adapt into anime, mostly because of his (not always) superior drawing and dense character creation and storytelling. Last years, we saw how Berserk post Golden Age arcs were butchered with some cheap product, but we also were blessed with a great Houseki no Kuni adaptation, exploiting 3D animation to the maximum level. Now, Mappa contributes to the medium giving us, again, another great adaptation of a seinen manga (1st was Inuyashiki) that stands out.
Dorohedoro is known as one of the most gore, bizarre and absurd mangas out there, but her author, mostly known as Hayashida Q, managed herself to create a unique universe and a dense environment that could drag you to hell (or in this case, Hole), instantly. Now, Mappa had a difficult task: to adapt the cold classic into a great anime, and for sure they were successful.
Story follows Kaiman, a man that was used as a test subject for magicians and now has the head of a great lizard, probably resembling a caiman. He and his fellow partner Nikaido hunt the magicians in Hole, trying to find the one that transformed Kaiman into a lizard.
The greatest thing about Dorohedoro is how simple the story looks, but how dense the universe really is, and how you can't simply understand, at first, how far you will be dragged; humans, magicians, demons. Among them, factions, friends, foes, Johnson... You can't really tell how Dorohedoro will surprise you in the next chapter, yet it still make it!
This show is not only about gore, decrepit looks, but is also a great comedy that stands out as one of the most bizarre in manga history. The virgin Konosuba, the chad Dorohedoro!
Art is great. Again, Mappa mixed 3D animation in characters with 2D landscapes and created the atmosphere for sure Q was trying to draw in her manga.
Music is really good, too. The opening greets you with an absurdly good song about Gyozas and sound effects are great. The voices are cool and every character suits perfectly. Wataru Takagi is great as Kaiman (even if I can only hear OI JOSUKE), and Reina Kondou has done such a great job as Nikaidou; hope she gets more roles in the near future.
If the story and visuals are the heart of this show, characters are for sure the brain. Complex pasts, cool personalities, great designs and human behavior! Kaiman looks like a thug, a badass motherfucker, but in reality he is such a normal guy, always joking and eating Nikaido's food. He is cheerful and dumb when normal, but if you anger him, you'll remember him.
Nikaido is the other half of the main couple that stands out. She is the owner of a restaurant in Hole and the one that found Kaiman after he lost his head. Again, killing magicians made her no assassin and didn't darken her personality.
In Dorohedoro, you have a good amount of "evil" characters as well. The main gang is formed by Noi, Shin, Fujita, Ebisu and the boss, En. They have distinct personalities and more than evil they work as antagonists but not as enemies. They have their personal stories and are interesting and funny.
I enjoyed Dorohedoro really much, to the point that I think it stole the winter season totally, not having a show that could match its uniqueness.
So, watch Dorohedoro and then read the manga (or wait for a second season), you won't be disappointed.
