If you were to ask me "What were some of your favorite moments or scenes from the anime? Why did they stand out to you?" I would say the episode with the brother and the cursed sword stood out to me because of the time when Hyakkimaru goes to save Dororo. It was sad that the brother ended up dying in the end. What was interesting is that Hyakkimaru's intentions were unclear at the start of the story. It seemed he was fine with leaving Dororo at first but you can see in this episode that he makes the effort to kill the cursed sword and save Dororo.
The moment where he tells the orphan leader girl that he doesn't like to speak because his voice is too loud was a powerful moment to me because of what comes after. Later in the anime Hyakkimaru is able to speak and have a conversation although it takes him time. In one of the episodes Hyakkimaru returns after slaying a demon and getting his legs back. The place with the orphans is burning and there's blood and bodies everywhere. Hyakkimaru hears the faint song of the orphan leader girl and gets angry and yells her name. It's powerful especially since he felt his voice was too loud.
As for the character development of Hyakkimaru and Dororo, I always felt like there was something missing from Hyakkimaru until the final episode, after he spares Tahomaru but before he gets his eyes back, and that was that it was hard to tell what he was thinking. He didn't seem mean exactly but I understand why Dororo was scared of Hyakkimaru turning into a demon. He kept killing demons to get his body back and it was satisfying to see him recover parts of his body and learn new senses. I think Hyakkimaru changed in believable ways. It made sense for him to hate the people of Daigo for taking Dororo and refusing to return her. It made sense for him to want to get his body back after Dororo was stuck in the rock and Hyakkimaru was unable to swim because he hadn't gotten his arms back yet. It made sense for Dororo to give the money to the people so they wouldn't have to depend on the samurai. Something that felt kinda rushed was when, after the incident with Dororo getting trapped behind the rock, Hyakkimaru goes directly back to the country of Daigo. I thought they were going to do some more traveling before returning. After watching the rest I'd say it doesn't feel rushed or forced although at the time I felt that way.
As for themes, one theme is the samurai. That's a big theme throughout the anime. The ayakashi are also a big theme. The doctor guy who raised Hyakkimaru wanted to be redeemed. He kept searching for a way to make up for what he had done and it seems that he was redeemed in the burning castle of Daigo with Hyakkimaru's mother and Tahomaru. The cost of ambition theme was explored with Hyakkimaru. The people of Daigo's country, including his own brother would try to kill him, so if he got his body back it would be stained with blood, as the doctor guy said.
The animation was amazing, during the fight scenes it was great. The music definitely fit the anime well. The opening gave this wild vibe which fit perfectly with the first half of the anime. The 2nd opening fits perfectly with the 2nd half of the anime. I can still hear "kono sekai uragitte" in my head which means "betray this world" and fits the 2nd half of the anime perfectly.
I actually think the story was pretty clear after watching the final episode. However, during the majority of the show certain things were certainly unclear. For example, Hyakkimaru's motivations and if he was going to become a demon was unclear. It kept me in suspense. It was a relief to see that Hyakkimaru spared Tahomaru and an even bigger one to see that Tahomaru gave back Hyakkimaru's eyes. Hyakkimaru and Tahomaru's mother apologizes for making Tahomaru lonely all this time and it really ends on a high note in that burning castle of Daigo's
Dororo is a unique anime that introduced me to a world of samurai and ayakashi themes that I hadn't explored before. The opening music of the first season stood out to me, feeling Western-influenced and giving the series a distinct flavor.
However, while I enjoyed the journey that Hyakkimaru and Dororo went on, I felt that there were missed opportunities to revisit some of the characters they encountered along the way. For example, the fate of the guy with the spider ayakashi lover was left unknown. It would have been interesting to see Hyakkimaru and Dororo revisit the place where the orphan leader girl and the other orphans died, or to have a conversation with the guy and the spider ayakashi lover about Hyakkimaru's next steps.
Additionally, It would have been intriguing to see Hyakkimaru and Dororo return to the sister who had the brother with the cursed sword and have a conversation with her, now that Hyakkimaru had regained his ability to communicate. Looking back at their journey, it would have been satisfying to see them reflect on their travels up until the incident with Dororo getting stuck in a rock, and then move forward to Daigo's land with a greater sense of purpose. However, although this anime didn't revisit the side characters or give much content past the ending, it wrapped up the main story completely in a satisfying way.
