Dorohedoro

I'll be the turd in the punch bowl then and only give this a 9 out of 10. Yes, it has all the great features that everyone else is posting about. Yes, it is my favorite show from a season that had a couple of other shows that were AOTY quality. However, I do think this was flawed in that the central mystery went absolutely nowhere. You can argue that is because this is just the beginning of the story. Which is a fair point, but that doesn't change that the future of an anime is uncertain so with no guarantee of future seasons this still makes for an overall unsatisfying plot. I don't expect all of the answers, but the last episode just raises ten more questions while only hinting at answers.
 
ZetsubouKaiji said:
However, I do think this was flawed in that the central mystery went absolutely nowhere. You can argue that is because this is just the beginning of the story. Which is a fair point, but that doesn't change that the future of an anime is uncertain so with no guarantee of future seasons this still makes for an overall unsatisfying plot. I don't expect all of the answers, but the last episode just raises ten more questions while only hinting at answers.
Click to expand...
That's been my main problem with it all along, how it kind of takes a while to actually get its bearings, and even then the plot has a bit of ADHD, where it feels a bit unfocused when it should be focused, never feeling like there's a solid enough plotline that we can believe we're going to get anywhere.

That, and I don't like the gore.

I can say that I actually enjoy most of the characters themselves but the rest of the show's elements were individually rather weak, and the subject matter was not at all suited to my taste. Plus the rough cgi shading textures and everything made it a chore to look at sometimes. Didn't like the aesthetic.

I will say though, whenever the scenes were lit darker, everything looked a lot better. I think the animators just need to learn better lighting techniques for daylight and better shading on the models so that it doesn't look like it came out of garry's mod. Can't really be too hard on them as only a handful of studios are proficient enough with CGI at the moment. Mappa's getting there slowly.

Wouldn't be honest if I didn't go with a 6/10. So I'll watch a second season if it happens but I probably won't have much to say.
 
ZetsubouKaiji said:
I'll be the turd in the punch bowl then and only give this a 9 out of 10. Yes, it has all the great features that everyone else is posting about. Yes, it is my favorite show from a season that had a couple of other shows that were AOTY quality. However, I do think this was flawed in that the central mystery went absolutely nowhere. You can argue that is because this is just the beginning of the story. Which is a fair point, but that doesn't change that the future of an anime is uncertain so with no guarantee of future seasons this still makes for an overall unsatisfying plot. I don't expect all of the answers, but the last episode just raises ten more questions while only hinting at answers.
Click to expand...

To be fair, I don't think anyone would seriously complain about you giving it a 9/10 lol. That is still pretty damn high regardless, this first season leaves on the biggest cliff hanger in the universe. I think it's much easier for me to sit back and relax compared to anime-onlys, knowing there will be satisfying answers having read the entire manga.
 
Gens said:
To be fair, I don't think anyone would seriously complain about you giving it a 9/10 lol. That is still pretty damn high regardless, this first season leaves on the biggest cliff hanger in the universe. I think it's much easier for me to sit back and relax compared to anime-onlys, knowing there will be satisfying answers having read the entire manga.
Click to expand...

I was being facetious. I've rated this show very highly and regard it highly as both being good and something that I enjoy. However, it does have some imperfections and I feel like the plot or lack of progress with that is a big one. Not enough that I don't love the series to pieces, but since I don't read a ton of manga if there aren't at least a couple more seasons to answer this slow burn mystery then I'm going to be a bit sad because this was cool as shit, but I still don't really know much about what is going on.

This series does the best transformations.
That scene where birdman is turning into Nikaido is perfect. The tits and ass growing should be a part of every magical girl anime.

Speaking of Nikaido. I can understand all the people that feel Noi is too bulky. Nikaido is the perfect mix of both though. She's got muscles while still being undeniably female. I didn't think much about it until later in the series, but I can see where there would be a debate about based just on the anime. The manga panels make Noi much more attractive to me.
 
So I guess the mystery man who attacked Nikaido will play a role in the story. Although Kaiman and Nikaido did find a loophole in En's magic contract. So as long as she doesn't see En, nothing will happen. Though I am curious about Asu and Nikaido's history. Guess he really owes her one for something. It was nice seeing Kaiman and Nikaido reconcile with each other. And with that I think Kaiman is one step closer to finding the truth, at least he knows that Risu is the man in his head now.

Its nice knowing that Nikaido just wants to live a normal life, even though her magic does complicate matters. Overall, I really enjoyed this anime. This is one of those rare cases where the horror and the funny moments blend so well together. There are still questions unanswered, but this ended in a way where I know there will be answers eventually, slowly but surely. Maybe the success of Dorohedoro will mean more horror anime in the future. Overall, this is a 4.5/5 in my book.
 
Last edited:
ZetsubouKaiji said:
Speaking of Nikaido. I can understand all the people that feel Noi is too bulky. Nikaido is the perfect mix of both though. She's got muscles while still being undeniably female. I didn't think much about it until later in the series, but I can see where there would be a debate about based just on the anime. The manga panels make Noi much more attractive to me.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm going to admit even if I liked how they used the CGI here, the character designs are perhaps a wee bit blocky. That said the bonus material is apparently going to be animated completely in 2D and is closer to the manga's style in rough sketchiness:

FydLIok.jpg

nwjE0tU.jpg


That's going to be a nice treat. A lot of bonus material in anime is like lame fanservice stuff, but this is going to be GREAT.

Also, I always liked how Noi's mask looked like a Cenobite from Hellraiser, it's pretty obvious Hayashida is a huge fan of Clive Barker.
 
ZetsubouKaiji said:
Speaking of Nikaido. I can understand all the people that feel Noi is too bulky. Nikaido is the perfect mix of both though. She's got muscles while still being undeniably female. I didn't think much about it until later in the series, but I can see where there would be a debate about based just on the anime. The manga panels make Noi much more attractive to me.
Click to expand...
As much as I love Noi I understand this point. Throughout I'd notice she'd kinda vary depending on the angle and outfit she was wearing probably because of the CG. When it comes down to which one of the two is my favorite I can't choose one, I love both equally xD

Gens said:
Yeah, I'm going to admit even if I liked how they used the CGI here, the character designs are perhaps a wee bit blocky. That said the bonus material is apparently going to be animated completely in 2D and is closer to the manga's style in rough sketchiness:

FydLIok.jpg

nwjE0tU.jpg


That's going to be a nice treat. A lot of bonus material in anime is like lame fanservice stuff, but this is going to be GREAT.

Also, I always liked how Noi's mask looked like a Cenobite from Hellraiser, it's pretty obvious Hayashida is a huge fan of Clive Barker.
Click to expand...
I need these... I need them now...
 
Gens said:
Yeah, I'm going to admit even if I liked how they used the CGI here, the character designs are perhaps a wee bit blocky. That said the bonus material is apparently going to be animated completely in 2D and is closer to the manga's style in rough sketchiness:

FydLIok.jpg

nwjE0tU.jpg


That's going to be a nice treat. A lot of bonus material in anime is like lame fanservice stuff, but this is going to be GREAT.

Also, I always liked how Noi's mask looked like a Cenobite from Hellraiser, it's pretty obvious Hayashida is a huge fan of Clive Barker.
Click to expand...
Once again, shootoffs of largely CGI content being made in 2D making me wish the whole damn thing was 2d in the first place. Why oh why...
 
FINALE!

I'm with @ZetsubouKaiji on this one. I loved the show, definitely in my top 2 for the season together with Eizouken (don't make me choose, I'm bad at favorites ><) and an early contender for possible AotY, but this season finale did leave me feeling rather unsatisfied. And I get why, it's just the beginning and there's plenty more story to tell... but it's hard for me as an anime-only viewer, and one with strong opinions about mysteries to boot (as some of you may have seen in another recently finished anime discussion), it's tough not to be a little sad that there wasn't much progress made on the central mystery this season. There are some small possible hints, and I have my thoughts, but it's all still in the early, more nebulous phases where they're still layering questions more-so than answering them, so it just feels like a weird spot to end the season, and there really probably wasn't any good way to avoid that.

That said, I'm also happy that
they didn't drag out the whole Nikaido mind control thing, that would have gotten tedious rather quickly, and the current arrangement where there's still a serious risk is an excellent narrative solution for that.

As for predictions (although we can see how those have gone for me so far, again in part because it's still pretty early without a hell of a lot to solidly go on):
So, I think it's reasonable to assume based on what we actually do know that Ebisu has some sort of relation to whatever happened to make Caiman into Caiman, but I don't think she was actually a driving force. What Risu in the mouth apparently said to her makes it sound more like she got in the way of the process, and she clearly had some sort of ties to the cross-eyes to boot.

We're left with the mystery of the headless man that En claims to have seen in his self-admittedly embellished biography, though I'm sure there is at the very least an element of truth there, and the mystery of Risu's death. If I had to cobble together some sort of theory based on what we have, I'd say that I think Caiman may have been the headless man, and is the result of someone (possibly even himself??) trying to create some sort of "perfect soldier" or something of that ilk. Risu was probably used as a component in that for some reason, hence why the man in the mouth looks like him and why he was killed, but either Ebisu or the smoke she sold somehow got in the way, preventing that whole deal from going as planned and resulting in the lizard head.

I'd suggest that Risu's partner at the start of this episode did kinda give me a weird, strangely Caiman-like vibe, more-so in his attire and skill with a knife than anything... but it's just a weird gut feeling, nothing to back it up. I did say I was pulling guesses out of my ass, didn't I? The name "Aikawa" doesn't really sound much like "Caiman" either, so it doesn't dovetail very well with that little tidbit... unless there's some weird Japanese thing my non-Japanese-speaking ass couldn't hope to notice...

Anyways, regardless of my gripe about the season finale, I enjoyed the hell out of this series and I'm excited and hopeful for a season 2! Thank you @Gens for pointing out ahead of the season that this was one to keep an eye on!
 
MistLiigh said:
Anyways, regardless of my gripe about the season finale, I enjoyed the hell out of this series and I'm excited and hopeful for a season 2! Thank you @Gens for pointing out ahead of the season that this was one to keep an eye on!
Click to expand...

Your speculations were like the most amazing shit for me to read dude in this thread, you were so INTENSE about it. Hahaha.


----
Also, you know I've been thinking about this a lot, but Golden Kamuy and Dorohedoro do share a lot of similar aspects to each other to me. They both got badarse characters that are basically anti-heroes and have straight up villainous qualities in a grey and grey world. They both have weirdo shenangians going along at their own pace with a slice of life-y tone, the dark comedy, the violence, they're genre busting AND worship food like it's god.

Easiest rec for me to make if you like one show, that you'd likely enjoy the other.
 
Last edited:
Final Thoughts:

honestly I want to say a bunch of really deep and profound things about the series but as much as I really enjoyed this anime i still am left with the very strong sense of not knowing what the fuck is going on, lmao.

i have plenty of questions. id love to nitpick the fuck out of everything just to satisfy my curiosity because dorohedoro really did manage to suck me into its setting and get me invested in it. It feels pretty clear there's so much more to this story than what we have seen, much more development that couldn't have been given much justice in a short 12 episode run.

this show also did a spectacular job at getting me invested in characters to the point of near-obsession, something that I haven't had happen in a while. Considering most of these characters are murderous, magic or weapon wielding psychos who just slice people up sometimes, take that slightly concerning fact and judge me as you wish. I get that character sympathizing is different for everyone, I personally enjoyed learning about the cast a lot. It really appealed to me.

this series also stands out to me because I dont think ive ever watched anything quite like dorohedoro before. CGI is not typically my art style of choice to begin with, and had @Vega not recommended this anime to me, I probably would've never watched it at all. Now I'm heavily considering rushing my ass to read the entirety of the manga and satisfy my burning questions, which I dont typically want to do unless whatever I just watched has won me over completely, which this one has.

Also the art. Its really easy to get lost on the details; the buildings and scenery really goes above and beyond so i never really felt bored or disinterested. It truly helped sell this atmosphere that comes with the world of sorcerers and hole itself, the glaringly opposite aesthetic of both places is a feast for the eyes and also my imagination. Its gorgeous and then its grotesque and creepy and just damn. I want to know just as much about their respective worlds as I do about the plot's main conflicts.

TL;DR— I think its time I invest in a VPN so I can watch Netflix's Japan region locked shows so I can see dorohedoro again.

I can definitely see myself recommending this to friends, rewatching this, following a second season and/or continuing where I left off in the manga. Those are major points when it comes scoring for me.
4.5 out of 5!
 
Episode 12

That was really a whole lot of nothing really.

This show was a strange watch for me. I really liked a lot of the characters, others not so much, and I felt invested in the mystery but with every small answer we just got bigger questions. I assume we'll get a second season at some point and I'll almost certainly watch it, but in the meantime I feel blue balled by the show.

I was just saying to Nitro that I like about 70% of the show, but I could really leave the other 30%. And that 30% is the comedy, after the first few episodes, the jokes just never landed with me again, and there was always some really weird timing with them where we'd have a serious or sombre moment then the tension would be broken with either Ebisu doing something stupid or some other joke. It ruined the atmosphere for me.

The action was fucking spot on though. Yeah there was blood and guts galore and as everyone seems to be Wolverine it never really means too much, but the fight scenes were great to watch in general. I really liked Nikaido, Noi and Shin as characters, each one of them held my interest whenever they were on screen. However, I disliked En as the antagonist(?) and Ebisu as the comic relief. Caiman flip flopped for me and I feel it's a shame that the main mystery of the show centres around him.

The world building was excellent, literally everything about the worlds is interesting as hell (hehehehehe).

All in all I've given it a generous 3.5/5
 
The season ender was "meh" on a "and the adventure continues!" kind of way, but if this means we're getting more material in the future, then I'm all for it. Nothing more to say, except I'm glad Caiman and Nikaido are back to being friends again and that everyone else's arc seems to be mostly-resolved for now. Well, except for Birdman who still has such a hard-on for En. I love that guy, what a diva.

Dorohedoro was one of my favorite watches of the last season, even if it had to grow on me a little before it did. The CGI looked janky at first and Caiman was a little irritating the first time I heard him. But that's all balanced out now, because there's no character I really hate after all, and all the backgrounds are works of art. The series is a huge throwback to 90's edge and grunge aesthetic, but it's also weirdly wholesome and 100% owns the madness. There are a bunch of asspull devices here too, but the show doesn't make a big deal out of any of those, so they end up looking like nice, little surprises instead of the annoying plot-saving cheat codes they're supposed to be. Like Beastars before it, Dorohedoro makes me want to stay longer and explore every bit of this world, so I guess it's good news for me that they're going to expand it even more in the next season.

I'm a fan.

4/5
 
Franconator said:
Yes, but Chota knows what he wants and he's not about to settle for anything less. We should all be a little more like Chota.
Click to expand...

I can't go making sacrifices to hell every time I want sempai to notice me.

Loved how confused Asa when was Chota thought his sacrifice worked. I guess even in a world where hell is that close there still is a lot of dumb superstition.
 
Episode 10
Professor is the embodiment of "keep calm and carry on."
Torture, dismemberment, hostage situation? Chill.
Nice visual pun there, Shin.
Ebisu is the weirdest thing in the show, and there's a giant cockroach in the scene.
Manga-to-anime complaint: I feel the anime did not emphasise enough how Fujita body blocks Ebisu to protect her from being shot. He pretty much covers her entirely in the manga.

Ebisu having the shits means she and Fujita didn't manage to partner up. Hah.
It's a bit weird how Shin and Noi didn't know the control thing about the contracts. What did they think the kidnappers were trying to do?

Episode 11
So chill, even before knowing it was Shin. And we get a bit more of a hint of how he's a borderline sociopath. Helping people is just something he does for research reasons.
Of course En has a feature film about himself, all superdramatic-like.
And there we see why he has no quibbles about basically eating people.

The pie stuff is a hilariously elaborate story contrivance just to get Nikaido and Kaiman alone. I dig it.

Episode 12
The crosseyes storyline in retrospect of the whole series makes me think of a fantasy series I read a while ago. But I can't talk about it in case it should happen someone has read it then even comparing these series would spoil a huge chunk of the plot for this one. Meh.

Trippy stuff happening. It's a good note of mystery to leave off on.

I'm glad this show apparently sold well. That should increase the odds of a second season considerably in a troubled time when many anime projects might collapse entirely.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top