The Quarantine Stream: ‘Dororo’ Is A Feudal Bloodbath With A Sweet, Beating Heart
By Hoai-Tran Bui/June 26, 2020 7:00 am EST
Coupled with the strong sibling bond between Dororo, who ends up acting as Hyakkimaru’s eyes and mouthpiece for much of the 24-episode series, you get an intriguing spin on the feudal era action series, with bits of comedy thrown in to give some breathing room to the drama, as well as examinations of gender roles and the devastation of war.
Dororo was originally made into a 1969 anime that was criticized for its violence, but the 2019 remake leans into the grim aspects of Dororo’s premise. Carnage and bloodshed are plentiful in the sleek 2019 Dororo, which follows the same basic premise but highlights the sorrows of war in feudal Japan, focusing on the plights of everyday people who are butchered by samurai as much as it stages a thrilling fight between Hyakkimaru and the demon of the week. The result is one of the best ronin anime in recent memory.
