Review of Dorohedoro

Out of all of the shows that aired this season, there was none that managed to make me go “what the f**k am I watching” quite like Dorohedoro. Trying to make sense of this show has been a challenge as it’s not like it is a show where there is a mystery to make sense of. Instead, it’s trying to make sense of the tone and atmosphere that this show is showcasing to us. In simple terms, this show is very unconventional and surreal. But despite that, what we have here is without a doubt one of the most entertaining anime this season. Why? WellI’ll tell you.

Sit back relax and bite on someone head to see if they are the one for you as I present to you the anime review for Dorohedoro. Let’s begin.

Story: 9/10

Hole. A dark and decrepit place where death is a common occurrence. It’s a testing ground for magic users to use their magic on the citizens of Hole. Merely playthings to them. However, one person is immune to magic which is our main protagonist Caiman. He is searching, encountering and killing every magic user in his way to find the magic user that turned his head into that of a lizard. Along with his friend Nikaido, they search for the that magic user; hoping to return Caiman back to normal.

For an anime as bizarre as this, the plot plays it pretty safe and straightforward. There aren’t any complicated plot threads or mysteries, it’s a simple revenge story. It honestly plays perfectly to the bizarre nature of Dorohedoro because with how the show is presented, a more complicated plot would only confuse the viewer because of the weird tone clashing with the complicated plot. It wouldn’t gel well so a much simpler plot allows us to get to grips with the tone and world much better with an easy to understand plot.

Speaking of the tone, it’s a unique blend of horror, action and comedy with a touch of fantasy to it. Now normally, such a blend would leave a total mess in tone. But somehow, Dorohedoro makes it work because if there is one thing that covers the entire show, is that it never takes itself too seriously. That I think makes it work because it would have been jarring and confusing otherwise if it took itself seriously. Dorohedoro is having fun front and foremost. It’s having fun with its gruesome kills, the banter between our characters and the world that our characters are in. Speaking of which, the world that Caiman lives and the wolrd that magic users live is very interesting. You can tell how bad things have gotten since the magic user’s arrival with how Hole has accepted it and how the magic user’s world looks and operates. It’s all genuinely fascinating and how both worlds are portrayed as polar opposites. But I do have one small gripe with this show and that the pacing is rather janky. Now it ain’t all bad as the majority of the show’s pacing is really good and the episode goes along smoothly. But sometimes the pacing can just feel off at times and it feels like we are speeding up to get from one place to the next. It wasn’t to the point of annoyance but it was noticeable when it happened.

Now, this all one thing, but the glue that holds this show’s plot and world together is without a doubt, it’s characters.

Characters: 10/10

So yeah, I love every character in this series. They all have a personality that makes them charming despite their murderous tendencies. Each of their personalities are easily distinct from one another. Whether it be Caiman’s loud voice and how he gets easily excited or Shin’s real lack of f**ks given, it works well with the shows quirkiness to help define each character and what makes them so enjoyable. Like, I didn’t expect En, the show’s main “antagonist,” to have a personality that differs from the type of character this show initially presents. Even Johnson, who is literally a giant, bipedal cockroach who only says one word, “Shocking!” has a personality that makes him unique from the rest of the cast. Of course, that’s even if you consider En to be an antagonist because there is no good guy in Dorohedoro, just lesser evils. Despite the people of Hole and the World of Sorcerers are generally trying to live in a nice society, they would love nothing but to cut each other up into pieces if you p*ss them off. So the show does a nice balancing act of making the cast likeable without hiding their murderous intentions.

But that is just one element that makes them enjoyable, the other is their chemistry. Having great personalities and charm is one thing, but if they can’t either clash or mesh together, then it has an empty ring to it. Dorohedoro does both very well. Whether it would be the chemistry between Caiman and Nikaido or Shin and Noi, their interactions with one another help make the show’s best moments more vibrant as their personality's mix well together to make for some intense moments, or some very funny banter between one another. It helps make the show’s entire cast more enjoyable, and it easily makes its characters the highlight of the show.

Animation: 9/10

I was coming off Beastars when I started watching this show, so the cgi was difficult to get used to but I got used to it after two episodes and I can say it does look good. Sure, it’s not studio Orange level of quality cgi, but it still looks much better than the majority of shows that use cgi animation. This is because the characters are still expressive and they have a gritty detail to their designs, matching the grittiness of the show’s world. In fact, the character designs just look great in general as they have plenty of features that make them unique. The magic users especially do with their masks but also how they look in general. They are easily recognisable.

But what sold the animation for me was the background art. It looks f***ing gorgeous. Whether it would be Hole or the World of Sorcerers, the world just looks great with plenty of detail and finesse to it to really make the world of Dorohedoro gritty, dark and something that looks interesting to explore. It really does help set the stage of the world of Dorohedoro. Whether it would be in Hole or the World of Sorcerers, it really seals the deal that the animation in Dorohedoro is much better than I was expecting, even with the cgi animation.

Sound: 9.5/10

It’s fair to say the ost of this series always seemed to match the tone of the scene. Whether it would be a more comedic scene or a more horror themed scene, there is an ost that perfectly matches the show. I would say though that the horror part of the ost was more memorable due to the heavy metal vibe really matching the tone of the world, especially with Hole. That’s not to say the comedic side of the ost isn’t forgettable because it certainly is not and it matches well with some of shows more comedic moments.

But the sound section wouldn’t be complete for me without what is probably my favourite opening this season, "Welcome to Chaos" by (K) NoW_NAME, because this has to be what it feels like to be on psychedelic drugs. But it’s not only that, it is also a good opening for spoiling and not spoiling what is to come in the show. When you first watch it you are like, “what the f**k is this?” Then once you watch the show more, it actually starts to make sense and it’s just symbolic of what is to come in the show. It perfectly matches Dorohedoro as it is surreal but you like it in a weird way to make it rather captivating.

Now the ending sequences. This was a case of quantity over quality except not really because the endings are rather good. I would go on about each of them but that would drag this out too long, but they all retain the quality art style and bizzare tone throughout. My favourite one is the third one, “D.D.D.D” by (K) NoW_NAME because it is just one big DOOM reference and as a hardcore gamer, I’m a sucker for that.

Conclusion:

Dorohedoro is something that shouldn’t work but does in an unconventional way. It’s gritty and psychotic sure, but with a sense of irony to it that gives it a comedic edge. For those who were expecting a pure, gritty horror show, this ain’t it. It’s more in the vain of a horror comedy that somehow works considering the world and setting. Its world building is great, characters are fantastic, animation was much better than I thought it was going to be and the ost is a great tone setter. Sure, it’s not what I look for in a horror anime, but I am also open to pleasant surprises and that’s exactly what Dorohedoro is, a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I was going to and has become my favourite anime this season easily.

If you have not watched this yet, I highly recommend this series as it a fantastic horror comedy with plenty of grittiness and gore to it to satisfy your bloodlust and plenty of comedic moments to make you laugh.

My Personal Enjoyment: 10/10

Overall Score: 9.5/10 Recommendation: Go f***ing watch it