Review of Dororo

Story: 8/10 The story of Dororo is well done, and resolves around a lot of character drama. Abuse of power, selfishness vs selflessness, and sacrifice are all strong themes. Can't go too deep here without going into spoilers, but I quite liked it and thought it was well written. There was an episode or two that I thought might not have been too important in the long one, but that was rare. Art: 8/10 Dororo is, of course, adapted from a Osamu Tezuka manga. It is not the most Tezuka-ish of the Tezuka anime adaptations (of which there are many), but it shows now and again. Typical Tezukafashion is to clashes cute character design with gruesome, graphic violence. It certainly has the violence down pat, but it isn't as cute as most other Tezuka anime.

The animation is very smooth and fluid. Characters have interesting, detailed designs, and action is dynamic and very visually impressive. It's definitely one of the better looking anime I've seen (I haven't seen too many, but I feel pretty safe that I will still be able to say that after having seen more).

Sound: 8/10

It has a not entirely atypical feudal Japanese soundtrack. The strings that you expect are there and add well to the atmosphere when present. Timpani are sometimes found in tense moments, and when they are it's very well done and adds a good deal.

I listened to the Japanese VO (at the time I write this, it is the only one). Unsurprisingly for large budget Japanese voice acting, it's very well done. Not much else to say about it, since I can't say much about a language I don't speak.

Character: 8/10

The principle characters are largely interesting. Most have an interesting background that adds well to the stakes of the drama. I can't elaborate much here without spoilers though.

Enjoyment: 8/10

I quite enjoyed Dororo. The story was tense and kept me wanting more, the emotional moments were touching, the soundtrack did its job well, and the animation was great.

Overall: 8/10

As I just elaborated, I quite enjoyed it. I am partial to dark stories and gore, though, so I could easily see your enjoyment differ by a point or two though. I would say "Yes" and "Yes" to most people who'd ask "Is it a good Anime? Should I watch it?".