Review of Dororo

I haven't been this impacted by an anime in a LONG time. I do tend to look too much and put slightly unnecessary meaning into things that don't seem like a big deal, but this hit close to home (btw this is spoiler free) Dororo starts slightly slow in the beginning. It was great, don't get me wrong, but for the first 6 or 7 episodes it didn't click with me as much. Passed that things REALLY picked up. I started doubting how I felt about a lot of the characters and who to really support. From the beginning I absolutely adored Dororo and felt for him becausehe went through so much, and this didn't change throughout the show.

I LOVED the character progression and in the end I kinda loved all the characters in one way or another (especially Hyakimaru <3).

There is a pretty big age gap between Hyakimaru and Dororo but I REALLY want to believe that they end up with each other in the far future.

I really really would love a sequel, but then again I have no idea if there will ever be one, and besides, as much as the ending pulled on my heartstrings so goddamn much, it honestly felt fitting.

I will say, there is a LOT of graphic imagery, which I wasn't too fazed by because it seemed to be mostly realistic (aside from the supernatural aspect ofc) of how the world was in Feudal Japan. Then again I'm not too versed in Japanese history even though I want to learn more about it.

I loved how the anime really drew on religious themes, especially within the context of Japanese mythology and history. I also loved how the show drew on moral and almost existentialist themes throughout (especially at the end) that really made me think.

I've always been a pessimist at heart, and the show may seem EXTREMELY pessimistic with all that happens, but there's still a flicker of hope that's always there. I also feel like the message that "Humans may never be perfect, but we can at least try to find a middle between violence and peace" was by far the most impactful for me, since it seems like people always stick to one perspective or the other.

I wasn't sure whether to give the show a 9/10 or a 10/10 since I rarely give shows a perfect score, but to me this was a pure masterpiece.