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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 Tezuka ... fashion 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?".

Story: 8

The story of MSG (as I will shorten it) is a classic. I'm not gonna go over it because I don't want to give spoilers (and also because I don't want to in general), but to get to the point of it, it's a realistic story about war. It's not Black vs White, or really even two different shades of grey. "Good guys" who don't enjoy fighting and care about humanity are found on both sides, and pricks and people who don't understand the horrors of war are also found on both sides. It's not really a story of who's righteous, more just who ... will survive. If anything, the interplay of characters within each side is where most of the drama and meat of the story is found.

I do think that, especially near the middle and late beginning (if that term makes sense), there are some almost unnecessary and pointless episodes. Episodes 15 has never been legitimately released outside Japan and even there, it has never been re-ran on TV. You will miss pretty much nothing from not ever watching it. There are others that are as pointless but this one is more just notable for it.

There is something important I should mention; this series, as most probably know, was originally to have 52 episodes, but was then cut down to 39, before the team managed to make that 43, though, so what we are left with is a story that feels rushed in it's later parts and endings. It's nowhere near as bad as a certain other Mecha series I could mention (oh Escaflowne, what did they do to you), but it's definitely noticeable.


Art: 5

This is an unpleasant part. This show was made back in the days where good animation for anime was pretty much unheard of. Even by the standards of the time, however, it was low budget, rushed, and had corners cut. I'm surprised it looks as good as it does.

The artwork and designs themselves, however, are quite good. The Mobile Suits, especially the Gundam, look nice, and I admit I'm a sucker for the Zaku. The character designs are usually good, especially Char.


Sound: 7

The soundtrack is a 70's sci fi type deal, if that makes sense. It reminds me a fair bit of Captain Harlock, though that's not really a surprise. The blasters and such are very much what you might expect from the time.

The voice acting is somewhat mixed, especially with extras and minor characters. I think Amuro's actor gave him a pretty good performance, and Char's is great, but I often felt that the VA Director could have given better guidance and instructions.


Characters: 9

Let's get to what you're waiting for: yes, Char "the Red Comet" Aznable is awesome. He's super cool and a legitimately interesting and well written character. It is no surprise that he became such a hugely popular, beloved and iconic character. He's the original awesome anime guy in red, years before Alucard would show up.

But he's not the only well written and interesting character. Most of the main cast, and a surprising number of characters with less screentime, are interesting and well written. Considerable attention is given to interpersonal relationships, and most are usually good. The romance between main characters is usually not up to those standards though.


Enjoyment: 8

I usually enjoyed myself quite a bit watching this. I had a slump near the middle that made me take this down from a 9 to an 8, but that may have been from having to many things on my plate at the time.


Overall: 8

I think this is a pretty damn good show. If nothing else, I'll say it's iconic for a reason. Anyone interested in Mechas should watch it. For those not, it's interesting characters and plot may still prove to be worth still seeing.