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TLDR: it's an absolute gem of a show if you can get past the CGI

The Great

The Soundtrack: The soundtrack for Dorohedoro is honestly one of the best I’ve heard. (K)now Name did an excellent job in delivering an eclectic mix of an OST that honestly reflects the identity of the anime like nothing else. Its atmospheric tracks manage to flawlessly indicate and dictate the tone of the show. Dark and gloomy, yet exciting? Check. Darkly funny? Check. Mysteriously absurd? Check. If the show has a specific vibe at any point in time, you can bet that there’s a track in there that conveys it perfectly. ... The op is nice enough, and the 6 different EDs (both the op and the eds are performed, again, by (K)now name) are all instant bops. The sound is honestly by far one of the strongest aspects of this show.

The comedy/the novelty: I certainly wouldn’t say that the humour in Dorohedoro is for everyone. It’s extremely dark at times and generally involves a lot of gore. However, for those who like black humour and the like, this anime is an absolute treasure trove. It’s not just that the humour is messed up, but the delivery is subtle and excellent, and coupled with the general atmosphere of the show manages to create a truly delectable sense of absurdity that stays with you during your watch.

The Good

The characters: The characters, their depth, and the way they develop is something that’s truly unique to Dorohedoro. Let me get this clear right off the bat. If you’re looking for characters that are relatable, this ain’t it, chief. The characters are pretty damn absurd to the point of barely resembling normal humans in most aspects, and this applies to every single one of them. However what is gained from the tradeoff is an entire cast of wonderfully weird characters that are used to living in an equally absurd world, with some of the strangest character dynamics I’ve ever beheld. The show starts out by giving the impression that at least the line between protagonist and antagonist will stay clear in a show with such murky morality, but even that turns out not to really be the case, as the story is quick to flip in focus from character to character, and quickly blurs the line between “good guy” and “bad guy”, to the point where you’re honestly left without a side to root for and just watch the spectacle unfold before your eyes.

The Worldbuilding: The world is Dorohedoro is excellently built, or rather, both the worlds are fleshed out in a very natural and satisfying way, with us learning about new things every episode without any episode apart from the first, ever really feeling like an info dump. The world also leaves space for plenty of nooks and crannies, with some of them being explored, while others remain open for future exploration. Dorohedoro manages to find the balance between having too little worldbuilding and leaving viewers unsatisfied and having too much and leaving them fatigued. All in all, the worldbuilding is quite satisfying in Dorohedoro, despite it not being the main feature of the show.

The Aesthetic/ The backgrounds (art): Dorohedoro manages to give off a very grimy, grunge aesthetic, and it’s one that fits the show to a T. The backgrounds are well-drawn and the Janky CGI…kinda fits right in with the general vibe.

Immersion/Atmosphere: A combination of a splendid soundtrack, fresh, unique, and interesting characters, as well as a generally good aesthetic, make Dorohedoro a really immersive show. It’s pretty easy to find oneself lost in its world when watching it.

The Average

The action: Well, as the category would indicate, most of the action scenes in Dorohedoro are actually quite average. There’s certainly a lot of gore, but nothing in the action/gore department particularly stands out as memorable. This might have affected my evaluation higher had this been an action-oriented show, but despite having an abundance of fights, these fights are honestly mostly just a secondary focus in the show.

The story: I won’t lie. The story isn’t anything mind-blowing. It’s certainly far from being stale but doesn’t offer anything of worth in itself either. Although whether this will still be the case remains to be seen, as Dorohedoro is far from having adapted all of the manga, and this seems to be mostly a setup phase, with the ending clearly leaving room for more adaptations. It’s not the story itself, but rather the characters and atmosphere coupled with it that make it stand out. And of course, the CGI doesn’t help in this aspect.

Pacing: Again, this is something that’s mostly average. It’s notable that it does adapt a significant amount of chapters of the manga without coming across as rushed, but that’s not to say the pacing couldn’t be better, since it still mostly leans towards the faster side, and one could get lost quite easily if one’s not paying attention to it.

The Bad

Character Design: Well, here comes the part that the show is infamous for. The character design in concept isn’t too bad… but this show IS a show that attempts to mix 2D and 3D together...and while it does succeed, for the most part, the characters do feel stiff and in the case of Caiman simply bad at times. And of course, there’s the general problem of CGI characters being more expressionless, which is the case here. Thankfully the jank at least blends in somewhat with the atmosphere and the aesthetic, which makes it watchable and less of a problem as the show goes on.

The Terrible

There’s nothing really to put here. As mentioned before, the CGI is definitely a dealbreaker to some, but it’s honestly not too bad as far as CGI in anime goes.

Conclusion

If you’re someone who enjoys black humour, or just absurdity in anime in general, this should be a must-watch. An excellent soundtrack paired with a show that generally performs pretty damn well in most aspects, save the janky CGI characters. I’d definitely highly recommend this show. I can’t guarantee everyone will enjoy it, but I can guarantee a unique experience.