Dororo (2019)'s first impressions

These last years of anime have been pretty good to fans of older material. What was once considered outdated is brand new again. As we kick off 2019, our first throwback of the year is a Tezuka classic, Dororo. I've already read the manga, so I more or less have a grasp of the events that take place in the story.

The first striking change in this version is obviously the character designs. It's decent, but do we have to go through the motions of getting rid of the old manga art-style every-time we adapt something from the 50s, 60s and 70s? Unfortunately, we have to, in order to make it more commercially viable since most anime fans today can't even dare to look at Tezuka's old Disney inspired artwork. I'm definitely not saying that strict adherence to the source material is the only way to go, since there's definitely room for alternative interpretations. However, most design updates done to these old series nowadays scream “we want the modern audience” rather than “we are trying out something new”.

My other pet peeve is that Hyakkimaru didn't say a single word here when he was already talking at this point in the manga. This new adaptation is trying to portray him as the cool and silent protagonist who's only going to talk when needed, As a fan of the manga though, this is definitely not the Hyakkimaru I know. The limbless Pinocchio I've known is a talkative one who would often act smug and tease Dororo. The petty arguments between them not only help lift the mood up for the reader, they also contribute to their friendship. I'll refrain from saying anything more since I do want to see how their relationship is going to play out with a mute Hyakkimaru.

On the positive side, I thought the colour palette looked good. It has this somber mood which matches the type of series that Dororo is, without abusing on the filters Moreover, the action scene involving Hyakkimaru and the demon was wonderfully animated, but it's also only first episode, and I wouldn't count on MAPPA to keep the quality up all the way. Here's a 51 years old spoilers for the series; Dororo is a tomboy, and I think her voice actor nailed the ambiguity of her gender pretty well. She's also blushing in the ED, so it shouldn't be that much of a surprise when she's revealed to be a girl.

To be honest, I didn't think the first episode was all that great, contrary to how the anime community is reacting. The visuals of the OP and ED were good enough, but the music did nothing for me, so I think I'll be skipping them every episode. I also suppose my familiarity with the source material means that I'm expecting way more than just a standard adaptation. I guess my problem with a lot of these anime reboots these days is that they too often do away with the more jovial aspects of retro manga. The tone is often too serious for their own good, which is exactly the vibe I'm getting from Dororo.

It's not to say that I didn't enjoy this episode like everyone else, but I also think the anime community should be a little more critical before blindly praising anything that has a cool style. To be precise, my concerns are with this adaptation, not the Dororo series in general. I want to be surprised by what this new adaptation has to offer. If they're resurrecting a 51 years old property, I'm hoping it's because they have something unique to bring to the table. Nice production values is a start, but it's hardly enough for me to declare it anime of the season.

On the other hand, it is only the first episode after all, and I don't want to get too ahead of myself. I'll wait for the next episodes to come out before I give Dororo (2019) any additional thoughts.