Is anime Dorohedoro worth giving a shot

Dorohedoro is a world incorporating two. One is called ‘the hole’ and the other one is called ‘the magic-user world’. Humans reside in the former and the sorcerers reside in the latter. This social divide is similar to ours. The magic dimension was created by the Demon lord just for the sake of entertainment. But how the magic world destroyed the actual world and churned it into this dingy setup called a hole, is apt to draw parallels with our world. The hole resembles the dumping yard where humans live.

These humans act as guinea pigs for the sorcerer and these tests leave them in a mess whereas the superior sorcerers reside in the other dimension. They like to wear strange and sometimes muddled masks and perform magic for pleasure. They are similar to humans, but one of their body parts is able to pump black smoke which triggers magic.

Hey, you are a sorcerer, right. Watch out! Caiman’s gonna look for you, put your head into his crocodile-ish mouth and then brutally kill you. He is a giant man with a croc head, immune to magic, and is working in the hole with his companion Nikaido. This duo is best known for slaughtering sorcerers in broad daylight in Dorohedoro. The reason behind this brutality is the mysterious sorcerer who turned Caiman into an amnesiac lizard.

The name ‘Dorohedoro’ (DORO-HE-DORO) sounds like wordplay and most probably it means “From Mud to Mud”. Hayashida has used katakana to create the title which leaves the audience to make the best possible interpretation of its meaning on their own.

The creators of Dorohedoro didn’t try to force the whole setting immediately, the audience is made to learn on its own, how this all came to be, and how it fits cohesively. It has a taste of being a semi-modern makeover as the manga is nearly 22 years old now. The art style and dedication toward world-building from manga artist Q Hayashida are unique in their own way which you will come to know while watching the anime. The brutality is Old Boy (2003 thriller) level, despite its brutality, it never loses its tie with humor, the way magic is executed provides a humorous aspect on the top there is Ebisu.

The domain of sorcerers is widespread from sorcerers who can transform anything into mushrooms to the sorcerers who can control time, its rainbow of possibilities as Mr. Bosai Pop says. No character seems forced, everyone’s got their motivations and ground. The most daunting aspect of Dorohedoro is the portrayal of female characters and their character design. There is the mysterious companion Nikaido, always motivated and violent Noi, and of course the skull-masked clown, Ebisu. None of them fits into the orthodox anime female portrayals, which we have been witnessing from millennials.

In short, Dorohedoro has a never seen before aspect to it with a plot that muddles as well as stuns the audience as it describes the story, plump animation, badass characters, and of course over the top brutality. Its uniqueness is the driving force that will make you a fan as well.