Dororo this week tackles on one universal theme that we have all heard in one idiom or another: do not judge something from its appearance. To be honest, however, I have seen so anime that it has become second nature to me by now. Sometimes, you just know who the villain will be.
Japanese Title: 万代の巻
It’s almost cute how Dororo sticks to Hyakkimaru. After their last encounter, Dororo has found someone who is mysterious and unapproachable, yet emits an aura of kindness. Hyakkimaru, who of course has a long way to go before getting back all his limbs, lets Dororo stay with him because he can use his supernatural sight to see the color of his soul: white and pure. The little child poses no danger to him, but of course, he still can’t see or hear him. That doesn’t stop Dororo from staying close, jabbering about all the ways he can help him on what has now become their journey. He helps him cook the fish he stabs with his hand-blades and vows to find them work so they can have travel money with them.
The pair happen upon a village and are asked to take care of a monster that has been terrorizing the villagers. A gruesome-looking thing with a bell makes its way to where Dororo and Hyakkimaru spend the night, but Hyakkimaru makes no move to kill it. It was pretty obvious at that point that the monster was no threat to them. Instead, Hyakkimaru drew his sword in front of the village chief, Lady Bandai, a beautiful lady who was drawn like your regular bad guy.
Before he has the chance to kill her, they are locked away and meet the old monk we saw in the first episode. Long story short, he tells Dororo all he needs to know about their supernatural site, and after the trio exposes the demon and kill it, Hyakkimaru traces the kanji of his name on the ground, an indirect acknowledgement of his new companions.
Now, we only need to know what part of his he regained.
Blind but not: I want to learn more about the old monk’s story. He remembered Hyakkimaru from that day at the river and he is definitely skilled enough to kill a few demons of his own. Are all blind demon hunters blessed with enhanced senses and supernatural reflexes?
Japanese Instruments: I love the inclusion of traditional Japanese instruments in the background. It gives the scenes an air of authenticity, like I am watching a kabuki performance.
Like all good anime of the early 90s and before, Dororo builds on a single theme for its demon of the week. We should not forget that the creators behind the stories project the things they care about unto their characters and situations. Nowadays, with the abundance of anime, these themes are more difficult to spot; creators are too rushed to put their soul in their stories. I am going to enjoy the series and give it the attention it deserves.
It’s probably his eyes, but do we have to go through this limb-cliffhanger in every episode? Poor Hyakkimaru. I hope he gets all his limbs back by the end of the series.
Did you like Episode 2 of anime Dororo? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check the rest of our Winter 2019 reviews!
The summer anime season is over. We had a few refreshing titles that kept us company through the hot months, but fall is bringing so many new titles and a few sequels we’ve been waiting for a long time.
