If it’s for single season anime seriesin Netflix we have handfuls to choose from platform originals like ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ or direct manga adaptations.
Although it has been a bit buried in the middle of great IPs, ‘dorohedoro‘ is one of the most interesting series that we can face on the platform, with a action packed story and a vibrant world where violence is not lacking in the daily life of its inhabitants.
Sorcerers, alligators and gyozas
‘dorohedoro‘ started as a manga written and drawn by Q Hayashida which was published between November 2000 and September 2018. During this time, the story grew into 23 compilation volumes, and the Netflix anime is the perfect introduction to the story.
The story follows Alligator, a man with a reptilian head who remembers nothing of his life before waking up looking like that. Her friend Nikaido helps him in the search for his old identity… which consists of assaulting sorcerers, biting their heads off and finding out if they are responsible for his transformation.
The scenario in which the anime is set presents us with two very different scenarios: the world of sorcerersa place bright and full of magic, and the city of Holewhich is submerged in the pollution caused by wizards.
The passage from one world to another emphasizes very well the class difference between magic users and normal humans, who are usually quite poorer and the goal of sorcerers to practice their skills.
It is a very violent universe, with a protagonist who has no qualms about butchering anyone, slashes, explosions, ripped faces… whatever you want. But although at first it seems that we are facing a gore fest unleashedAs the plot progresses, the series also gains more flavor.
‘dorohedoro’ is possibly one of the rarest anime we have on the platform. It’s funny, very black, and has a humor and an aesthetic that may not be for everyone.but little by little it envelops you in its universe and the dynamics of its characters and it hooks you more and more.
Yes, it is disturbing, and there are very explicit scenes, with many doses of action, combat, pacts with demons and dark magic that does not leave a puppet without a head. And yet it is still full of surprisingly endearing moments where the relationships between the characters shine.
All the characters have something with which it is easy to get the point and want to stay alone to see what they continue to do (and what else can happen to them).
And as much as it may sound corny, precisely the exploration of the different friendships that we see in the anime is one of the most attractive points because you do not expect them to be so intense or so deep, either between Cayman and Nikaido or between Shin and Noiwho at first look like two hit men with a loose fuse and little else to contribute until we get to the deepest layers of their characters.
At first it can be difficult to get into the game of ‘Dorohedoro’, because ehe worldbuilding approach can be a bit confusing with its dystopian setting that throws you headfirst into. And yes, although at first it just seems like a series of catastrophic dismemberments that can be done a bit slowly, little by little it introduces you to a very rich and complex world and an investigation that keeps you hooked.
Although it is more modest than ‘Shingeki no Kyojin’ and ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’, MAP has done a spectacular job with ‘Dorohedoro‘, especially by combining its traditional animation with CGI in a very natural and subtle way that matches perfectly. Between the painted backgrounds, highly detailed character designs and very fluid and expressive animation, we have a very peculiar anime style that brings out the best in this strange series with so much personality.
On Netflix we have available the 12 episodes of the anime and a special chapter that collects the short direct-to-video specials that were released at the time. For now there is no news that there will be a season 2, but considering that there is still a lot of material ahead, you have to have hope.