Manga Review: Dororo (Complete Series)

In a time where the “big three” manga are all action-packed epic adventures, its nice to come across a simple, good old-fashioned adventure story that doesn’t go on for ages. If this sounds refreshing to you, then Dororo might be a title to consider reading.

Created by the classic creative powerhouse that is Osamu Tezuka, Dororo starts off with the tale of Hyakkimaru, a child who is missing 48 body parts because his father offered them up to a group of evil demons in exchange for the power to rule over lands. He was found by a man and given prosthetics so that he could function like a normal person, and as an adult he sets off on a quest to find the demons and kill them to earn his normal body back. During his journey he runs into a young boy named Dororo, a self-professed master thief who wants swords implanted into Hyakkimaru’s arms. He refuses to leave Hyakkimaru alone, and so they wind up traveling together and becoming friends as they learn more about each others’ pasts and fight to survive their journey.

When I told a friend of mine that I was going to be reviewing this title, he warned me that I was probably not going to enjoy it given the types of manga I usually read. At first I had felt as if his words were going to ring true, but after getting about half-way through the first book I found myself surprisingly entertained by the simplicity of the tale and the charm of the characters, and that enjoyment lasted all the way to the end of the series, where the ending left me unfortunately very dissatisfied. It’s one of those stories that seems to end without any real resolution, but it doesn’t make the journey any less enjoyable.

My first thought while reading was that Hyakkimaru’s ability to function normally while missing his limbs, eyes, ears, nose, and other essential body parts was a ridiculous notion. We are shown some of the process that the man who made Hyakkimaru’s prosthetics went through to make it work, but I still had trouble fathoming how it would realistically be pulled off. However, I found myself not really caring about it as the story picked up. It’s easy to just take what Tezuka gives you and believe it as fact. Besides, you won’t be thinking about such things as you’re watching some of the exciting battles unfold on the page as our hero fights to earn his body parts back. You’ll also be more preoccupied at the deep backstories given to Hyakkimaru and Dororo, as well as their growing friendship.

The art is of course extremely reminiscent of Astro Boy and all of the other stories Tezuka has produced, and his drawing style is enjoyable and energetic. It looks more “cartoony” than most manga art these days, but it only adds to the feeling of reading a nostalgic, classic story from one amazing storyteller. It reminded me of all of the ’80s and early ’90s samurai anime and manga I’ve seen and read, and I loved every minute of it.

Another great thing about the series is that it’s short (4 volumes in Japan, 3 in America). Each volume is bigger and thicker than your normal manga, but it could still nicely fit on a shelf, and with so few volumes its very affordable and doesn’t suffer the pacing issues and potential fillers that larger stories can run into when they continue for so long.

So if you’re looking for a short, quality manga to read with a classic feel, you can’t go wrong with Osamu Tezuka, and you certainly won’t go wrong with Dororo.

Dororo is licensed by Vertical, Inc.

ENJOYMENT
It starts off shaky at first, but quickly becomes quite a ride!

RECOMMENDATION VALUE
It’s great for manga fans new and old

REREAD VALUE
It’s short enough to be able to enjoy over and over again