Dorohedoro

Personally speaking, I feel like the story in Dorohedoro was buried and lost underneath all the weird stuff they make you watch. However, it manages to resurface at the end, and you will be surprised at how deep it ends up being. From my perspective, though, I cannot help it. The only thing that wowed me about this anime series was how incredible the imagination that only the Japanese have is. (01.08.2020)

Magic, blood, anarchy, punk, masks, smoke, and above all, mushrooms. An unorthodox world full of strange rules and people that captivates with its extraordinary stylization and winsome dark humor that isn't afraid to cross the line into the perverse and absurd. Even with death stuck to its heels like the most annoying chewing gum, the story uses it as a major comedic element and constantly makes fun of it. It hits the mark with its bizarre-looking characters: The main duo are purely lighthearted and likable, except that, as mentioned multiple times here, En's gang consisting of Shin, Noi, and Ebisu are the main reason Dorohedoro is so entertaining. The plot is explicitly built on their chemistry and isn't afraid to sacrifice up to 2/3 of the running time for them at the expense of any progress in the story; a truly successful masquerade, as I didn't notice this element and when I did towards the end, I didn't mind it at all. None of this would have worked without the avant-garde visuals that mix comics with CGI, and while it doesn't always fit, I can't imagine a more appropriate approach. Of the music, I enjoyed the exceptional number of quality closing songs. A drained 4 stars. (17.11.2020)