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Dororo

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This article is about the manga. For other uses, see Dororo (disambiguation).
Dororo
File:Dororo-4.jpg
Cover of Dororo volume 4 from the Osamu Tezuka Manga Complete Works edition.
どろろ
GenreHistorical, supernatural[1]
Manga
Written byOsamu Tezuka
Published byShogakukan → Akita Shoten
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Sunday → Bōken'ō
DemographicShōnen
Original run27 August 1967 – 22 July 1968
Volumes4
Anime television series
Directed byGisaburō Sugii
StudioMushi Productions
Licensed by
Original networkFuji TV
Original run April 6, 1969 – September 28, 1969
Episodes26
Live-action film
Directed byAkihiko Shiota
Released2007
Anime television series
Directed byKazuhiro Furuhashi
Produced byTwin Engine
Written byYasuko Kobayashi
Music byYoshihiro Ike
StudioMAPPA
Tezuka Productions
Licensed byAmazon (streaming)
Original run January 2019 – scheduled

Dororo (どろろ) is a Japanese manga series from the manga creator Osamu Tezuka in the late 1960s. An anime television series based on the manga consists of 26 half-hour episodes that aired in 1969. It was also made into a live-action film in 2007.

During the late 1960s, manga featuring demons was popular among kids. Dororo was first serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday between August 27, 1967, and July 22, 1968, before being cancelled. Parallel to the anime broadcast the manga was then concluded in Akita Shoten's Bōken'ō magazine.[2][3]

Tezuka's childhood memory of his friends pronouncing dorobō (どろぼう, "thief") as dororo inspired the title of this work.[4] In the live action movie series, the name is explained to be a southern term for Hyakkimaru, meaning "Little Monster".

The anime series bears the distinction of being the first entry in what is now known as the World Masterpiece Theater series.

A new anime television series adaptation co-produced by MAPPA and Tezuka Productions is scheduled to premiere in January 2019 and will be streamed by Amazon.[5][6]

Plot

Dororo is a thriller manga, which revolves around a rōnin named Hyakkimaru (百鬼丸) and young orphan thief named Dororo (どろろ) during the Sengoku period. The un-named child was born malformed, limbless and without facial features or internal organs. This was the result of his birth father daimyō Daigō Kagemitsu forging a pact with 48 sealed demons so that he might rule the world. In return, he promised the demons could each obtain a piece of his unborn child's body. This enabled them to roam free and commit atrocities along the countryside.

After his mother was forced to set him adrift on the river, lest he be killed by his father, the infant was subsequently found and raised by Dr. Jukai, a medicine man who used healing magic and alchemical methods to give the child prostheses crafted from the remains of children who had died in the war. The boy became nearly invincible against any mortal blow as a result of the prostheses and healing magic. Grafted into his left arm was a very special blade that a travelling storyteller presented to Dr. Jukai, believing it was fated to be within his possession given that ever since the boy had been discovered, the doctor had been visited by goblins. As revealed in a short tale about the blade's origin, the blade had been forged out of vengeance to kill goblins as well as other supernatural entities.

After the doctor was forced to send him on his way because he was attracting demons, the young man learned from a ghostly voice of the curse that had been set upon him at birth and that by killing the demons responsible he could reclaim the stolen pieces of his body and thus regain his humanity. Across his travels, he earned the name "Hyakkimaru" (百鬼丸) among other names for his inhuman nature. On one such hunt of a demon, Hyakkimaru came across a young orphan thief named Dororo who thereafter travels by his side through the war-torn countryside. When Hyakkimaru met Dororo, he had already killed 15 demons.

Throughout their journey, Hyakkimaru killed 6 more demons, bringing the total to 21. Along the way, Hyakkimaru learns that Dororo was hiding a big secret. Dororo's father, Bandit Hibukuro, hid money he saved up on his raids on Bone Cape to later be distributed to the people squeezed dry by the samurai. Itachi, a bandit who betrayed Hibukuro and sided with the authorities, crippled Hibukuro. Hibukuro escaped with limping legs, along with his wife and young Dororo. Hibukuro dies trying to let his family escape. Fearing that she will die, Dororo's mother prayed to Buddha and, with her blood, drew the map that will lead him to Bone Cape. Three days later, she froze to death.

Itachi kidnapped Dororo and used the map on her back to lead them to Bone Cape. A mysterious boatman ferried them to the Cape but he had two demon sharks with him. One of the sharks ate half of Itachi's bandits while the other shark left with the boatman. However, Dororo and the remaining bandits managed to kill the shark. When the boatman and the second shark returned, Dororo was able to separate the boatman and the shark. Hyakkimaru arrived to stab the shark in one of its eyes, but It escaped. They held the boatman prisoner and then they landed on Bone Cape.

The boatman told the thirsty bandits of a spring not too far from their camp and they went to drink, leaving Itachi, Dororo, the boatman and Hyakkimaru. Dororo later found their corpses and blood leading to the half-blind shark. Hyakkimaru killed the shark and the boatman, then recovered his real voice. Itachi went to search for the money but only found a letter from Hibukuro saying that he hid it somewhere else. The Magistrate arrived under the pretense of getting rid of the bandits but actually came for the treasure. Hyakkimaru, Dororo, and Itachi kill them, but Itachi was left for dead. Hyakkimaru and Dororo continued on their journey.

Some time later Hyakkimaru learns that his father, Daigo Kagemitsu, was possessed by the 48 demons, and went to slay him. Things were going badly on Daigo's land and the citizens were forced to build a fort for him. The slaves were planning a rebellion but one of the slaves told Daigo of their plans and he was prepared. His archers shoot and killed many slaves and the remainder hid in a tunnel they had built under the fort.

Hyakkimaru left Dororo and ran into the fort. Dororo joined the slaves in their ambush, but Daigo's soldiers caught Dororo. To prove his loyalty, Daigo told Hyakkimaru to kill Dororo. Hyakkimaru acted as if he was about to kill Dororo but turned around and threw his sword into the dark stabbing the physical manifestation of the 48 demons, however some of them managed to escape. The slaves charged through the tunnel and attacked Daigo's soldiers. Daigo, weak because of the slain demons, escaped with his wife.

Hyakkimaru knew that Dororo was a girl disguised as a boy, and left her to grow up to be a beautiful lady. Hyakkimaru also wanted Dororo to fight alongside the farmers against those in power because Dororo's father was a farmer. Hyakkimaru gave his sword to Dororo, the one that she had desired throughout the series. Hyakkimaru planned to continue his journey alone, agreeing to meet Dororo again when Hyakkimaru's body was whole. They parted, with Dororo crying at the doors. It wasn't until 50 years later when the last of the 48 demons was slain.

Characters

Characters and voice actors appearing in the Anime films.

Character Name Japanese voice actor (Anime) Japanese voice actor (VG)[a] English voice actor (VG)[b] Description
Hyakkimaru (百鬼丸) Nachi Nozawa Tomokazu Sugita Chris Murphy One of the main characters, Hyakkimaru is a rōnin during the Sengoku period. Due to a pact forged by his father with 48 sealed demons, the un-named baby was born malformed, limbless and without facial features or internal organs. The infant was set adrift in the river and was subsequently found and raised by Dr. Jukai who gave the child prostheses including a special blade grafted into his left arm forged out of vengeance to kill supernatural entities. The boy became nearly invincible as a result of the prostheses and healing magic. During his travels, he earned the name "Hyakkimaru" among other names for his inhuman nature.
Dororo (どろろ) Minori Matsushima Ikue Ōtani Bret Walter One of the main characters, Dororo is a young thief who joins Hyakkimaru in his travels and adventures. In the original and animation Dororo was depicted as a boy, but it is clearly revealed in the final story that Dororo is a girl. Her bandit father Hibukuro was wounded by a samurai official and later died. Her mother froze to death while fleeing in the snow, but before she died she drew a map on Dororo's back to locate money hidden by her father at Bone Cape.
Daigo Kagemitsu (醍醐景光) Gorō Naya Akio Ōtsuka Kevin Blackton Hyakkimaru's father and Samurai in the Muromachi period. So that he might rule the land, he forged a pact with 48 sealed demons where could each obtain a piece of his unborn child's body.
Tahōmaru (多宝丸) Shūsei Nakamura Takeshi Kusao Kevin Miller Brother of Hyakkimaru and the second son of Daigo Kagemitsu. Born after Hyakkimaru was abandoned.
Dr. Jukai (寿海) N/A Kiyoshi Kobayashi Adam Harrington A skilled doctor and surgeon who used healing magic and alchemical methods to give the child who became Hyakkimaru prostheses crafted from the remains of children who had died in the war.
Biwa-hōshi (琵琶法師) Junpei Takiguchi A mysterious lawyer who frequently appears with Hyakkimaru and Dororo.
Mio (みお) Reiko Mutō Yuki Makishima Evelyn Huynh Hyakkimaru’s first love.
Shiogo Itachi (イタチの斎吾) Masaaki Okabe A bandit who betrayed Dororo's father Hibukuro and sided with the authorities. He later kidnapped Dororo to get the map to find the money hidden by Hibukuro.
Nota (ノタ) A puppy wearing a hat that travels with Hyakkimaru. Original anime character only and does not appear in the manga.

Media

Manga

In 2008, Vertical Inc. released an English translation of Dororo in three volumes.[7] In 2009, it won the Eisner Award in the "Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan" division.[8]

Film

Main article: Dororo (film)

A life action film directed by Akihiko Shiota was released in 2007.

Anime

Unlike the manga, the anime version has a conclusive ending with Hyakkimaru slaying his father Daigo Kagemitsu.[9] Anime Sols began a crowd-funding of the official streaming of the show. The first half of the show had reached its goal, and the funding had continued for the second half.[10] However, Anime Sols folded, and Discotek Media picked up the project, with an announcement of the show to be released on DVD, including the show's color pilot in the set.

List of anime episodes. All English titles are taken from Anime Sols.

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Number Titles Release date

Video game

Developer Sega made a Dororo-based video game for the PlayStation 2 console in 2004. It was released in the United States and Europe under the title Blood Will Tell. The game's artwork was done by renowned manga artist Hiroaki Samura. Dororo was not very successful commercially or critically. In fact, Dororo only had an average of 69% at GameRankings, but it developed a cult following. The ending for the story in the game is slightly different from the one for the anime.

Spin-offs

In 2012, a manga crossover one-shot was created featuring Dororo and Dororon Enma-kun. In 2013, it was expanded into a full series.[11]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Video Game
  2. ^ Video Game

References

  1. ^ "Osamu Tezuka's Dororo Manga Gets Remake in October". Anime News Network. August 18, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "どろろ". TezukaOsamu.net(JP) 手塚治虫 公式サイト (in Japanese). Tezuka Productions. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  3. ^ "どろろ". 電子かたりべ.COM (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2015-07-15. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Open Computer Network staff (2008). 巨匠・手塚治虫の世界 日本アニメの黎明期から21世紀に受け継がれる魂 (in Japanese). Open Computer Network. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  5. ^ "Osamu Tezuka's Dororo Manga Gets New TV Anime by MAPPA, Tezuka Pro". Anime News Network. March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  6. ^ "Dororo TV Anime's 1st Promo Video, Cast, Staff, Visual Revealed". Anime News Network. September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  7. ^ "Vertical to Print Osamu Tezuka's Dororo Manga in 2008".
  8. ^ "Eisner Award Winners - The Beat - Publishers Weekly".
  9. ^ "Tezuka World Dororo Episode Summary". Archived from the original on 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2016-01-02. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Anime Sols Project Page". Archived from the original on 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2014-10-07. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-02-08/go-nagai-dororo-and-enma-kun-manga-becomes-full-series
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