The truth is that we’re currently in a golden age for fantasy anime, because we’re also seeing the genre revitalize itself beyond isekai. Traditional fantasy is more in vogue than ever, and this spring sees the premieres of Witch Hat Atelier and Daemons of the Shadow Realm, but if we want something a little more chaotic and unconventional, the great news is that Dorohedoro is also back.
Where were we?
Dorohedoro is a dark fantasy anime with certain sci-fi elements that takes us to Hole, a megacity shrouded in the pollution left behind by wizards. Here lives Caiman, a man with a lizard’s head who remembers nothing of his life before falling victim to a sorcerer. Together with his friend Nikaido, the chef of an empanada restaurant, he is trying to find the man who cursed him… though along the way he leaves a trail of blood and destruction and finds himself caught up in the internal wars of various gangs of sorcerers, demons, and humans who are trying to survive as best they can.
The second season of Dorohedoro continues under MAPPA, the studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, with Yuichiro Hayashi as director. The transition from the first season is seamless, and that unique style has been perfectly preserved, with a blend of CGI and traditional animation that works exceptionally well to adapt Q Hayashida’s manga.
Dorohedoro is a chaotic, insane, and also very entertaining series that doesn’t shy away from showing its brutal side in the confrontations and from depicting a tremendously disgusting world populated by the worst people you could ever encounter. But it also remains unexpectedly tender and very, very entertaining. It’s a series to enjoy, and one that draws you in very easily if you let yourself get carried away.
However, as I said, it’s also very chaotic and might not be for everyone, precisely because of all the things that make it so unique. With very outlandish character designs and a setting that doesn’t explain all its rules from the start, it can be a little difficult to get into the show.
That said, despite the time that has passed between seasons, the second season of Dorohedoro kicks off at full throttle and with no holds barred. Picking up right where the previous one left off and showing no mercy, with blood, action, demons, and more sorcerer-related chaos. Although it’s good to see that the storylines continue to move forward and that, little by little, the pieces are falling into place for Caiman and Nikaido, even though they’re still far from their goal.
It was a smart move by MAPPA to start with a longer premiere than usual, because perhaps a single episode would have been too little to get us up to speed. And the fact is that Season 2 kicked off with the premiere of three episodes, which is ideal for picking up some momentum after such a long hiatus. In addition, Dorohedoro is now available on both Crunchyroll and Netflix, and on the latter platform, we’ve had Brazilian Portuguese dubbing since the premiere.
It’s also worth noting that Netflix continues to maintain an excellent standard for its anime dubs, with superb localization and a tone that fits Dorohedoro perfectly. It’s one of those series that’s also worth watching dubbed, thanks to the outstanding work done on its Portuguese adaptation.
