Dororo: The Live-Action Movie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Dororo: The Live-Action Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Dororo is a dark Japanese epic with elements of fantasy and action. Created by Osamu Tezuka, Dororo is produced by Takashi Hirano (Love for Beginners, Fragments of the Last Will). The feature also features studio production by TOHO (Akira, FLCL Progressive) and Tokyo Broadcasting System. Dororo features lead performances by Satoshi Tsumabuki and Kou Shibasaki.

A powerful feudal warlord made a dangerous pact with evil demons. The pact involved trading body parts of his yet unborn child in exchange for increased power. The goal was to have enough power within to harness control over the entire world.

The child grows up to be known as the warrior Hyakkimaru (Satoshi Tsumabuki). Hyakkimaru now traverses the land will the goal of killing 48 monstrous demons who participated in stealing different body parts. Joined on the quest by ally Dororo (Kou Shibasaki), a talented thief, the do face up against demon after demon as wartime blood is spilt in an onslaught of action. Can the demons be defeated in a bloodbath of revenge?

The performances in Dororo are solid. One of the best things about Dororo? The efforts of the ensemble cast.  Satoshi Tsumabuki and Kou Shibasaki are both noteworthy in the production. The actors play well off of each other. The dynamics between the cast members are noteworthy. There is a real sense of the adventure and spirit for survival between the two leads. The characters are on a journey together and both of the lead actors convey the spirit of the characters well. The end result – performances that are more grounded and compelling. Despite all the fantasy elements of Dororo, the performances still are compelling in showcasing grounded human emotions – the pathos of the characters and their epic journey.

The cinematography by Takahide Shibanushi (Bright Future, The Emperor in August) is a highlight of the feature. The creative style of cinematography is a good aesthetic quality of the production. The visual elements are well-done. The filmmaking can feel both raw, experimental, and classical in style – the cinematography a point of reference for the aesthetic qualities.

The score composed by Yutaka Fukuoka (Kaze no Stigma, Yasha) and Gorô Yasukawa (Dog Star, Rebirth) is a solid part of the feature-film. The music for Dororo adds depth and charm to the filmmaking. The music is energetic and a solid backdrop to the action-packed spectacle. Fukuoka and Yasukawa are explorers of the war-torn terrain – the music highlighting the grittier elements and the fantasy style involved in getting there. As the film wraps around both the whimsy of the characters with the battles, the score highlights those underpinnings. The soundtrack for Dororo also features music coordination by Daisuke Mizuta (The Floating Castle, Stolen Identity).

The production features solid art direction by Ken Turner (Avatar: The Way of Water, The Meg). The art direction is an essential element of the filmmaking. Turner crafts an ambitious looking landscape with dark atmosphere and brooding fantasy elements. The style creates an atmosphere that accompanies action and adventure in good measure.

The costume designs by Kazuko Kurosawa (Monster, Shoplifters) are impressive and certainly a highlight of the action filmmaking. The costume designer did a compelling job with the costumes and the efforts are quite compelling overall – one of the best qualities on display in the production. The period style filmmaking highlighted by the designs.

Edited by Toshihide Fukano (Jam Films, Drowning Fish), Dororo is an ambitious feature-film with a long(er) run time. The editing is solid and the flow and pace of the film is reasonably well-done. One does get the impression that Dororo could have been edited further to be a bit shorter and more streamlined at times but there also aren’t any significant issues with pacing, either. The result? Something that feels well edited and with decent editorial oversight while still perhaps being a bit less compelling compared to the best editing efforts – some scenes feel like they could have been left on the cutting-room floor.

The action scenes are compelling and are easy to enjoy. The action scenes are coordinated by Hiroyuki Yoshida (Dragon Head, Cherry Girl). Stunts by Takahito Ôuchi (Shinjuku Incident, Flash Point) are also highlighted. The action choreography is one of the main draws of Dororo. Dororo is a good action-packed fantasy, showcasing the energy of the cast. For many audiences, one of the main draws audiences will look for with Dororo is the sense of scale to the action scenes.

Written and directed by Akihiko Shiota (Moonlight Whispers, Harmful Insect), co-written by Masa Nakamura (Sukiyaki Western Django, Dead or Alive 2: Birds), Dororo is a decent fantasy film and showcase for the filmmaker. Dororo is by no means a cult classic gem but it does offer up some entertaining and engaging filmmaking. Dororo is an ambitious undertaking for the filmmaker and something that showcases a lot of energy and scale. Even so, Dororo is not always on par with the ambitious side of the production – Dororo can and often does feel off-kilter and not in the good way. Dororo is an imperfect epic and not a total slam dunk. Dororo is not going to surprise audiences as a cult classic but it is a decent watch and a film with some interesting visual sensibilities.

Dororo: The Live-Action Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Dororo is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The widescreen aspect ratio is a good element: showcasing the canvas of the cinematography in spades. The action and spectacle are well showcased in Discotek's encoding – the action has good depth and detail in the encoding. Colors are well highlighted, including the darker color palate of the cinematographer and the style of the production. The image is often grainy (especially during some of the grittier sequences) while the action sequences involving CG elements are often a bit more digital looking by comparison – the crispness highlighting the CG visuals over the texture of other scenes.

Dororo: The Live-Action Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound and Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0. English subtitles are provided. The release does not have English dub options. The lossless Japanese audio sounds crisp and clear on the release. Dialogue is well reproduced. The soundstage is excellent and a highlight of the presentation. The audio clarity helps the soundstage to sound more enveloping. The score a nice highlight of the audio presentation. The 5.1 mix sounds good and has a nice expansive quality. The surrounds are well engaged (especially during the action scenes).

Dororo: The Live-Action Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release includes an o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique key artwork. The artwork underneath the slipcover is different and provides additional key artwork. The "dual art" aspect is one of my favorite things about well- done slipcover releases – a chance to highlight more artwork. The inner sleeve also includes interior back art (non-reversible).

On disc supplements:

The Making of Dororo (SD, 47:06)

Staff and Cast Video Commentary (SD, 2:18:29)

Photosound Digest (SD, 18:15)

Deleted Scenes Collection (SD, 8:13)

Teaser (SD, 00:31)

Trailer (SD, 1:31)

TV Spots (SD, 1:55)

Promotional Video (SD, 4:48)

"Dororo Explained" TV Special (SD, 49:49)

Yahoo! Live Talk (SD, 39:24)

Promotional Events:

Premiere Stage Greeting (SD, 16:43)

Universal Studios Event (SD, 11:51)

Sapporo Snow Festival (SD, 2:12)

Opening Day Stage Greeting (SD, 12:29)

Hong Kong Premiere (SD, 6:46)

Dororo: The Live-Action Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dororo is a decent action-fantasy with compelling visuals. Dororo is not a perfect cult film but it is one that experiments with action filmmaking style and offers a quirky adventure for genre fans looking for something compelling. The Blu-ray release provides a solid high- definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. The release comes jam-packed with a massive assortment of bonus features – the supplements may make the release seem worth purchasing alone (for a huge fan of the film). The release also comes with a nice o-card slipcover. Recommended.