Dororo (1969 TV series)
A black-and-white classic, later retroactively associated with World Masterpiece Theater.
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The series is set in the middle of the Muromachi Period, during the 1470s after the Wars of Onin and Bunmei.[1] Osamu Tezuka's manga "Dororo" served as the foundation for a 1969 anime television series, with Zuiyo Enterprise handling planning and Mushi Production managing production.[2]
Quick Facts
- Creator
- Osamu Tezuka
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
The official Tezuka site states the title was changed to "Dororo and Hyakkimaru" because Hyakkimaru was more prominent than the boy thief Dororo.[1] The official Tezuka site confirms that the 14th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 23rd, and 25th episodes are original stories not part of the original story.[1] A 13-minute full-color pilot film, created by Tezuka in 1968, condensed Hyakkimaru's origin, childhood, and initial encounter with Dororo to sell the show to broadcasters.[2] Budget constraints forced the show to be filmed in black and white, a choice that unintentionally enhanced the eerie and threatening appearance of the demons.[2]
Tezuka's original plan to center the narrative on Dororo's maturation was abandoned when the manga ended prematurely, leaving the anime's episodes to focus heavily on Hyakkimaru fighting supernatural creatures.[2] Audiences perceived Hyakkimaru as the protagonist, leading to a name change for the program starting with the fourteenth installment.[2][1] An insufficient number of manga chapters existed to fill the episode order because the comic was canceled early.[2] Seven installments—numbers 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 23, and 25—were created exclusively for the TV adaptation, having no basis in the original comic.[2][1]
What the cited sources add
The official Tezuka site describes that Hyakkimaru meets a thief girl called Dororo who can steal swords of any kind.[1] The site notes that Hyakkimaru tells Dororo his cursed history in an attempt to make her go away, but she replies that she finds it "interesting."[1] The site recounts that Hyakkimaru believes a mysterious voice telling him, "If you kill 48 devils, you will have a complete body."[1] The site details that in episode 5, while nursing Dororo who has a fever, Hyakkimaru learns of Dororo's tragic past as the child of poor farmers.[1]
The site describes that in episode 7, a sword has the evil power of controlling its owner, and Dororo steals it, becoming a bloodthirsty killer.[1] The site states that in episode 14, Dororo and Hyakkimaru set out on a journey again.[1] The site notes that in episode 15, they meet a warrior called Tawara Gorobei who has superhuman strength.[1]
References
- "Dororo", Tezuka Osamu Official. facts only, no text reused. tezukaosamu.net
- Wikipedia, "Dororo (1969 TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Dororo", Tezuka Osamu Official (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Dororo (1969 TV series) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Dororo (1969 TV series) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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