San Diego Asian Film Festival 2008

Set during the turbulent Sengoku period of Japanese history, DORORO is the story of Hyakkimaru (Satoshi Tsumabuki), a young man who had 48 body parts sacrificed to 48 demons before birth by his power-hungry father, Kagemitsu Daigo (Kiichi Nakai). As a result this demonic pact, Kagemitsu becomes the most powerful man in Japan and his limbless and nearly lifeless son Hyakkimaru is discarded and left to die. However, a country doctor discovers Hyakkimaru and saves him by utilizing alchemy to artificially replace the missing body parts. The doctor then raises Hyakkimaru as his adopted son, until one day Hyakkimaru comes to the realization that his destiny is to regain his humanity by reclaiming his body parts by slaying each of the 48 demons.

Thankfully for Hyakkimaru, the good doctor has incorporated awesome weaponry into Hyakkimaru’s appendages, including arms that transform into swords. Hyakkimaru is soon joined on his journey by a tomboyish female orphan named Dororo (Kou Shibasaki), the self-proclaimed greatest thief in the world. Together, they slay a spectacular array of demons, until they reach inevitable confrontation with the evil Kagemitsu.

Based on the classic comic series by Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of Japanese manga, DORORO combines terrific swordplay action with inventively creative special effects. A strong performance by dashing lead actor Satoshi Tsumabuki (JOSEE, THE TIGER, AND THE FISH, SDAFF ’04) is ably supported by a star-studded cast of Japanese stars including the Shibasaki (BATTLE ROYALE). All of these elements come together to make DORORO wonderful fantasy film that should not be missed.

Co-presented by:
Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana
UCSD Multi-Asian Student Association

Review of DORORO (The Japan Times)