Dororo

Description

Set in Japan's warring states era, this classic manga tale follows the tragic fortunes of a disabled and disfigured youth named Hyakkimaru. At an early age Hyakkimaru's father offered forty eight of the child's body parts to a cadre of demons in return for power and fortune. Now the blind, mute boy embarks on a quest to reclaim what will make him whole again. Slaying a never-ending series of demonic beasts and ghouls, Hyakkimaru, accompanied by a young thief named Dororo, crosses the country only to find that humanity may be the true monsters they fear.

Osamu Tezuka was born on November 3rd, 1928, in Osaka. He grew up in a liberal family exposed to manga and Walt Disney. As a boy he also had a love for insects; as a grown-up he would incorporate the ideogram for "insect" into his pen name. Having developed an intense understanding of the preciousness of life from his wartime experience, Tezuka Osamu aimed to become a physician and later earned his license, but ultimately chose the profession he loved best- manga artist and animated film writer.

2009 Eisner Award Winner "By far Tezuka's edgiest work at that point in his career, this series is riveting and, frankly, creepy as hell, with Tezuka's signature 'cute' style offering a welcome counterpoint to the visceral horrors depicted. Highly recommended." -Publishers Weekly "The premise and Tezuka's eerie renditions of larval Hyakkimaru and the monsters that come after him is unusually effective and chilling." -The Onion A.V. Club "It's the pioneer of the manga tradition wading neck deep into the mire of freakish swordsmen, ghouls and historical messiness: Kurosawa and Leone meets Romero... Dororo stands as a classic that showcases Osamu Tezuka's unique approach to manga and to the world."-Aint't It Cool News"Sleek in design and swift in pacing, the story's blend of mayhem and laffs and depression creates a uniquely chaotic world... The monster designs are excellent, ranging from detailed etchings to gargantuan masses of doomy scribbles." -Jog-The Blog