The Tragedy Of Dororo (2019) - Finding TheLack

The Tragedy of Dororo (2019) - Finding the “Lack”

I just finished watching the 2019 anime adaptation of Dororo and with the final confrontation between Hyakkimaru and his father as well as the revelation that follows I was struck with how utterly tragic the story was. Daigo realizes that Hyakkimaru was supposed to grow up to be a great ruler and bring about the prosperity and peace that he desired and his deal with the demons actually destroyed the possibility of that lasting prosperity. 

All of the suffering that we saw the characters go through could have been avoided. In the end no one was really right. Everyone lacked something that prevented them from making the right choices. For Daigo it was patience and faith, for Hyakkimaru it was his body and understanding, for Tahomaru it was love and support. Every choice made by the characters was driven by their “lack”. And it wasn’t until they understood their “lack” that they were able to see what they truly needed to do, or in Daigo’s case what he should have done. It all becomes clear in the end, but by that point everything has literally and metaphorically burned to the ground.

Hyakkimaru’s journey was especially poignant after that revelation (at least to me). We see his struggle from start to finish, we see him come to care for Dororo, we see his humanity, but we also see his lack be the driving factor for his “inhumanity”. In the episode “Story of the Nue” we see how far Hyakkimaru has come when he gets Dororo food and wants to hear all of her stories. At this time he has found something he cares about more than getting his body back, but throughout the course of the episode we also see how that new care and love can also drive his descent. He is increasingly desperate to save Dororo and can’t because of the limits of his prosthetics which shatter with the effort. This is a sort of breaking point because before he didn’t have a real reason to get his body back other than just wanting it because he believed it would fill his lack, but now he has a driving factor. To get his body back so that he can protect Dororo which leads to his intense desperation and breakdown when he doesn’t receive anything for defeating the Nue. Dororo started to fill Hyakkimaru’s lack. Hyakkimaru mistakenly believed that his lack was his missing body, but in reality it was his connection to people and his understanding of others. Once he makes that connection and is able to see others for what they truly are “human” instead of “others in his way” he is able to become the man he was destined to be.

The connection between what Hyakkimaru believes to be his lack and what really is his lack is interesting. Hyakkimaru not being able to understand others and how they are all like him (human) stems from his lack of a body and senses, but it is his fundamental misunderstanding that getting his body back won’t fix his lack that makes his quest misguided.  

The tragedy and pain that Hyakkimaru felt could have been avoided if Daigo’s lack was something different, but because of it he was forced through this crucible and the people were left without the leader that was meant to bring them prosperity. 

The story of Dororo is fascinating because of this. What could have easily been adapted as the tale of Hyakkimaru valiantly fighting through his handicaps to take down the evil demons and his irredeemable family (like the original manga) was turned into a much more tragic tale where everything is in shades of grey and the theological ideas of the time period were addressed with much greater thought. Dororo is a story of filling the lack within ourselves and that it sometimes doesn’t happen until it's too late. This struggle felt very human and hit me harder once it was all over.

On a side note: I highly recommend this series. I was glued to the screen from start to finish and really hope everyone gives it a chance.

Ford v Ferrari Review

I went into Ford v Ferrari with very little knowledge about the real world events it was meant to depict within the film. It managed to get me invested in the story and characters during its 2 and a half hour runtime. When I left the theater I wanted to go right back in to rewatch the film. I was blown away by everything from the production to the performances. There didn’t seem to be any weak links.

Matt Damon and Christian Bale do a phenomenal job. These are some of my favorite performances that the two have given in recent memory. The scene near the end where Shelby goes by the Miles’ house and talks to Ken’s son Pete while trying his best not to break down was acted incredibly by Damon. These two had great on screen chemistry and I believed their friendship despite the arguments and fights they got into. The Miles family were all well cast. I was especially impressed with Noah Jupe. He is a talented young actor that I’m happy to see gaining recognition. This whole film is full of A+ casting.

The cinematography and directing were both incredible. It did a good job of making you feel the speed, adrenaline, and tension of each race. The perspective of the driver that both Shelby and Ken talk about in the film was shown by having the sound around the driver mute and the camera angle would open up and slow down. This gives the viewer the same, or a similar, feeling the driver must have felt. 

The real strength of this film is that it manages to capture your attention not just in the loud moments of competition, but in the quiet moments for the characters as well. My favorite shot of the film is actually the wide shot of Ken and his wife Mollie dancing in the empty hangar after Ken has been left behind and told he can’t drive. So much emotion is conveyed in that short yet tender shot. Ken is clearly torn up about being unable to race and his wife knows that. They don’t talk about it, but you know they both understand each other and support/comfort one another. This is the case with just about every scene concerning the Miles family. The movie makes sure you know how much they care about each other and it makes it hit all the harder when Ken doesn’t make it out of the car at the end during the test run.

I highly recommend this film be seen in theaters. I believe it is worth the price of admission and then some. I had a blast with this movie and I hope anyone reading this did as well.

I know comparing redemption arcs to Zuko’s has been done to death, but I think it’s fascinating how similar the buildup to Catra and Zuko’s redemption arcs are.

There’s the very obvious connection that both suffered abuse at the hands of a parental figure growing up and a lot of their actions are driven by their desire to get recognition/affection from said parental (and also in Catra’s place authority) figure. Catra is almost convinced to leave the horde and live a life in the waste similar to how Zuko was considering abandoning his mission to capture the avatar in season 2 and live in Ba Sing Se. They change their mind because of someone close to them giving them information about said parental figure. With Catra it was Adora telling Catra that shadow weaver went to the rebellion/went to Adora and for Zuko it was Azula saying that their father was eagerly awaiting Zuko’s return. Which leads them to making a decision that almost destroys the heroes. Zuko siding with Azula in the crossroads of destiny and Catra pulling the lever to open the portal. They get everything they thought they wanted, Zuko being welcomed back and Catra almost winning the war and gaining power, only to discover how hollow it feels and become even more angry and confused before getting the final push they need to do the right thing. They also both make poor decisions when trying to alleviate their inner conflict, Zuko hiring combustion man and Catra forcing everyone away from her. Their decision to start their redemption is driven by the revelation about how they really feel about the positive influence in their life. Zuko realized that his Uncle Iroh was right about what he should do and that he was lying to himself by thinking Iroh meant little to him after he betrayed his Uncle when Iroh was truly the most important person in his life. Catra realizes she has been lying to herself this whole time about hating Adora and realizes she can’t let Adora be killed because of her actions/inaction because she actually loves her.

These connections were why I came out of season 4 very sure that Catra would be redeemed and I’m really glad it happened. Redemption arcs are my favorite trope in media. This is probably been done, but I like looking at the connections.

This is easily the most personal thing I’ve ever posted on this site, but it’s something that I really need to get off my chest. The last season of she-ra dropped and since then I've kind of been letting this fester. This show hit me a lot harder than I expected because I felt so validated in more ways than I was expecting. In ways I feel like I’d never been validated before.

I don’t really know why this show makes me so emotional whenever I think about it, but I do know that I haven’t connected to characters as deeply as I did Catra and Adora in any show other than Korra in the legend of Korra (another show that makes me deeply emotional). I understood their anxiety, depression, anger, fear, and desperation. I understood their darker emotions so well and seeing them finally be able to be happy and move in a healthier direction after all their struggles gave me hope. And it’s weird but it also felt so cathartic. I know a lot of people will both understand and many people won’t and I’m so mixed up because I’m not entirely sure how I can understand them so well. How come I felt the same emptiness and holes in my life that they did? How come I have the same struggles with lashing out and anxiety? How come I felt so understood by cartoon characters and yet never with real people? The root of their struggle is so different from mine or at least Catra’s is. I think my experience was a bit similar to Adora’s but even then my father has turned around and has been really trying to be better and more supportive so it is still different. So why do I get so emotional? My parents always said my life was so great, that I had so much more than other people, that I should just be grateful, but I always felt so sad and, if I’m being honest, like they didn’t like me. I don’t know if that’s true, but it felt that way. Everything I liked and showed interest in was weird and “corrupting” me (and I mean things like anime, comics, and cartoons). I would get in trouble from my mom for my brother and sister acting out because I was a “bad influence”. Whenever I would really piss my father off he would throw and kick my things, yell at me for extended periods of time, and take all of my possessions except for my bed claiming he owned everything as long as it was under my roof and if I didn’t learn to get in line I would never get anything back. When my brother and I would go to stick and puck for hockey I would be sent to the other end on the ice so my dad could work with my brother alone. And if I’m being honest there were many instances of “lower tier” physical abuse (not really sure what to call it) where he would shove or drag me around or throw me or pin me to the wall or my bed or throw things at/towards me and I was scared of him. Sometimes when in competition if I was losing and being a sore loser an “accident” would occur and I would end up injured (sprained wrist, busted nose, etc) and it would always be my fault for angering him by being a sore loser. I let my mom know but my mother victim blames and always found excuses for everything my father did and always pinned the blame on me or my siblings. This got worse the farther into high school I got until everything reached its boiling point my senior year and I cut off contact the next year. There were good times and since I cut off contact my dad has made a legitimate and genuine effort to change (my mom pretends those years never happened), but it still hurts and I still question whether or not my pain is valid. I’ve had so many people brush it off that it’s hard to acknowledge that it’s valid. And it’s just new, I think, having female characters being shown on screen having these same struggles and having them validated, but also being held accountable for how they react to their struggles and trauma. It made me feel validated for one of the first times in my life. And I mean really validated because now my father’s words ring sort of hollow after 19 years of not giving me really any validation.

 I just really needed to get this off my chest. I’ve never really talked to anyone about this. I’m still so scared that it will be brushed off because the bad times weren’t all the time. Scared of many things really. (If anyone read this and understood these feeling and experience I hope you know you’re not alone)

Destiny - Conflict of Feelings through Juxtaposition

Adora breaking the sword is a perfect example of showing conflicting feelings through juxtaposition in scenes. This moment of victory and triumph is followed quickly by sadness.

 It starts out with loud, intense music that sounds similar to the music that plays during the revelation that Adora doesn’t get to refuse firing the heart of Etheria in Destiny part 1, which usually conveys a sense of inevitability or lack of control. The main difference between the two is the end in the original one the music fades to a quiet, somber note, but in the one used during this scene the music cuts off completely when Adora breaks the sword. Adora has stopped the heart. She has broken free of her destiny symbolized through the music breaking off. The scene is also brightly colored matching the triumphant tone, but is quickly followed by a sad, quiet, empty scene where Adora is left alone with the broken shards of the sword.

The stark juxtaposition this scene has from the loud, epic, colorful scene just prior puts the conflicting feelings Adora must be feeling on full display. Yes she just broke free from her destiny, yes she just stopped a universe destroying weapon, but she also lost everything that she felt gave her worth in this war. She just lost she-ra and her power and it happens just when Horde Prime has discovered them and set etheria in his sights. The lack of music in this scene is for a very different reason than in the previous one. This is a deeply personal moment for Adora. Adora has effectively “killed” she-ra (as far as she knows). This is her moment to grieve before she has to face the hardships to come.

Observations and Thoughts on She-ra 5x03 Corridors

Reflections are an important motif in this episode. It’s like Catra is looking at herself and trying to really see herself and what she wants. In the opening scene her reflection is visible but it is obscured by the explosions on the planet surface happening past it. Catra is confused. What she really wants isn’t clear to her. Right before she decides to save Glimmer she looks once again at her reflection and it is clear with no obstructions and she hits a breakthrough. She knows what she really wants.

There’s also the obvious parallel with promise that these flashbacks end up bringing with Catra deciding to forgo self preservation and accept her feelings for adora and decide to save Adora when she makes eye contact with young Adora saying “I will always be your friend.” This is mirrored against Catra deciding to abandon Adora and commit to being her opponent after seeing the promise they made as children and making eye contact with her younger self.

Who she makes eye contact with portrays her shift in perspective. In promise she makes eye contact with her younger self and at that point she isn’t able to see Adora’s perspective, that Adora still cares for her and that her decision to leave the horde wasn’t a decision to leave her. Catra at this time is still the hurt little kid in that she was in the memory. She has been so traumatized that seeing outside that perspective is difficult. When she makes eye contact with young Adora it is her finally seeing Adora’s perspective. She can acknowledge that Adora still cared about her even when she left. That she always cared about Catra and that she didn’t want to leave Catra.

I absolutely love the scores that play when Catra is seeing the flashback of her and Adora in the Corridor and also when Catra is trying to save Glimmer and Glimmer says “what are you doing? Are you saving me?” and Catra responds “not you, Adora.” I have rewatched this scene multiple times and I would love it if this score would be released. (If it has, can someone tell me which track it’s on?) These tracks were so intense and just listening to them alone evokes really strong emotions.

I also would like to point out that the flashbacks within this episode sum up Catra and Adora’s entire relationship arc. Catra feels that Adora has chosen something/someone over her and she pushes Adora away. Hurting Adora in the process. Adora keeps coming back and reaffirms that she will always be Catra’s friend until Catra can no longer deny that she feels the same way about Adora and decides to come back to her. It also displays her growth because within the flashback Catra claims she will never apologize to anyone ever but present Catra, in what she believes will be her final act, apologizes for everything to Adora. 

This episode probably had the most difficult job of all the episodes this season, believably kick starting Catra’s redemption. I really liked how they handled Catra doing "that one good thing with [her] life" because if her redemption was kick started by her just realizing that the horde was wrong after 4 season of her rising through the ranks I would not have bought into it, but instead it was motivated by her realizing that she can't let horde prime get Adora. This is her realizing the truth that was obscured by her “lie”. Her lie was that she hate Adora and Adora doesn’t truly care for her. Realizing her lie made it so that she could move past her denial and start actually working towards what she needs instead of fake wants.