Japanimation Station Season 6 - TOMINO-THON!31 Maalis 2025

S5E3 - Tezuka Osamu’s DORORO Review: The 1969 Original Mushi Pro Anime

Our Grand Tour now takes us back to the first decade of anime, and to the work of the ‘God of Manga’ himself, the one and only Tezuka Osamu! The creator of series like Mighty Atom, Black Jack, and Princess Knight, Tezuka’s Mushi Productions pioneered TV anime as we know it today, and Dororo is one of the towering achievements of their 1960s output. Based on the unfinished manga by Tezuka, and directed by the great Sugii Gizaburō, Dororo is a singular samurai drama about a wandering swordsman, Hyakkimaru, who battles demons to restore the 48 missing parts of his body sacrificed by his warlord father. Along the way, he meets a young thief named Dororo, and their many adventures make for some of the earliest manga and anime to directly engage with adult themes and imagery. Like the manga, Dororo on TV had some production shake-ups, essentially changing directions halfway through when Sugii departed the series amidst disagreements with Tezuka, but make no mistake: this is one anime you do not want to miss.

Enjoy, and come back next week as we leap 50 years ahead to 2019 to talk about MAPPA’s recent re-interpretation of Dororo!

Time Chart:

Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:15

Intro to Tezuka Osamu: 0:01:15 – 0:55:24

Eyecatch Break: 0:55:24 – 0:56:09

Dororo History & Review: 0:56:09 – 3:32:24

End Theme: 3:32:24 – 3:33:54

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Bonus - ULTRAMAN 60th Anniversary Spectacular! The Jissoji Akio Collection

This month marks the 60th anniversary of the premiere of Japan’s most iconic tokusatsu franchise: ULTRAMAN! Created by the legendary special effects wizards at Tsuburaya Productions, Ultraman premiere...

4 Heinä 3h 29min

S6E13 - TOMINO-THON Mid-Season Finale! L-Gaim OVAs + Ranking Series, Names, and More!

For our last episode of Season 6 Part 1, we’re taking a look at the 3 OVA releases for Heavy Metal L-Gaim. Released between 1986 and 1987, the first two offer recap specials of the TV series alongside...

8 Kesä 3h

S6E12 - TOMINO-THON! Heavy Metal L-GAIM Part 2 (Episodes 27-54) Review

The second half of Heavy Metal L-Gaim bucks the trend from Xabungle and Dunbine of Tomino shows that become messier down the home stretch, as this final set of episodes sees Daba Myroad step fully int...

1 Kesä 3h 12min

S6E11 - TOMINO-THON! Heavy Metal L-GAIM Part 1 (Episodes 1-26) History & Review

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a prickly anime veteran named Tomino Yoshiyuki teamed up with a plucky young aniq`mator named Nagano Mamoru, and with a healthy dose of inspiration from an ...

25 Touko 3h 15min

Weekly Suit Gundam #65 – Mobile Suit Gundam HATHAWAY: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe Review & Analysis

The second installment of the Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway film trilogy is finally here, and it was absolutely worth the five-year wait. The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, based on the second novel of Tomino...

20 Touko 2h 49min

S6E10 - TOMINO-THON! Aura Battler DUNBINE Part 2 (Episodes 20-49) Review

The second half of Aura Battler Dunbine is one of the most fascinating and divisive stretches of Tomino Yoshiyuki’s career. After a killer set of episodes following the deepening conflict in Byston We...

18 Touko 3h 11min

S6E9 - TOMINO-THON! Aura Battler DUNBINE Part 1 (Episodes 1-19) History & Review

Grab your motorcycle, hop on the aura road, and cross between the sea and the shore to join us in Byston Well, where we’ll be spending the next 2 weeks with Aura Battler Dunbine! One of Tomino’s most ...

11 Touko 3h 19min

S6E8 - TOMINO-THON! Combat Mecha XABUNGLE Part 2 (Episodes 27-50) & XABUNGLE GRAFFITI Review

The second half of Combat Mecha Xabungle – episodes 27 through 50 – plays like a second season, with the action moving to Planet Zola’s snowy tundra, a new group of characters arriving on the scene in...

4 Touko 2h 12min