Dorohedoro's Brilliant Use of Gallows Humor
Dorohedoro is set in a world where amoral sorcerers use normal people as “test subjects” for their mutilating magic and vicious murders are so commonplace that they’re hardly worth remarking upon. Our protagonist Caiman’s stated goal is to track down and kill whoever transformed him into a lizard man, and his best friend Nikaido barely manages to keep her diner open in the crime-ridden corridors of the decrepit “Hole” they call home. And yet, somehow, this show is a comedy.
Gallows humor is the kind of comedy that comes from making fun of a horrible situation, and Dorohedoro excels at it. After all, when the world is falling apart and there’s no hope left for salvation, sometimes all you can do is laugh! Here’s how this deeply strange anime manages to take a grimy cyberpunk dystopia and make it hilarious.
This article was written for Honey’s Anime, so please read it on their site.