Season 4, Episode 7: ‘The All-Star ☆ Dream Game
Fujita and Ebisu head to Hole to get revenge on Kaiman
Dorohedoro episode 7, The All-Star Dream Game, begins with Fujita visiting the grave of Matsumura. Fujita has been a secondary character at this point in the series. However, one thing was made very clear he loved his friend and partner. I’ve already stated that I don’t think there are any good guys in this series. Fujita so far seems to be the closest any of these characters get to “good”. During the game, it is revealed that Prof. Kasukabe has turned Matsumura into a Frankenstein type monster. Horrified at first, Fujita decides to kidnap Matsumura and let Kikurage resurrect him. The act of stitching Matsumura together is quite grotesque. Vaux and Kasukabe seem more than willing to violate others. In Kasukabe’s case, it appears he does so just for fun.
Let’s Play Ball
The baseball game takes most of this episode’s time. I enjoyed it. If Dorohedoro stands out, for one thing, it’s the characters. They are all different and eccentric. Seeing them interact in this game was fun. Ebisu, who I usually find annoying, was funny in this episode. She was the Shark mascot for the Clinics Sharks, singing a rather creepy song. The Clinic Director encourages her to give the other team soporific, causing them to sleep. The game is entertaining but ends when Nikaido hits a ball so hard that she knocks the dentures out of the clinic Director’s mouth. The game is suspended. In the commotion, Fujita and Ebisu escape with Matsumura.
Ebisu’s power
Elsewhere, Noi having been accidental hit with Ebisu’s magic, has turned into a mutated human reptile. Shin is told by En to stop, even if it means killing her. With Kikurage’s power, she can be revived. Shin is brutally attacked by her. Before Noi can finish him, he stabs her in the throat. She rips his guts out, before falling asleep. With death all but removed from consideration, Dorohedoro is free to be as violent as it wishes. It’s still cringeworthy (in a good way), despite the fact that there’s no real cost. With his organ dangling out of his stomach, Shin carries Noi to meet Chota. A man that En has locked in his mansion for some reason.
Chota breaks the magic placed on Noi. He creates a figurine and puts it in her mouth. Using his smoke he releases the magic. Noi returns to normal. Meanwhile, Ebisu starts feeling worst and Matsumura goes berserk. He knocks Fujita into the roof and goes after Ebisu. Afraid, she transforms into a purple raptor and tears Matsumura to pieces. When she returns to normal, she tells a wounded Fujita “I remember.” This was the best episode so far. I balanced everything that makes this series great together. Weird characters, over the top violence, and mystery. I can’t wait to find out what Ebisu remembers and whether she can reverse Kaiman’s head.