Deadman Wonderland is a short, 12/ 13 (if you count the Senji OVA) episode anime series based off of the manga of the same name. I watched one and a half episodes of "Deadman" before, the one where Woodpecker and Crow face off. I didn't really like it back then, since I still didn't enjoy seeing so much blood in anime, but, hey, Crow looked cool. I could only get through half of an episode because I fell asleep because it was one in the morning, darn it. I was tired.
Now, though, it's on Netflix so I can watch it whenever. That's not why I'm reviewing it. I'm reviewing it for a few reasons, such as how I've surpassed where the anime is in the manga, Toonami is about to wrap it up on their block, and I've been meaning to try and rewatch it again.
So, how's it hold up now? Pretty good. I mean, for a tailored audience. But we'll get to that.
The biggest flaw of Deadman Wonderland is that it tells an incomplete story. The series only gets through about five volumes of the manga, where there are thirteen in total. Sure, it does cover a lot of ground in just twelve main episodes, leaving out very little, but it does leave so many things hanging and leaves out a couple of key characters and moments. For the most part, though, everything flows smoothly, it's a good transition from manga to anime.
As such, I won't bother you with comparing the manga and the anime, since they are so close. There were many moments where, like any good anime, I felt like I was watching what I read. Scenes and dialogue just jumped off the page and onto the screen.
Another gripe I have is that the animation suddenly changed for episode eleven before going back to normal. It was strange and felt out of place in what is a very good penultimate episode for the show. It just took me away from what was going on, as I couldn't help notice the difference in style.
Speaking of, though, I really enjoyed the animation for the series. Character expressions were drawn fantastic and every character had a unique look to them. As did the various Branches of Sin, with Senji and Karako's sticking out in my mind. The only times it seemed to fall flat were some moments with Shiro, where she almost looked like a ghost. I guess that's the point, but it felt a little overdone at some moments, as if they hadn't finished animating her and just put it up on screen.
The animation also provided for some pretty vibrant colors and cool scenes for certain images to stand out. There always seemed to be colors conflicting in a scene, which is good. And despite the dominant colors being grey and red, I still think they did a good job with it. It makes seeing colors like yellow and green seem all the more foreign in the show. Though that adds to another vibe of the show.
What's this thing even about, anyway? Well, several years ago, a major earthquake rocked Japan and shattered Tokyo, though it happened out of nowhere and nobody seems to understand it. Ten years later, a mysterious Red Man (who we learn is really known as the "Wretched Egg") comes to the classroom of young Ganta Igarashi and kills all of his classmates. Ganta is falsely accused and sent to a "correctional facility" at the epicenter of the earthquake known as Deadman Wonderland, where prisoners are put in various, dangerous games that, to the public, are totally fake.
The show revolves around Ganta's struggle to survive, cope with his new powers known as the Branch of Sin, and eventually try to escape. Along the way we meet memorable characters like Chief Warden Makina, Promoter Tamaki, Senji, Yo, Minatsuki, Nagi, Karako, and of course, Shiro. I won't go in detail to each of the characters, since some of them tend to drop off the face of the Earth for a few episodes while others come only at the end.
Ganta, the main character, is an interesting little character. We know he's in falsely, and we know that Tamaki knows he's in falsely. His character arc is struggling with this place that is full of whack-jobs and people who have little restraint. Everything is a death trap in Deadman Wonderland. The name of the game isn't how long you can live, but how quick you can die. It's put on display in the first event Ganta takes place in and is something that never leaves the story, adding to the tension of it. Ganta can be a bit of a brat, but he's otherwise the most human character on the show, never wanting to fight unless he absolutely has to or in order to get justice for what was done to his friends.
Shiro is pretty much the opposite of every character in that she is light-hearted and goofy. She embodies the child-like look of Deadman Wonderland, and may even be the personification of the place itself in more ways than one. She's childish, unaware that she causes harm to others when not meaning to. She gets what she wants and is always aloof to everything, even things of her own doing. Much like the facility, Shiro houses many dark secrets but makes it seem like there is nothing going on--perhaps because she might not know what's going on. I'll point out that sometimes Shiro refers to herself in the third person, but only once in a while. Might she be suffering from some sort of...identity crisis?
Love this meme!
Personally, I really like Senji if only for his look. The eye-patched dude who can create blades from his arms? Yup. That's pretty legit.
The whole show revolves around people known as "deadmen" who can wield a power known as Branch of Sin, which is essentially one's manipulation over their own blood to weaponize it. It's never clearly explained where Branch of Sin comes from but it's heavily implied in some middle episodes. Though it also never mentioned how the Red Hole incident occurred but we'll forgive a show for only having twelve episodes and doing as much as it could in that time.
Though we only get the backstory for a few of the deadmen, some of them do have a reason to be locked up other than they are people with interesting powers. It isn't like most shows where they are all secluded because they're the worst of the worst, rather, they wield a Branch of Sin and are being held because Takami is a huge jerk. He's the kinda villain you love to hate because he's always like "Oh, I don't know what you're talking about" while purposefully having someone killed all while having a smile on his face.
I think, if you wanted to describe the show in one word to someone: insane.
I mean, everything that happens is crazy. There is no morality to it all, there is no sense of justice to any of it. Tamaki, the one who pretty much has built the amusement park (yeah, wrap your head around that, apparently in the future we're all bloodthirsty hounds--though this could also be a social parody on what we're willing to watch now, jokes on me), never tries to rectify his actions, never second-guesses what he's doing. Nor do any of the people in league with him question what he is doing. In fact, several characters pretty much go into some sort of high when they are harming others (some in more detail than others...)
Because of this insanity, this is a very mature series. While it probably does take itself seriously, there are several over-the-top moments that make you raise your eyebrows. The violence is unrelenting. Since the show revolves around the manipulation of blood, expect there to be tons and tons of gore. There are some pretty messed up scenes outside of that, though, such as someone getting their intestine ripped out, their eyeball ripped out, and yeah. Have fun with that.
The language is also unrelenting but I really don't mind it because I really don't care. In terms of setting it makes sense. Imagine all the crap they see everyday, all the crap they have to go through day in and day out. You'd think they're going to be uncaring about their language, plus most of it helps feed the beast of insanity.
The show really picks up at the midway point, where we meet Hummingbird, and from there the story is pretty much set on a straight path. Though Scar Chain does come almost completely out of nowhere (literally, Karako comes almost completely out of nowhere when she "meets" Ganta), everything else flows pretty well. Again, only twelve episodes. Everything before that isn't boring but it's just a bunch of set up to some mysteries and some subtle hints towards certain things to come. You don't have to worry if you're freaking out about many mysteries, though, as the identity of the Red Man is revealed quite quick (quicker if you're able to think on your toes) as are some of the other mysteries of the show, like who is really (really) behind Deadman Wonderland.
The pacing is also a little weird, as we're meant to assume that half the series takes place over a week's time and the rest is only a couple days. Hmm. Bit of a stretch, and this time you really can't blame the low amount of episodes.
All in all, if you think you can stomach so much violence, bloodshed, and language, then you should have a fun time with this series. That sentence rolled off the fingers in a very strange way.
I mean, it's not like this series is going to make you go insane. If you're looking for a good preview of what's to come, I recommend watching the opening. It's got a punk-rock vibe to it and the visuals match up to the theme of the show perfectly, with many characters being thrust around from their insanity and several key images placed well.
If you're looking for the complete story, the manga is just as good. The anime will indeed leave you wanting more, which is where many people will have a fault with it, and it's why I started reading the manga anyway. I don't think I necessarily needed to watch the anime other than watch some key moments come to live in a very well-animated way, but I'm happy I did watch it. If this isn't your thing, that's probably for the best. It means you probably have a heart (that's a joke for fans who like this, by the way). Otherwise, like I said, it's still on Netflix, check it out, see if you're interested!
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