Deadman Wonderland

I'm writing this review because a lot of the current reviews are complaining about the story being to short and some characters not getting enough screen time. Obviously, not everything is going to be resolved at the end of the anime because the manga has 45 chapters and the anime is only 12 episodes. That being said, I think the anime did a pretty good job in adapting the manga and you should read the manga after (or before) watching the anime.

Story - (8)

As you know, Deadman Wonderland is about Ganta, a boy who is framed for the murder of his friends and sent ... to a privately owned prison. Shortly after arriving in Deadman Wonderland, Ganta discovers he can use his blood as a weapon. He is then sent to G-Block (where all the other Deadmen are) and the story begins.

Since the anime is only 12 episodes, we only get to see the first arc, which is fine. In terms of plot, we don't get to see the start of the main storyline. The first half of the anime is getting introduced to Deadman Wonderland and the second half Ganta teams up with Owl. Most of the questions that are introduced such as the Mother Goose System, the Red Man, and Makina (lady in charge of the prison guard) trying to discover what's going on, while explored, aren't resolved. This leaves people with the sense that the plot was cheap and incomplete, but there are 45 manga chapters and the anime only got to chapter 20.

note: if you want to read the manga, don't start on chapter 20 because the anime left out a chunk of main characters and some events happen in a different order.

Characters - (7)

Character wise, Deadman Wonderland was just okay. 12 epiosdes wasn't enough time to introduce everyone, so they left out some pretty important characters. I don't really mind that because we are already introduced to a lot of characters and more would just give less screen time all around (and they were irrelevant to the Owl arc). Even though they left out some characters, the only two characters to receive a decent amount of screen time are Ganta and Shiro. If you want more info on Crow, Hummingbird, etc. read the manga, they get a lot more development. The other problem people have with the characters is that a lot of them are introduced, then die in an episode or two, which leaves no impact on the audience. While this is somewhat true, it shouldn't stop you from enjoying the main cast.

Ganta → after 12 episodes, he showed a little bit of growth. He starts off as shy and wimpy. He needs Shiro to protect him in the prison. He's just average intelligence, overall a pretty normal character. He does notice how weak he is and tries to get stronger, so he's not useless the entire time. He cares for Shiro and hates the Red Man.

Shiro → She's lived at Deadman Wonderland Prison her whole life and she's shrouded in mystery as to why. She is pretty dumb, but saves Ganta a lot. We get to know more about her past and why she's in DW and can basically do whatever she wants, but I'll let you watch that.

Art / Animation - (8)

It's pretty dark in the depths of the prison and the scenes that are mysterious. The prison itself is very bright and shiny, which fits the show because Deadman Wonderland Prison needs to give the appearance of being a nice prison. The character designs were faithful to the manga and looked good, with the exception of Crow, I thought Crow looked better in the manga, might just be me though. Animation wise, everything seemed pretty fluid, I didn't notice any poor animation.

Sound - (8)

The opening and ending were pretty good, but I don't really listen to them (sorry). Background music was also fitting. Acting wise, I thought Ganta and Shiro's voices were perfect and really fit them. Everyone else didn't really have a whole lot of lines, but they did a good job. The only voice I didn't like was Toto Sakigami's voice...he sounded kinda like a woman, but he's really only introduced so I don't really care.

Overall - (8)

It's does a good job of introducing us to the manga, even though some characters were ignored and events were re-ordered. The door is still open for a second season, which I hope it gets because the real story was just beginning. If you want a gory show with plenty of death, Deadman Wonderland is for you. After you finish the anime (or before if you want) you should also go read the manga. In my opinion, it's better, but the anime version is worth a try.

I first heard about this anime through Crunchyroll's announcing of their winter/spring simulcasts, and my interested was piqued. Overall, it's a very good anime, and has the potential to stand out from the others.

Story: The story starts out with the Red Man, as Ganta calls him, massacring his middle school class. Before he disappears, the Red Man embeds a red crystal-like object into Ganta's chest, which promptly disappears. He wakes up in a hospital and is placed on trial, where he is sentenced to death. He tries to flee, but maddened parents of some of the killed students attack him, and a fake video of ... Ganta admitting to the killing to Tamaki, his lawyer, and telling him that if Tamaki cleared him, he would tell Tamaki where he hid the weapon. Ganta soon finds himself in the twisted amusment-style prison called Deadman Wonderland, hence the title. All very original, and I look forward to the rest of the episodes, but the anime has the risk of being a 'getting framed for a crime I didn't commit and trying to find the real killer' type.

Art: Truly different from most other animes I have seen. The anime has relatively simple characters, with wonderfully detailed settings, contrasting nicely.

Sound: Nothing special. The opening and ending aren't really noteworthy, and sound almost familiar. One good thing about the music is how nicely it keeps the suspense and liveliness of the anime going (During the opening scene of the first episode, Ganta and his two friends are discussing their class trip, but the piano music in the background left me feeling like something was going to happen.)

Character: Very original, especially Shiro and Ganta. All of the characters have their quirks, and exploit them excellently. I'd love to see the back story on many of them, but I'm sure that will happen eventually.

Enjoyment: Very good. Kept me on my toes the entire first episode, not knowing what would happen. Keeps the blood done to a bearable level, and doesn't get into the gore. Looks like it will be a very good anime to watch!

If you enjoy fast paced action packed anime's, then Deadman Wonderland is most certainly one of the top choices for Spring 2011.

The story revolves around a main character called Igarashi Ganta whose sudden encounter with the "Red Man" turns his life from a jolly average middle school life, into a hell hole called Deadman Wonderland where inmates put on a show for paying audiences.

Beyond the dark and frightening atmosphere is a fast developing action/horror anime packed with enough twists to keep you on your toes and desperate for more, as it is impossible to predict the turn of events as i tried to ... do so myself. Each new twist draws you in deeper and deeper to the point where you crave for closure.

Audio and visuals for Deadman Wonderland are extremely effective in setting the right theme and environment for this anime. It gives off a eerie and dark aura easily putting you into the right mood for watching this type of anime. The characters are lacking a bit in development and hard to empathize with but with the series the way it is, there wouldn't be enough time even though it would be nice if there was more depth to each of the other characters.

Although short, Deadman Wonderland is more then enough to satisfy viewers including those who aren't too fond of the genre and is most definitely one of the more enticing series of spring 2011

Sometimes, anime characters are put into such unfortunate circumstances that you can't help but shake your head in pity. Now, this isn't the type of misfortune where you go "Barnacles, I procrastinated and didn't do my boating essay," or "Such misfortune! A certain Sister bites me all the time!" The misfortune I'm talking about is when Heaven itself seems to abandon you, when it seems all the forces in the world are trying to guarantee no salvation for you.

The subject of this particular tragic treatment is Ganta Igarashi, who starts as a completely normal middle school boy with all of the nice, usual things. ... Family, friends, and a sense of security. Sadly for him, this was not going to last. On the very first episode of Deadman Wonderland, a mysterious figure, which Ganta dubs the "Red Man," appears and butchers Ganta's entire class, leaving him the sole survivor. Framed for the massacre of his class, Ganta is incarcerated in the social experiment prison, Deadman Wonderland.

Deadman Wonderland isn't your everyday kind of prison. For starters, there is an amusement park built right on top of the prison, with the usual cute and fuzzy mascots roaming around. Here, the prisoners are used to operate the attractions and entertain the audience, with sadistic attractions such as the Dog Race and most importantly, the Carnival of Corpses.

Since Ganta is housed on death row, there isn't much hope for him in this place. Tagging along with him and constantly saving his life though, is a mysterious girl named Shiro, who claims to be Ganta's childhood friend, and possesses near super human feats of strength and agility. Her presence is a mixed blessing for Ganta; she's rather clueless and childish, but doesn't hesitate to save Ganta. Deadman Wonderland follows Ganta's experiences in this bizarre world.

Deadman Wonderland certainly has an interesting concept. Modern day gladiators, supernatural powers, and plenty of violence. What's not to love?

The problem with Deadman Wonderland is that it's trying to fit too many things into a very short 12 episode anime. Halfway, an important concept and fighting ability called "The Branches of Sin" is introduced. It essentially gives a mastery over using one's own blood in a variety of offensive and defensive ways. Somewhere along the way, a rebel group is introduced, an old geezer who never really gets an explanation, a very feminine looking boy, and Undertakers are also introduced. There simply isn't enough time in 12 episodes to flesh out these things to make it flow with its other concepts, resulting in little character interaction and development. Even at the end of the series, there are lots of unanswered questions.

Let me elaborate. There is a staggering revelation near the middle of the series, a revelation that could very well shatter what little logic is present in Ganta's situation. What would happen if Ganta found out about this certain secret? Would he go insane? Would he crawl up and die? Or would he take vengeance?

I don't have a clue, and you're guess is as good as mine. The series introduces this extremely interesting revelation and yet does nothing with it. Given time, this could help make Deadman Wonderland a much better show. And yet, this won't happen, because of Deadman Wonderland's lack of time to flesh out events. It's disappointing, but something in the future could elaborate on this and give a new dimension to the show.

As for characters, I've read a lot of complaints about Ganta's weak attitude. I really can't blame him though, since he's just a middle school student who suddenly finds himself on death row. I think it's be unrealistic to think that he'd suddenly toughen himself and willingly face the dangers of Deadman Wonderland so quickly. The entire story takes place in less than 2 weeks I believe, after all. There are a few interesting characters that appear, such as the Crow, Kiyomasa Senji, who is my personal favorite character of this show. He becomes somewhat of a friend to Ganta, though he is unwilling to share the former's optimism of escape.

While on characters, I have to applaud this show for introducing some truly hate worthy characters. I'm looking at you, Promoter Tamaki, man who plays with life like a toy. You too, Genkaku Azuma, you sacrilegious mediocre guitar player. And you too, Hibana Daida, unladylike gorilla who wields Zabimaru. Enough ranting though.

Aside from characters, the art in this show is pretty decent. Plenty of dark colors and tones in the prison, while bright colors are usually in the form of sadistic, cute mascots with a gun hidden in them or something of the sort. There isn't much diversity in setting, since it takes place in a somewhat futuristic prison after all. That means lots of corridors, cells, stone, steel and things of that sort. Fight scenes were pretty interesting, though animation quality takes a dip sometimes.

Moving onto sound, the background music was just that, background music. I didn't notice any real noteworthy melodies and such, but the music was appreciated where it was. The opening is "One Reason" by Fade. It's a typical rock song with, surprise, English lyrics. It's very appropriate for the dark tones of the show, and it's a pretty decent song.

However, the ending song is a completely different story. It's an interesting song called "Shiny Shiny" by Nirgilis. It has a pretty upbeat pop style to it, an interesting contrast to the heavy rock and violence of the show. There are also some melancholic sounds in the song, another contrast to the happy. However, hearing this after the blood has been spilled in a particular episode, gives an interesting feel close to pity. The ending basically shows pictures of the lives of many of the characters before they experienced the hell of Deadman Wonderland. Innocent things like being with friends, embracing loved ones, and appreciating childhood.

Deadman Wonderland isn't for everyone. There's tons of blood, gore, and some rather disturbing scenes (ahem, Penalty Game). The first episode is remarkably similar in levels of gore to Elfen Lied, so if you can handle things like that, be my guest and enjoy the attractions at Deadman Wonderland. This show should be viewed with enjoying the interesting atmosphere and action as much as possible. It's about a boy with all of the misfortune in the world, living in a twisted environment, trying his best to understand what it truly means to be a "Deadman."

In Deadman Wonderland, we do our very best to kick the loser while they're down. So sit back, and enjoy watching our prisoners suffer, minds shatter, and play the part of fool, all while I watch.

Deadman Wonderland is a twelve (12) episode series that was left open ended so that there is the possibility that another season of it could be in the making. The title of this anime seduced me into watching it with the element of confusion channelling me forward.

STORY 7/10
Deadman Wonderland is a theme park that not only serves as entertainment to the public but also doubles as a prison for criminals in society. It is the only privately owned prison in Japan. It is here that the fourteen (14) year old Igarashi Ganta is placed after he is charged with the crime of murdering everyone in ... his class brutally. At first, the prison appears to be an ordinary one but as Ganta begins to learn more about the prison daily and continue his quest in finding the ‘Red Man’, he realises that there is more to this prison and himself that meets the eye.

ART 9/10
This anime was dark and gruesome and the artwork reflected such. The depiction of the amusement park was a stark contrast from the horror that was taking place inside. The prison itself gave off an ominous atmosphere which contributed to the intense mystery of the story.

SOUND 9/10
The opening score provided the key to the dismal atmosphere of the anime and the music included in the story played on one’s mental because even though kaleidoscope music was used it was the irony of the situation in which it was used. The ending piece was sad, reflecting Ganta’s major emotional state.

CHARACTER 8/10
The characters were pretty diverse with some of them surprising you completely! Each character added a different edge to the anime, contributing to the story and keeping the audience guessing as to the true nature or intentions of some of them.

ENJOYMENT 8/10
The mystery of the anime kept me intrigued because of the journey that is undertaken with the main character Ganta; empathising with him and also wanting to know more about why he was made to suffer for a crime that he did not commit. I was highly impressed with the amount of violence and gore in this series, so much so, that even some of it had to be censored! However, I was disappointed that the story shifted focus after episode six which annoyed me a little but realised that the ending was open thereby leaving the possibility that there would be another season in the future to tie up loose ends.

OVERALL 8/10
This anime is definitely worth the watch, that is, if you can stomach all the gore and violence that comes along with it. You can’t help but feel for the main character Ganta and hope that he gets vindicated. The only thing that ruined it for me was the change in the arc where the focus shifted from Ganta to another character Nagi, but nevertheless, a breath of fresh air in the anime universe.

Deadman Wonderland. Some people are terming it "The most gory anime of 2011" , well I may have to agree. It's got gore, but is that what it's relying upon to be anything better than just an average Anime?

Deadman Wonderland starts off with Ganta Igarashi, just a normal schoolboy...until his entire class is killed by a mysterious power wielded by the antagonist later known as the Red man. Ganta is pinned for the murder by ridiculous "evidence" and is thrown into Japan's first, privately owned prison, Deadman Wonderland.

In prison, Ganta learns that he now wields the mysterious "blood power" (branches of sin) and ... he will be forced to fight against other users, and compete in brutal, childish games to survive.

The story isn't bad. For the most part it kept me interested and staying on to the next episode. The story does, however, try to be serious and fails because the world encompassing it is so silly. I do feel that it is pandering to a demographic that craves excessive gore, but it is not so amazing as to be what keeps viewers coming back. It's been done better in Hellsing, Elfen lied and even Highschool of the Dead.

The character designs are probably the main point of what diversifies it, art-wise, from other Anime's. I, personally, don't care much for the look of the characters.

As for sound. Deadman Wonderland does have some ominous backing tracks which helps to bring out the full potential of various scenes in the series. The opening is rather interesting as well. The voice acting is your typical deal, nothing special. I do feel that Hanazawa Kana was a lot better in Angel Beats! as Kanade than Shiro in this series.

Character development was where the series fell quite short for me. The protagonist Ganta is weak, pathetic and generally just a pain to listen to. He gets down on himself, he is a hindrance to the other characters. This is all well and good, but these are the cliché characteristics of a generic archetype and are suppose to be developed away from. The series loses touch and scenes where Ganta actually does something mildly heroic are too little, too late. I just couldn't relate to Ganta and that is the main reason Deadman Wonderland fell down for me.

If you are looking for mindless gore this isn't a bad series for it and all in all, its okay.

P.S: Telling from the ending this series had, this is definitely going to get another season.

Welcome to Deadman Wonderland! A privately owned prison where the prisoners perform for an audience, in hopes of winning the games and lengthening their life. Sounds like fun, right? Right. It makes an excellent anime anyways.

This review is based off the first 3 episodes. Overall: 10/10

Story: 10/10
Ganta Igarashi witnesses his entire class slaughtered by a Red Figure. He is framed and convicted as guilty, sentenced to death and thus sent to Deadman Wonderland- and that's where the real 'fun' begins. To survive, he must compete in insane games and win, in order to keep himself alive.

It is a unique storyline that really draws ... in the watcher. You want everyone to believe that Ganta is non guilty just as much as he does. As you see Ganta face and overcome obstacles, try to keep some hope in his life and stay alive, you just want to smack the other characters that are making it harder for him.

Art: 10/10
The art is very beautiful, clear and neat. The gore scenes are not too bad; it was done in a very artistically well manner. The movements are clear and the transitions are nice. Very enjoyable.

Sound: 8/10
The sound is appropriate for the anime, but nothing special. The opening/ending are pretty good, and there typical sound effects.

Character: 10/10
The characters are well thought out and true to themselves. The personality matches all of the quirks that the characters have, and make for believable characters.

Ganta is an adolescent boy who has to grow up fast in order to survive. The only thing keeping him going is to survive and prove he isn't guilty. He is incredibly disturbed by the event he witnessed and his conviction, and yet tries to persevere in an unthinkable situation. He cares about the people around him.

Shiro is extremely light hearted and energetic. It seems that Deadman Wonderland doesn't bother her at all; that it is really just fun and games. She helps Ganta out, even if he doesn't realize it at first, and she gives Ganta a friendly comfort.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I can't wait for the next episodes to come out! It is extremely interesting and keeps you on edge. The story and characters match together well and is done beautifully, making the overall experience very enjoyable. I recommend!

Deadman Wonderland, what can i say about this anime? Well for starters lets just get the story out of the way. Deadman Wonderland follows Ganta Igarashi and is set in modern day Japan one day his whole class is murdered by a mysterious red man and through actions against his control he is found guilty of murdering his 30 something classmates and sentenced to death. Now in this version of Japan about a decade before these events there's a great Tokyo earthquake that left not just the city but all of Japan devastated. After this a prison is built called you guested it Deadman Wonderland ... the first prison to make money off the prisoners with rides and such and this is where Ganta is sent.

Now that that's out of the way let's talk about the things this anime does right and the things it does wrong.

First the story. For someone who read the manga up to it's current point I love the story it tells however with this anime you don't really feel that it picks what story it wants to tell. At one point Ganta's doing this another he's doing that and so on the way the story comes across isn't bad but it isn't that good either.

Next the Art. The art for this anime is done very well its the art style the manga did and the manga and anime did it well. Almost everything is done very well except a few moments were there is censoring but i guess that can't be helped but still worth mentioning.

Next is Sound. Sound overall is pretty good things make the sounds you would imagine for the most part. My main issue with the sound is the cussing i understand people cuss and swear but there's a lot of it and I know they did quite a bit in the manga some lines are even pulled right from the manga but some of it should have changed a little for context at certain points they don't do it right or it sounds weird which just ruins the moment it was going for. Something else is that they tried to stay real with the sound i guess you could say but at moments they really should have went up a notch or two. *Slight Spoiler Skip To next Paragraph* At two points i was kinda disappointed cause they were eh when they happened and whoa when i read them at one point a dude get sliced with a sword and barely anything another moment that was super eh was someone kicks the shit out of a giant robot and its doesn't come through the sound how much of a feat it was to do something like that.

Characters. Characters in this anime are highs and lows. Some characters like Crow shine but not as much as he should have, others like Ganta fall short but only because the anime doesn't get up to his development which sucks since he's who you are following in the story. The characters after the 4th or 5th ep starts to rotate into characters that did or didn't shine in the manga but don't really get the chance to do either.

And next we have enjoyment. At the end of the day did i enjoy Deadman Wonderland the answer is a yes, its fun its crazy and there's some nice twist but dialogue and some other issues just come out and bring it down time to time.

Overall I give Deadman Wonderland a 7 its good but only barley it really messes up in ways i just couldn't ignore and if i had compared it to the manga it would have gotten almost a 5. If you like gore, fighting, action, and a story you won't fully get unless there is a season 2 or read the manga then check out Deadman Wonderland

Deadman Wonderland is something you wouldnt Expect.
The first episode consists of the main protaganist (Ganta) going to school and his whole class being murdered right in front of his face by a mysterious person in which Ganta refers to as the RED MAN, after watching all his friends die, Ganta is seen in the court room where an odd video pops up that puts him in jail for the death of his classmates. His "lawyer" Tamaki says he feels bad but is the one who ends up making the video. Ganta proceeds to wonderland as a Death Row inmate, where he is first scared and ... confused, and meets a WHITE girl named SHIRO.
Now let me say this , the RE-developing friendship of the two is something of wonderment, SHIRO remembers Ganta from long ago as a child but Ganta cant seem to remember. The anime has a lot of blood and fighting action, as the DEADMEN in wonderland use their own blood as weapons to fight, the Director who also happens to be the dirty lawyer, sets up brutal fights between the blood users(DEADMEN) for the whole worlds enjoyment. This anime has a little bit of each character, the dyabolical, sinister Director, the poor kid Ganta. Love interests in some of the people who bring wonderland to its knees. Its a very interesting anime with a lot of thought left upon the watcher as the final episode ends, but if you watch it you must pay close attention to SHIRO, REDMAN, and ACE MAN. In this anime you must make connections to get it. Its only 12 episodes so its very worthy of taking time out of your day to watch alot of blood and violence, and to watch an old but new friendship rekindle.
I give this 10/10

Ah Deadman Wonderland (referred as "DW" from here on), the only 2011 Spring show i watched. Let's begin with this:

Story: Ganta Igarashi is a 14 year old middle school student accused and later convicted of murdering his entire class, yet he proclaims his innocence and says he saw a "Red Man" actually do the killings. But his "public defender" Tamaki fails to help Ganta and gets sent to DW, a carnival where the inmates are subjected to humiliating and often life or death situations.

The story is pretty generic for the most part. Ganta tries to prove his innocence while trying to maintain his sanity ... in DW. He meets Shiro, a cheerful yet mysterious girl who quickly becomes Ganta's closest friend inside DW. He realizes that in order to survive he needs to take an antidote, called "candy" every two days or he'll die. To get candy, one must get credits, obtained from winning contests. Nothing exciting but nothing outlandish either.


Art: The best part of DW is the animation/art. Even though the blood/violence is heavily censored in the TV version, i found the animation to be top-notch. Each episode really does its best to show us the facial expressions of Ganta (especially episode 6), the Deadmen, everyone else in the show. But the violence is stunning on DW. People getting chopped in half, impaled, electrocuted, eyeball removal, yeah its pretty bad. Yet, ironically those instances are when the Animation truly shows its strength.

Sound: The OP/ED are nothing outstanding, but alright. The background music is just that, background music. Voice acting: Romi Paku is known for voicing every popular male character (see Elric, Edward) that's ever been seen and pulls off a strong performance as Ganta. Rising newcomer Kana Hanazawa (also Mayuri from Steins;Gate, Shiemi from Blue Exorcist) nails it as the aloof and cheerful Shiro.

Characters: I already talked about Ganta, but i'll add something to this. He starts off as your typical whiny shounen lead which gets really annoying as the show is 75% Ganta, 15% Shiro, 10% everyone else, though there are some instances where Ganta really shines (see episode 6). Only near the very end of the very short series, he finally admits that he's weak and seeks the training of "Crow" (aka Senji Kiyomasa), one of the powerful Deadmen inside. Their friendship stems as a result of one of the many "contests", such as Carnival Corpse, inside DW in order to get credits. I won't spoil what happened, but all i'll say is that the loser has to partake in a slot machine game where anything can happen ("Lose your right arm, Lose your eyeball, Lose your hair (?)").

None of the other characters really standout. Ganta suffers the mistake of being too nice to people, especially inside DW. He befriends Takami Yoh, a kleptomaniac searching for his sister but Takami is also in cahoots with the mainman of DW, the Promoter Tamaki (Yes, that guy who was Ganta's public defender, pretty twisted huh?). Later Ganta meets Iron Chain, the group who's plotting to breakout of DW and their leader Nagi.

Enjoyment: Having watched no new anime since last year, i can say with certainty that Deadman Wonderland is a refreshing yet lacking anime in some regards. Only 12 episodes, the ending is very much left wide-open yet very unlikely the show will get any real closure (such as a second season, or an OVA). But for the most part i loved DW. Ganta, while flawed, managed to keep his sanity for the most part. Shiro is loveable, funny and quick to defend Ganta from anyone at anytime. But there just wasn't enough episodes to explain the most important parts of the show, such as the Branches of Sin, Undertakers, and of course Shiro herself, but it's a good show especially given its only 12 episodes. I recommend this show.

The good: Crisp, detailed animation. If you haven't read the manga, you'll love this more than those who read the manga.

The bad: Unanswered questions, failed character improvement.

So, you're telling me we've got a prison that doubles as an amusement park? Sign me up—oh wait, maybe not actually sign me up, that place is nuts! "Deadman Wonderland" throws you into this wild ride, and just when you're buckled in, it goes off the rails... and not entirely in the way the manga did.

Look, if you're a die-hard fan of the manga, brace yourself. The anime takes some, let's say, "creative detours." It's like ordering a pepperoni pizza and getting one with pineapple. Some of you might love the surprise, while others... not so much.

That said, as its own beast, the anime is ... a blast. Action-packed, intense, and with characters that'll make you go, "Did he just...? Yep, he did." But if you're hoping for all the answers by the end, you're in for a cliffhanger that makes those soap opera ones look like child's play. Want the full story? Dive into the manga—it's where the party continues and the real fun begins.

In short, "Deadman Wonderland" the anime? A wild, unpredictable roller coaster. The manga? The track that completes the ride. Strap in, folks!

Deadman Wonderland, in my opinion, is a really great anime- but it's an anime for a very niche crowd. It's super violent, pretty crude, and only goes so far into the manga's story, which some people may not appreciate in an anime adaptation.

To the anime's credit, the violence and crudeness never feels forced. It all feels very cohesive to the story's overall theme, and even when I cringed at some of the more brutal parts of the story, I never rolled my eyes and thought, 'Oh, this is all just for shock value.' Something about the way it was written made me believe that each ... and every thing shown was needed and had a place in the anime, especially since we get to see the way that all these brutal events effect each character.

I found most of the characters to be very likable or at least interesting, even though a huge handful of them are raving psychopaths- again, this is a trope that can often become eye-rollingly forced, but like I said, I liked a good chunk of the characters. There's only a few I didn't care for as far as writing or execution goes, and they were mostly characters who came in towards the end and got their time cut short since their stories continue on in the manga.

If you like dubs, I highly recommend watching Deadman Wonderland dubbed, because it turned up my enjoyment of the series considerably. The adapative script is just plain great, and the dialogue all feels very natural- plus you get to hear some awesomely crafted cursing from a bunch of the characters.

My only big qualm with Deadman Wonderland (aside from the unfortunate 12 episode cap, which I'll give a pass under the hopes that they'll do another season) is that the awesome carnival/amusement park theme gets dropped about halfway through as the characters interact less within the framework of Deadman Wonderland and more behind the scenes. It's hard to describe without spoiling anything, but I would have liked to see more 'playing by the rules' before the story really got going- but again I'm assuming this has a lot to do with the episode cap, and I think the anime was otherwise very well-paced for having so much to cover in such a short time.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this anime, and if you like dubs, I highly recommend giving Deadmon Wonderland's dub a try. It takes a good show and makes it even more compelling.

Deadman Wonderland was written by Kataoka Jinsei. It started in 2007 and is still going. Last year it got a twelve episode anime adaptation. I haven't heard much about the series so I don't know what to expect. Let's take a look and find out.

Fourteen year old Igarashi Ganta witnesses the murders of his peers at the hands of the mysterious "Red Man." The Red Man pushes a crystal into Ganta's chest and vanishes. He soon finds himself in a privatised prison where he'll have to fight to survive. The basic elements seem very cliche, but it's all presented in a very unique and ... interesting way. The story does an excellent job of balancing between more light-hearted moments and really dark, twisted moments. This contributes to making it very interesting to watch. It also has excellent pacing. It sets up for another season while still having a satisfying climax and an interesting conflict. The one negative is that it is a short anime. The result is that a lot of plot points don't get resolved. However, it is clearly set up for a sequel so it's really not a major negative and I do hope that the series does get a second season because what's there is very interesting.

This series has a massive cast. The major characters are, mostly, very well fleshed out, as are some of the side characters, but most of them get very little character development. However, that does work for the story and the setting. Given the length, they really couldn't have done much better. My only real issue with the characters is with Ganta himself. He feels like a stock everyman protagonist that we've seen a lot. He does get a little development in the last couple episodes, but he still comes across as a pretty bland character. Especially when compared to the far more interesting group around him.

The art is very good, overall. There's a good use of colours, the fight scenes are interesting and they even manage to make the backgrounds lively. Which is pretty impressive for an anime mostly set in a prison. Now, there are some really gruesome scenes that may be a bit difficult to watch, but they are excellently handled and plot relevant. This isn't mindless or something that's just done for shock value. There are a few art issues. The first is that there are some really dark scenes that are hard to see and there's really not a good reason for them to be. Another is that there are a few art errors, there aren't many but there are enough that it is a little distracting.

The voice acting is excellent. Paku Romi and Hanazawa Kana both have very strong performances, but the entire cast is good. The music does a very good job of helping set the tone.

The yuri factor is a 2/10. Kyoko seems to have a crush on Makina in a few scenes, but you don't get enough with them to be certain.

My final rating for Deadman Wonderland is an 8/10. It has a few weak points, but it's a very good anime overall. It's well-paced, interesting, well acted and it has a lot of endearing characters, even if the main protagonist is rather dull. If you don't mind sitting through some gruesome scenes I would definitely suggest checking it out.

Deadman Wonderland

A demon of some sort kills gantas entire class in front of his eyes along with the girl he loves. As the only survivor, he is blamed of homicide. Sent to a special private jail, Deadman Wonderland.
Details of the clockwork of the jail has not been described yet as it is only ep one.
The characters are unique and different matching the storyline. Its rather explicit as in gore, but most of the sub episodes online are censored. Unfortunately lol.

You'll be on the edge of your seat for this anime. There is a large sense of mystery in this anime as well as the moments of cringing whenever something horrible happens. It was a little slow of an anime to begin with, but after a while it really picked up the pace. It has the feel of a battle anime, but it does have a compelling reason to continue watching it right up to the end. Also, there are interesting characters, that are easy to get attached to, even the ones who you think you'll hate right off the bat. If left unsatisfied by ... the anime, read the manga to fill in any of the gaps and continue past the ending of the anime if you're too impatient for the next possible season (I don't think there are any plans for another season).

This story evolves around a character named Ganta Igarashi. Ganta is having a typical ordinary day but that is all about to change when a mysterious person known as the 'red man' appears suddenly and slaughters his entire class, leaving him as the soul survivor. Evidence displays a recording in which Ganta shows his amusement about murdering his entire class. This scenario makes it seems like Ganta is the culprit behind the massacre. During the mass killing he loses consciousness and wakes up in the hospital where he is apprehended. Ganta is then taken to court and later is presume guilty for the murder of ... his classmates. As punishment he is sentence to death. Awaiting his execution, he wines up at a prison known as Deadman Wonderland. Now Deadman Wonderland isn't an ordinary prison. It's a place where prisoners fight for their lives in order to please the crowd that is rooting for bloodshed.

Ganta starts off as terrified and confused, but that shifts quickly when he learns that he has to adapt and become strong in order to survive this hell he has been placed in. Ganta realize that he has been framed and that his being here in this prison is no coincidence. His objective now is to find the red man responsible for everything and to prove his innocence, but before he can do that he needs to escape and avoid the many possible threats that Deadman Wonderland holds.


If there is any character as mysterious or even more so than the red man, it would have to be this girl named Shiro. Shiro, an pale girl covered in red markings seems to be Ganta's childhood friend who Ganta vaguely remembers. She appears to be unbound by the prison and goes unnoticed by the guards as if she was a spirit but her very existence is real.

The story itself feels very fast paced which affects the fight scenes and results in less intriguing characters that are poorly introduced. Main two characters that got their fair share of screen time includes Ganta and Shiro. Ganta's impression is very mature for a middle schooler. His age doesn't quite fit how he's able to deal with the situation so effectively. Shiro does a great job at keeping the audience engaged and her childlike personality compliments her well. As for the other characters, they don't leave a strong impact and the ones that dies off are hardly remembered due to lack of background stories.

Art is neither eye-catching nor repellent. Plenty of gore and violence incorporated which is remarkable and keeps the viewers entertained. Biggest issue like I said is that it's very face paced and with only 12 episodes it leaves out significant details. Disappointed with the ending in the sense that it feels incomplete and that I wanted more of an explanation. Overall, I enjoyed the anime. It's a good one if you like short animes. Just don't expect a solid constructed storyline.

So have you ever seen anything that looked so super special awesome you just had to get it then once you get it you were let down by what it didn't do. Well thats how Deadman Wonderland is. I was really hyped to actually watch this because a lot of my friends were like its way better than anything I've seen yet. Sadly I was really let down. I won't touch base with the OVA as all that is a back story.

Story 6/10
The story is no way bad or anything it just feels like there area bunch of holes in it and even so it ... wasn't paced that great either. The beginning was really rushed to the whole "Deadman Wnderland amusement park prison" aspect where the main character was forced into such a hell hole within like 5 minutes of the first episode which in that time he acquires such powers he has no clue of their acquisition. Based off that, the story really had no where to go in terms of contrast and most the events were really predictable. This really led to an okay but somehow happy ending. It really isn't the best ending but it feels like it promotes a second season which I do not foresee ever happening. Even with this in play I was actually waiting to feel any sort of emotion while watching it but I can say it doesn't make me feel any different while watching it as I said it was pretty predictable.

Art 8/10
This was really good and usually fit the mood of most of this anime revolving around the worst prison system ever created so yeah it was usually dark. However I did not favor the immense amounts of gross out scenes and cringey amounts of gore. I realize there are other series I have seen with way more gore but this whole series focuses on the gore and bloodshed.

Sound 9/10
The music seems to be the most redeeming part of the entire series. No matter how you watched this anime dub or sub, the themes are the exact same but either way they got me pumped to watch this series. I really could listen to the Opening and Credits 100 times over and still love it but sadly that was really the only good thing the music department had going for me.

Character 7/10
Like the story the characters introduced really went no where. The anime tries to make you feel sympathy for the characters but these attempts happen way to early for you to feel anything for them so in a way there doesn't seem to be any real development. Also they added in way too many supporting characters who really didn't contribute any to the plot. Even with all the back stories nothing really changed about how I feel about the characters. Even with Ganta's and Shiro's childhood, its one of those "They have good friendship then they depart then boy forgets" childhood. However I really came to like Shiro. She was really unique to the series as being one of those characters who didn't really bum me out every time I look at her. I also like the fact they didn't really push for any romance kind of actually caught me off guard in the end but other than them characters were really bland.

Overall 7/10
Like I said in the beginning this anime is sort of a let down to me but I have no business calling it bad anime it Was actually good. I just think that this anime doesn't really bring anything new to mind after watching it and it didn't make feel anything while watching it. If you really haven't seen a whole lot of anime or just haven't seen any for quite some time this is actually a great anime to watch. While it may not be the best story for its time it still is fairly decent and if you were wanting to watch it go ahead its not horrible but its not the greatest thing ever spawned and theres nothing really new about it. However if there is any real sequel this may or may not change but for now Deadman Wonderland will get a 7 from me also if you havew atched this series you might as well watch the OVA. It doesn't really fit with the rest of the series but hey it won't kill you right?

before I start this review, I wanna say that deadman wonderland so under rated by soooo many people, and its just flat out ridiculous. in my opinion (please highlight I said MY opinion), a show like deadman wonderland has so much potential, because now a days, people don't know how good anime use to be when it was all about the compelling action. shows like DBZ and yu yu hakasho, gurren lagann, all these shows had more of a focus on action, rather than emotional bullshit. Where as now, an anime ain't nothing if ain't got a moe or a splice of life. not to ... say no anime should not have that, but it's made action series like the classics almost non-existent. Deadman wonderland to me takes a try at the good old days.

story
Ganta is your average boy who is nothing special, and his life would have been that way if there was just that problem that his classmates weren't killed by the "red man", and implanted some red thing inside him. Being the only soul survivor, he is charged with the slaughter of all classmates, and is, in the end, sent to deadman wonderland, where he must fight for survival. Shortly after being there, he realizes through a certain event, that the red thing inside him has given him superpowers (like some of the other prisoners, or "deadmen) and allows him to use blood as a weapon. now I don't wanna give too much away, because that's episode one in a nut shell, but the story is pretty well, but the reason I didn't give a ten out of ten is because the show does have some plot holes here and there, they are forgivable, but unfortunately, they do exist.

the animation
if you want to see where this show shines, this is it. granted its style is no guilty crown, but its got a very dark feel to it. Its kind of the same feeling that black lagoon gives you with the city roanipur or however you spell that. the gory aspect of the show is not too be exaggerated though, it is not meant for the squeamish. The animation however does compliment the show in every aspect. there's not much else to say other than the opening of the show, has phenomenal animation.

the sound
the music in deadman wonderland like everything else in the show, is dark, but it also is freaking perfect. it's a mix of heavy tunes, and dark erry music that fits both the dark aspect of the show and the action scenes. and the opening is the best opening I have ever seen, heavy metal tune, and pumps you up for the psychotic stuff coming your way. needless to say, it is amazing, a 10/10

the characters
the characters in this show is about the problem I have with this show. Now for anyone who doesn't know, I love future diary/mirai nikki, and ganta is very much like yukki. ganta is, like yukki, a winy weakling and can't go through any problem without crying, and his dub voice actor got annoying as all hell. I will say he is not a total spineless coward as he does rise to the occasion more than I could have expected. next you have shiro, one of my favorites. shiro is a albino girl around gantas age who comes out of absolutely nowhere to help ganta and decides he is her best friend. however she is a complete mystery and definitely makes you wanna learn more about her. not much else to say about her other than she acts just about as silly as team rocket. next up ya got yo who starts to appear to be an aid to ganta, and teaches him things about the prison and how it works. I can't explain more without spoilers, so we now move on to the last one, crow. Crow is definitely the badass of the show, everything from his voice, how he acts, and how he goes about things. I will not go any further on him other than he is my favorite character.

my personal enjoyment
overall deadman wonderland is a pretty kickass show, but unfortunately there is one thing that made me not give it a ten out of ten. being that it did real good in America, and not good where it needed to, japan, it never got a second season. this leaves with soo many things unanswered. however since that is not the shows fault, the show is still pretty damn good with plenty of action, all the gore ya want, and plenty of thriller and mystery. pray everyone, pray for a season 2, and we might not be disappointed. or buy the dvd and help them out if you liked it that much.

Where's the next episode!?


Pros:

- Blood by the gallons, possibility of contracting a disease . . . . very high!!
- Tournament fighting whether they like it or not, I like it
- Awesome bird cage matches!! but its still not legal
- Torture porn, wait is that a good thing O .O??
- Oozing with style, yo
... - Interesting characters

Cons:

- Main character whines too much, leave your kidz at home people
- Some not so interesting characters . . . you'll know them when you see them
- Plot where are you going with this??
- The anime isn't finished

Summary:

Deadman has become one of my favorite anime for its mere concept. But sadly I cannot recommend it at this state. It's still great but just unfinished so if you plan on seeing this anime know that it will abruptly stop. Although if you like over the top gore, violence and some sweet fights you should skim through this one to see if its something you'll enjoy in the future, so then you'll end up like me ; . : wishing they'd continue it T_T *sniffle*

Average anime with interesting settings and potential, but both of those are critically wasted. The only things which hold the score on 7 are two of many plain characters and the mystery surrounding the main female protagonist.

Story:
At the beginning the story seems like the main and most interesting part of the show. Private prison, death sentenced prisoners fightng for survival, high school boy with supernatural powers but lack of self-confidence.
Main problem is that the anime has only 12 episodes. There is simply not enought time to tell all the important things in an interesting way, and so we dont know nothing about most of the ... characters and events and then the writers try to explain everything in last episode - NOT working. Not to mention that there is vast majority of things which are not explained just because this anime does not covers the full manga.
Conclusion: 6/10 for so much wasted potencial and too hasty ending

*Spoilers ahead*
Characters:
About most of the characters we know nothing. They exist simply because story wants more pawns to kill. How I already wrote, there are only two characters which are interesting - Shiro and Crow. But just because of Shiro I gave this anime one or two points bigger score. This simple girl with her crazy second personality as main anime antagonist is just adorable. She always shows in critical moment has some easy but catchy phrase and then either saves everyone or gets ass kicked. Her appearance is also very untraditional, and the background surrounding her childhood has some really strong moments and is very touchy (unfortunately not mentioned in anime - you must read manga)
Conclusion: 8/10 - Shiro rulezz, Crow is badass

*End of Spoilers *

Art and sound:
Other thing which you will remember is good sound setting in thrilling parts, not to mention the great anime opening song. Art could be better in 2011 but its watchable and some details are pretty nice. The whole contrast of the prison which is presented as funny family land vs. gore and bloody things which are happening in the *basement*
Conclusion: 7/10

Summary and final word:
If you like gore action animes with mystery element, this is for you. By far not so good as Mirai Nikky but enjoyable. The one thing which will hold you by the monitor will be Shiro and concern how the whole thing will end (unfortunately unfulfilled due to rushed end).
Overall 7/10