Available for Purchase at the following link: "Deadman Wonderland" at Amazon
Article by Zach Goodier
From the studio
that brought you Ergo Proxy, as well as Samurai
Champloo, and Erueka Seven, comes Deadman Wonderland. Deadman Wonderland is a 12-episode (plus
1 OVA) anime that follows the transition of a young kid, named Ganta, from a nice
quiet school boy into a hardened man.
You start out in a nice quiet school, where Ganta is just starting his
day with his friends. This pleasantness
lasts for all of approximately 3.74 seconds; until a person in Red floats down outside
the building and literally tears the room (as well as everyone in it, save Ganta)
into pieces. This is where the show
really starts making you realize the title isn't kidding around. Ganta is framed for the entire thing, and is
sentenced to death. Ganta is sent to
Japan's first privately owned correctional facility, called "Deadman
Wonderland." Ganta must learn to
survive here amidst the insanity and cruelty that surrounds him. And soon Ganta realizes that he has the
ability to use his own blood as a weapon.
This ability is referred to as a "Branch of Sin," and Ganta
soon realizes that his sentence to this place was no coincidence, as he soon
meets others with similar abilities, referred to as "Deadmen." Ganta must fight to survive, and quickly the
definition of "sanity" becomes more and more blurry. Ganta soon realizes that in order to survive
and uncover the conspiracy, as well as the "Red Man," he will have to
forget the life he lost and become a true Deadman.
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| (Left to right) "Crow," Ganta, and Shiro. |
For starters,
this show is awesome. Let me say that
again in case you're speed reading and didn't quite let that sink in.... THIS.
SHOW. IS. AWESOME. Between the
characters, the dialogue, the themes, as well as the soundtrack, this show
clearly is a masterpiece. The animation
is very well done, and when characters use their different Branches of Sin, it
truly feels like these things are extensions of the characters themselves
(which makes sense, since it's formed from the person's blood). The story is full of all sorts of compelling
twists and turns, meaning that even if there isn't a big fight going on, there
is still plenty of excitement to be had.
However, the weak of stomach need not apply, since this is a very bloody
show. No seriously, the first episode
has Ganta's classroom turned into "Christmas for Hannibal Lector." This show is bloody, violent, and sometimes
you wonder how these characters can kiss their mothers with those mouths (but then
you realize their mothers might have left them on bad terms). Just as awesome as the show itself is the
soundtrack backing it up, with an original song just for this show's opening
theme: "One Reason" by Fade.
Half of the views for this video are probably from me.
The overall
theme of this series is "the moral insanity of the human race." All of the Deadmen come from fractured pasts,
generally forced to suffer for the sins of others. Between abuse, abandonment, betrayal, and loss; all of these characters could be
considered dead not only because they were all sentenced to death, but because
they've often lost what they defined their lives by. The term "Branch of Sin," can also
be due to the fact that the Deadmen are all referred to as "birds"
who rested upon the sinful branches of humanity. But that's enough of the literary nuances;
suffice it to say that there are a lot of deeper themes within this show that
aren't fully discussed, but are left for viewer interpretation. This is done for a reason, as you'll see
characters view situations through different eyes; some seeing the past as a
reason to condemn all of humanity as the bunch of wretches they see them to be,
while others believe that we can always make a choice whether or not to follow those
who wronged us into madness.
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| 2 Things: 1) Everyone in Deadman Wonderland is scarred. 2) Ganta is still very much a child. |
Ganta himself is
a compelling character, at least once we get closer to the end. In the beginning, he is childish and weak; he
is unable to cope with the circumstances he finds himself in. This is understandable, since we don't often
condemn high school students to death. This
show follows Ganta in his transition from being a naive kid to being able to
stand up for himself as a man. This can
feel a touch frustrating at times, as Ganta will want to drown in self-pity,
but this is only to help you understand that he is still young and weak. Ganta will get various forms of help along
the way from other Deadmen, as well as Shiro, a young girl who seems about as
clueless and Ganta, only she isn't as weak.
Shiro will help Ganta out, along with "Crow," and to a lesser
extent, "Hummingbird." These
characters are also products of bad circumstances, but they both have some
depth to them if you care to look.
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| You don't want to incur the wrath of the "Crow claws." |
Overall, Deadman Wonderland is an amazing
show. Between the deep narrative themes,
the wide range of awesome characters, as well as the character development that
takes place throughout the show, this is a sure winner.... Er, that is as long
as you don't mind bloody mayhem with a heavy topping of foul language, partial
nudity, as well as general insanity.
However, these points all tie into the overall theme of the show; so
while they can be viewed as an attempt to appeal to certain demographics, they
really do feel right in the overall context of the show. This is one of the greatest series I've seen
in a long time, and while it won't exactly cater to everyone's sensibilities,
it definitely has a lot to offer those who are able to handle the intensity. The only thing I can truly
say is a shame is that the show only has the one season thus far. This isn't only a "I needed to say
something bad so I'll just say, 'It ended'" type of thing; the show leaves
a lot of loose ends, this is mainly because the manga is still ongoing, and the
show just didn't have the answers to give you.
Hopefully this won't be turned into another tragedy of a potentially
brilliant long-term series being cut short due to simply being forgotten. This show is a must have for any action
junkie, and especially for those who like an engaging and compelling story
behind it all with deeper narrative themes.
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| Ganta, as well some of the seemingly simple, yet strong dialogue within the series. |
The Good:
-Brilliant animation, just realize that
the guys that made Samurai Champloo
made this... enough said.
-Wide range of interesting characters
that drive the compelling story forward.
-Deeper narrative themes for those who
like a little bit of thinking, but understanding these isn't required to understand the basis of
what is going on, so it's optional.
-Music really helps the atmosphere in
this series.
The Bad:
-Ganta can, at times, be a difficult protagonist to get behind.
-Story has some solid closure, but there
are still some unanswered questions and unresolved conflicts.
-Not a personal complaint, but the bloody
scenes, as well as the language, will turn away quite a few of those with
delicate sensibilities.
Scully Rating: 9.5 out of 10