First Impression – Deadman Wonderland

He’s not dead yet, but he’s close

Overcooled: Deadman, Deadman, Deadman. I’ve heard plenty of buzz over this anime, and even over the manga before the anime was even announced. The main point I’m getting from all this talk is that Deadman is violent and good. Regulars here will know that I like violent things, (I essentially learn how to kill people as a side hobby, what do you expect?) and apparently most of the writers here do too since they’re helping me with the first impressions here. So dive right in~

Picture yourself sitting and talking idly with your friends before class starts, having the same type of banter as usual. Picture a strange figure floating outside the window and grinning maliciously. Now picture yourself in a nightmarish scene of such grotesque complexity that you’d kill to be dreaming. The man in red has brutally slaughtered everyone in the class and is now out for YOU. Well, not YOU, but Ganta. He was just a normal teenage boy until today, the day a maniac shoved a glowing red jewel into his chest and ruined his life forever.

As soon as Ganta opens his eyes, he’s arrested for the murder of his classmates. He pleads innocent to the case, but without any other witnesses or leads, he’s up for trial. The show has just started and the main character already has the death sentence. He cries miserably and tries to protest, only to be beaten down by the parents of those whom he once called friends. To seal the deal, his cellphone slips from his pocket and plays a fake video of him in a meeting with his lawyer saying that killing them all was fun. In more despair than Zetsubou-sensei will probably ever feel, Ganta is shipped off to Deadman Wonderland.

The best episode of Judge Judy to date

Ganta has been whisked away to a privately-owned prison where they are free to use the inmates as attractions for the amusement park that’s attached. The area had previously collapsed from a mysterious black hole type phenomenon, and this is their answer to attract more tourists. All prisoners must wear a collar equipped with all manner of deadly devices in the case of disobedience. But that’s nothing compared to the lethality of Miss G Cup officer lady and her reign of terror.

Forced into physical labor on his first day, Ganta lugs around constructions materials as he reminisces about his old life and his old friends. As he says he wants to die, a strange white-haired girl jumps down and offers to kill him. Oh Kana Hanazawa, you make everything sound adorable, don’t you? She seems to know Ganta from before somehow, saying that ‘Shiro and Ganta are friends!’ but not responding directly to any questions. To all the other prisoners, it just looks like he’s slacking off with a girl, so they start to really hassle him. Shiro sticks up for him and knocks out on the guys, only to be knocked out herself with a shovel.

Ganta gets fired up and attacks the prisoner who would dare to smack a girl around, but is vastly overpowered and outnumbered. They kick at him for a while until a giant ball-shaped fixture on the top of the building falls off from a timed explosion. This is supposed to be a planned “accident” to kill off Ganta before his death sentence, orchestrated by the higher ups in the prison, but he manages to survive it. WITH THE POWER OF BLOOD. The gem in his chest suddenly appears again and gives him the power to avoid being crushed along with Shiro.

Let’s just hope they don’t air a “donate blood today” ad during the CM break

If you didn’t think this prison was corrupt enough, anyone given the death sentence has a timer on their collar that ticks down until their death. The only way to reset the timer is to eat a candy, which is given as a reward for…well…I can only imagine what sort of wretched acts they must commit to extend their life.

Bonus Screenshots:

On the bright side, no homework today!

This is why heels exist

I am totally okay with this kind of sexism

This is what happens when you don’t have Tiger and Bunny to disarm bombs

End Thoughts:

Hime: Well that was one of the most depressing things I’ve ever seen…AND IT WAS SO AWESOME!!!!111!!!!! FFFFFFFFUUUUUU~ Mygod. How awesome was it seeing the Branch of Sin in action? How cool is Shiro’s outfit and white eyelashes? The female prison guard/warden is so much more badass than I remember. Even Romi Park as Ganta didn’t annoy me as much as I thought she would. She still has time though -_- I might just be looking through rose-tinted “awesome first episode” goggles since I loved the manga so much, but I thought this was a pretty good first episode. The first few minutes were kinda slow, but just as I was starting to get bored BOOM! the Red Man shows up and slaughters a classroom. Things move very fast after that, which I liked, it helps overlook how amazingly implausible it is that Ganta would be charged with this murder and sentenced to death, lol. But, yano, we want to see the prison so getting him there as quick as possible and not bullshitting us for about 10 episodes was the best way to do it. However, seeing it done in the anime made me realise just how weak that part was.

Luckily it has enough interesting characters to pull it through, though. There was also a fair bit of censoring, which doesn’t really bother me too much, but it’ll piss the fans of gore off. If we get to the battles for the candy where it’s daylight and we’d clearly be able to see everything and it’s obscured by big black bands even I’ll be pissed. Also, way to keep the Red-Man’s identity a secret, guys. Could it be any more obvious? Srsly. The colour scheme is odd to me, I guess from the shading in the manga I never saw the jumpsuits as green, and Shiro and that thief’s hair(I can’t remember his name)was blonder than it was. But, yeah, anyway, DEM JUMPSUITS. Haha, either way they’re awesome. I think Deadman is off to a good start and with my experience of the Spring season so far, which has been pretty dismal, it’s a nice pick-me-up.

Hato: Good lord! A show I actually enjoyed! I had really high hopes for this show and surprisingly, a lot of them were met. The opening (while censored a lot) was excessively violent and demented and to be honest, that’s a good thing. I mean, from that first episode, it seems obvious to me that he’s been set up, or targeted for some stupid reason. And the way they showed that actually makes me want to watch more of the show. Unlike that Scarlet Ammo crap. “OH MY GOD I’M BEING CHASED BY SEGWAYS WITH UZIS”

I wasn’t surprised at all the see Hanazawa in there. Though, she’s kind of typecast now, would you say? I mean, she uses the same voice over and over again. Or maybe it’s just her actual voice? I have no ‘effing clue. She honestly needs to change it up a bit. And her character design, what’s up with that? She needs to put some clothes on ASAP. I mean, a prison mocked up as a amusement park is not a safe place to be.

The preview was also super interesting. So they need Candy to keep their counter up? And they need to participate in the amusement things for the public to earn them? I gotta say, that’s a pretty awesome idea. I’m looking forward to seeing more of this show. Oh, and that badass power that the main kid rocked up? Yeah, that made him a fucking bamf. But that crystal thing is ugly.

Foshizzel: Damn good show this will probably have way more blood than Freezing could give us in one episode, I loved the artwork and character designs even thou the main kid Ganta looks so similar to Renton from Eureka7. You can tell there is something fishy with the stone that gave him a darker personality! Makes me wonder if the red caped guy is using Ganta to get access to the prison? Then we have Hanazawa Kana as Shiro who acts more like Rana from Freezing or a combination of Nessa with Rana? Either way amazing work from her as usual. Even thou she seems to be to “cute” to be a prisoner, hopefully we get to find out more about her and why she is serving time.

Story wise really interesting and the idea of the “candy” to keep them alive was great and the timers on the collars to determine their sentences for executions, so I guess Ganta will have to survive to prove his innocence to everyone. Hard to tell just from one episode where things will end up, either this will become huge and amazing! Or it could fall apart quickly, so hopefully things continue the way they are with nice action, story and character development.

Overcooled: Right from the get-go, Deadman Wonderland jumps into the heart of the story about a boy in a rather twisted prison. Or perhaps I should say it rips into the heart like a savage dog within the first few minutes. Although there’s censoring for now (boooo~), we still get our fair portion of dismembered teenagers decorated with gallons of blood. You would think throwing a character you just met into such a perilous situation would be too hasty, but it wasn’t. Without any set-up whatsoever, they managed to make you sympathize with Ganta right away. His plight is so horrible, his suffering so vividly sickening that you still feel for him despite only knowing his name and that he is some normal kid. Beautiful execution.

The whole premise of a prison that makes the prisoners degrade themselves at an amusement park during their sentence is creative enough. Adding in superpowers is just the icing on the bloody, bloody cake. Unlike C, which has an amazing idea but has problems explaining what the hell those ideas are, Deadman Wonderland did a good job of revealing enough to satisfy and still leave you hungry for more. I like how they unraveled it piece by piece, saving the candy detail for last. I am VERY pleased to be blogging this psychological badboy week to week, I hope you’ll join me as I fangirl over Ganta as he suffers. Watashi wo makasete ne~

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We live, laugh, enjoy and strictly believe on "more the merrier". When together, we usually come up with very chatty, conversation-based episodics and interesting posts.
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96 Responses to “First Impression – Deadman Wonderland”

  1. Metalsnakezero says:

    Lot a F up things here.
    Middle school kid arrested and put in to a mess up place.
    People with super powers.
    But the most F up thing is Paku Romi voicing a male character and Hanazawa Kana voicing a pertinence Yandere!

    • Overcooled says:

      Yeah, it’s pretty messed up. And I’m loving it~

      What’s wrong with Paku Romi voicing a male? She’s done it before o_o And Kana is in everything, I’m not surprised haha

      • Hime says:

        Aside from the fact she’s just generally annoying? =P

      • Metalsnakezero says:

        No, I like Paku Romi. I was just making a joke that most of her roles are males.

    • Namika says:

      Why is Paku Romi voicing a male character wrong? She done it before(Edward Elric from FMA, Toshiro from Bleach, Naoki’s little brother(forgot his name) from mischievous kiss… shall I continue? :3 ) and she’s pretty good at it!
      As for Hanazawa – she’s appearing in almost everything, so that’s not surprising. And also, she’s a pure Yandere material, if you ask me >.>

      • Overcooled says:

        I actually like Paku Romi, but I think Hime thinks otherwise lawl. I’m used to hearing her as Kenshin from Sengoku Basara.

      • Foshizzel says:

        Whenever I hear Romi doing voices I always jump back to FMA or Bleach hahah hard to believe it sometimes! But great actor xD

        Hana is starting to sound the same Nessa,Kobato,and now this girl very similar voice styles like hyper and over excited! But I like her still.

        • Namika says:

          Me too 😀 Though I’m more jumping to Bleach, because I prefer FMA in FUNimation dub. Vic Mignogna’s Edward is so much more lovable! <3

          • Hime says:

            The FMA dub is amazing. trumps the original (yes I’m biased) I’ve spoke to Vic over the phone at a con in ireland my friend was at. He’s such a hilarious sweetheart. I think it’s still on youtube…

            • BlackBriar says:

              It’s still hard to believe that the guy who voices Broly in DBZ is the same one who voices Edward Elric. No similarity in voice at all. That’s what I call talent.

            • Namika says:

              OMG….. you talked to Vic?….. O_O
              It’s over. I’m in a depression.

              Urayamashiiiiiiiiiiii~!! ><"
              I love him so much TT^TT

            • Namika says:

              @BlackBriar yes, Vic-sama is a tensai
              <3<3<3

          • BlackBriar says:

            @Namika
            In case you didn’t know yet, Vic is also the actor for Zero and Ichiru Kiryuu in the english dub for Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty.

            • Hime says:

              And he actually does an amazing Zero. My mind was blown. I love him as Ed but he sucked at Tamaki in Ouran and other stuff I’ve seen him in was pretty wretched too. But UNF, angsty Vic is so sexy. haha

              @Namika, Yeah I spoke to him but I was so nervous I totally embarassed myself. Here’s the video, it’s right at the beginning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnOKfBgMakY

              lol, this is why I shouldn’t talk to celebrities.

            • Namika says:

              I know )))
              In fact, I already watched those a couple of months ago, and found out that Vic was voicing Zero…… in October, maybe?…. something around there.
              But still, thanks! :*

            • Namika says:

              @Hime, Actually, I didn’t like Vampire knight dub, Vic was the one saving the whole show. Edward was his best role, and I think, Tamaki was his second best role, he didn’t suck as him at all. ))) Idk, I just love that VA so much!!!

          • Hime says:

            I agree with you that Vic was the only saving grace of the VK dub. It was totally ass besides him. Tho they way Yuki said Kaname’s name was hilarious to me. KANA-MEH. lol, dubs.

            • Namika says:

              Every time I heard Yuki say that I wanted to slam my face against the wall X(

  2. Junko says:

    Oh hai Nessa, didn’t take to long to see you again.

    Far out I watch anime for the first time in a week and this is what I pick? Nice.

  3. Sebz says:

    I can’t believe the wretched egg was mentioned so early in the series…oh well, I NEED A CARNIVAL CORPSE!!!

  4. BlackBriar says:

    It’s only the first episode and I’m already impressed. Ganta really reminds me of Renton from Eureka Seven and Shiro is his Eureka. I’m getting a sadistic delight from this. It has potential and could be the best gory anime since, dare I say it, since Shiki. I hope I’m right in saying that and don’t end up being disappointed.

    Not a lot of time has passed and Ganta has already been consumed by thoughts of revenge. Although you can’t blame him for it if you’ve had your life destroyed by a complete psycho and framed for it. I’m definitly following this.

    • Overcooled says:

      Haven’t read much of Eureka 7, but I can see the resemblance a bit (mostly in Ganta). Once they get rid of the censors, it will probably be as satisfyingly bloody as Shiki. For now…not quite D: Oh well, I’m still excited for the psychological torture.

      Ganta says he’d never kill anyone…EXCEPT THE RED MAAAAANN! Yeah, he’s definitely a bit crazy already.

      • Namika says:

        *,* that would be such a delight to watch! Ganta, mentally breaking down, but then redeeming himself and his sanity, and then brutally killing all people involved in thistaking revenge with a cold, emotionless expression *~*
        Ganta, don’t disappoint us!! >_<

      • MikADo says:

        I have a goood feeling that Ganta would lose it and go on a massacre, possibly after the death of HanaKana :3

    • Foshizzel says:

      Yep I was thinking the same thing! Damn it Renton why you so evil???

      Right Ganta has a bit of time on his hands huh? Plenty of time for revenge planning >:P

  5. cassi says:

    I haven’t read the manga but I loved every second of the first episode. The bloody beginning was awesome enough to win me over. ;D I can’t wait to find out more about the mysterious white girl.

    • Overcooled says:

      I haven’t read it either, but I’m impressed. I might watch an episode and then read a chapter to compare and contrast haha. (and maybe learn more about Shiro~)

    • Foshizzel says:

      Hell ya! First episode = instant sold! Let’s just hope they can continue to put out amazing stuff! So we have Renton and Nessa in jail?! AWWW SNAAAPP

  6. S.Saad says:

    but only 12 episodes 🙁

    • Overcooled says:

      I know D: Season 2, maybe…?

      • Hime says:

        NO WAY D: But the manga is nearly finished? In fact it might even be finished…I can’t remember, I read it a while ago. BUT 12 EPISODES? That sucks ass. This could be 26 eps easy.

    • Namika says:

      12?! 🙁
      ><""""" why do all good anime(I'm VERY full of hopes) have to be so short!!!!
      …………
      …………
      Season 2, maybe? ^^

    • Foshizzel says:

      So they kill a person a week?! Sounds like a bad game of american idol lololol

      Hopefully they bump it to 26? Might happen!!

    • MikADo says:

      i believe in OVA

  7. Kyokai says:

    Oh, I’m definitely liking this! The BGM has been very awesomely complimentary and I loved Shiro’s song; so surreal.

    I should mention that Makina is voiced by Takako Honda, who voiced Touko in Kara no Kyoukai. This woman is so awesome and deserves loads of more roles; so perfect for Makina.

    • Overcooled says:

      I didn’t really notice the background music…<_< Yes, I looked her up! I was wondering which seiyuu had that sultry voice, it seemed so different! I wish she had more roles too, she's got a really great voice and she knows how to use it. I swear everytime anyone needs a deep-voiced female, they just get Kobayashi Yuu and look no further OTL

    • Namika says:

      oO”””” Touko > Makina ?!…. O_O I didn’t notice! TT^TT
      But that character sure is awesome!

    • Foshizzel says:

      YES! Great BGM <3

      Yeah I saw that on the list of roles for her hahah Touko so awesome! Agreed she needs more love. <3 <3

  8. Renn says:

    I definitely feel like Hanazawa has been typecast as the ridiculously cute moe girl. Shiro, Nessa, Mayuri (Steins;Gate)… She has the best voice for it though, and Shiro ends up pretty interesting (no spoilers here).

    I didn’t like this episode much as Ao no Exorcist’s first episode, but I’m definitely sticking this one out. I love shounen even if this one breaks the mold a bit. 😀

    • Overcooled says:

      It’s the HanaKana signature moe voice! It’s only in like every anime I watch now @_@

      I still have to watch Ao no Exorcist (which looks WICKED) so I can’t compare them yet. Deadman and Ao no Exorcist might just be some of my season favourites though >w<

      • Hime says:

        They both set up the stories really well, even if Exorcist added some new stuff to their first episode that wasn’t in the manga.

    • Foshizzel says:

      I know! Very very cute and fluffy voice from her! Hopefully she doesn’t stick to that role every time, I mean yeah she sells that really freaking well.

      True compared to Deadman, Exorcist is more supernatural with the whole son of Saten and what not. Deadman is probably going to be more like cliffhanger central with their episodes.

  9. MikADo says:

    The word ‘G’ rings in my head…
    cant help it XD anyways deadman wonderland is getting
    me some serious happiness XD as expected
    also surprised HanaKana actualy kind of works well in this
    type of character too 😛

  10. zabobinator says:

    Right after I saw the first episode I read all of the manga that was out so far and WOW. This is the best stuff I’ve seen in a LONG time.
    So excited! 😀

  11. Namika says:

    This was SO GOOD. Besides the annoying lawyerUGFUGPUGLYYY!!!, I loved EVERYTHING. Come on, Ganta, show us what you’ve got, survive and kick asses to your hearts content >3 and for our entertainment ))) I just hope we’ll get some more blood, rather than nasty embarrassment and abusement of such a cute little boy (((

    Uwaaaaaaa~ There wasn’t any good bloody anime since Shiki…. but finally! Cool-chan, I’m glad we can fangirl over a good(I’m full of hopes) bloody show again! Ato wa yoroshiku neeee~!!

    • Overcooled says:

      I hate that lawyer. What a dirty snake >_< As much as I like seeing Ganta abused, I want to see that lawyer DISPOSED OF. Also, blood. Lots of blood~ All the sadistic fanboys and girls of Shiki are going to have a reunion! XD *dances*

    • Foshizzel says:

      HAhahha yes that damn creepy lawyer! I think hes into little boys….

      Ganta! I want to see some death and moar blood hahaha that was a cool power, reminded me of the first guy Ed and AL fight in FMA:B well near the end anyway.

      • Namika says:

        OMG…… he’s a totally obnoxious *ss already, but portraying him as a pedophile…….that’s just too much O_O

        I didn’t get the feel of FMA though… >.>

  12. Moni Chan says:

    when the anime club in my school watched this they all got spazed out. they simply loved it. the creepy guy that wants ganta as a “toy” is a yaoi fan … just like me. we can be best friends

    • Hime says:

      There’s certainly no lack of yaoi fodder this season, it’s awesome >:3

    • Foshizzel says:

      Nice! yay for anime clubs, wish I had one when I was in school hahah then again I was a huge dub fanboy.

      LOL @ the lawyer yes he was eyeballing Ganta a bit to much…. such a pedo!

  13. anaaga says:

    man, so much blood. I LOVE IT

    • Overcooled says:

      I am so contented to know Deadman Wonderland is a gathering place for sadists. :>

      • BlackBriar says:

        Ah hahaha!! I do believe we have found another sadistic masterpiece and I say it’s about time. Blood, gore, slow burning madness with little chance of mental recovery? I’m totally in!! Can’t wait!! Someone start the sadistic oasis. Bring it on!!! Now the question is: who’s gonna crack first?

      • MikADo says:

        ooops i should have kept my profile low :3

        • BlackBriar says:

          LOL. It’s far too late for that now. You’re completely exposed.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Agreed loveeee it finally some blood D:<

  14. Reaper says:

    Throw us right in the deep end huh? There’s something so mortifying about this show that I’m instantly drawn to it. An amusement park as a prison, really? Imagine all the little kiddies laughing at a show, whilst next door prisons have a cage match, beating someone to death. Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
    I’m glad to see Romi Park again, the last time I heard her was in FMA, whilst Kana Hanazawa’s singing as Shiro is…disturbing to say the least…can’t sleep…the clowns will eat me…must watch DW as a cure…like Candy…
    PS. I wish there was such a thing as interactive television. It would be so successful for people when they want to punch a certain defense lawyer in the screen 🙂

    • BlackBriar says:

      LOL. Nice idea. It can be used to relieve some undue stress. Just take your frustration out on a character that really pisses you off, like that weak weasel of a lawyer for example.

      • Overcooled says:

        Deadman Wonderland is so genuinely twisted…I’m drawn into it too, like a moth to a flame. Soooo good. Also, let’s all dogpile that lawyer and show him what real justice is *cracks knuckles*

        DMW gives you nightmares —> don’t sleep —> watch more DMW to stay awake. VICIOUS CYCLE.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Sure is amusing huh? Muhahahahah

      YAY Romi Park! <3 she is so damn awesome sadly now all I will be thinking with Ganta = OMG BANKAI! and use some alchemy Ed!! Hahahah

      That Lawyer damn he is a freak! He either likes men or little boys, he is just an odd ball.

      • Reaper says:

        Oh, and I forgot to add: Shiro=Nessa on evil cookies. Yep. evil cookies 🙂 Don’t ever take them away from her

  15. Moni Chan says:

    The creepy guy reminds me of that guy from air gear. He has a thijg for iki I forgot his name. They look similar.

    • Overcooled says:

      Oh my God, Aeon…You’re right. Except at least Aeon has a cool side, this guy is 100% pedojerk.

  16. Dan-go says:

    SHIRO HAS THE CUTEST VOICE IN EXISTENCE!!! it made me squeal!!!!

  17. Starry says:

    Blood and gore is not my thing, sadly. >.< But the whole thing does sound pretty interesting though.

    I think I'll just stick to reviews until everything's aired and then marathon it on a nice, bright morning! XD

    • Overcooled says:

      If you don’t like gore, this might be a bit unsettling. It’s basically gore and watching people suffer…but it’s worth a try! XD

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