Deadman Wonderland

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

It's hard to describe Deadman Wonderland. It's definitely not a Naruto or an FMA or a Vampire Knight. It's much better than all that- but only for the right kind of person. Because the biggest caution about the series is the amount of gore involved, and despite the brilliant and innovative story, if you get queasy easily- I don't recommend it.

STORY
Deadman Wonderland is a brilliantly crafted, innovative, and fresh story that breaks away from all the other manga out there. It's dark, morbid and creepy, and it won't try to delude you with false happiness. There is no "joy". There are only people trying to ... make the best of a horrible situation. Because the setting is at a prison, which happens to be Deadman Wonderland itself, and dually serves as an amusement park of sorts for the public. From there on the story evolves to center around the protagonist, a young boy named Ganta, the odd people he meets, how they survive, and the day to day life of the living hell of Deadman Wonderland.
There are loads of twists in the story, which usually takes action because of the characters that trigger it and drive the plot. Everything is very dank, very depressing and very psychological- and if you're interested in that type of story- it'll probably be right up your alley.

ART
In a quick statement, the art is fantastic. It's by the same artist and author of Eureka Seven, so it's very crisp and clean, but detailed at the same time. Gore and backgrounds are done intricately and believably, the character designs are beautiful, but their expressions are by far my personal favorite. You can see the pain in each character's expressions, and they're all extremely vivid. Sometimes it's not pretty, but neither is their pain.

CHARACTER
Characters in Deadman Wonderland are perhaps the biggest gem of the series. All of them are severely flawed in different ways- and they have every right to be, considering their surroundings. Ganta, the protagonist, is simply a young boy. It's understandable that he's likely to get on the nerves of many readers, but he has every right to act the way he does. He's been thrown into turmoil with trauma that comes one bit right after another- and think about it for a minute. If you were the sole survival of a mass murder of all your friends and classmates, if you were framed with said mass murder, and then thrust into a prison that holds no boundaries on violence where no one will listen to you, and more? In less than a month? He's an ordinary boy who has lived a peaceful life before this. He never got into fights. And now every second is a fight for his very life. He struggles to understand this place and these intimidating criminals,
But it's not only Ganta. This series has Tamaki- the main villain, and never before have I seen such a hateful antagonist. He gets delightful and sadistic joy out of what he does, and doesn't show remorse. It's quite a good break from many other villains out there in manga today. You can't help but hate him, no matter how you try.
And apart from our main two, there's a dozen other easily memorable characters included in Deadman Wonderland (Shiro; the strange girl who speaks in third person and appears to know Ganta, Azami; an oddly normal woman who supplies advice to Ganta on his first day; and so forth.) All of them witness trauma, and all of them suffer severely from this environment- but they evolve. They grow and we learn more about them. We see what makes them tick. There have been multiple times within the story that it was the characters themselves that honestly caused me to cry.

ENJOYMENT
I enjoy Deadman Wonderland a great deal, and I get excited with each development and new chapter. However, I also enjoy the well-done gore, which if you perchance don't like that sort of thing, it will definitely hinder your experience with the whole series. But if you are looking for something substansial, something different and fresh, something that breaks out of the normal- it's a perfect series to try.

OVERALL
Like I've stated, it's not a perfect series, but it's pretty close for the right type of person who can appreciate it. And once again, if you're looking for something happy- don't look here.

Deadman Wonderland isn't your typical seinen. It has quite its unique distinctions, and is a worthwhile read all right.

Story - 8 :
10 years after a great earthquake that ravaged most of Tokyo, Ganta Igarashi is the only witness of the murder of his entire classroom by a person clad entirely in red. As such, he is framed for the crime and sent in death row, in a prison called Deadman Wonderland that serves as an attraction park ran by the prisoners. His encounter with an albino girl named Shiro will urge him to live on, and discover the mysteries of the prison and of the ... Red Man.

Yeah, this is a pretty basic premise, isn't it ? But while the initial starting point for the story might hint at a survival manga in a crazy environment, the scenario will quickly focus on battle by introducing special powers and factions inside the prison (no telling there, go read it :p)

Art - 9 :
The art is, truly, splendid. Each character has many little details and quirks, and the style of the artist truly suits the madness of the story. Some double pages are seriously worth the read.

Character - 10 :
And this is where, ladies and gentlemen, Deadman Wonderland really shines.
Very quickly, you'll see that every character, besides the hero, is crazy. Each one has something tied to his past that shapes his attitude in the world of Deadman Wonderland, that you understand when the characters are developed. Ganta is the only sane person in the prison, striving to survive without becoming mad. As such, his character development is exemplary. Shiro is a weird girl, but she wants no matter what to be Ganta's friend, and when they get separated by the ordeals they live,Shiro's pain is heartwrenching.

Enjoyment : 10

I loved this manga, from start to finish. The combat scenes, the powers, the characters, the end of the story... Everything.

Overall : 9
Yes, only 9, because no manga is perfect. (Besides 20th Century Boys, but here lies not the debate :p). But, as you read, Deadman Wonderland is an excellent manga, and if you like gory seinen story (Gantz, Mirai Nikki, Elfen Lied...), you'll like this one.

Plus, it's completed now. You've got no excuses, go read it all at once !

Deadman Wonderland is an action, sci-fi manga exclusive for only those who are ripe enough to read it.

Deadman Wonderland revolves around on an unfortunate hero, who goes by the name of Ganta Igarashi. 10 years after the catastrophic event that totaled the whole city of tokyo, Ganta has been trying to live normally but all of that change when a man dressed in red comes out of nowhere and murdered all his classmates using a unique ability, to make matters worse somehow our protagonist gets the blame for the death of all his classmates, so he gets sentenced to a death row. To top it ... all, he's behind bars in the Deadman Wonderland, lets just say its not your average penitentiary. After a series of bizarre events, for better or worse, Ganta discovers that he also possess a supernatural ability similar to the red man who murdered all of his classmates. Everything is more than it meets the eye.

DW is vaguely similar to the book series Lemony Snicket's series of unfortunate events, but only a lot more unfortunate and morbid. Ganta goes throw a lot of ordeals,first he's well on a death row, all his friends got massacred in front of his eyes, he's confined in a prison where everyone is nuts that includes he's two seemingly trustworthy inmate buds. Shiro, an odd white long-haired girl who talks in third person and Yoh, a guy who possess a hidden intent for their friendship.
It goes without saying, its going to get worse before it gets any better and from what Ive seen, it just keeps getting worse.

Deadman Wonderland manga is above average, but not above enough to be notable. Because the plot isnt promising in the first place, and the way things turn out on each chapter, is not appealing enough for you to hang on. Adequate developments are also missing here, hopefully they will not forget to add some.

I didnt really care on what happens Ganta. He is an unlikable character, the way he cowards up then suddenly gives everyone the finger followed by whimpering again. It gets on my nerves. The rest of the characters are also not very convincing, since almost everyone is easily demented by the simplest of reasons. I cannot get myself to like any of them. The only character to look out for is Shiro, she has a very interesting ego and a mysterious past. I would like to know how she will change throughout the manga, if she will at all.

The art is pretty... different. Especially when everyone's face goes looks like Jack Nicholson when they go senile. It takes to time to get into it. The action scene's are pretty decent, its pretty clear enough for you to understand how the action is going and it doesnt smother you with myriad captions during.

All in all, Deadman Wonderland is a full fledged manga. It incorporates some over-used elements but twists them enough to be somehow unpredictable.
Ive only seen a couple of chapters but from where I'm standing, its pretty damn good. For those who want something mature, reading this is essential.

Coming right off of the un-fulfilling conclusion of the anime, I never really had any high hopes for the manga of Deadman Wonderland. I thought it was going to be another "action and gore trip" just like many of the other manga inspired anime’s I had seen in the past. (I'm looking at you Tokyo Ghoul)

So you can imagine my surprise when I actually started to read it.

It really blew me away with just how much the story could go as far as it did, while still at the same time retaining its ultra-grim and dark tones as the show lead it on to be ... (hell it was probably even darker than the anime)

The manga brought so many twists and turns that I really ended up caring about many of the characters and their overall fates by the conclusion. It has that Berserk (another amazing manga) type feel, where literally anything can happen at any moment, making many parts (especially near the end) a real treat to read.

Now many viewers maybe a little wary of reading this manga because of its "extreme violence" and "anything can happen" subject matter. If I’m being honest, yes, it can be very gruesome at times (Yes even more then the show). But for those who can stomach such things and press on, you will find that this is definitely a manga that is worth reading.

So yes, I definitely recommend this manga for anyone who likes dark and crazy storylines, and a must read for anyone who liked the show. I give it an 8/10.

To start things off, I'd like to inform anyone coming in off of the anime adaptation to disregard that. It was not a good adaptation, and ended prematurely while leaving out a lot of plot points. The manga is leaps and bounds better, and certainly worth most people's time.

In the world of fiction, having a piece of work involving humans with supernatural powers is definitely not rare. In fact, the market is saturated with such things. This in and of itself is not inherently a bad thing. It's all a matter of how the concept is used, and if the work can achieve something its ... predecessors couldn't. Does Deadman Wonderland bring anything new to the table?

In my opinion, not really. What it does offer is a very compelling and interesting rehash of things we have seen before. To me, at least, this is also not a bad thing. Let me explain.

I'd like to talk about the setting first. A prison that doubles as an amusement park. That is something that I personally haven't seen in fiction before, though I'm sure it has been done at some point. Still, it is a pretty interesting setting. There are some issues with it that I can't talk about too much because of spoilers, but suffice to say the manga doesn't play up its setting as much as I would have liked.

And what of the characters within this setting? The quality and genericness of these characters vary. I found the main character generic, and the fact that he was 14 seemed a little unneeded. He could have been an adult, or at least an older teen, and the story wouldn't have changed much, except making some things more believable. The manga has a lot of gore and even touches on elements of rape a couple times, so the argument that he is 14 in order to appeal to the intended audience is invalid. Most of the other characters were interesting, and I liked that almost every major character (and even some minor ones) rather they were "good" or "bad" got a backstory segment, giving each one a tad of development, even if that development was a little shallow.

The overarching plot had a few pacing issues, but generally it is easy to follow if you pay attention. The pace is quick enough that the reader probably won't find themselves bored at any point. Also, I'm glad to say that most questions are answered by the end of the manga, and the ending wraps things up nicely without feeling too rushed. I found the plot pretty interesting, if not predictable in some places. There are a few good twists that I didn't expect here and there.

The last thing I would like to talk about is the art. The character designs were definitely designed to be "cool", and the powers of most of the characters are drawn very nicely. Plenty of gore too. The backgrounds can be simple at times, but never ugly. Overall, I don't remember ever seeing a panel or page and thinking it looked bad.

I'd recommend this manga to people who like the "super powers" concept, or just like action in general. Although there's a little bit of romance, comedy, and quite a bit of drama, this manga is definitely an action manga at heart. Worth a chance if you are looking for a good manga that does a lot of things right, even if it's not anything new.

First Manga I ever read, and now I'm starting to read manga, because Deadman Wonderland's anime was very incomplete, even though I loved the concept, and so I had the read the manga to get the answers I needed. And you should do the same.

So, a unique prison in Japan called Deadman Wonderland was built after an incident which involved an Earthquake. In this establishment, prisoners are in death row, getting slowly poisoned for 3 days and end up dying. However they can participate in circus like and entertaining events to an ignorant public from the outside world, thinking they are just "pretending" deaths. Igarashi ... Ganta, accused from mass murder of his classmates ends up there and meets Shiro and other characters that may help him on getting stronger, escape from the prison, claim his innocence, get revenge from the "Red Man" (the one who killed his classmates) and later with a group of characters, revealing to the public what is really going on. Some of the prisoners have special powers called "Branches of Sin". Those who have these powers are called Deadman.

The story is quite good, I really enjoyed the slow process trough chapters and explaining what could happen inside DW. When I ended up discovering more and more and unraveling more mysteries, the story gets even more interesting and I ended up reading a lot until I got to the final chapter. When a story sometimes "gets you" by surprise and ends up making your reaction being something like "Wooooooow!", then it probably is a good story.

I don't have deep arguments when it comes to manga art, since this is the first manga I have seriously read, but I quite like it, and in my opinion, it is well done, I easily understood what was going on in action scenes. I also loved the circus-like design from the prison, the bloody moments and the characters which are well made, speaking of which, Crow makes me remember of Bleach's Zaraki (xD).

Anyhow, about the characters, Shiro ends up to be more interesting than Ganta, in my opinion, because Ganta is that typical protagonist guy who wants to get stronger for a reason, and in reality, he is a weak guy. He ends up just getting very lucky for his "Branch of Sin" having something different, that's all, because he has no battle experience. It's somehow understandable that he tries to save and protect everyone (typical atitude of a protagonist too) and sometimes he ends up making decisions that brings bad consequences, but sometimes it gets a little tiring. Shiro ends up being more interesting because, despite of the sweet girl personality, quite early in the manga, you quickly understand she has "another mask", and finding out what's going on with her is just amazing. As the other characters, they are quite unique within the manga, and you end up learning about their pasts and the reason they ended up in jail and the way they somehow deal with their past thoughts. Gotta love each one's personality and traits. As I went further into the story, their importance gets even higher and I ended up loving them even more.

To sum it up, if you are one of those DW fans who got frustrated with the anime version, then read this manga, it is way better. If you are one those guys who love action, blood and also some mystery, read it too. The anime is asking for a 2nd season but since the answer is right here, at the manga chapters, I don't consider it necessary anymore. As you can see, most people made positive reviews about this manga, so it's probably worth it for you.

Deadman Wonderland has over the top characters with absurd motivations and a lot of blood, but still fails to make the plot remotely interesting. This is more of a battle shounen than a seinen or a psychological story. So expect many of those tropes. I don't have anything against shounen, but when you add dark backstories for the sake of being dark and when the fighting mechanics revolve around bleeding, it comes off as edgy.

*** The review contains some vague spoilers ***


I found more bad things than good in this manga. Let me write about all the good first -

The premise is interesting. The protagonist ... (Ganta) is framed very early in the story and is forced to go to a special prison called as Deadman wonderland. There he discovers that people with unique powers who can manipulate their own blood exist and they are pitted against each other in a battle royale. This raises many questions and hooks the reader early on.

A girl named Shiro is introduced soon after Ganta enters the DW. She is always cheerful and has the freedom to wander anywhere she wants within the prison. She gives the impression that there is something about her that is more than what it appears to be. This adds to the mystery.

The plot ties to an event called as the Great Tokyo Earthquake which happened ten years prior to the events of the story. As the story progresses, the events leading to this disaster slowly unfolds in the form of flashbacks. These events are somewhat predictable, but still manage to be interesting. There are some ethical questions tackled briefly even though they are never completely explored.

Unfortunately, that is all the good I can find. So what is wrong with this manga? Let me elaborate -

Clichés after clichés. I don't hate clichés unless they are overused. But that is exactly what happens here. Every situation feels forced. The actual plot gets sidelined untill about midway through the manga in favor of unnecessary battles that do not have many long lasting consequences. It keeps introducing new characters in said battles. But none of them get any character development except Minatsuki (it is "he is nice, I will be nice too" kind of development. So it is not saying much). When you look back after finishing the series, you will find that 90% of these characters didn't have any real impact on the story other than prolonging it. The supposedly surprising developments can be predicted several chapters in advance. There are two main villains in this story. But both are comically evil characters and feel like copies of each other. Their motivations are slightly different, but they act exactly the same way.

The manga fails in its very premise because the way all the deadmen lose blood and keep fighting without suffering any consequences is illogical. Funny thing is that some characters state the problems of losing too much blood at the start of the series. But it is quickly forgotten to get us to the badass action scenes. Ganta's ability is the most unoriginal and boring among the entire cast. Add to that and make him whiny for more than half of the story and you get an unlikable MC.

The plot feels like an NGE ripoff at the begining. We have whiny mc, a mysterious friend who is more than what she seems, and a tragedy that has happened several years back with long lasting effects on society. Adding to that, Ganta has memory loss and doesn't remember his past. (But keeps getting flashbacks at very convenient moments). It gets a decent explanation near the very end of the manga, but the initial half undeniably gives bad vibes about the whole story. The explanation that we get is very similar to another popular manga that I won't mention due to spoilers. It is so similar that you can predict exactly what happened if you know the name of that other manga.

There is some pseudo-science involved in the plot, but it has been taken too far to an extent that it is no longer believable. To give an example, there is an ability where a character can make others think that they suffered an injury and then it happens in reality because "their brain got convinced of that injury". I am talking about characters getting holes in their chest or thrown into walls just because their brain got convinced that it actually happened.

The art looks good, but not the fight scenes. It is hard to follow any fight scene. You can see rubble flying around and explosions, but how characters moved during the fights is very obscure and you are kept guessing. It is a major setback considering that we are talking about an action series.

Tl;dr - I don't recommend this manga unless you don't mind all the clichés and are very much interested in the premise. If you have watched the anime version and are here to finish the story, you will get what you wanted - even though it has the same pitfalls the anime has.

First off I wanna say that this isn't the most well educated review because it's been a couple months since i read this, that aside I really didn't like this manga. For starters the character development is pretty nonexistent for at least 3 of the characters who are clearly meant to be important to us, the reason this happend really seems to be that the manga just couldn't pace itself correctly. The pacing starts speeding up past it's limit when they decide to kick in the main plot which comes in about a volume through the manga, before this point each main character got their ... own little story ark and something to attach the reader to them, unfortuanetly they jumped from well developed characters to introducing about 7 main characters in the same chapter and then killing them off in the same volume.*not a spoiler people die in this a lot* around this point the plot has just started zooming along and they really don't give the reader an anchor.

If you can get past the lack of substance it's a great manga to read while your in a book store 5/10

In a world of mediocre story lines we get something so fresh and so new

Deadman wonderland gives us a buffet of plot and setting from the first page we get thrown into the deep end of the story already asking questions and making theories and every thing seems to be connected the further and further the manga goes with twist and turns every chapter.The Main setting the prison it"s self seems to be a world on its own even having its own money system and the amusement park theme has made its way into almost every aspect of the prison giving it this distinct ... kinda creepy style .Plus it's weird rules like eating an antidote every three days or you die and cruel merciless treatment of the prisoners like death matches puts you in the shoes of Ganta (the main character)and have that "same this place is insane" vibe he does.DW is filled with some refreshing new archetypes with their own deep trouble pasts that defines their personality from insanity to childlike innocence or both .The prison is really designed to contain and study "deadmen" special prisoners with something called the "nameless worm" inside of them which gives them the ability to control their blood called the "branch of sin" i.e shooting it like a bullet or making a blade and every power is different and can be used in multiple ways giving the fights more personal flare.
Though this manga is heavy on story it doesn't skip on gore from skin peeling to beheading this manga dose it in a tasteful way instead of meaningless slaughters
even fan services is supported by current events

To summarizes this manga is deep,engulfing and'l keep you on edge every chapter its a definite read on my list

Deadman Wonderland has to be one of the most unique and interesting manga I've ever read.

Story (9/10)
-
The story is very,very interesting. The way they made it so each chapter explains it little by little makes it much more worth reading instead of boring fillers. The story in itself was unique,the explanation and experiments.

Art (8/10)
-
The art is great,the expressions drawn very lively. Simply by looking at their expression,you can practically feel their own emotions wash over you. From smiles to tears,from joy to pain,everything was expressed well. The details of all the gore were clean and crisp,not too messy,but detailed and well drawn out enough ... to give you the sense of how good it is.

Character (10/10)
-
The characters were outstanding,they were amazing. Many of them had special traits,their own particular ups and downs,their own strengths and faults. Even Ganta,the main "hero"-type character,has his own strong weaknesses. And each and every person had their own personality,and it had individuality. There was no "Oh,she's similar to..." and "Wow,it's just like..." in there. No. Everyone in DW are all unique.
When a character is proven cruel,it sticks true to the point and doesn't stray. And you can imagine how great all this individuality is,with the large variety of people who appear in there. By far,one of the most interesting characters I've ever seen.
Their backstories were all unique,and saddening.

Enjoyment (8/10)
-
This series was very enjoyable. I would sit still for hours reading it,to the point my feet got numb. The sheer mix of story,art and character blew me away. And that is without saying all the twists,turns and surprises. Some parts can be predictable,but that is rare,seeing as DW always has a surprise around every corner,and I cannot stress out enough how many corners there are.
The plot development was beautiful,the character developments entertaining. Their powers and skills and how they used it was wonderful,and the backstories were honestly saddening.
It seems in each chapter,a little more about Deadman Wonderland is explained. They make it like a jigsaw,with at first many scattered pieces and you're wondering how it all got there and why. Chapter by chapter the story is given in bits and pieces,and it's the type of manga that makes you piece all the pieces back together on your own.

Overall (9/10)
-
Overall,I'd say I wouldn't mind re-reading this at least three to five times. It's entertaining,the cast as well,and it's definitely worth your while.

I was a big fan of the Deadman Wonderland anime and really did crave more since finishing the short season. I decided to give the manga a go and if you are in the same boat, I would recommend reading from chapter 1. The anime leaves out a lot (including one of the most important details) and doesn't introduce you to all the characters. This is absolutely an instance where I would say the manga is superior to the anime adaptation.
The manga is split into three arcs. The anime covers the first. I enjoyed all three of them as much as I did initially watching ... the anime. It's very exciting, has fine pacing and is a very enjoyable although somewhat depressing experience to read!

Deadman Wonderland is wonderful, there isn't much like it.

It has a wonderful story, it all fits together quite nicely. There are some chapters that could have been done better, I will admit. Sometimes it is very complex to me, sometimes it very simple, which can get a little confusing sometimes. I do enjoy how unique Deadman Wonderland is, it isn't like any other anime or manga I've came across.

The art of 'Deadman' is very well done to me, not too realistic, not too anime-ish. The art fits Deadman very much. Usually everything is drawn, the characters and the background all together, and the ... background is worked on very well, which makes it seem almost like you picture the anime in your head. I also think that the way the characters were made matches their personalities amazingly.

The characters, they were usually a mixture of insane and normal; or where just insane or normal. They had realistic reactions, which is good, at least for me that is good. Every character has their own personal background, and Ganta (the main character) of course has his own motive through the manga. The support of the cast was a good number, in my opinion, not too much, not too little. Not of the characters (main and supporting) were alike, they were basically their own person.

I think most people would enjoy this manga, just for the fact it is unique and it has some different genres mixed into it.

Sorry, if this wasn't a good review. It was my first time..

I have always been interested in media depicting the theme of justice - in particular, punishment of criminals. Back in 2011, I was fascinated with Death Note and Code:Breaker's themes; I was young and still forming my own set of values, and I was debating on whether or not I'm in favor of death penalty and cruel treatment of criminals (read: I'm not in favor of them).

When I first heard of Deadman Wonderland, its concept immediately got me hooked. The premise is that one middle school student is falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to death penalty. He gets sent to this prison, ... Deadman Wonderland that also functions as a theme park. Basically, the prisoners are made to work on this theme park and are sometimes the performers themselves - one such spectacle in the start of the manga is a race featuring deadly obstacles that could kill the participants. The visitors get to watch them as they get sliced up or electrocuted, and there are whispers about violating human rights, or "whatever, they're criminals anyway". Going good, right? The chapters are too few back then so I put it on hold (and kinda forgot about it) until this year. (I've also already forgotten how the anime went.)

Since I still remember this feeling of fascination for the series, I proceeded to reading it with the highest expectations I could give. I mean, even a lot of reviews from 2013 to 2015 say it's an 8 or 9.

Well apparently, we all had bad taste during those years. Deadman Wonderland (DW) was plain disappointing.

The most fundamental problem I have with this series is the fact that it decided to base the narrative on one main character - Ganta - but chose to have a plot-driven storyline rather than character-driven. This approach exposed how linear and one dimensional Ganta's characterization is. His "development" is just a reaction to the events that happen, nothing but a forced measure to keep the plot going. It's especially obvious in particular chapters where he's all gloomy and depressed at the first half, and he immediately gets a comeback by the end of that chapter. Yes, in the same chapter. Now, I've read a lot of manga that has those kinds of chapter, but it's tiring to read in the case of DW because there are several chapters of this kind. It's like the authors can't decide on whether Ganta has gotten over his melancholy or not. With the continued use of this formula, Ganta's depressive episodes become plain annoying rather than something I sympathize with.

The other characters are also as linear as they can be. They are admittedly interesting characters (albeit stereotypical) and had interesting backstories, but they were only given meager flashbacks during their fights and that's that. There were attempts by the end to develop their characters, but I had no more feelings of excitement at that point because of continuous disappointment. It's really a let-down, because I imagine that this cliched cast would still be able to entertain me if they just have been properly executed with just the right character dynamics and actual buildup at an earlier point. Well perhaps my irritation still stems on Ganta - at one point, he's just a 'wimpy kid' and got looked down upon, but he gets a powerup and the side cast goes like "Ganta's strong!" And then he gets at a low point again and everybody's saying how much of a baby in diapers he still is, and then we get a new development again. The lack of consistent characterization in Ganta really influenced the side characters a lot since as what I've already mentioned, he's the anchor of the story. The result: also a lack of good characterization for the others.

To be fair, Shiro was really well thought out. From the start, she's made to be a 'walking contradiction' and her presence always compels the readers to think that there's something disturbing that's about to be revealed. She has the most consistent writing of all the characters, and you can't help but sympathize with her situation and development.

As for the plot, it gives the impression that it's just randomly thought of because of various small mistakes. Most especially, the public 'prison theme park' was what sparked my interest, but they barely remember that premise during the developments they had written. The setting comes underground at an early point (in fact, just right after the obstacle race that I mentioned, meaning after just one event) and so the theme park goes useless in the story. There's also no proper buildup for the relevant plot points i.e. no believable motivations and development, and they randomly introduce characters that are almost irrelevant to the story. Pacing was a mess. I was really struggling to finish this because it's just a disaster.

The art is actually likable especially the colored volume covers, but the action is hard to follow. The battles themselves are lacklustre - the designs felt like a waste.

Sigh. I just had to finish the series because I was hoping that it could redeem itself, but the characterization part really was fundamental. Every development just seemed ridiculous because of this failure. Deadman Wonderland was a waste of time.

*SPOILERS* Deadman wonderland, a very original series by far. I was first introduced to this series during toonami's revival and I was instantly hooked. I originally watched the anime before turinging to the manga after I finished the 12 episodes and the OVA. The biggest attraction that I have to this series is those fucked up moments like when shiro murdered gantas class or the giant slot machine that tells you which body part you will be losing. I also love the concept of a jail that profits off of the prisoners, this is a unique idea (as far as i know) and was well ... incorperated into the story. Though I do think that the part of the story with just them fighting for their lives and not rebeling could have been extended a little more. The fights were very entertaining with the blood flying and the tactical manuvers. My favorite character of this series is shiro with her adorable persona and her fucked up persona. Though ganta was a very bland main character towards the begining to the series, he gradually was built up over time. Overall this is an outstanding series and I highly recomend it to anyone who likes a ton of blood and gore.

Deadman Wonderland is a weird and oddly entertaining seinen with a good story.

The manga offers a thrilling and fast-paced story with an intriguing premise. While the series falls short in terms of character development, it compensates with its well-structured plot and explanations for the events that unfold.

One aspect that stands out about Deadman Wonderland is its captivating storyline. Set in a twisted and dystopian world, the series follows the journey of Ganta Igarashi, a young boy who is wrongly accused of a heinous crime and sent to the nightmarish prison known as Deadman Wonderland. Within its walls, prisoners are forced to participate in brutal death ... games, while Ganta discovers that he possesses a unique power known as the Branches of Sin. The series successfully keeps viewers engaged with its constant stream of suspense, action, and unexpected twists.

However, one of the shortcomings of Deadman Wonderland lies in its character development. While the story introduces a diverse cast of characters, many of them lack depth and fail to undergo significant growth throughout the series. Although Ganta's journey as the protagonist is compelling, other characters often remain one-dimensional or underdeveloped, leaving viewers yearning for more substantial emotional connections.

On the positive side, Deadman Wonderland does an admirable job of providing explanations for the events that transpire. As the story progresses, crucial plot points and mysteries are gradually unraveled, giving viewers a sense of satisfaction and closure. The narrative delivers answers to questions that arise early on, showcasing a well-structured plot with a clear sense of direction.

Recommended.

There are some Spoilers in this Review. About 4 volumes or so.

Hey Hey People, Shell Here.

Deadman Wonderland starts with a massacre of our Protagonist's class and with him being the main culprit's and Japan's incredibly questionable police force he gets the death Penalty. However in 2013 there was a big earthquake which caused 70% of Tokyo to be submerged in Water. Now to restore Japan's to its former Glory a Prison Named Deadman Wonderland which is a for profit prison. And now 10 years since the earth quake, Ganta (MC) is sent here to suffer the wrath of his consequences. He soon realizes that this ... prison is more than what it seems and Just how much of a circus a for Profit Prison can be.

Deadman Wonderland is pretty by the book series. MC is a nice guy. Follows girls around/vice versa. Realizes what he knows wasn't the truth. Deals with the situation where everyone wins. Rinse and repeat for some subplots and bam you got a 13 volumes series. Now don't get me wrong, Despite me stating this I didn't actually think the series was repeating itself. It always felt like the story was moving forward. Stopping to give proper breathing room. The problem are a few things but First I'd like to talk about what I liked the series.

The Art and setting of this series is fantastic. It felt like I was being sucked in another world. A lot of this can be attested to the fantastic art the series has. It really does a fantastic job. I honestly have nothing but praise for the art. Never did it feel like the author was cutting corners.

This is also one of the battle shounen series where the ecchi actually is separate from the action and the author isn't trying to shove panties and breasts into my face every 5 seconds. Characters do get occasionally sexual but more during exposition to keep me interested. And you know what? It works because I'm a red hot blooded male damn it!

The main issue I have with this series basically boils to character Depth or more importantly, the lack of it. Sure the action and art is great to look at but after a while what's the point of If I don't care about the characters. That is the main problem with Deadman wonderland. Both Shiro (FMC) and Ganta were fine as the main characters but neither of them can really carry the series. Them together was basically made in interesting enough since you partially knew where the story was going. Them alone... It just doesn't work.

This becomes a much bigger problem when you get into the last arc where the last fight is meant to be emotional rather than something bloody, violent or action heavy. Honestly the final fight scene was probably the more boring fight scene in the entire series.

Should You read this manga? Well depends. The side characters, action and story is interesting enough. But at the same time its predictable and lacks the character depth a series like Kingdom or One piece would produce.

Overall the series is enjoyable enough. I don't really have anything super bad to say about this series. But if you skip it you aren't missing much either. It just basically falls into enjoyable but forgettable zone of entertainment. 6/10.

If you can get past the gore, you should definitely give this manga a try, if not - then this one is not for you.

DW is centered arround a twisted post apocalyptic world where many people enjoy violence and chaos. Gore is inevitable and even seems like a major focus point of the story. Through it, a select few people shine as they struggle not to change into destruction monsters. They cannot do it alone though and they have to rely on others, who all hold some ulterior motives and conflicting causes, sometimes making them undermine eachother's goals. And this is the ... essence of the world DW tries to present, people struggling against the enviroment and themselves as they try to make their best in life, while trying to hold on to their views and determination.

Art-wise, DW is amazing. The world is very detailed and unlike a certain Bleach which "has no backgrounds", DW doesn't lack them. You don't get whole pages where charactes talk over white backgrounds and are unconected with the world. They all act within the constrains of the surrounding world and objects and this part draws the readers into the story, which otherwise would find hardly any hold in it.

The twisted reallity is conveyed very well and the characters' expressions convey strong feelings, perhaps even too strong. The horror or hatred shown in the faces of the characters is usually overdone and it seems sometimes that the author wants to convey a simple smirk of superiority, but instead it comes as a sadistic murderer's "I'm gonna cut you into small pieces now" glare.

The character development is very throughfully done. Each comes with a solid past, which is usually shown through flashbacks - and while it's not the best way to present it - it allows a a better understanding of characters you'd otherwise have to assume the motives of.

The main problem with the character construction comes with the concept of wholeness. Any character in DW can become wholy evil/good/submissive/etc at any given time and would act as for a certain time until it would accept a different "role". It is this change which put me off and made the story unworthy of an 10 or a 9. You don't get the usual change in character or a merge of different personalities as the person changes views, as it happens in real life. A character would change drastically from one point to the next with no indication of past behavior or views.

Another problem with character development is that when a certain character finishes it's intended role in the story, it is swept to the sidelines and becomes utterly passive, so much unlike their personality as presented before.


All in all, it looks like the author of DW is trying too hard. Reality is not black and white, but it looks like this is what DW is trying to present the world as an evil and twisted place, where there are a few bright shining stars. Nevertheless, I really enjoy this manga. It's very solid and unique - and there aren't many of those around. Most of the faults can be ignored as the good points far outweigh them.

An ironic fact about 'Deadman Wonderland' when I was reading the manga, was that I was reading the manga of 'Elfen Lied'. The reason that I think this was ironic, is because certain things in these two series look similar:

- The gore (Elfen Lied perhaps a little bit more.)
- They have both a protagonist who come in contact with a girl with a split personality.
- There is a power and its users are seen as monsters.
- Also the boy protagonists were childhood friends with the girl protagonist but later don't seem to remember them.

Then starting with the 'Story'.
I think the story is original. It ... had my attention all the way to the ending. The 'second' part of the manga in which the situation change when it comes to the villian, but it didn't change the enjoyment for me.

The 'Art' of the story is dark and detailed what is really necessarily for a manga that users gore. The black and toners in the panels really make the situations in the story darker.

The 'Characters' of the series are all unique in their own way. Especially the deadman and other supporting characters all get their background stories. Also it shows how the characters develop/change during the course of the series. Every character, whether they are the protagonists or antagonists, has its unique personalities.

Then I liked the fact that the story has forms of symbolism and the references to other known stories. Also the ability that people in this story use is basically the same, but is used in different ways.

I think the manga has sort of a open ending, but at the same time it doesn't. Still the ending was good for me.

Deadman Wonderland is a manga with some good ideas. Not incredible ideas, but good ideas nonetheless. The problem is, as good as these ideas potentially were, the quality of storytelling and characters is so bad that all potential is rendered useless.
The cast of characters must be one of the most uninspired I've seen in any manga: made up almost exclusively of underdeveloped, shallow, edgy anime character tropes that we've already seen a thousand times, frequently changing their personalities on a whim or having a huge development in a ridiculously short amount of time only to accomodate the new story direction that the author wants to ... take. A story that is always going way too fast, constantly prioritizing cheap shock value or dumb plot twists over a more careful, thoughtful approach. A narrative littered with constant flashbacks seemingly to distract readers from the lack of any interesting developments in the present storyline. The only thing saving DeadMan Wonderland from a lower score are the previously mentioned good ideas and the fact that, just like a good bad movie with friends, the writing often gets so outlandishly bad that it's greatly entertaining and enjoyable to laugh at.

Deadman Wonderland is a pretty memorable Manga series. It is extremely graphic at times, and it has a very dark theme from start to finish. When a story is based on a prison that has a secret super powered inmate fighting ring it's not about to win happiest story of the year award. The super powered fighting comes at a price, and to be honest, there's not much in this story that doesn't have a price associated with it. I found myself feeling for the main characters, and that includes the bad guys as well.

Overall I was impressed with the artwork in this series. The ... emotional state of the characters were always well dipicted, and the mood always carried off of the page. This lead to a very engaging story, and I was very pleased with the over all experience.

Regarding how graphic it was, if you're sensitive to deranged behavior, bloody scenes, and violent nature then you will want to avoid this series. That said, it's not the most violent, not the most graphic, or even the craziest story I have read. It's dark, but it shines light occasionally and does have it's heartwarming mements.

I really enjoyed this series, and I highly recommend it to others. I'm just sad it ended. This is a must read.