After a powerful earthquake nearly destroyed all of Tokyo, a prison known as Deadman Wonderland rose from what was left of the city. Privately-run through the guise and functions of a theme park, Deadman Wonderland takes in prisoners from all over Japan, using them as attractions for tourists. Little do the public know about the true purpose of this “theme park” and the horrors that take place within.
Enter Ganta Igarashi, a middle school student who has lived a normal life since the great earthquake occurred. This all changes when a mysterious masked murderer called the Red Man appears and kills his entire class, knocking him unconscious which consequently left him as the sole survivor. When he awakens, he is falsely convicted as the perpetrator behind the massacre, landing him a spot in Deadman Wonderland. What will become of this new inmate whose life depends on the bizarre “games” that this prison holds? And just what does Shiro, Ganta’s supposed childhood friend who awaits his arrival, know about the Red Man?
Deadman Wonderland went on hiatus when I was reading it back in 2012 and I never picked it up again until recently.
We’ve got a prison manga on our hands, which means obtuse rules and extreme hierarchies. It takes place after a natural disaster reduces Tokyo to pieces, inside a prison built at the epicenter. And would you believe that this is not the first time we’ve seen a Prison Amusement Park? (The other one was in Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun). It’s enough for me to add it to the trope list.
Anyhow, after Ganta is framed for the mass murder of all his classmates, he gets dropped in this little hellscape with Shiro:
She’s not naked. It’s a one-piece, skin-tight leotard. I don’t know why she is made up like this but I suspect it’s to do with a certain someone who picks out all her weird-ass clothes, and also wants to marry her or something I guess? Weird pervert.
This image above pretty much displays the aesthetic of the entire series. It’s a horror/torture circus look. At first glance, whimsical and fun, but if you take even a single second longer to look, it falls apart instantly. Kind of a call-out for the people who are coming to the amusement park for entertainment.
Although I made fun of Shiro’s costume, it’s pretty par for the course.
Deadman Wonderland is a torture prison and loves to show depravity woven into the society it’s built inside. Sexual assault also doubles as fan service in some spots, so do be warned here.
Most of the story is the push and pull between Ganta and Shiro, two of a pair. There’s… a lot to digest, but more or less, it’s almost a destined pairing. They fight and persist for one another but are also prone to pushing one another away through misunderstandings or selfishness (very teenager). Which, fine, that’s the demographic.
Poor hamsters… I wish that the blurb was translated.
Also, I really don’t know why they specify three USAmerican agencies in Japan??
A really great color page.
Overall, I really don’t know how I feel about Deadman Wonderland. I read the whole damn thing because I needed to finish it, but I don’t know that it will really earn a place in my heart. I feel like much of it was spectacle, at first a criticism of experimentation, the military, and the Japanese prison system, but then we go off the wall and. Well. I wonder if it was meant to say much at all except fucking people up is wrong, and one should be compassionate… well. Whatever! If you like high-action and gore, have fun!
