Kari’s Manga Corner: First Impressions of ‘Deadman Wonderland’

It was a day like any other day until all of Ganta Igarashi’s classmates were brutally murdered right in front of him by a mysterious “Red Man”. Being the lone survivor, fourteen year old Ganta is charged with the murders and receives the death penalty! He is then sent to Deadman Wonderland, a bizarre and fatal theme park/prison. It is a privatized prison that has the prisoners “perform” for tourists/viewers to fund the restoration of Tokyo which was destroyed ten years ago by a massive earthquake. Will Ganta survive this intense place where everyone seems to be more than a little bit crazy? Shortly after his arrival, Ganta meets an insanely strong, skin-toned bodysuit wearing girl named Shiro, who seems to be from Ganta’s past (though he does not remember her). Who can he trust in this strange place? Who is there to help and who is there to harm him?

I blazed through Deadman Wonderland (story and art by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou) volume 1 and 2. It is an exciting ride with intriguing mysteries. Who is the Red Man? Why is Ganta special? How is Shiro so strong?! The pacing is engaging and definitely makes for a page turner. I enjoy post apocalyptic stories and this reminds me of the films from the 70s and 80s like Running Man and Rollerball. It has lots of action and drawn to effectively convey movement! Some pages break up the traditional layout with many panel image overlays. This variation allows for important moments/expressions/people to be showcased.

Ganta is somewhat your standard anime kid who is trying to learn why/how he is special aside from being full of determination. I love how crazy and seemingly oblivious Shiro is. She often provides the comic relief. Yo Takami (a thief and possible friend to Ganta) is unpredictable and I am curious to see how his character will develop. You learn a bit more about what is really going on and get more information on the characters in volume 2 (I won’t spoil it for you), but it still keeps you guessing and wanting more!

The manga opens with six awesome full colored pages. The over all style is very clean and detailed. The variations in the speech/thought bubbles adds even more emphasis to what is occurring in that moment.

If you want something with action, rich characters, a crazy environment and mystery, then you need to check out Deadman Wonderland!

DEADMAN WONDERLAND, Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · MSRP: $9.99

To learn more about VIZ Manga, please visit www.vizmanga.com.