Why so much hype?

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Synopsis:In the near future, Japan is rocked by a cataclysm which wipes out most of Tokyo. Afterward, some people manifest an ability to control their own blood and use it as a weapon. This can take the form of blades, nets, projectiles, etc. The different blood based powers are called Branch of Sin. The story centers on Ganta, a student who is about to go on a class field trip to Deadman Wonderland, a prison/theme park which funds itself by putting the prisoners through deadly sporting events for the enjoyment of the paying public.Unfortunately, before the class can go on the trip, a mysterious, super powerful, 'Red Man' kills everyone in Ganta's class, except him. The Red Man also gives Ganta a red crystal in his chest which gives him the power to manipulate his own blood as a weapon. Since Ganta didn't die in the attack, he is immediately prosecuted as the obvious perpetrator. His lawyer is also the guy who runs the prison, so definitely no conflicts of interest here. Ganta soon finds himself as an inmate at the prison. He quickly learns how prisoners are kept under control. They wear collars which inject poison, which will kill them unless they regularly eat nasty tasting candy. The candy must be earned, and so the prisoners do what they are told. In his quest to discover who the Red Man is, and who framed him for the murders, Ganta discovers a secret area of the prison, G Block, where others with the same blood based powers are kept and forced to fight gladiator style battles in a giant birdcage. There is also an albino girl who can kick giant robots and jump out of tall buildings and land on angry dogs.Let's break it down:Animation: 8 The use of color is done quite well. In the prison, many of the other colors are washed out, or subdued, in order to bring out the color red. It also adds a kind of depressed feel to the prison. Additionally, the opening credits are entirely in red, black and white. Fight scenes are well choreographed, and the blood effects are well done. The character designs will immediately remind you of Eureka Seven. This is because the manga for both Deadman and Eureka were illustrated by Kazuma Kondou.Sound: 7.0 The music was appropriate for the feel of the show. The opening and closing songs were the highlight of the show. The opening song, "One Reason," is a high energy rock piece, with an almost grunge sound to it, which fit well with the feel of the show. The end credit song, "Shiny Shiny," is the best in the show, and doesn't fit at all with the feel of the series, but it plays over pictures of the characters before they came to Deadman Wonderland, and has an appropriate retrospective/nostalgic feel to it. The voice acting in the dub is done by many familiar names. Ganta is voiced by Greg Ayres, the warden Makina is Colleen Clinkinbeard, and Shiro (Ganta's albino girlfriend) is Monica Rial. All the voices are well done, although Ganta's constant whining is a bit hard to take. Rial is really the highlight here. The youthful and innocent voice she lends to Shiro is at times adorable, and at others comedic, and it's exactly what is needed to balance the seriousness of the rest of the show. It's no exaggeration to say Monica Rial steals the show. I have read other reviews which had a negative reaction to Kana Hanazawa's (normally critically acclaimed) voice for Shiro. She sounds good to me, but I have to admit she comes across a bit normal (if not serious), where Shiro should really sound quirky, which is why Rial gets so much praise for her version.Story: 6.5 A disastrous cataclysm happens in Tokyo, destroying much of the city and leaving behind people with unprecedented powers, like in Witchblade, or Akira. And they are kept in a prison, where they compete in deadly games as part of their sentence, like in The Running Man, or Deathrace. Unfortunately, the basic premise lacks a bit of originality. Also, he show stops, not ends, abruptly, without any conclusion, because the series only covers about half of the story laid out in the manga.Characters: 6.0 They do take the time to give backgrounds to most of the characters in the show, but unfortunately, I never really got too attached to any of them. The real exception here is Shiro. Without her, the series would be fairly forgettable, but her innocence and cuteness effectively create a counterbalance to the ultra-violence of the series, and the mystery of who and what she is keeps you interested.Overall: 6.9 Unfortunately, the show tries really hard to be dark with the death games, gladiator combat, and the penalty phase where a slot machine decides which body part the losers will have cut off. I don't mind violent anime, but this was a little over the top. Why would the security robots spew acid? Couldn't they just shoot, electrocute, or laser the inmates? I guess because acid is more gruesome, and that's what the show is going for. The language was a bit of a shock too. I have never heard so many F-bombs dropped in an anime before. But hey, if that's what you are looking for, then this is your anime. I think I would have liked it a lot more if it had answered its own questions, but unfortunately, we are left with a story with no ending. Still, it has a good side too, so if you aren't turned off by the above, watch it for the fight scenes, the animation, and most of all, for Shiro!

Okay, so to start off, this show is extremely dark. I don't think I've ever seen a piece of cinema/film that handles topics of such maturity and extremity. Having said that, the darkness is what makes this show so great. Because of the unforgiving brutality, Deadman Wonderland seems almost realistic, and allows for you to connect to the characters and the storyline, so much more than a toned down, TV-14 version would. If you are AT ALL unsure if you're prepared to see this show, I would recommend reading the Parental Advisory, as it will detail the most brutal parts. Beware though, the Advisory might also contain spoilers.One of the reasons that I couldn't give this show a higher rating is the main character, Ganta. He has little to no character development, and all of his "dramatic" scenes are of him complaining and whining about how weak he is. This continues literally up until the 11th Episode, when he finally begins to train and hone his abilities. If his character had sooner developed a "tough" persona that played off of Deadman Wonderland, it would have made the show a lot better. As is, Ganta drags the fast-paced story down and lost my interest as a viewer very quickly.OVERALL, I would say that this is a great anime to watch. I recommend it with a warning; that you be prepared to have your boundaries stretched. The intensity of the show was at a level I had not previously experienced, but I still very much enjoyed it. If you're able to look past the violence and see those scenes as contributory to the realistic feel and contributory to the EXPERIENCE of Deadman Wonderland, it will push your experience to one that you won't forget for a long time...

When I watched this show I got hooked and watched the rest of the shows. To my dismay I found out that it was only 12 episodes. Out of curiosity I read the manga for the first time in my life to find out what happened to the characters. To no surprise it was pretty good. So why haven't they made a 2nd season? The content is there but they didn't finish the anime. Leaving it half finished... I just hope that this show will get enough attention and out cry that it will get its ending that is deserves because if you are someone that read the manga like me you will feel the same. Plus, if they finish the show I think it would be the best anime out there.

Action. Gore. Brutality. Fan service. Craziness. Abuses/curses. This anime is definitely aimed at a more adult audience. It starts off with a bang so I was interested in it from the get-go. We don't get any explanation about the world, the setting, the event etc in the start. Instead, we get bits here and there in almost each episodes, this increases your interest about finding out everything. The protagonist is your usual clichéd kid who gets some kind of special power but doesn't know how to work it yet etc. I thought he would be yet another wimpy annoying brat, but thankfully he didn't go in that department far enough and he grew on me. Aside from him, there are TONS of other characters, many who are pretty good, my favourite being The Crow (Shinji), who also has his own OVA, which was great. There is a lot of good action, cool looking powers and techniques and LOTS of gore. Plus, the anime thrives at displaying it in a brutal manner. The soundtrack was decent too, which helped elevate some key moments. It's a crime that this anime was only 12 episodes long. They could have made it 24 episodes long and fleshed out the large character cast a lot because it just felt rushed in the later episodes. Also, it is sad to see there is no sequel for it since we don't really get to see a proper end of the story, many of the stuff is just laying around, begging for a sequel. I hate it when this happens.Even though it doesn't end the story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for some gory action and interesting setting. 8.3/10