Deadman Wonderland 01 – Dead Man Walking – Summary

A regular school day turns into a hellish nightmare for Igarashi Gunta when a man shows up outside their classroom (on the 3rd floor) and kills 29 of the 30 students. As the only remaining survivor, Ganta is arrested under charges of mass murder. Gunta insists that he is innocent as he goes to trial, insisting that it was the man in the red cloak who killed everyone. However, the verdicts comes out….guilty. Given the death sentence, Gunta is shocked and screams out that he is innocent. However, he  gets to see a video in which he more or less admits to having killed his classmates. Shocked, the boy can only cry as he asks why him.

The boy is taken away to serve in Japan’s only privately owned prison in Tokyo, Deadman Wonderland. The prison doubles as an amusement park to attract tourists to the city. Captain Makina explains to the newest members about the amusement park and also demonstrates just what kind of place they have come to. It is also revealed that the plan is for Gunta to die in an “accident” well before his execution but Makina questions the lawyer, why the rush to get rid of the kid. Naturally, she gets no answers. While doing hard labor in the park, Ganta encounters a white haired girl who is able to read Ganta’s intentions/heart. She tells him that they’re friends and that he should cheer up already. She asks if he’s kill her? Ganta insists that of he’d never kill his friends and breaks down crying.

But his fellow prisoners are hardly pleased with Ganta and don’t think much of him. They push Ganta into the corner and bully him (in the usual way) before Shiro steps in and tells them to stop picking on Ganta. But she gets smacked in the back of the head with a shovel. Gunta attempts to retaliate but gets beaten up instead. The lawyer muses that Gaunta saw the Wretched Egg’s Branch of Sin and still lives…lucky or not?

Shall he suffer and then die? Or live and become the lawyers toy?

As one of the prisoner’s kick Ganta’s chest, it seems to have some effect on that red stone which the red cloaked guy placed in him. But at that moment, a bomb goes off! The large sign cheerfully proclaiming “Deadman Wonderland” falls down straight towards Gunta! But Gunta thinks that he doesn’t want to die…he wants to prove that he is innocent….and to kill that Red Man. As he thinks this, the red stone in his chest starts glowing and he…awakens his powers which allow him to not only stop the falling mass scant inches away from his head but also to totally break it up!

At the other side of the prison, a man has taken a hostage and demands the officers to give him candy. Makina however is as cool as ice, checking the man’s collar for his info before saying that he should be dead in a few seconds. The man’s last works are that he is out of cast points and needs candy but..boom…the man is killed. This is the death sentence. Eating candy apparently adds to the time that you can live.

Gunta meanwhile is shocked and surprised at what happened. He managed to prevent any harm from coming to Shiro (the other guys, not so lucky).  Shiro wakes up and requests that they have a meal together. Slightly taken aback at first, Ganta agrees. End episode 01.

Score: A+/A+

I wish I could give this show an A++ for one of the most EPIC first episodes of the season. Cause you know what…wow. Just …. wow. That was just…excellent. It starts off so innocently and sweetly before everything goes to hell faster than you can say “Daisy Duke”! It was harsh, it was hard, it was very “in your face” in ways. And it hook you within the first five minutes! THAT is the mark of a GREAT first episode. This show has the strongest start from the rest of the shows this season, HANDS FUCKING DOWN.

The whole story concept and synop…totally didn’t do justice. Watching it was just SO MUCH MORE EPIC. I mean, the synop totally had my attention anyways. But watching it…my GOD. I AM BLOWN AWAY. Please carry this trend onward DmW and become the best show of the season! Ahem but back to the plot. I loved the fast pace of it! Everything goes by at a very brisk pace but it doesnt leave you feeling “Crap, slow the fuck down already!” instead the speed is just enough to keep with bated breath. Actually I think I kinda forgot how to breath while watching this >>;; ANYWAYS, point being – A VERY STRONG opening! Diving straight into the story, opening lots of can worms from the get go to keep the watchers interested and get em to come back for more!

If you saw the whole trial part and you weren’t screaming at your screen “How could you arrest a kid for those crimes?! HE WAS THE ONLY SURVIVOR! THAT IS CRUEL!” then…you kinda have no soul. I was mad. And this close to crying at the sheer injustice of it all….and then came the scene with that video of Ganta. My brain screeched to a fucking halt. It left skid marks bout 20 feet long – no, really! THAT came outta fucking NO WHERE! I couldn’t blink – was just stared with my eyes like O_O but my jaw fell open and i just…couldnt…think! It was like “oh….my…god….” kinda shock.

BACKSTORIES! I am looking forward to the unveiling of SOOO many plot points! The candy, whats up with that? The whole story I mean. That guy who Makina slashed, he stole that piece of candy yeah? How do you get more candy? (RFID tags? For prisoners? That is …. smart.) Makina’s boots, where can I buy some? Wicked Egg’s Branch of Sin? Is that some secret government experiment? Is this gonna go more down the sciency path or more fantasy path? PLEASE BE SCIENCE PLEASE BE SCIENCE! Who is Shiro? WHAT is Shiro? How can she take a shovel to the head and be alright? Ganta’s powers! WAS THAT HIS OWN BLOOD? O_________O  The HELL was that red stone? Is that Red Man still alive after ‘transferring’ his powers to Ganta too? WHY GANTA? Why his school? WHY GANTA? Why does Shiro already know about him? Is she part bloodhound smelling him from THAT high up? How does the death sentence thing/your-head-will-explode-when-the-time-on-your-collar-runs-out thing work out? I mean, does that time thing apply to EVERY prisoner or just the ones with a death sentence? Is there some contest or something where its musical chairs? One candy less than the players and if you lose, GAME OVAH? THE HELL is up with that sneaky tanuki lawyer guy? He works for Deadman Wonderland? Does he rig trials up to get more prisoners into DmW? He knows bout the Egg of Sin thing? O_O WHAT DID HE MEAN ABOUT GUNTA LIVING ON AND BEING HIS TOY? O_____________O Sneaky evil guy alert!

Captain Makina….*salutes* I think I smell potential for a KICK ASS female character of the likes of Cornelia (Code Geass) & General Olivier (Fullmetal Alchemist)! I am very attracted to her~ Yes I am indeed! The hair, the boots…THE EYES. Shes a cold beauty this one~ And I’m LOVING the character designs. Its the eyes….the eye lashes and the thickness of them, VERY attractive. And ooooo the animation…EXCELLENT. Props to the animation house

Three pats on the back to me for recognizing Paku Romi, Hanzawa Kana AND Nirgilis within SECONDS of hearing them. Three gold stars to me YAY~ Isn’t the ED love? Aw man seriously…

EPISODE 02 I WANT IT RIGHT THIS INSTANT! This is SO on the top of my watch list now!