DEDDOMAN WANDARANDO (DEADMAN WONDERLAND) (2011)
Episodes 9-12
JP
Directed by Koichiro Hatsumi
PLOT:
With a renewed resolve to escape, Ganta allies himself with Scar Chain in hopes of freedom not knowing that everything is going to someone else's plan.
REVIEW:
So here we are at the end of the series. I myself thought this was a good way to do the review for this series as each episode got a breakdown of the major plot points and I tried to highlight the major underlining of each of the more dense ones as well, which I hope helped you that have read the reviews out. So now that I've taken enough of your time with my blabbering, let us finish the series and this set of reviews for Deddoman Wandarando.
PRO-OXIDANT (WORM EATER):
After taking care of the guards in the control room, Nagi finds out he's been double crossed by Rokudo who keeps him from releasing the elevator to help free the rest of Scar Chain. As Nagi is about to start attacking Rokudo, a little girl shows up. Nagi quits his attack to save her seeing the violence that's about to happen, only to find out that her name is Hibana Daida and that she's a Undertaker. As Nagi goes for Rokudo again Hibana attacks him with a extending broad sword slamming him into a wall. Hibana goes into that each Undertaker carries a item that neutralizes the users Branches Of Sin. She then starts to torture Nagi by slicing off strips of flesh while teasing him that he's a bad man. Nagi then provokes Hibana which ends up with her cutting off his arm, which gives Nagi the edge he needed to take out both Hibana and Rokudo and release the elevator that his friends are waiting for. With the elevator released the hopes of Ganta are raised only to be crushed by the arrival of Undertakers on the elevator, which then proceed to kill off most of the group Ganta is with. At this point with only a handful of survivors left the Undertakers leave unexpectedly. Just as Ganta is about to board the elevator, Shiro shows up and snatches the memory chip Ganta has, and throws it onto a fire destroying it.
CARETAKER (UNDERTAKER):
After destroying the memory chip, Ganta hits Shiro telling her he doesn't want to see her again and walks off with the survivors of the Undertakers in defeat, leaving Shiro to wonder what happened. While this is going on Warden Mikuni breaks into Tamaki's office and finds some of the evidence she was searching for, only to be interrupted by Tamaki talking to the Japanese Defense Secretary about how the Deadman will be ready on time and that the results will be very pleasing. This only raises more questions for Mikuni as she finds out that there are weapons in her prison. As Ganta and the remaining Scar Chain members make it back to their bar, they find Karako at the door happy to see they survived. Rokudo then shows up with Undertakers mad that his bomb didn't kill them all and orders everyone to be killed starting with Ganta who realizes that he can't do anything. Crow then walks in looking for a fight and seeing the perfect opportunity to do just that after Rokudo lets slip that he was the one that doctored the footage of Ganta at his trial and that the Undertakers' weapons is based on vibrations. Crow then decimates the Undertakers with a sonic blade and leaves telling everyone that he doesn't want to escape as it's the same outside as it is inside.
This episode sets up the rest of the series as it shows that Ganta has just been lucky to survive so far and that he's not as powerful as he thought he was and his growing frustration with Shiro which comes into play latter on. Crow is also set up to be a major player later as it shows that there is a lot more going on with him than what is shown. It is also important to note that Toto "Mockingbird" Sakigami is introduced.
GIG OF DESPAIR:
Ganta hating himself for being helpless in front of the Undertakers, rushes to Crow to teach him how to fight which Crow laughs at but agrees to. Karako and the rest of Scar Chain decide to escape again but this time without all the stealth. It's at this point that we learn that Nagi was the one who helped Kararko feel more at ease with herself while showing that he himself is quite insane. Karako then precedes to commandeer a Undertakers uniform to break into their office once she finds out that Nagi is being tortured. Toto at this time introduces himself to Ganta to Crow's disgust and trepidation after Toto licks some of Crows blood and says that he wants to play with the two of them but Crow tells him to go away as they don't have time for games. Genkaku at this time keeps drugging Nagi trying to cure him of his insanity, to release the real Nagi as he calls it. He then precedes to tease Nagi about killing his wife while his daughter was still in her womb and that he wanted him after he saw the rampage Nagi went afterwards. Shiro shows up drunk in front of a group of Undertakers who is saved by Karako in disguise only to be captured by Genkaku who tells her that he knows her voice and that it's useless trying to escape. Genkaku then announces to all of G Block that he plans on killing his prisoners just as Ganta completes his training and rushes off to save Shiro and Karako only to be stopped by Nagi.
This episode is of interest as it shows that most of the inmates in G Block use insanity to escape their tortured lives and when that insanity is taken away the pain that it was hiding comes out in the most deadly way.
RELIEF (GRATEFUL DEAD):
Nagi goes on a rampage attacking anyone he sees thanks to Genkaku's torture which turned him into nothing more than a beast. The Undertakers are killed one by one by Nagi's power which he's using like bombs all the while Genkaku is in complete ecstasy at the death and blood flowing around him. Nagi goes for the kill on Shiro who had both her legs broken only to be stopped by Ganta who takes repeated punishment to protect her. Karako then rings the bell that she keeps around her neck by accident which causes Nagi to come to his senses and is horrified by what he has done. As Karako goes to Nagi to reassure him, she is stabbed by Genkaku for ruining his fun and taking away his pet. During all the commotion Hibana escapes in the corriders of G Block only to run into Toto who then uses Crow's ability to kill her for no reason except to try out his new power. Nagi at seeing his friends hurt rushes to attack Genkaku only to have a hole blown through his stomach by him instead. Genakaku then proceeds to announce that he plans on killing everyone now and that no one can stop him. At this Shiro's legs repair theirself automatically and she stands, smiles and switches to her Wretched Egg personalitly. Ganta steps forward touching Shiro's shoulder and says her won't allow it and the right side of his body starts glowing in places almost like armor and releases a new type of attack killing Genkaku and blowing out the wall behind him. With escape possible Ganta decides to stay to watch out for his friends that are stuck at Deadman Wonderland and apologizes to Shiro and promises her that he won't leave her. Toto is then shown in the old Directors office commenting how interesting Ganta is.
Deddoman Wandarando was one of the more interesting animes I've seen in a long time. Event though a lot of story is crammed into the last six episodes, it was never presented in a way to confuse as all aspects was explained. The one thing I really didn't like was the back stories of he various Undertakers only to have them killed within minutes of explaining why they are the way they are. Other than that the series showed so much potential to continue on past episode 12 as multiple story lines are set in place. But for what is there, it is more than worth watching as it shows a more mature level of story telling than what is on air here the states and nothing is played out for laughs, except for a flower pot thrown at Crow by accident. If you have a way of watching Cartoon Network on Saturday nights you can watch the back half of the series right now, and it should start a repeat of the complete series starting in about six weeks.
BEST DEATH:
High speed multi-amputation.
BEST LINE:
Anyone that hasn't gone crazy in this hole is delusional. The Undertakers welcome your insanity!
FUN FACTS:
Season 1 of the anime covers the first 21 chapters of the manga.
The manga is an hiatus as the creator is on maternity leave.
