Deadman Wonderland, Vol. 6 by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars.
Well, it’d seem I’m cutting through these collections the way prison-toilet wine cuts through intestinal lining. Time for some thoughts on another hilarious collection of lost moments from a horrific human research facility masquerading as a prison.
I’ve almost got it. Can you explain a little more, though?
Y’know, with DEATH GAMES.
And this VERY SPECIFIC interest right here.
A lot more seemed to happen in this collection. The efforts of the Scar Chain rebellion have had some good results – the wider world now knows about Deadmen, which means our Humble Heroes get some time in the sun – which just about outweighs the human cost of getting the message out.
I was WATCHING that.
(Of course, I’m uncertain that a couple of minutes of Vitamin D are going to improve Ganta’s take on life, but we’ll see.)
Nick Cave’s Ghosteen is out now.
Lead whinger Ganta comes out of solitary and feels blah. Yes, it’s not a huge departure from his regular way of being in the world, but it’s enough to make Shiro wonder if he’ll ever be normal again. Cue one of the series’ more tender moments, where the bodystockinged teen tries to help her childhood friend find his happiness again. It’s a good reminder that there has been some work to put some kind of backstory in place with these two.
Cue fanboy jizzing, if the number of panty-flashes in this series are anything to go by.
However we’re also reminded that Ganta’s power has ramifications. There’s an excellent section where he’s shunned by friend and foe alike due to an autonomous display of power. It’s a bit heavy on the whole with great power comes great responsibility kind of thing, but it’s good to see him in a situation where he’s doing something other than being a truculent shit or a weepy loss.
WOULD YOU LIKE SOME SHADE WITH THIS TEA?
Elsewhere, conspiracies roil. Security starts working against Tamaki, who has decided that unveiling Deadmen needs a bit more hot sauce: artificially-created Deadmen who will provide an ultraviolent example to justify his whole sadistic funfair. But who are these fake Deadmen? And why does Ganta think one looks familiar?
Also, what the fuck is going on here?
Naturally, the reader has the answers ahead of the characters, which makes for much satisfaction. The pace in this collection has picked up a bit more, and the slower groundwork of the previous volumes is beginning to pay off.
Man, Boost Juice has really changed.
Let’s hope it’s sustained.
Yeah nah. 