By: Prince Lammy

Deadman Wonderland Episode Seven: Original Sin (Wretched Egg)

I’m writing this review to be a sort of middle point between all critiques and some bits of positive opinions about Deadman Wonderland. And you might wonder why every episode gets its review when most others review the entire series in one go. Well, that’s to give you an insight into variations in character profiles, development, art, animation, sounds, voice effects, and general enjoyment of each episode in the Deadman Wonderland series.

Someone once asked me how they could adapt an entire manga of 45 chapters into just 12 episodes of animation. It does feel cramped. But oh well, here is my review of Episode Seven of Deadman Wonderland: Original Sin (Wretched Egg).

Story | 8/10

Shiro denies liking sweet stuff like pudding as the old man offers her one he got for her. He then gets up, pulls away a device connected to his chest, revealing some blood, and starts controlling that. He tries to coerce her into a fight, but all she does is dodge his attacks and move away.

Ganta walks in on Yoh standing by his sister, who lays on the hospital bed. After the two talks about Ganta’s paleness, Yoh talks about how he’s always felt responsible for his sister since they were kids. Suddenly, there was a tremor shaking up the whole place.

As Minatsuki opens her eyes to see her and remembers a scene from when the Red Hole occurred, she sees Yoh barring a shelf, protecting her, and cutting himself in the process. She acts cold for a bit, then goes over to help remove a glass shard cut deep into his shoulder—Ganta remarks on how odd they both are.

Yoh tries to justify her wrongs and take the blame upon himself, but she flares up. Ganta feels a slight pain in his chest and remembers when he’d played around with Shiro as a kid. From the sound of the lullaby, Shiro realizes that the Mother Goose System has been reactivated. She then asks the Director how the song continues.

Wearing a mask and gloves revealed that Shiro is actually Wretched Egg. While some guards clean up the affected prison block, Ganta bumps into Senji. The latter comments on Ganta’s last fight and his lack of skills.

The duo talks about Ace Man, a TV action figure series that aired while Ganta was younger. Yoh hoops out of Minatsuki’s room, and she sends a flower vase flying after him. As she flings a vase at Ganta also, Senji steps in unknowingly and gets hit in the face. After Ganta asks Yoh about Shiro, he tells him they were childhood friends.

Ganta has a flashback to his childhood with Shiro and how she’d broken his toy, saved him from a rabid dog while he’d screamed for Ace Man, and played together. In the security control room, Captain Makina reviews the new policies by Tamaki and talks about unknown anomalies happening in prison. She resolves to investigate and see all anomalies in prison to the end.

Promoter Tamaki and the doctor discuss Ganta’s medical examination and deduce that the Branch of Sin affected not only those from the Kanto region. Tamaki suggests creating more branches of sin users but would require access to Wretched Egg, which he doesn’t have. Reveling in the Director’s deteriorating condition, Tamaki dreams of having control of Deadman Wonderland to himself.

Searching for Yoh, Ganta runs in on Minatsuki dressing up. They then talk about her having to go for the post-game show, revealing she’s already lost her kidney and stomach. After she mentioned that Yoh ran off to retrieve his casts, Ganta ran off.

As Ganta was running away, he was punched by someone, cutting him short. Yoh stepped out of the locker room after taking some cast cards and met Tamaki and another self–claimed super monk. Tamaki then cautions Yoh about cast cards having a different application in G – Block, as inmates can’t buy their freedom.

Tamaki jokes about Minatsuki losing a body part in the post-game show. Yoh rushes in to punch him but is repelled by Genkaku’s guitar gun. Tamaki tells him to take care of the Deadmen in G – Block.

Ganta wakes up in the hub of a community of Deadmen where Koshio Karako, a member of Scar Chain, asks him to join them. Kengamine Nagi, Scar Chain’s leader, tells Ganta the community’s objective, which is to destroy Director Hagire Rinichirou’s establishment.

Kengamine hinted why they thought to recruit Ganta, for his last fight made them think he’d fit into their clique. Just as Ganta mentioned that he intends to stop the post-game show, the show comes alive on TV. Kengamine removes some teeth and reveals a small hidden radio, which he uses to contact someone, identifying himself as Owl.

With Minatsuki tied to a chair, the doctor starts the machine, and the machine stops at "Hair." While the doctor gets angry at the option, Minatsuki laughs at her. Ganta reclines in relief, wondering if Kengamine had anything to do with it.

Genkaku’s voice cuts them short, and he throws in Yoh, already limp. He shoots sporadically but only gets one person. Yoh tells Ganta to run, but the lad stands up and gets ready to fight while Genkaku prepares to kill them all. As Genkaku plucks a string on the Guitar, it opens and seems more like a gun.

Art | 7/10

Unlike the prison’s general outlook, Deadman Wonderland has some dark corners, especially places close to or around G – Block. In a general term, the animation is pretty fluid and sleek (if I can use that word to describe art…lol).

Art, although not groundbreaking, is all high quality, and I suppose that is the upside to such a brief show. I’m not nuts over it, but I’ve no doubt that’s the main reason this show still averages an 8+ rating when legitimately good programs like Fairy Tale stayed below the 8.0 level for months and months.

Sound | 8/10

Both the visuals and the music are enjoyable. Although it may not be the best thing, it does not distract. The voice acting is also good, and I can’t think of a character whose voice bothered me even a little.

Character | 7/10

Cast aside the fact or thought that this is a critique view, but come on! Ganta is not going to get better, at least not anytime soon. His character profile is still the same as when he started at the beginning of the series. And I guess I can now understand, seeing as he was running around screaming Ace Man, Ace Man! when being chased by a rabid dog when he was a kid.

But then, let’s face it, 12 episodes isn’t enough time to correctly develop any character, not even the main character. Naruto couldn’t have gotten the hype it got if the producers had stopped production at just about 12 episodes, and neither would some other anime. And this is one of the reasons why it isn’t surprising to see anime with fewer than 20 episodes or 1 season get the hype they deserve.

Most other side characters just come on stage briefly, and I understand them for a bit, especially their backstory. Nothing tangible like character development is ever seen or noted about them.

And as I’d noticed from previous episodes, only Ganta and Shiro got much attention, screen time, and a little development (if it could be called that) since the anime started. But I’ve found that the manga gives them both more development than you’d find in the anime.

However, all I’ve gathered about Shiro is that asides from when she first met Ganta as a kid, she’s lived all her life in Deadman Wonderland. Along the way, some flashbacks here and there (usually Ganta’s) tell me more about her history. I think that’s done to answer the question of what’s she doing in Deadman Wonderland? Because I already knew she wasn’t an inmate, that question had always hung somewhere in my mind.

And, towards the end of this episode, three new characters were introduced. Still, I’m not entirely sure they’d impact the show, seeing as one of them is already on the verge of death. But that super monk guy, Genkaku, would probably stay for a while, except the Deadmen do something about him.

Enjoyment | 8/10

One character I’m beginning to like now is Yoh. He’s phenomenal in every way, somehow reminds of Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, without the jokes and clowning. From the moment Tamaki brought in Genkaku, and the fellow assaulted Yoh, I knew these guys had a new opponent to deal with.

And seeing as Ganta’s power was powerless against Genkaku, and he could even fend off another Deadman, I bet I’m in for a bigger surprise than ever before. I also enjoyed this episode, but all that’s in my head right now is the prospect of seeing Episode Eight.

Overall | 8/10

The episode ended on a note that’ll make you yearn for more. Seeing what Genkaku did with his gun would make anyone want to watch Episode 8, irrespective of whether or not you’d grown bored of the series.

I feel I’ve overwritten some aspects of this review, especially in the story. Still, I just did that to let you know all that transpired in Deadman Wonderland Episode Seven. But if you feel there’s any part of this that requires attention, do let me know in the comment box below.

Other Deadman Wonderland Articles:

• Deadman Wonderland: OVA Episode Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 1 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 2 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 3 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 4 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 5 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 6 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 8 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 9 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 10 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 11 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Episode 12 Summary & Review
• Deadman Wonderland: Final Anime Review and Summary
• Deadman Wonderland Character Analysis: Captain Kiwako Makina
• Deadman Wonderland Character Analysis: Senji Kiyomasa (Crow)
• Deadman Wonderland Character Analysis: Minatsuki Takami (Hummingbird)
• Deadman Wonderland: The Tragic Tale of a Cancelled Anime
• Top 20 Anime Like Deadman Wonderland
• Deadman Wonderland Season 2? All You Need To Know