Hypersonic
July 25, 2022
Deadman Wonderland: OVA Episode Summary & Review
Explore Senji's backstory in the thrilling Deadman Wonderland OVA: Red Knife Wielder. Witness intense battles, fluid animation, and a more mature perspective on the world of Deadman Wonderland. A standout addition to the franchise that surpasses the main series.
>By: Prince Lammy
Deadman Wonderland OVA: Red Knife Wielder
Unlike the sequence I’d reviewed in the main series, Deadman Wonderland, the review of this OVA would follow another approach. Frankly, I understand that you can get the gist from other reviews. Still, the whole thing is like a backstory into Senji’s life before he found himself in prison.
But then, seeing a review of Deadman Wonderland OVA, titled Red Knife Wielder, is like looking for a needle in a haystack. All factors being considered, minus actual happenings in the OVA, here is what I have to offer after watching Red Knife Wielder, Deadman Wonderland’s OVA.
But before I dig into it, I have to ask, did anyone need this? Cause really, I know I didn’t. The series itself was enough.
Story | 7/10
At least the concept isn’t downright awful. Since Senji was one of the few characters in the original anime with charm, developing his history may be an exciting plot point. This time around, a somewhat different tone is cozier and calmer. Regrettably, it doesn’t take long until it resorts to the same angsty clichés that ruined the anime.
The creators of this story are so terrible at creating protagonists that they couldn’t even save their own lives. One group, who name themselves Goreless Peace,
aim to make the world a place where there is no more killing. They resort to violent means to achieve their goal. If it has life, satire may be frank without losing its ability to be funny, but this is merely an excuse for more needless violence to be committed.
Once more, it hints at something by showing a scene with characters that are genuine people. It demonstrates that they can exist for a reason other than to cause additional violence, with the result being that they will be murdered. This song could be enjoying the first time or two you hear, but by the thirteenth time, all you can do is moan. I hope they didn’t assume that people would watch this before the anime. It’s dumb, but not quite as stupid as that.
Our adversary despises everything in the world and strives to wipe it off. He behaves this way so that Senji would always have someone to fight with, and also because violent personalities tend to behave this way. It doesn’t matter how many times I repeat it, and it won’t be anywhere like as dull as this anime. Its sole purpose is to depict violent acts and the pain of innocent people, yet it does it without any flair. Even more disturbing sequences of torture from the original anime are missing here.
The police force may have been improved in various ways. One of the guys has a more laid-back attitude, while the boss strikes a balance between being harsh and paternal. It is safe to say that things would have gone more smoothly had they produced an anime based on the exploits of these characters. On the other hand, it may be a poor imitation of Psycho-Pass in which the science fiction component is absent.
When it comes to Senji, this was before he turned into a tough guy. His character in this scenario is a run-of-the-mill moral hero who is also the most aggressive employee in the workplace. He has a worse tolerance for criminal behavior than other law enforcement officers, which gives him the reputation of being Dirty Harry
with a blood sword instead of a 44 magnum.
A jokey allusion to one of the well-known sayings would have been a welcome addition. Unfortunately, this did not brighten up my day.
Art | 7.5/10
This OVA doesn’t fall short of the treatment we got with the main tale because it also does an excellent job with its liquid animations. However, I can’t help but believe that the limited number of exciting battles we could see didn’t provide the animators with much room for creative expression.
Aside from Senji and the primary antagonist, the other characters’ designs, regardless of how significant or inconsequential their roles were, were inferior and difficult to distinguish. These characters were doomed with the filler/side background character’s kind of face, which makes it more difficult to remember them.
Sound | 7.3/10
After hearing them for the umpteenth time, the main show’s original opening and closing theme songs bring back many memories and feelings. Therefore I’m thrilled that they were preserved.
I enjoyed the voice acting on this one much better than I did on the last one. I think this is mainly because Ganta was not present. Thus I did not have to put up with his cringe-worthy tone of voice. You should also know that Senji is an incredible person with a voice appropriate for every scenario, whether he is yelling or blushing, etc.
Character | 7/10
This original video animation is superior to the main show simply because it focuses on a genuine likeable character, one that does not drink alcohol and does not behave immaturely. They did an excellent job of handling the shift between Senji’s furious reactions and his positive ones, which made up for incredible small character growth.
Enjoyment | 7.5/10
This was astonishingly more interesting than the main series. Having Senji as the protagonist brought a new vibe to the franchise and offered a more mature worldview of Deadman Wonderland than that of a middle schooler. As a result, it was much simpler to understand the world’s politics and how the upper class behaves and stands for the Deadmen.
Overall | 7.3/10
It doesn’t matter how good this one-shot OVA is; it would never be able to function as a standalone piece if it weren’t for the main program, which is where a lot of the ideas are required to follow Senji’s history are initially presented. Aside from that, this OVA is an exceptional example of the rare breed of works that, in terms of execution and advancement, are typically superior to their parent tales.
Other Deadman Wonderland Articles:
- 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 7 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
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