Deadman Wonderland by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou

Title: Deadman Wonderland

Mangaka: Jinsei Kataoka & Kazuma Kondou

Age Group: Older Teens

Series is: Ongoing with 7 volumes

Volume(s) Reviewing: 1

My Rating: 4.5/5

A decade ago, the Great Tokyo Earthquake destroyed everything. One of its survivor, Ganta Igarashi, is now in middle school. While he is in class, a mysterious man suddenly appears out of nowhere and kills off everyone! Being the only one left to live through the ordeal, Ganta is charged guilty with murder.

Ganta gets sent to a strange prison called Deadman Wonderland, which is also an amusement park. Trapped in a place where he could die any moment, he must find a way to clear his name. He has also developed a new power ever since the incident of the deaths of his classmates. One he does not understand. In Deadman Wonderland, there is the fun, the horror, and the survival that all must be lived through. Who's there to trust?

While reading the first volume, I was reminded of a young adult novel I reviewed months before called Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith. The protagonist was also set up by a bunch of mysterious people to frame him as a murderer. He ended up in a unique prison as well. Prior reading this, I had no idea what to expect of Deadman Wonderland since I never really came across reviews for the series. I was definitely excited to continue on once I finished the manga.

Ganta runs into many problems while at Deadman Wonderland. You can see him being exposed in many different situations and as he reacts to them, revealing more about his character. Every chapter adds mystery and more excitement to the plot. The biggest thing that is driving me to continue this series is to see how it ends for the protagonist and the reason behind everything that is happening to him. With so many betrayals and near death experiences, you can't help but cross your fingers for Ganta. The only thing I worry is the length of the series. To be able to keep a story exciting and going beyond five volumes can get difficult because it could start to slack. I don't know how far this series will go but I believe in Japan they are currently in the makes of the eighth volume. I hope it stops there or very soon.

I highly recommend this series so far to shonen fans and those who likes action/horror in general. But I think many manga fans can definitely enjoy Deadman Wonderland.

Review copy provided by HarperCollins Canada.