F1RST IMPRESSIONS: Deadman Wonderland

We continue our look at the newest anime shows for Spring 2011 with Deadman Wonderland, based on the science-fiction manga from Jinsei Kataoka animated by Manglobe.

Storyline: 4

In the year 2023, Japan has reduced all of its incarcerations to a central, privately-owned prison that doubles as an amusement park, "Deadman Wonderland". Its prisoners are its cheap labor, painted clowns, and athletes to be used to entertain the throngs. Since it is a corporation, all rules are dictated by its own authorities, armed by self-reliant police forces. Prisoners are forced to dine on candies that provide an antidote; not taking one in 72 hours leads to automatic death.

In a middle school in Nagano, Ganta Igarashi hopes to visit that entertainment district during a field trip, only to be the lone survivor when a floating man in red slaughters his entire class. Twists of coincidence and blatant evidence tampering leads to Ganta's death sentence, his emotional plea unheard as minors such as Ganta are not immune to being sentenced to Deadman Wonderland. It's here that Ganta is doubly surprised—after befriending a carefree girl in white called "Shiro", he somehow activates a destructive force from his hand to save her from a falling structure, a force that might come from the red gem implanted in his chest by the "red man".

The plot may seem Hollywood-like by leaning heavily on corporate-state rebellion, but shows like Deadman Wonderland tend to keep the action running. Perhaps creator Jinsei Kataoka is playing with fire by introducing a penal system where the main character is jailed at a young age, but the story seems to have some interesting chess pieces in place.

Animation: 4

Manglobe has produced some pretty solid stuff in the past (Samurai Champloo, House of Five Leaves) and present (The World God Only Knows), so getting some nice approaches to animation and still-life is to be expected. The manga designs from Kazuma Kondô (who Kataoka also worked with to create Eureka 7) are adapted quite well for the animation by character designer Masaki Yamada.

Characters: 3

Deadman Wonderland does provide at least a stronger male lead than expected, voiced by the weathered Romi Park (Ed, Fullmetal Alchemist) to make Ganta nervous without making him feminine. The manipulative Tamaki and his brutal head-guard Makina make for some despicable characters, but there should be plenty of room for others as we meet the prisoners. The drawback comes from the applicability of Shiro to the series—not only does she feel out of place, but Kana Hanazawa pretty much reprises her role as Nessa from Fractale for the role. It's hard to like her assignment for the role.

Track: 4

NARASAKI has been a good producer for music in general, having teamed up with Kenji Ohtsuki for the Sayonara Zetsubo-sensei shows, and he provides good background for this show. The opening track—"One Reason" from DWB feat. fade—is a powerful English track that sets the stage for this trip to the insane asylum, while the ending theme "Shiny Shiny" just brings the day to an end.

"Hype": 4

Deadman Wonderland was supposed to have been animated for the Fall 2010 season, but delays pushed it back six months, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. This actually has made the show more anticipated than before, if not the most anticipated show of the spring. While the show is being directed by first-timer Kôichi Hatsumi, the fact that the show is being animated by one of the better studios out there and the manga's popularity definitely gives the show more of a hyped feel.

Overall: 19/25

Deadman Wonderland follows the track of movies like The Running Man and Rollerball by introducing a fantasyland where the wall between entertainment and death sentence is paper-thin in reality, but meters thick in perception, the general public treating the corporation as a savior. It will be interesting to see the direction of this show to witness just how the feelings towards such an institution change. While Ganta doesn't have the build of a hero, it's good to see him molded into one by the second episode, as unfathomable as the results may feel. I just hope Shiro doesn't turn the show into a dramatic version of Idiocracy.

It's because of Ganta that I also watch with trepidation. Build aside, he's going to need some maturity to make this show a classic. Let's hope it comes quickly.

(Deadman Wonderland is simulcast on Crunchyroll every Saturday at 1:30 PM EDT.)

F1RST IMPRESSIONS: A-Channel

We continue our look at the newest anime shows for Spring 2011 with A-Channel, a slice-of-life manga from bb Kuroda that has been animated by Studio Gokumi.

Storyline: 1

In 2002, Azumanga Daioh, the four-panel manga that finally convinced otaku that yonkoma comics can be moe, ended its run in Dengeki Daioh and on television screens. The next year, Manga Time Kirara Carat, a comic anthology magazine devoted almost exclusively to moe yonkoma comics, began its run. Since then, the magazine has had a series of uber-successful franchises, mainly in the form of K-On!, Hidamari Sketch, and Dôjin Work.

With that comes the launch of the latest anime adaption, A-Channel, based on the serial from bb Kuroda. For second-year high-school student Run, life is a mindless chase after the butterflies, enjoying her classroom activities with her friends Nagi and Yûko. However, Run has left another friend in a little bit of a lurch—the petite Tôru is elated to finally be in high school with her older friend Run, but she's having trouble accepting the situation, chasing off boys with an aluminum bat and giving death-stares at Nagi and Yûko. Run, however, reassures Tôru that nothing has and will ever change between them.

And...that's about it. Tôru obviously has issues when it comes to making friends, while Run obviously has issues with intelligent thought. The comedy is expected to come from all that. If you ask me, that's a bit too vague of a "slice-of-life" concept, and it's a little hard to understand the selling point of A-Channel. Unlike Nichijô, the funnier cousin for the season, there's nothing that really makes A-Channel distinct.

Animation: 2

There's some nice animation when it comes to aesthetics, but the average animation takes a step back when computers are used to produce the background. There's just too much obvious clashing between regular and digital animation. Nothing spectacular to grab the viewer here, as Studio Gokumi (Koe de Oshigoto!) has yet to test themselves in animation.

Characters: 2

Aren't we getting a little tired of how the same quartet of yonkoma girls can be used over and over again? There are so many that fit this pattern who have already come before, so a show that involves them doing little to nothing doesn't seem to really have the charm that a K-On! or Lucky Star might have. A few points could be scored with Tôru being so infatuated with Run, but Run's ditziness just leaves me shaking my head.

Track: 3

Well, we do get some good music for the series. Satoru Kôsaki has an extensive resume and has provided some excellent background music in shows such as Kannagi and the Haruhi Suzumiya series. At least his music is capable of making the show feel breezy and gentle. The opening and ending themes, "Morning Arch" and "Humming Girl", are light and fitting of the show's airiness. If you're going to fault the series, it's definitely not in the music.

"Hype": 2

There wasn't much coming from A-Channel in terms of hype, even though Aniplex is involved in its production. Director Manabu Ono has been involved in only a handful of under-the-radar shows (Dragonaut, Saki), and only two volumes of the manga have been released so far. No streaming outlets have picked the show up for screening in the United States, so there doesn't seem to be much demand for it either.

Overall: 10/25

For the most part, there's nothing to really detest about an innocent show like A-Channel, but there doesn't seem to be much to praise it for either. Why animate another show about four girls chirping about very little? The comedy is occasionally flat, and Run seems like just another clumsy Tsukasa from Lucky Star. A-Channel may appear friendly as a manga, but the show stitches all its vignettes together and tries too hard to smooth the wrinkles out into a fluid show. Awkward and a little deflating, A-Channel just doesn't have anything on its menu for fans to digest.

F1RST IMPRESSIONS: [C]

We continue our look at the newest anime shows for Spring 2011 with [C], a Tatsunoko Production animation that occupies the first of two noitaminA slots on Fuji TV.

Storyline: 3

Realistically, the Japanese economy has been limping through busted bubbles here and there, but very rarely does national affluence affect anime shows. There have been stories of personal debt, but what if the Japanese economy tanked and greed was dictating human sentiment?

Enter the world of [C] (Control: The Money and Soul of Possibility). While our vigilant hero Kimimaro struggles with two part-time jobs and a college scholarship to pave the way to a gold-plated future as a civil servant, a mysterious world lies on the other side of the ATM screen, one where people in desperate need of cash sacrifice their future for the chance to get paid now. The "Financial District" is a digitized environment where human "Entrepreneurs" fight using their "Assets", powerful horned beings that attack through financial contributions. When a void is created through a suicide, Kimimaro is confronted by Masakaki, a grinning Cheshire representative of the Financial District. He's randomly given the opportunity to become a participant in the game, enticed with the opportunity to abandon his jobs and obtain a girlfriend.

While the background is enticing, I can't get over this idea that we've seen [C] before. That sense of fiscal temptation has been there in gambling shows like Kaiji, but the idea of holding a tournament against other greedy dealers for the sake of escaping debt was used back in Liar Game, as well. The only difference here is that the tournament is more like Tron. I'm certain that [C] will be more than just a Shônen Jump battle show, but it hardly feels that way right now.

Animation: 3

Tatsunoko Productions have suddenly been active this season, put in charge of the animation for Sket Dance, Pretty Rhythm, and this series. While there are some creative mixes in animation, particularly in the usage of side-bar subtitles that creep into frame like digital black slime, there are also some awkward moments where computer animation clashes styles. At times, it feels seamless, but it's pretty obvious where more polygonal animation takes center stage. One moment, Masakaki moves fluidly; the next moment, he feels as robotic as a "Money For Nothing" video. There just isn't much consistency.

Characters: 4

It's been about a year since Alice In Wonderland hit movie theaters in Japan, but it seems the "Mad Hatter" has been a big influence on character design. Blue Exorcist has already had a top-hatted madman grace its episodes, although he seems to be more a hidden enigma. Masakaki, on the other hand, is played as a terrific tempter by Takahiro Sakurai (Yaichi, House of Five Leaves), while the supporting characters could use their various backgrounds to build up Kimimaro.

Track: 4

The music really does hit all the right notes, if you pardon the pun. While you do get a handful of electronica in the songs, the music manages to be calculating during the dramatic parts and energizing during the action sequences. The opening and ending songs—"Matoryoshka" by NICO Touches the Walls and "RPG" from School Food Punishment (the coolest name for a band ever)—also provide some good melodies.

"Hype": 4

noitaminA has consistently produced some talented shows over the past few years, so the announcement of [C] really produced some anticipation for a good show. While it doesn't necessarily mean that the end result will be great, the tease of it succeeding has yet to wear off. While director Kenji Nakamura has yet to work in the lead role, he's done some solid work in other noitaminA shows, and screenwriter Noboru Takagi has produced fine works in Durarara!! and Hell Girl.

Overall: 18/25

I'm starting to fear that noitaminA, despite its recent critical successes with Wandering Son, Shiki and Princess Jellyfish, is losing part of its luster. Fractale burned out pretty quickly, and no one has picked up the other noitaminA title for Spring 2011, AnoHana. The tides could change with the two summer titles (No. 6, Usagi Drop), but for now [C] is helping the animation block stay relevant. While the production values are decent and the story has a lot to work with, there's this sinking feeling that we're watching Yu-Gi-Oh! being played with Monopoly money.

Maybe we're all being conned into a good show, but looking at the surface it's hard to tell if [C] is real or counterfeit yet. We're going to need some time.

([C] is simulcast on Funimation every Thursday at 12:45 PM EDT.)