Highschool of the Dead is set in present day 2010 Japan, beginning as the world is struck by a deadly pandemic that turns humans into zombies, euphemistically referred to by the main characters as "Them" (奴らYatsu-ra?).
The story follows a group of high school students, the school's nurse, and a young girl as they fight their way to safety through the deadly streets of Japan during the worldwide catastrophic event known as the "Outbreak". As the cast tries to survive the zombie apocalypse, they must also face the additional threats of societal collapse, in the form of dangerous fellow survivors, and the possible decay of their own moral codes.
A massive earthquake ravaged Japan's mainland and destroyed most of Tokyo, sinking three-quarters of the city into the ocean. Ten years later, the story shifts to Ganta Igarashi, a seemingly ordinary student attending Nagano Prefecture's middle school. As an escapee, a survivor of the great earthquake, Ganta has no memories of the tragedy and has lived a normal life. This all changes when a strange person covered in blood and crimson armor floats through his classroom windows. Grinning madly, the 'Red Man' massacres Ganta's entire class but instead of killing him, embeds a red crystal shard in Ganta's chest. Within days of the massacre, Ganta is declared the sole suspect. Following a quick unfair trial, Ganta is sentenced to death and is incarcerated in Deadman Wonderland, a massive theme park-like prison.
Arriving at the prison, Ganta is fitted with a special collar which monitors his location and life signs. Due to the heinous nature of Ganta's "crime," he has to live out his imprisonment under Deadman Wonderland's 'Death Sentence'. A lethal poison is constantly injected into his bloodstream through the collar, but it can be neutralized by consuming a peculiar candy-like medicine every three days, which can be acquired through various activities in the prison, i.e. performing for audiences, working backstage, purchasing with cast points, etc. In order to gather Cast Points (the prison's currency), an inmate has to perform in the facility's lethal games and survive. Fortunately for Ganta, he is aided by a mysterious girl named Shiro, who apparently knows Ganta, and is known by other prisoners as well.
While trying to survive as an inmate on death row, Ganta becomes increasingly obsessed with the 'Red Man' and tries to find him so he could clear his name. In a bizarre twist, Ganta begins to develop the ability to manipulate his own blood, to the point of turning it into a weapon. Unbeknownst to him, Ganta has become one of the prison's "Deadmen," a segregated group of prisoners possessing the Branches of Sin which makes them capable of controlling their blood. After his ability is discovered, Ganta is forced to participate in brutal gladiatorial death matches known as Carnival Corpse, whose anonymous spectators pay large amounts of money to watch. In his struggle he manages to befriend some of those he fought off in the arena and with their help, Ganta continues his quest to uncover the identity of the 'Red Man', why he turned into a Deadman, and the dark secrets the prison authorities are hiding.
About Deadman Wonderland
Deadman Wonderland is Japan's only privately operated prison, built after the Great Tokyo Earthquake on ground zero. It gathers prisoners from all over Japan and raises money for the revival of the destroyed metropolis. To the public and the tourists that visit daily, Deadman Wonderland is a massive theme park-like facility run by the prison population. Unbeknownst to the general population, most of the prison's attractions involve cruel games of survival where many inmates lose their lives or are maimed for the entertainment of an oblivious public.
To keep prisoners at bay in case of a riot, they are fitted with special collars which act as life monitors, locators, and stunners. Those on death row however are constantly administered poison through their collars: should an inmate not consume a special candy-like antidote every three days, provided to them at the cost of a large sum of Cast Points, he/she would die immediately. The prison's guard staff is also granted autonomy over how to punish the prisoners, which often results in bloodshed.
While the threat of violence is constant at the prison, most prisoners enjoy a great deal of liberty inside Deadman Wonderland. Utilizing Cast Points, the prison's unique form of currency, prisoners can purchase a wide variety of items from ordinary lunches, to luxurious furniture for their rooms, and even years off of their sentences (though Cast Points can't be used to buy one's freedom from Deadman Wonderland). Those on death row also use Cast Points to purchase their life-saving candies.
Despite its identity as a prison and theme park, Deadman Wonderland houses a much darker secret. Hidden away from the eyes of tourists and the general prison population is a massive underground facility known as "G Block". This is where the prison keeps their Deadmen secluded and where the Carnival Corpse arena is located. G Block also houses numerous laboratories and rooms where experiments on humans are performed and where scientists are attempting to harness the powers of the Deadmen for monetary and political gain.
Corpse Carnival
Deadman Wonderland also runs a secret gladiator-like game called the Carnival Corpse (also referred to as the Corpse Carnival or the Carnival of Corpses), where wealthy anonymous donors pay to watch death-matches between the prison's Deadmen. The viewers of the Carnival Corpse also place their bets on who would win. Deadmen who are defeated yet survive the game have a part of their anatomy surgically removed for scientific research. In a cruel twist, the loser spins a macabre slot-machine to determine which part of their body will be removed (with the show being broadcast live to the other prisoners) for research with the parts ranging from the right eye (which was removed from Senji), vocal cords (which was removed from Nagi), and the hair, kidney, and part of the stomach (which were removed from Minatsuki). The winner is awarded a large amount of Cast Points, life-saving candies, and other prizes.
Elfen Lied revolves around the interactions, views, emotions, and differences between human beings and the Diclonii, a mutant species similar to humans in build but distinguishable by two horns on their heads and "vectors", transparent telekinetically controlled arms that have the power to manipulate and cut objects within their reach. The series is centered on the teenage Diclonius girl "Lucy" who was rejected by human beings and subsequently wants revenge.
The series' title is German for "Elf Song" and takes its name from the poem "Elfenlied", which is featured in the story. Elfen Lied involves themes ofsocial alienation, identity, prejudice, revenge, abuse, jealousy, regret and the value of humanity. It is also noted for the graphic violence and emotional themes of how the characters change through the whole story. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation was produced by the studioArms and broadcast on AT-X from July to October 2004. The anime began airing before the manga was complete; as a result, the plot differed between the two, especially the ending.
Plot
Elfen Lied takes place in Kamakura, Japan, focusing on a new strain of the human race, Diclonius, similar to human beings with invisible arms called vectors but different at the genetic level and notable due to physical abnormalities, particularly a pair of short horn-like protrusions. One such Diclonius, Lucy, is the main character of the series: Initially held in a facility built for experimentation, located off the coast of Kamakura, she manages to escape and wreak havoc, but is injured in the process, an event which causes her to develop a secondary, childlike personality known as Nyu.
Lucy is found by two locals, Kohta, who studies at the local university, and his cousin Yuka. They take her in, and become involved with the numerous, often brutal, attempts to recapture her by a Special Assault Team and a number of other Diclonius, who shift frequently from oblivious to murderous.
Gantz tells the story of Kei Kurono and his friend Masaru Kato who die in a train accident and become part of a semi-posthumous "game" in which they and several other recently deceased people are forced to hunt down and kill aliens armed with a handful of futuristic items, equipment, and weaponry. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence and sexual content.
The Gantz anime adaptation, directed by Ichiro Itano and animated by Gonzo, the series contains 26 episodes divided into two seasons. It was licensed in North America by ADV Films.
Plot
A pair of high school students, Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato, are hit by a subway train in an attempt to save the life of a drunk homeless man who had fallen onto the tracks. Following their deaths, Kurono and Kato find themselves transported to the interior of an unfurnished Tokyo apartment. The pair soon realize others are present and find that they are not able to leave the apartment. At one end of the room there is a large black sphere known as "Gantz".
After some time in the room, the Gantz sphere opens up, revealing a bald naked man with a breathing mask and wires attached to his head, with three racks protruding from it, that offer various items for them to use. These include the custom fitting black suits Gantz made for each of them, giving them super-human strength, speed, stamina and relative invincibility, a controller which acts as a radar and stealth unit, and three types of weapons.
When the Gantz sphere opens, green text appears on its surface, informing those present that their "lives have ended and now belong to him". A picture and brief information is shown of some of the Gantz' targets; Gantz orders them to go and kill them. All but one target shown thus far have been aliens living on Earth, which take on a wide variety of forms. After a period of time which varies between missions, everyone except Gantz is transported to the location of the mission. Those sent cannot return from the mission until all enemies have been killed, or the time limit has run out. If they survive a successful mission, each individual is awarded points for the aliens they have killed. Once a participant has scored 100 points, a "100 point menu" will appear. The menu offers three options. The first option allows the participant to return to their normal life, not to be summoned by Gantz again. Their memories of Gantz and the missions will be erased. The second option grants the participant an extremely powerful weapon. The third and final option allows the participant to revive someone who has died during a mission from Gantz' memory.
Definition Gore film is a subgenre of horror film that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, through the use of special effects, tend to display an overt interest in the vulnerability of the human body and the theatricality of its mutilation. It is graphic violence,the depiction of particularly vivid and realistic acts of violence and brutality in visual media such as literature, film, television, and video games. It may be real, simulated live action, or animated
Gore Anime List:
Gantz. Elfen Lied. Highschool of the Dead
Deadman WonderlandHigurashi no naku koro ni. Devilman. Tsukihime.
