Review of Gantz: Vol. 3

Introduction

Another volume of Gantz arrives, with plenty of sex, violence and profanity guaranteed to raise the ire of many a Daily Mail reader. But for the casual anime fan, there`s also some sci-fi and mystery, all wrapped up in a ball shaped enigma that will get the mental juices flowing.

A mysterious black sphere appears suddenly in an innocuous room in Tokyo. Suddenly the lives of random people are inexorably changed, beginning at the moments of their deaths. Reincarnated in that room they learn that the sphere, known as Gantz, now controls their lives. They are assigned missions by the sphere, to hunt down and eliminate an alien menace unseen to the rest of society. They also learn that they too are unseen as they do Gantz` bidding. Equipped with strength enhancing suits and fantastic weaponry, they compete to amass points. But what is Gantz, where did it come from, are they dead, dreaming or playing some bizarre game?

Volume 3 of Gantz: Process Of Elimination contains four more episodes in the series, and it couldn`t come quickly enough, given that we had left poor Kei Kurono in an tense cliff-hanger with the next game about to begin, and him without his Gantz suit.

Ep 9. I`ll Kill You Without Hesitation
The new game is about to start, Gantz has identified the next target as the Suzuki aliens, but Kurono has left his suit behind. The new players find themselves in the same situation and state of disbelief that Kurono, Kishimoto and Kato felt the previous time. Kato tries to fill in the new players, but the biker gang are less than receptive to his advice. It isn`t a good time to lose one`s head, and Nishi, the original survivor, isn`t helping by needling everyone.

Ep 10. Yuzo?
The game has begun, and Kurono is suddenly face to face with a Suzuki alien, minus his suit. It is a humanoid robot, with small birdlike acquaintances, and although it is friendly enough, Kurono follows the better part of valour and rejoins his fellow players. While they try to fathom how to deal with this alien, Nishi is determined to get the last ten points he needs to win the game, and attacks pre-emptively. But Nishi has bitten off more than he can chew.

Ep 11. He Can`t Shoot
Nishi`s in trouble, and his past actions mean that no one is exactly rushing to help. That is except Kato of course, who hardly has to think before rushing to the rescue. Yet when it comes to the crunch, he freezes at the crucial moment, putting his own life in danger. Kurono will have to find some courage hidden deep beneath his cynical shell if he can save his childhood friend.

Ep 12. Kato, You Wait Here
There is only half an hour left in the game, and so far only one alien has been dealt with. You would think that it would be a good idea to split up and handle the aliens separately, either that or totally suicidal. However the robots are just small fry, and something more lethal waits.

Video

Gantz is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio on a dual layer disc. The image transfer is up to MVM`s usual impressive standards, clear and sharp throughout, with only the usual colour banding associated with anime, as well as the occasional signs of the NTSC to PAL transfer. It`s all pretty unnoticeable.

The odd blending of 2D and 3D CGI animation is becoming unnoticeable at this point, though whether it is through familiarity, or because the animation improves as the series progresses is hard to tell. The character designs are as detailed as you would expect from a Gonzo animation, and the environments work well in concert with them. Once again, conversation scenes are more static, but the action sequences are very impressive.

Audio

You are presented with a choice of DD 5.1 English or DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese. I chose to listen to the original language track as always, and I found it to be quite acceptable. The dialogue is clear and there is audible separation on the stereo, with subtle ambience and spot effects. I spot-checked the English track, and found it to be of similar quality, with the surround effects given greater reign. The English dub is acceptable, but in an attempt to push the age rating even higher, there is a level of profanity absent from the original language track.

This is another series that relies on a good soundtrack, and I found the rap theme tune grew on me with repeated exposure. The show`s soundtrack continues at a similar frantic pace, but the reflective piece that plays over the end credits is the highlight of the soundtrack. You get translated English subtitles, as well as a signs only track, although I did notice some more profanity creeping into the subtitles.

Features

Not as many extras this time around for Gantz. The animated menus follow a similar theme to those used previously, and once again you get the textless opening and closing sequences. You`ll also find the Japanese TV spots, 5 minutes of adverts for the DVDs and magazines that feature some live action Gantz goodness. Finally there are trailers for Gungrave and Tenjho Tenge.

Conclusion

This third volume of Gantz proved to be something of a disappointment. There appears to be something of a pattern emerging, with a collection of four or five episodes devoted to the current game, played out almost in real time, while in between are the episodes devoted to character building and introducing the candidates for the next game. It`s cyclical and routine, and not all that interesting. The episodes on this disc are almost a replay of disc 1, with the new players joining the survivors of the last game in hunting down a new set of aliens. It`s pretty much handled in a similar way, albeit with the `veterans` trying to clue the new recruits in.

Episode 9 is the preamble, with the players gathered around Gantz, complaining and bickering, or just simply afraid. The characters are none too sympathetic either, with a grandmother consoling her constantly whining grandson, a group of bikers who feel like challenging any authority, even if it is Kato trying to tell them about the situation they are in, and a former male model and his stalker who don`t make much of an impact. Once again, Kishimoto and her dynamically animated breasts provide the sex content for this disc. Changing into the snug fitting Gantz suit is problematic for her, the dog once again wants to get intimate, and the bikers turn out to be would be rapists who have to be restrained by their more sensible leader. It is episode 1 redux, and all that really makes it differ is the fact that Kurono arrives without his suit. He spends much of the episode panicking and wondering how and if he should bring up the matter.

The following episodes play out the Suzuki Alien hunt, and again it is similarly done to the first disc. Those who choose not to play the game find that they are vulnerable to explosive decapitation, those who do play haven`t figured out the teamwork bit required, and Nishi, who is agonisingly close to getting 100 points, and hopefully winning the game, decides to attack by himself. Just as with the Green Onion aliens, the fight against the Suzuki Aliens is just a matter of seeing which of the players will survive and which will suffer gruesome deaths. This is also where Gantz` weakness becomes most apparent. Watching the games in real time means that there is some space to fill, and when the first Suzuki Alien is attacking Nishi and he shouts for help, the other players stand around for a good while debating whether they should help or not. It`s lucky for Nishi that the alien stopped and waited while they made up their minds. There are other points during moments of tension where the action pauses long enough for the players to have a good argument, and it is something that makes it difficult to take the story seriously.

There are differences from the first disc, and the story does move forward, but it`s comparatively fractionally, and I find myself looking back fondly on the stronger second disc. That dealt with the aftermath of the first hunt, and there was more room for the characters to breathe and grow as they came to terms with their experiences. It also helped that those episodes weren`t in real time, so the narrative could be more focused and richer. I find myself hoping that the cliff-hanger at the end of this disc can be dealt with quickly, and more of the next volume can be devoted to watching these flawed characters react to what happens to them, and as they interact with each other.

Gantz is something of a schizophrenic series, and its curious separation of action and character is a taste that I have yet to acquire. It certainly is an attractive series, and the somewhat harder edge to the anime makes it a rare product in the current market, harking back to the 18 rated anime of the mid-90s. But beneath the visuals and the risqué material is a strictly average story that doesn`t come to life with this volume. It is annoyingly more-ish though, and I still feel compelled to find out what happens next. But I doubt I`ll be driven to watch it again any time soon.