Review of Gantz: Vol. 5

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`s 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?

Another volume, and another cliffhanger to resolve, with Kishimoto, Kei and Kato joined by an eclectic new batch of players, and sent into a temple to eliminate the Grumpy and the Ferocious aliens. They are faced with a couple of statues, guardians of the temple gates that tower metres above them yet move like lightning. All the prayers the Buddhist priest can say may not be enough to save them. Volume 5 of Gantz: Deathwatch contains four more episodes in the series.

17. I Can Shoot Them, Can`t I?
The battle of the temple commences, and this time the enemy literally is gargantuan. Seeing the priest attempt to fend off the giants by the power of prayer, and fail utterly finally convinces Kato that this is the time to use his weapon in anger. At the same time, and in the same place, completely unaware of Gantz`s game playing out, a couple of thugs wander the temple grounds, armed with baseball bats and preying on the homeless.

18. Welcome Back
Kurono is really getting the hang of this alien hunting, and is even beginning to enjoy himself in all the violence and carnage. Despite the statues` size, and lethal speed, it looks like he`ll face this challenge with few problems. Only Gantz has been teasing them thus far, and the temple has more foes waiting in store for them.

19. What The Hell Is That?
There are more statues ready to pounce, these are life size, fast and outnumber the players. This time something different happens, catalysed by Kurono`s fearlessness and success against the aliens, the players are actually beginning to work as a team. Then a giant Buddha appears, many times larger than the temple guardians, and their weapons are just pinpricks to the effigy.

20. Just Shoot Me!
With just two aliens left registering on the scanner, the team splits up to face the final challenge. But the final aliens are faster, more lethal, and worse completely invulnerable to the Gantz weaponry. Kurono picks a fight that he can`t win, and not everyone will survive this final battle.

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.

Once again, this volume sees the CGI take centre stage, with the temple battleground and the alien statues all rendered inside a computer. By now the blending of 2D and 3D is pretty seamless. The character designs are as detailed as you would expect from a Gonzo animation. This volume also ups the stakes in terms of action, with the fight sequences visually impressive and dynamic, topping everything that has come before. However, I get the feeling that the budget began to bite around this time, as a couple of atmospheric static shots are used in some of the scenes, instead of animation.

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. There is audible separation on the stereo, with subtle ambience and spot effects. However there were one or two scenes where the dialogue was muffled by the soundtrack (Not much of a problem with subtitles). I spot-checked the English track, and found it to be of similar quality, although in this case the dialogue was clear throughout, and the surround effects were given greater reign as befits a 5.1 mix. 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.

Features

Almost the bare minimum in terms of the extras count this time around. Animated menus, jacket picture, trailers for Samurai Champloo and forthcoming MVM series, Requiem From The Darkness, as well as the clean opening and closing sequences are pretty much what you would expect from an MVM disc.

In addition to this is a short Gantz music video, which must be avoided at all costs, lest you want to be spoiled for the disc.

Conclusion

At last, Gantz is beginning to deliver on the promise of the earlier discs, at least in terms of action. This one disc has as much action in it as the earlier four discs combined. Much of it has to do with the temple location, and the imaginatively designed aliens, but a lot has to do with how the characters have developed. Kurono in particular has lost that introspective dithering that so hindered him earlier on, while Kato and Kishimoto have also realised that the internal debate would be best left until after the aliens have been vanquished. Also, aside from the priest, this is the most violent bunch of players that Gantz has picked. I am beginning to reconsider my `mental juices` comment in the intro however, as while Gantz set up the mystery of what is going on early in the series, it hasn`t really developed it in recent episodes, preferring to concentrate on the sex and violence.

The problems with the series are still there, and I doubt by this time that they will be resolved. These characters aren`t exactly the brightest tools in the shed, and despite the increased action quotient and the accelerated pace, there is still that tendency to stop and have a debate when they should be running, hiding or fighting. There is one moment in the final episode on the disc, where the action pauses just so Kato can deliver some teary eyed, heartfelt social comment. Also, this series thrives on coincidence. Current players are always running into figures that have had significance in the past, or people destined to be future players of the game. Here we see the drunken homeless guy, whose rescue resulted in Kato and Kurono being killed. I`ve cheated and looked ahead, and noticed one of the thugs that torment him dressed in a Gantz suit on the final volume cover. It`s a small, small world.

The characters continue to develop though. Kurono finds that he is enjoying Gantz`s game a little too much, and isn`t quite sure how to handle the adulation of the other players, Kishimoto makes a conscious decision to stop being a damsel in distress, and even Kato stops dithering long enough to actually pull a trigger. The series also shows a willingness to develop characters and dispense with them at will. While the body count is high on this disc, it`s worth mentioning that two of my favourite characters also fall, characters that in any other series would have probably stuck it out to the end.

Once again, a Gantz disc leaves us at a cliffhanger, with no resolution until volume 6. With only a couple of volumes to go, the plot is thickening, and the pace and import of events increases. The story on this volume certainly indicates that we are entering the final phase of Gantz, and for fans the wait will probably be interminable. Gantz certainly isn`t a groundbreaking series, but it provides a decent amount of sex and violence eye-candy, while not really requiring the viewer to engage the grey matter. It`s also infuriatingly addictive, while not really delivering any entertainment beyond the visceral. If only Big Brother could be like this.