Gantz

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Gantz


caption = Cover of the first "tankōbon", released in Japan by Shueisha
ja_name = ガンツガンツ
ja_name_trans = Gantsu
genre = Action, Psychological thriller, Science fictionInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Hiroya Oku
publisher = flagicon|Japan Shueisha
publisher_en = flagicon|USA Dark Horse
publpublisher_en = flagicon|USA Dark Horse
publisher_other = flagicon|France flagicon|Quebec flagicon|Switzerland Editions Tonkamflagicon|Germany flagicon|Italy flagicon|Brazil Planet Manga
flagicon|Spain Glénat
flagicon|Malaysia Komik Remaja
flagicon|Mexico Editorial Vid
demographic = Seinen
magazine = Weekly Young Jump
first = October 2000
last = ongoing
volumes = 23
chapter_list = List of Gantz chaptersInfobox animanga/Anime
title = First Stage
director = Ichiro Itano
studio = flagicon|Japan Gonzo
licensor = flagicon|USA flagicon|Canada ADV Films
flagicon|UK MVM Films
flagicon|Australia flagicon|New Zealand Madman Entertainment
network = flagicon|Japan Fuji Television
network_other = flagicon|Argentina flagicon|Peru flagicon|Brazil flagicon|Mexico flagicon|Venezuela Animax
flagicon|Peru Japanimax
flagicon|Germany MTV Central
flagicon|USA Anime Network
first = 12 April 2004
last = 26 June 2004
episodes = 13
episode_list = List of Gantz episodesInfobox animanga/Anime
title = Second Stage
director = Ichiro Itano
studio = flagicon|Japan Gonzo
licensor = flagicon|USA flagicon|Canada ADV Films
flagicon|UK MVM Films
flagicon|Australia flagicon|New Zealand Madman Entertainment
network = flagicon|Japan Fuji Television
network_other = flagicon|Argentina flagicon|Peru flagicon|Brazil flagicon|Mexico Animax
flagicon|Peru Japanimax
flagicon|Germany MTV Central
flagicon|USA Anime Network
first = 26 August 2004
last = 18 November 2004
episodes = 13
episode_list = List of Gantz episodes

nihongo|"Gantz"|ガンツ|Gantsu is a Japanese manga and anime series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. "Gantz" tells the story of a teenager named Kei Kurono who dies in a train accident and becomes part of a semi-posthumous "game" in which he and several other recently deceased people are forced to hunt down and kill aliens. The missions they embark upon are often dangerous. Many die on each mission, but others replace them in the same manner as Kei Kurono's appearance.

The "Gantz" anime, directed by Ichiro Itano and animated by Gonzo, ran for 13 episodes and had a direct sequel called "Gantz: Second Stage", which continued the series for another 13 episodes. Both seasons make up the 26 episode series. It was licensed in North America by ADV Films. The anime series is distributed in the United Kingdom by MVM Films, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. Dark Horse Comics started releasing the manga in English in June of 2008.

Plot

A pair of high school students, Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato, are seemingly run over by a subway train, after saving the life of a homeless drunk who had fallen onto the tracks. Following their untimely deaths, Kei and Masaru find themselves transported—alive and well—along with a number of people who have also just died, to the interior of an unfurnished Tokyo condominium from which the Tokyo Tower may be seen—and none of them are able to leave. At one end of the room is a featureless black sphere we later learn is called "Gantz". By way of green text that appears on the surface of the sphere, Gantz informs those present that their lives have ended. The following words appear on the black sphere's surface: "Your lives have ended. What you do with your new lives is entirely up to me. That's the theory, anyway." (The ADV translations have it as "Your lives are over, you bastards. What you do with your new lives is entirely up to me. So there you have it.") The sphere then opens up to reveal suits that, when worn, amplify the user's attributes, such as strength, speed and agility. Along with the suits are various high-tech weapons with different uses for different situations. Next, information on the Gantz Targets appear on the surface of the sphere, shortly before the Gantz Team are transported to the location of the mission.

In addition to the weapons, suits, and scanners, Gantz holds what appears to be a muscle-bound bald man on life support in the center of the ball. The true identity and purpose of this man is never revealed. The series consistently introduces new characters. Most of them are killed off almost as quickly as they appear, though at times a stable cast of veterans forms.

Later in the manga, some of Gantz's participants obtain over 100 points and use their points to revive various fallen persons, like Tae Kojima and Masaru Kato. Kei Kurono, however, is convinced by his comrades and Kato to use his points to set himself free, the result being that his memory is erased. Kurono then returns to his former life, without any memory at all of his experiences during the past few the months, in which he had been participating in the Gantz game. However, Kurono stumbles upon various clues of his past life such as photographs of him and Tae and rumors of him going out with Reika. These forgotten memories begin to haunt him immediately after his return

It is later confirmed in the manga that Gantz teams of other nationalities exist in the world. This is confirmed in Issue 229, in a dialog between Izumi and Nishi, when the latter asks if they should leave it to the other countries, and Izumi responds that he wishes to show the world Japan's greatness. There has been hints of a central black sphere located in Germany, but nearly all information regarding it is still in speculation.

Characters

Gantz's characters change fairly often due to the nature of the plot premise. However, a few characters are featured far more often and in more depth than others. At first the spotlighted characters are Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato.

Kurono and Kato are childhood friends, but lost contact for years. As the story begins they meet again at a subway station, apparently by sheer luck of the draw, just before the event that draws both of them into the world of Gantz. As the story goes on, they meet, befriend and antagonize many other characters. Some of those have very short participations in the plot, while others become regulars, at least for a period of time, and are better developed.

In each mission, Gantz informs the Hunters about the current target which has to be hunted. This information includes an image of the target as well as its characteristics, things it likes, and favorite quotes. Most of the time, Gantz does not give the whole information because almost always the "boss" is not the original target or there are more than one specimen for each class. While in the anime version, there are four targets including a "Kurono alien" (after The Buddhist Temple Aliens mission), until this moment, there have been nine different targets in the manga:

Media

Manga

Written by Hiroya Oku, the individual chapters of the "Gantz" manga series first appeared in "Weekly Young Jump" in 2000 and is still ongoing. The series is divided into two "phases." Phase 1 consists of the first 237 chapters. Phase 2, which starts with chapter 238, began serialization on November 22, 2006. [cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=3749|title=Gantz (manga) - Anime News Network|publisher=Anime News Network|accessdate=2008-07-18] The individual chapters are collected by Shueisha in "tankōbon" volumes; the first volume was released on December 11, 2000, while currently twenty-three volumes have been released. An anime adaptation, produced by Gonzo and directed by Ichiro Itano aired in Japan from April 12, 2004 to November 18, 2004. [cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=3641|title=Gantz (TV) - Anime News Network|publisher=Anime News Network|accessdate=2008-07-18] The distributing company Dark Horse Comics has been releasing the "Gantz" manga volumes in English in the United States with the first one being released on June 25, 2008.

Anime

The "Gantz" anime is divided into two seasons: The first season is known as "The First Stage", while the second season is known as "The Second Stage", which is a direct continuation of the first season. The anime has been licensed in the United States of America by ADV Films.

Video game

On March 17, 2005, Konami published a game for the PlayStation 2 based on the "Gantz" series. It was named simply as Gantz: The Game. It features the characters and plot up to the Buddha Alien mission (though the vampires and the Shorty Aliens are present). The game may be classified as a third-person shooter, although it does have a little RPG elements put together. More information can be found on the game's website. The game also includes extras including Free Play mode, a Mini Mode, Magazine Browser mode, Gantz Rankings, a special preview movie and the scenario completion statistic.

Reception

The first season, known as the "First Stage", was heavily edited on Japanese TV, but the second season ("Second Stage") remained uncut. The Gantz anime is often criticized for its ending and pacing problems. The anime was made while the manga was still in early production, and thus Gonzo had to produce episodes at an irregular pace, and end the series in a manner a number of fans found unsatisfying—a common occurrence when an anime is made from a manga that has not finished its run.

References

External links

* [http://www.gantz.net Official "Gantz" website] Ja icon
* [http://www.gantz.tv/ Official ADV "Gantz" anime website]
* [http://www.gantz.com.au/ Madman Entertainment's "Gantz" website] Official Australian Gantz website.
* [http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/gantz/ Official "Gantz: The Game" website] Ja icon
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