Gantz

Gantz is not a beautiful depiction or ugly depiction of the soul, it is a near perfect mirror of the human soul under the foot of despair. Gantz is an amazing work of manga that I will admit is not made for the faint of heart but is made to strengthen anyone’s view and love in the world around them. It creates nearly perfect depictions of what it means to be human and it shows constantly throughout the series. I could praise that side of Gantz all day but I have to admit the faults in the beginning volumes and the exaggeration of darkness in characters. I also have to confess that there are a lot of really messed up moments in Gantz that at that point I wouldn’t recommend it to random people I think have to stomach for it. But I will continue to say that Gantz is not a story about triumph or the beauty in something but it is about humans. Btw spoilers from here on out.
The story of Gantz is a bizarre and extremely interesting thing that if explored correctly can lead to some incredible thought-provoking content, and Oku delivers on that and more. The front layer of the story, the plot, is an extremely cool premise that I find fascinating due to the insane spectacle of each fight and key event, And I love that the story embraces it’s bizarre side to the point of nearly breaking it. The back layer is almost if not more beautiful than the front layer, what I mean is that the content of the plot is fantastically well made. I will say this though, I don’t like the pacing at all. Chapters and arcs move way too fast and have little content individually of what exactly happens in them or they move so fast that too much happens for the reader to really keep up. There are chapters that can move at a snail’s pace and then others that move way too fast in terms of events and it can easily interrupt the flow of something to the point that it can disorientate the reader. The one thing it never failed to do was leave me on the edge of my seat and I can’t imagine someone putting this series down once they get hooked. I will have to warn certain people that this manga gets messed up and heart-breaking a lot to the point that it can be exhausting. But the story is gripping and dramatic with philosophical points that
The art of Gantz is a master-class of set pieces and detail. I am amazed how well Oku understands the way textures work and the insane believability of everything he draws. The reason I find this amazing is because when Oku draws something he puts work into understanding the material it is made of and how that works, without color he is able to draw skin, rubber, brick, feathers, metal, and clothing in a way that your brain doesn’t have to rationalize what something is because your brain knows what that thing is so you already believe that it exists. Oku is also a master of visual story telling through facial emotions and mannerisms that make the world more believable the longer you look at it. The way Oku draws scenes also allows for realistic viewpoints and that also allows it to be easily translated to the human brain however because of the way he draws it takes away the ability to overexaggerate and enter dynamic situations, which isn’t a criticism it’s just something I want to point out.
The characters of Gantz are not paragons of hope nor are they truly villains to disdain and hate but they are merely people trying to survive and live their lives in peace. Every character is written with this complexity and insanely real depth that they take center of the story and are the singlehandedly best part of Gantz. I believe that they hold such importance to the story is because the idea of it wouldn’t hold value or longevity without them. As an example the main character, Kei Kurono, starts this story no better then the rapists and average people around him that refuse to believe in hope but over the story he matures in a believable and even admirable way to the point where I felt the emotion of him every step of the way and its not just him that goes through this but every character that goes through the story and its that sense of humanity that makes the story an amazing one. It’s the characters that make that last panel worth it all.
Despite everything I’ve said so far, I don’t think I fully enjoyed my reading of Gantz. I’m not saying I don’t like it and I’m definitely not saying it’s bad but I believe that there were a few too many things that hindered my overall enjoyment of reading through it. The pacing I mentioned earlier is very minor compared to some points I’m about to make. There are some points in the story that begin to include graphic imagery and violence for sheer shock factor and that there are an almost unrealistic sense to the amount of close call rape scenes, meaning that they weren’t full on rape scenes but instead that they were either hinted at and or nearly happening, so many that at this point its less about how many but that they were also put in for random shock factor every once in a while however this problem stops being a main problem after chapter 70 or so. Another thing I found that became sort of problematic was that there was an over excess of using girls in sexy clothing as the cover, I like seeing boobs as much as the next guy but theres an almost too much of it. Besides all that, this series suffers from deus ex machinas and Oku manipulating characters into what he needs rather then what would really happen more times then I’d like. There are a lot of times where I felt straight up uncomfortable with some scenes that just made me feel wrong but I fully believe that follows in Oku’s intent and not a mistake. But I have to defend that the moments of relief and happiness are so spectacular and amazing I can’t help and smile when I think of them. There are moments in the story that click and are amazing in their own way to the point where they alone help me put faith back into humanity.
Overall I believe that Gantz isn’t a story that everyone should experience but it is a story everyone who goes through it can come through as a better person. I would refrain from recommending it to anyone squeamish and not used to gore, horrific imagery, or graphic content. At the end of the story, I felt good and happy about it and I don’t regret picking up and reading that first chapter. Gantz is an amazing story about humans and their will to survive and fight for what’s good in this world. At the end of the day, that final panel does nothing more than fully give me joy and hope in life. Gantz is a story of humans.

(just for the record, this is a slight alteration of my anime review)

The French may have said “Make love, not war” but then Gantz appeared and said “Why not do both”…

Gantz is one of my favorite dark sci-fis and I gladly suggest it to everyone who likes this sort of themes. The characters are all unmoral and carnal, violent and devoid of sympathy, a bunch of miserable cowards and horny creeps instead of idealistic super-powered kids. It is both a plus and a minus, depending on what types of people you want as a main cast. I personally have gotten fed up with the idealistic good hearted heroes so I really like them for the bastard nobodies they all are. It doesn’t mean they are meant to be hated as in various moments they show signs of heroism and ideals; but to the most part they act selfishly like any average person would, so that tends to make them more plausible. Most of the magic of the story is how these bastards need to find the guts to get active and cooperate against their deadly adversaries instead of being apathetic idiots, waiting to be slaughtered like sheep. It was a social commentary around the modern way of life of sorts and I must say it was brilliant.

It also packs a very violent and mysterious story that can easily glue you just to see what will happen next. It also has a very slow build up that usually confuses you since it is never clear at what it is this fuss all about. Why are all these things happening in the story? For what purpose? Again, this is a very unorthodox approach to storytelling as most people want a clear goal early on and yet all they saw here was a bunch of unsympathetic people being ordered to kill stuff. What for? The penalty for not obeying is death. The penalty for not playing right is death again. Ain’t they all dead already? So what is the point of fighting? Yet the series plays along in a way to not offer anything clear. Not even the rules of this game are explained at the unwilling players. Many need to randomly be killed just so the rest can figure it all out on their own. There are even some who have played the game before but refuse to reveal everything and just use the rookies as cannon fodder, distraction just so they can flank the enemy themselves. All that create a very aimless and seemingly pointless premise that leaves the average viewer at a complete disarray. And that is the beauty of it.

Imagine your average moe show that lacks an objective, other than to make you feel fuzzy inside with its easy going plotless stories. Gantz tries to do the exact reverse. You don’t understand the ulterior motives of this continual bloodshed yet you need to endure it. That actually works as means to think of stuff on your own and give your own interpretation of what is going on. So besides mindless action it was also a mystery that was asking from the viewer to solve it himself, without nothing be spelled for him. That of course can look as if the scriptwriter is too lazy to think of a story and just makes everything cryptic just to make it look cool. Sure, you can say he is. It also works fine because I was constantly thinking of possible reasons for all this mess.

The experienced eye can also figure out fast enough that everything is basically a social criticism of the modern way of life. The aliens in the story all represent various negative aspects of life, such as immigrants, NEETs and religious fanatics, all are in fact extensions of human folly that the average Joe needs to fight even if he doesn’t want to. Why? Well, because he is forced to do it, in the same way we are forced to spend decades in schools and workplaces. What is the ulterior motive of all that? Why, to survive in an industrialized world that cynically treats you as an expendable peon. There is no ulterior motive other than that. That is also what the show is all about, dressed with extreme doses of violence and sex. Because down to it, our most basic desires drive us no matter how idealistic we think we are and most hobbies, wars, studies, work hours end up being pointless time, existing just to keep us occupied. Even the dead can’t rest and are thrown to survive a second time in a perpetual on-going struggle for the most basic of all needs: Survival. The purpose is not to win but to stay alive. Indefinitely!

Even if you don’t think so deep, the show is still violent and sexual enough for you to just mindlessly stare at it. It is exaggerating a lot in terms of gore and in depicting everybody as idiots and bastards as means to make you angry or disgusted with all that. And they do have some cool suits and weapons to break havoc if they ever manage to figure out how to use them properly. All that create potential for a numerous possible outcomes and it hardly feels it is predictable. I mean, in an average show you know early on how everything will end. The heroes will survive and beat the monsters and get married or something. Gantz is not like that since you don’t know who the main villains are. Plus, anyone can be killed at any given moment. It is its unexpected, violent, sexual formula that makes this anime extremely special. Highly recommended.

Story - 9

Brother, Gantz is crazy, and that's incredible. I love how Oku writes, it's always extremely absurd and very crazy, I love it. Besides that this story has several wonderful arches, mainly the arch of the '' City ''. But for me, what really sucks with the story is the Osaka arc and the beginning of the Final.

Art - 8

Dude, art is beautiful. Seriously. She is perfect, super well made and realistic. What makes it kind of meh sometimes is how much black they wear. Sometimes, they wear so much black, that the manga is almost IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND.

Character - 10

All the characters are great. The main group is incredible and super charismatic. And Kurono is one of the protagonists who changes the most in the history of manga, I think his construction is incredible, and in the end, he is TOO BADASS.

Enjoyment - 9

Apart from the Osaka Arch and the beginning of the End, the Rhythm is perfect. So much so that I read 100 chapters in one day. read it all in 2 weeks. What is really bad is the rhythm of the bows that I mentioned above, which ended up extending my adventure for another week.

Overall - 10

Crazy, Epic, Exciting and Idiotic. Gantz made me fall in love with the style of this mangaka. I love this manga.

A manga to rival Berserk or any of the greatest manga ever made.
The story is an amazing roller coaster with a bunch of imaginative characters, that all get a certain amount of development.
You won't find a bloodier and more brutal manga, the art is different but very polished and wholly Hiroya Oku style.
Only a few manga get me too completely be mesmerized and unable to stop reading.
If you haven't read this manga you are missing out, as no adaptation has been up to the task. Therefore the manga is the best way to live this story.

My review from Gantz: First when I read it, I was like "Yeah it's a good sci fi manga" . But deeper you read the manga, you enjoy the story, the characters: It's looking like the society of today. You can see people's minds, how they react etc.
Also, each character has its own personality which give you the feelin of being attached by a character.
And also, you have all theses mysteries about this "Big Black Ball" called Gantz.
The drawning are pretty good, It's really well-draw.

I watched the anime and I don't finish the manga yet.
The anime is quite good also. The soundtracks fits well to the atmosphere. But I suggest you to read the manga. The Manga is far better compared to the anime.


I don't finish the manga yet but by now, It was quite a surprise for me to discover such a really good manga like this.

*sigh* waste my time once again didnt i?

story 5:
honestly from the beginning i was intrigued and had such high hopes because its an interesting concept. You almost die and you get sent to this room where you then have to battle aliens? like wow really rad, fun time this is going to include a lot of critical analysis and battle strategies with powerful characters who become more powerful. Wrong. The concept is amazing and really interesting but just nt at all well executed, it seems similar to the Liar Game or that kdrama called Alice in borderland but unfortunately didnt live up to the same potential as the other two did. Its just filled with plot holes which honestly you can forgive once in a while, i mean its hard to keep track of what your writing because you gotta make sure sex, boobs, and overall nudity is involved because those are so important to the plot right? Like oh my god the amount of nudity specifically from the female characters only made me incredibly uncomfortable, specially all the panels where they had sex. Like isnt kurono supposed to be 16, im sorry but im just not into seeing so much unecessary nudity randomly when im reading an alien/horror/action manga. If you can get past that, it doesnt change the fact of the mysoginistic undertones throughout the whole novel. the whole purpose of the female characters were for fan service and be damsels in distress who have no thoughts except, "wow this guy i just met five seconds ago saved me and now im in love with him and will die for him even though i have so much in the real world at stake". dont get me wrong not everyone can be a superhero and be able to fight aliens BUT AN OLD MAN CAN SURVIVE BUT A CHICK WHO STUDIES MARTIAL ARTS CANT???? honestly it had so much potential and actually interesting plot arcs that just went no where and honestly is comical when you think about it. like you introduce vampires and they get no backstory nothing except for kill this one kid? like aight alright dont bring em back up every again.

art 7
honestly the art and the gore is amazing as much as i hate some parts i will give credit where credit is due

character 4
there is one good character and that is MUSCLE MAN
thats all

Gantz has awesome action, art, fanservice, emotional scenes and mystery.

It was thrilling to read and I wasn't able to put it down. A big plus was the cute girls, not that they were just fanservice, but there were cute girls.


Spoilers ahead

The mystery was slowly unveiled but some curiosities weren't satisfied, such as the vampire dudes and his brother. Also the deal with the two Kuronos, did both live? (I might have missed it)

When the end of the world came I got Tokyo Ghoul;re vibes, but it was more comprehensible.

It's an absolute angst fest sometimes, but that's why it was sometimes so captivating.



Tldr: gave me Tokyo Ghoul and Attack on Titan vibes. Cute girls (w/ nice fanservice), hype action, extremely detailed art, deep, emotional scenes and mildly satisfying conclusion. (Most of the mysteries were answered tho) (some weren't clear :()


8/10 personally

2 teens dies via "subway attack," finds themselves in a room somewhere in tokyo with some other people. they are then sent on missions to kill aliens by a weird black ball. I read this manga because i liked the anime adaption and wanted more of it. To my amazement, these 383 chapters delivers the most intense and interesting science fiction I have ever gazed upon.
Story:
10/10 every large story arc is unique and great in its own way.
Each arc presents a different set of problems and rules our protagonists must endure or bypass. The setting is almost never the same, and the intensity of each battle only ever increases. the scifi side of the story questions many things we do as a society, our humanity, our purpose and future. the story also touches many other subjects such as crimes, education, and many social issues; leaving you thinking what "it" really meant.
Art:
9/10 during the first few chapters the art seems fairly average. However, as the manga progress to its later stages, the "art" becomes so amazing in every aspect. the characters are uniquely drawn, while they are all different, each group shares its own style. the settings (includes the area the plot is at + atmosphere + other art words) is just astonishing, this I simply cannot explain with out spoilers so go see for your selves (art major here if u want any credentials).
Character:
10/10 main characters basically pushes the whole "hero's journey" to a whole different level. all and I mean all side characters adds some kind of value to the story. Even the comic relief characters are important! (ok maybe the panda is pushing it a little) the author had these characters do exactly what they need to in order to add their weight to the plot. these characters also have a huge variety of backgrounds from students to politicians to criminals and even infants.
(oh god Kei gat so bad ass durin the last half im startin to question my sexuality)
Enjoyment:
10/10 knees weak, arms are heavy. There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti. 2 intense 4 me. jokes aside, this whole thing can sent you through a full range of emotions such as anger, sadness, joy, spaghetti
Overall:
10/10 so far I have read the whole thing twice and interpreted its ending twice. the plot follows a typical science fiction writing style blending perfectly with amazing shonnen like battles and adult action movies. I think neither the anime nor the movie interpretations did this series justice, so I strongly suggest reading it.
p.s. very violent and sexual in some parts, not for the faint hearted

A horny highschooler boy dies after a train accident and finds himself in a room with people and a big black ball. Later on he gets in a "game" which he and others are missioned to kill aliens and whoever gains 100 points gets to resurrect. Gantz is a very misunderstandable manga. Well, it ain't a surprise since there are so much content of nudity and gore,but you absolutely mustn't judge it too quick. To be perfectly frank, I don't think it should be judged through its harsh contents. Gantz is my personally favorite manga. It didn't just give me a good reading time,but also it taught me a lot of things(u know moral values, psychologic message or meaning,etc.) Its certainly not an educational manga, but u get to learn a very important lesson by the end. I wont tell you that lesson,go read the manga yourselves and get the lesson. But the thing is main character (kei) he all starts as a sort of perv ( a horny kid dreaming of losing his virginity) and he also gets bullied a lot. As the story goes on Kei also develops mentally and the person he became at the very end in my opinion is one of the finest example to a character development in manga history. And also the readers get to improve and develop just like kei in overall. So it leaves a very big impact on reading community. The story is very creative and follows an unpredictable storyline( im telling u its just u literally cant figure out what the hell is gonna happen next) which makes each chapter exciting and fluent. There arent tons of dialogues,usually vital part is the drawings in chapters. So it makes it easy to read and move on chapter to chapter. The artwork is impressive at the beginning but it gets incredible as it goes on. Designs of the aliens are also very unique and well drawn. There are many scenes that require sex and violence throughout the whole manga but its not very disturbing in my opinion you may read it since you arent sensitive for this stuff. Gantz is a true masterpiece. Please dont mind the people who despise it. Read it. You wont regret in the end.

Gantz é uma obra maravilhosa, que consegue ser mágica em seu enredo e nos desenhos que te fazem sonhar e compreender o quão extensa é a capacidade criativa do homem. Apesar de encantadora, Gantz é uma história triste, mostra o lado podre, muitas vezes, da nossa atual sociedade, nos fazendo repensar condutas, enquanto mexe completamente com as nossas emoções. Recomendo Gantz para quaquer fã de arte, pois para mim, esse mangá não é nada mais, nada menos que uma obra-prima. A história te prende do início ao fim, explicando o fato de que eu terminei todos os capítulos em menos de uma semana hahah Se você não gostou do anime, mesmo assim dê uma chance ao mangá de Gantz, tenho certeza de que ele irá te surpreender!