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.