Gantz (possible spoilers)

[Garrett Jax]

Without spoilers (if possible) can someone tell me if the overall action/story will pick up later on in the series? I just finished the third volume and find it quite an odd anime.

This is probably the first anime I've watched that uses the "spoken thought" almost to an ad nauseum extent... to me at least. :)

By the end of the series are things cleared up as to what Gantz is and just exactly what the hell's going on,... or should I cut my losses and save my time if I stop watching now? I'm having trouble motivating myself to watch it.

And this 2 episodes per disc bullshit isn't helping either, you know? :sd:

[ricecooker]

If you don't like what you're seeing now, you probably won't for the rest of the series. There will be some scenes shown where a character will make a personal relevation but these are brief. Otherwise, it's more of the same thing with no explanation as to what Gantz is.

[CGord]

I didn't get more than 2 eps into Gantz. Seemed like gore for gore's sake.

[pianocello]

This is probably the first anime I've watched that uses the "spoken thought" almost to an ad nauseum extent... to me at least. :)


Something tells me that you will definitely hate Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu.

[ohtori_akio]

Definitely DO NOT watch this! It doesn't get better, but it thinks it does so all you get are more verbal thoughts when action scenes are taking place, as opposed to actual action! Think of it as a gory Days of Our Lives

[Raye]

I wouldn't necessarily say that you should drop Gantz, as it is a series I really did enjoy watching first, then reading afterwards. If you like the action, you might as well sit through until the third mission, which is one of the best fights in the series (and this is including stuff that happens later in the manga). However, if you're tired of listening to the characters and their thoughts and are on a budget, you might as well drop it because the anime really doesn't do the manga justice in the end...

[JackProton]

Will "the overall action/story [...] pick up later on in the series?" Well, there's even nastier fights, more violence, more canon fodder, more blood, more guts, more aliens, more ways to die, more death, more brutality, more selfish stupid people doing more selfish stupid things. Did I mention more sex? Yes, more of that too.

As for ultimate explanations, I warn you that much is left for the viewer to decide.

[ohtori_akio]

Will "the overall action/story [...] pick up later on in the series?" Well, there's even nastier fights, more violence, more canon fodder, more blood, more guts, more aliens, more ways to die, more death, more brutality, more selfish stupid people doing more selfish stupid things. Did I mention more sex? Yes, more of that too.

As for ultimate explanations, I warn you that much is left for the viewer to decide.


As JackProton points out, yes those things are present but they are killed with the storytelling style of verbal thoughts throughout, so I guess it is up to you to decide if the show is worth it...

[Garrett Jax]

Thanks for all the info and suggestions, guys.

For the record, I wasn't purchasing the series to watch it. It was loaned to me by a friend at work.

Since my plans for the weekend sort of fell through Saturday, I decided to "bite the bullet" and push on through with it and watch the entire series in one shot all day Saturday.

Honestly,... it wasn't bad, but at the same time I can't say that it was good either.

Still left me with a WTF moment at the end though.

I had flashbacks to Cowboy Bebop.

"Bang!"

What the hell was that?

You know,... I'll probably never read the manga or see any more of this series (if any more is made that is), so I'm asking for anyone who knows or who would care to speculate...

Spoil me. :)

What was Gantz? What was up with the old bald guy in the orb/the old lady? What was the whole reason behind all of it?

Thanks, guys!

[JackProton]

In my opinion, the anime Gantz was all part of an elaborate test. Putting on my science fiction geek hat and speculating wildly, Gantz was testing whether or not humanity was worthy.. or too dangerous. On a more personal level, it was a trial by fire to give the characters a chance to choose between being moral humans or beasts.

But, that's all speculation based on the anime. The manga may suggest a completely different meaning.

[Hayate Kurogane]

In my opinion, the anime Gantz was all part of an elaborate test. Putting on my science fiction geek hat and speculating wildly, Gantz was testing whether or not humanity was worthy.. or too dangerous. On a more personal level, it was a trial by fire to give the characters a chance to choose between being moral humans or beasts.

But, that's all speculation based on the anime. The manga may suggest a completely different meaning.

One could make some strong arguments for deep, perhaps even metaphysical meaning, in the Gantz manga. Why they try so hard to open the apartment windows and doors and explore the open rooms, but nobody bothers to open the door to the dining room just off the living room until several games have gone by, for example. And there's nothing that says sword-wielding vampires can't be a part of a harsh trial for humanity. I'm still not sure if it makes it more or less interesting when the manga starts to veer away from the strict adherence to the games and the narrow almost diorama-like nature of the story's scope that's seen in the first three, though. The claustrophobic atmosphere lends itself well to the panicked violence, but the expansion of the setting in later manga chapters gives the whole thing a much more sinister air.

To date, there is still no real explanation in the manga as to what Gantz actually is, or why it keeps bringing people to use for the killing of aliens that, it is interesting to note, seem to have been doing nothing of consequence and not interacting at all with humanity until Gantz decided to have people attack them.

[JackProton]

The manga sounds intriguing. There's also something familiar about what you described -- I have to wonder if the author wasn't referencing Bunuel's surreal Exterminating Angel (http://imdb.com/title/tt0056732/) on some level. That might lend a very different potential interpretation to Gantz.

[Garrett Jax]

Here's an interesting thought or two for those that have read the manga and such.

Did it ever touch on the subject of what would happen if the timer ever just... expired?

I mean, suppose everyone just stood around and bullshitted for an hour without interacting with the "aliens"? Also WHY would Gantz bring a dog into the game knowing full well that a dog (other than Ein that is ;) ) wouldn't have the intelligence to know what the hell was going on in the first place?

[Advent_Nebula]

They do, when time expires Korono gets a solo mission and we find out what happens form that mission.

[Hayate Kurogane]

Also WHY would Gantz bring a dog into the game knowing full well that a dog (other than Ein that is ;) ) wouldn't have the intelligence to know what the hell was going on in the first place?

Aside from the fact that Gantz is crazy (and possibly brilliant at the same time), the dog is there to lick Kishimoto's crotch for the enjoyment of the viewers and readers. Obviously. :P

And if you think the dog being there is crazy, then I can only imagine what your thoughts might be on the panda that gets to be a participant later in the manga. :D

[BigPants]

One could make some strong arguments for deep, perhaps even metaphysical meaning, in the Gantz manga. Why they try so hard to open the apartment windows and doors and explore the open rooms, but nobody bothers to open the door to the dining room just off the living room until several games have gone by, for example.

...Interesting. I never noticed that before.

I really liked Gantz and thought of it also as a commentary on society (don't know if specific to Japanese or worldwide) at the time as well.

As for the dog, I had thought it had something to do with reincarnation and was originally a person that when they died was reincarnated as such. Although, none of the other participants did, but maybe they didn't believe in that.

I guess that's how I could explain the Kishimoto scenes to myself. ^^;

[JackProton]

I really liked Gantz and thought of it also as a commentary on society (don't know if specific to Japanese or worldwide) at the time as well.

My guess would be that the target is the middleclass and their "hypocritical morality". Perhaps that helps to explain the dog, a typical middleclass pet which is something of a luxery (or even status symbol) in Tokyo.

[kakugo]

Gantz gets more intense and brutal as it goes along, but if you're expecting an explanation or back story, you're sorely out of luck.

Gantz as an anime is constantly at odds with the source material (Ooku Hiroya's original manga), but in a fascinating way. The two tell the exact same story, with the exact same events and characters, but they focus on different aspects in the process. The original manga plays up the "game" aspect, and while Kurono is something of a narrator the whole point is to meet interesting people... and then see them get torn to pieces. Itano Ichirou (the director) clearly felt there was a lot going on under the surface of these archetypes. In comparison, the anime is a study of selfishness and how modern society has crumbled because, at their core, people are distrusting and only concerned with their own welfare. With the "thinking out loud" process, the TV show can drive this angle hard, and I think it makes proper use of it in the final story arc (which was written by Itano, not Ooku).

The trouble is we wind up with characters doing stupid things to follow the manga, with a wholly different context to their personalities and connection as a viewer. The anime on its' own is full of characters that appear smart enough to not act like total idiots while playing the game... and then they magically don't. The stupidity is used more for comedic effect in the later storylines though, so I could swallow it knowing that the show was going for pure hideous entertainment.

While watching the title, consider this: as a viewer, you're watching characters thrust into an unfamiliar situation who are forced to compete with one another. This may seem horrible and barbaric at first, but the only difference between this and some bad reality TV show is the prize. You'll find yourself liking some characters, and hating others... but why shouldn't you? You watch characters in a bad situation do bad things (or worse things to win), and it becomes abundantly clear that the "reality" of Gantz is watching human nature in its' rawest form. To establish the basic reason watching Gantz is fascinating: In the second episode when the Negi (Onion) Alien is chased down and blown to bits by the contestants, every one of them smirks and pulls the trigger like they're gods. And every one of them is slaughtered moments later by his father figure. The Negi Aliens aren't the monsters... we are.

Gantz is a horrible monster who steals people from their non-lives to play a sick and twisted game... yet he doesn't force the players to do anything they don't really want to do. He sets up a grand stage to watch his toy soldiers play war games, and tries hard to make the result entertaining.

You, the viewer, are Gantz. And you are a horrible bastard. But, as Nishi covers at length... that's just human nature.

If you enjoy the splatter, and want to see borderline hardcore sex, brains, intestines and every other squishy body part paraded in front of you, keep watching. If you like viewing films as literal allegories about humanity, there's a lot to be fascinated (and frustrated) by. If you want a "real" story, or even just an excuse for the insanity... just give up. :)

...well, you've already watched the show. But, that's my story and I'll keep to it.

[JackProton]

Nice analysis, Kakugo.