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Gantz
File:Gantzvol1.jpgCover of the first tankōbon, released in Japan by Shueisha
ガンツ
(Gantsu)
GenreAction, Psychological thriller, Science fiction
Manga
Written byHiroya Oku
Published byJapan Shueisha
English publisherUnited States Dark Horse
MagazineWeekly Young Jump
DemographicSeinen
Original runOctober 2000 – ongoing
Volumes24 (List of volumes)
Anime
First Stage
Directed byIchiro Itano
StudioJapan Gonzo
Released April 12, 2004 – June 26, 2004
Anime
Second Stage
Directed byIchiro Itano
StudioJapan Gonzo
Released August 26, 2004 – November 18, 2004

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 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 known as "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.")

Without explaining anything to them, the Gantz sphere opens up to reveal a bald man on life support in the center, and three racks that offer various items for them to use. 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, where they are expected to kill aliens.

The series regularly introduces new characters. Most of them are killed off almost as quickly as they appear, though at times a stable cast of veterans forms.

The hunters cannot return from their mission until all enemies have been killed, or the time limit has run out. If the mission is successful, each individual is awarded points for the aliens they have killed. They are then allowed to leave, and live their lives as they see fit, Gantz summoning them back again when its time for the next mission. The only way to stop having to participating in the missions, is to earn a hundred points, and choose the option to be freed.

Equipment

Main article: List of Gantz Equipment

Gantz gives out individual suits for each person there, giving them great strength, speed, jumping ability, and protection from harm. There are also three types of guns at the start, the controller, and a room with swords and two vehicles. Additional weapons and items are gained from the hundred point menu.

Characters

Main article: List of Gantz characters
File:Gantz Kato Kurono.jpg
Masaru Kato (at left) and Kei Kurono (at right) meet again at the subway station

The characters in Gantz change fairly often due to the nature of the plot premise. However, some characters are featured with greater frequency than others. The story appears to center around the relationship between Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato, two highschool boys who had been childhood friends, but had lost contact over the years.

As the story begins they meet again coincidentally at a subway station, just before an event that draws both of them into the world of Gantz. As the story goes on, they meet, befriend, and interact with a variety of other Hunters who are drawn into the "game" via untimely deaths similar to those that brought Masaru and Kei to Gantz. While many of the characters have very short parts in in the story, and tend to represent stereotypes one might encounter in Japan, others have longer involvement and thus deeper character development. Allies, adversaries, and others who are simply confused make up the backdrop of an ever changing cast in the story. Of note are the love interests that test Kei's resolve to survive from mission to mission.

The one constant in the series is the enigmatic Gantz character himself, an individual who appears to be in some sort of artificial stasis inside the black sphere and communicates either via broadcasting his voice or images and messages displayed on the sphere's surface. Currently, this character's origins and motivations are still unclear, but it is evident he possesses a great deal of power and control over the destinies of his chosen Hunters.

Before each mission, Gantz provides the Hunters with brief information regarding their next target. This includes an image of the alien, as well as its physical characteristics, likes and dislikes, and a favorite saying. Often, Gantz gives only vague or incomplete target information for reasons that he chooses not to share, leaving the Hunters to discover on their own what is necessary to complete each mission. While in the anime version, there are four targets, including a "Kurono alien" (based on the manga's Buddhist Temple mission), at present, there have been nine different types of alien targets in the manga.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Gantz chapters

Written by Hiroya Oku, the manga chapters have been published in the Japanese magazine Weekly Young Jump since 2000 and is still ongoing; the individual chapters of the series are being released approximately every fifteen days. Gantz is divided into two main story arcs referred to as "phases". After the completion of Phase 1, the author put the series on hiatus for a short time to work on Phase 2, which is also known as "Catastrophe". Phase 1 consists of the first 237 chapters. On November 22, 2006, the first chapter of Phase 2, chapter 238, was released. The individual chapters are collected by Shueisha in tankōbon format; the first volume was released on December 11, 2000. Currently, 24 volumes have been released by Shueisha. Publishing company Dark Horse Comics acquired the licensing rights for the release of English translations of Gantz on July 1, 2007 during the Anime Expo. The first English volume was released on June 25, 2008. While the first three are being published quarterly, the following volumes will be released on a bimonthly basis. The series is published by Glénat in Spain and by Planet Manga in Germany, Italy and Brazil.

Anime

See also: List of Gantz episodes

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 named simply as Gantz: The Game. It features the characters and plot up to the Buddha Alien mission. The game mixes third-person shooter and Role-playing game (RPG) elements together. 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. '

Gantz/Manual

In December 2004, Gantz/Manual was published by Shueisha as a companion volume to the series featuring episode summaries, character overviews, and additional background details on the Gantz universe.

References

  1. ^ "Gantz (manga)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  2. "Gantz Returns! Gantz: 2nd Phase". comipress.com. 2006-11-22. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  3. "Gantz 2nd Phase to Begin Serialization This November". comipress.com. 2006-07-19. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  4. "Gantz 1" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  5. "Gantz 24" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  6. "Dark Horse Licenses Gantz, Blood+, More". Anime News Network. 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  7. "Dark Horse Nabs 'Gantz' Manga". ICv2. 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  8. "Gantz Volume 1". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  9. "Michael Gombos on Gantz". Dark Horse Comics. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  10. "Gantz vol 1" (in Spanish). Glénat. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  11. "Gantz 1 Ristampa In fumetteria e online Planet Manga" (in Italian). Panini Comics. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  12. "Hantz vol 3" (in German). Panini Comics. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  13. Anoop Gantayat (2005-02-22). "New From Konami: Gantz". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
  14. "GANTZ/MANUAL (ヤングジャンプコミックス) (コミック)". Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 2009-01-15.

External links

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