Gantz

[Griffith]

Gantz

http://img13.onemanga.com/mangas/00000012/00000238/01.jpg

Summary: 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 in which they embark upon are often dangerous. Many die--again--on each mission, but they are replaced by others in the same manner as Kei Kurono's appearance.
Somewhere in Tokyo, there is a room. In that room is a black sphere. Periodically, people who should otherwise have died are transferred to the room. There, the sphere gives them special suits and weapons, and sends them out on a mission to kill aliens here on Earth. While these missions take place, the rest of the world is largely oblivious to them. These missions are lethal - few participants survive them. The sphere calls the shots, and it's not the slightest bit nice. It's name... Gantz. Upon dying, Kurono Kei and selected others are forced to fight aliens at the beck and call of a black sphere using super high tech weaponry and uniforms, their strength, agility, and abilities increase immensely. The story begins when 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 — to the interior of an unfurnished Tokyo condominium, where they're unable to leave, from which the Tokyo Tower may be seen, with a number of people who have also just died. At one end of the room is a featureless black sphere we later learn is called "Gantz". After a short amount of time, a postwar Japanese exercise radio begins to play from the sphere. 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. Much is still left unknown about the room. It appears to be isolated from the rest of the world through a dimensional barrier. Its door will only open under the condition that the mission is completed...

[Zangetsu01]

Wiki link for those who wants more info : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gantz
But, yes, Gantz is awesome, it's pervert, trash, violent, a wonderful scenario, not revealed entirely yet...
Interesting at every chapter (especially this week chapter :nuts :D)

My only regret (spoiler, sorry)

Yes, I regret that Kurono is dead, but I think Kato will revive him :cool: (if he survives the Nurarihyon mission)

[v1nx]

ye...this week chapter is really something XD

Oku-san is out of his mind for real now.
Just with one scene he made chapter full of win

I haven't lost my hope yet. Maybe our(gantz.ru) scanlation will be released here in Russia)

[Spartan27]

Personally I think this is one of the more awesome mangas out there, The overall vision has been a little bit skewed since Kei departed from the scene, but really its still very good stuff. I only wish the overall plot would progress a little more.

One thing I think that's gets overlooked is Kei Kurono's development through the series, which in my opinion is one of the most interesting character develpments in manga. To go from the absolute perverted lonely jerk of teenager into the truely heroic figure that he became I think is real testament to Oku's writing skills. The whole develpment was believable and inspiring. I also love his relationship with Tae, to me it seemed extremely real and sweet, especially considering how much of a loser Kei was before they met, and then to see how great of a guy he became after meeting her and developing that relationship.

Overall a great Manga that might need to get on track a little more in the upcoming future.

[Sinta]

Crazy manga...I miss kei

[Rain]

Griffith- lol, you may want to resize the pic you used, it streches the quote and leaves some words out:p

Gantz is one of the best manga i've read in a long time. the plot if great (original, if nothing else) and the art is simply amazing.

Spartan27-not just kei, but all the characters develop (if they live long enough to)

[Spartan27]

You're right, but Kei is the only one that has had the mantle of being the main character, I know you could say Kato is main right now, but we don't actually see him all that much.

[Griffith]

Yes Kei's development is truly great, I'm surprised how much he loves Tae, he gave up Reika, thats true character development there LOL.

Also the dude who bangs aliens, because if it was humans it be called rape makes me :lmao

[Spartan27]

Kuwabara I think is that guys name, regardless we need to see him survive this, if he doesn't though, well at least he went out with a "happy" ending:D

I'm not surprised at all at how much he loves Tae, she's the one that made him feel like he wasn't some loser alone in the world, also she likes Kei for who he is in the real world and not in the Gantz world

[CooWings]

GANTZ is awesome. Despite me being under aged, I still read it. I still have to catch up to the latest chapter of it though, without my older sister knowing. She won't let me set my eyes on it peacefully. :yell

[Spartan27]

Hey Coowings, do you read the manga under the covers with a flashlight? I actually used to do that when I was like 12 or so when my parents thought I was trying to sleep.

[CooWings]

I would be able to do that if my older didn't keep the manga away! She's evil. She told me GANTZ have adult scenes and that I shouldn't try to read it. But I'm really interested with the character developments, especially Kei, so :wtf

Perhaps I have to steal the manga away from her somehow.

[Spartan27]

How far are you into the manga? Kei really is a great character, I hope you enjoy him.

Gantz does have the most adult scenes in a manga that I have seen, I'm sure things like Berserk have even more graphic scenes in them, but Gantz is the most explicit, that or Elfen Lied.

[CooWings]

Up to the Tae part, although I missed out on the few volumes before that. Like I said, I didn't get to read the whole manga chapters due to my sister keeping the manga away; but she kept me posted. I did get to read the chapter where Kei turned against the order of GANTZ; wanting to protect Tae. Yup, until that part.

Yeah, I know. Elfen Lied is rather explicit too. I'm not following on Elfen Lied in whole yet, but I've seen a few AMVs on it, so.

[Shiryu]

I'm now following the scanlation. There's no real misery fights after Buddha's mission. I miss Kei -- Kishimoto, but most Gantz fans forgot her in that here we have Reika. T-T
Our hero, Kei Kurono, would be back sooner or later, if Katou got 100 pts from that cruel Nurarihien.

[Sinta]

Couldn't stand female Kei totally wanted to take advantage of male Kei when she could tell he liked her. I actually like Reika I think she has gone from being a mere fan of kei to actually falling in love with him. But my favorite girl is still Sei (Lara Croft look a like) She was just a great women that goes after what she wants. I think my prediction is going to be this. I think Tae is out of the picture. She is still alive and thinks Kei is dead. I think she'll move on (at least I hope; i find her the least interesting of the females Kei has liked) I think the other Kei may be come back but you never know. I think Reika may win out in the win as she has had the most screen time with Kei.

[eurys]

I'm pretty sure Kurono, if he's revived with his memory, won't move on. And I'm pretty sure he'll try to go back to Tae.
Their love was epic by Gantz's standard XD Just look how, despite their memory wipes, they found and loved each other again. The mangaka made a point to show us the strength of their love.

And I don't get why so many people dislike Tae when she's the one who (with Kato) made Kurono epic. Who cares if she was plain and not a Gantzer, that's the whole point of her character. Despite her boring look (and personally, I find her very cute, just look at her in the chapter where she's killed by Izumi), she's the one who gave Kurono the will to survive, and the resolve to come back to her. She trusted him, loved him and gave him a home, a person to come back to. He always felt rejected and hated by society (his family, his school "friends" etc) before he met her. She also made him a better person.
But heh, I guess some people just want Kurono to score with the idol...

Not that I care much because at this point, I have the feeling we won't see him until a long time, and I'm totally fine with that. More time for Kato to shine ;)
And I love that Kato is getting paired with a young mother. How many times to you see that in a manga? :lmao

[Tyki Mikk]

I only read Gantz for a single reason: To laugh. No attachment to any of the characters or their goals whatsoever. When a character dies I laugh hard.

[Spartan27]

God I love the Kei-Tae relationship, I think it is one of the truest in all of manga, mostly due to how lonely the two of them were before meeting each other, also how Tae change Kei for the better is truly epic in terms of character develpment. Also Tae likes Kei not for the hero that he is but for just the everyday Kei who struggles against being a very typical teenager who is unpopular and is actually very much unloved by the people around him, except for Tae. I think a lot of what fans don't like about Tae is her look, because she isn't some hotty like Reika or female Kei, or even Seika aka Laura Croft. It's dissapointing because I think its genious to pair the hero up with a normal girl who isn't some knockout, or extremely powerful person, but is just a normal plain girl who loves to draw, and most importantly loves the character for who he is.

The Kato-MILF pairing is a little wierd considering he's like 18 and she's like 24 I think it might be 23, a bit of age gap, but they look nice together, and they both are pretty much single parents.

[HidingWithin]

I miss Kei -- Kishimoto, but most Gantz fans forgot her in that here we have Reika. T-T
SPOILER]

I really, really disliked Kishimoto. Not only did she bring out the worst in Kei, I thought she was quite worthless. I doubt they'll bring her back either, as the Kishi we knew was just a facsimile of the real deal. I love Reika. She's everything that Kishimoto was not. I love her strength and leadership skills, she's one of my fave characters.

But I don't want her with Kei! As someone else said, Kei and Tae's feelings is one of the better developed relationships in manga. He truly loved her, and Kei needs to be with the person that he loves. ^_^

I'm on the fence on Katou's new MILF, but I was bummed she came into the picture. I thought him and Reika would make a sweet couple. ;)

[Spartan27]

I think its possible that Gantz might bring back Kishimoto based on Gantz's tendancy to act like an ass. I think Katou might get the 100 points and ask Gantz to revive Kei only to get Kishimoto instead.

[Shiryu]

I agree that Tae and Kurono is a perfect couple. Katou also met a cute Osaka girl. Plus, his main objective is to resurrect Kei as gratitude, not Kishimoto. Plus, there is another Kishimoto in the real world, so I guess she might be out of the scheme.

I really, really disliked Kishimoto. Not only did she bring out the worst in Kei, I thought she was quite worthless. I doubt they'll bring her back either, as the Kishi we knew was just a facsimile of the real deal. I love Reika. She's everything that Kishimoto was not. I love her strength and leadership skills, she's one of my fave characters.

Oh, please don't be so hard on Kishi. The Kei she met is that pervert guy, not the hero Kei as he is in the second phase of Gantz. No doubt any girls don't like him. Kishi is physically weak in that she's just an ordinary girl. Reika is by far too strong. Ahem. I love Reika too. :P

I wonder how this latest episode would end. Gantz always has unexpected events to surprise us, love-to-predict-the-story people. At the first time Kurono got a hundred pts, instead of resurrect Kishi or Lara Croft (never remember her real name) - He selected Nishi.:yell - Surprise me though Nishi becomes in handy sometimes.

[Spartan27]

I don't think Gantz will ever end, this story will go on forever. When you think about it we haven't really gotten anywhere with the overall story, there has been vague references to the vampires, and the big black ball, but really there has been little to no direction towards a overall storyline. I thought for a while it might end with Kei going back to his real life, but we all know how that turned out.

[HidingWithin]

Oh, please don't be so hard on Kishi. The Kei she met is that pervert guy, not the hero Kei as he is in the second phase of Gantz. No doubt any girls don't like him. Kishi is physically weak in that she's just an ordinary girl. Reika is by far too strong. Ahem. I love Reika too. :P


She was a girl with a lot of personal problems, I'll give her that. But I do believe that the mangaka used her to show the worst of Kei. It's been a while since I read the arcs with Kishimoto, but that was my impression. Kei was bad to begin with, but when she was around he was at his worst. She was selfish and weak, her moment of redemption was that last minute when she sacrificed her life for Katou. Either which way, she died and thankfully Tae came into the picture, which was when Kei started to change for the better.

Reika too strong? Is there such a thing? ;) Reika rose to the ocassion, while Kishi floundered.

- He selected Nishi. - Surprise me though Nishi becomes in handy sometimes.

Nishi? I love Nishi. He's my favorite character. :D

[Spartan27]

I'm sorry to maybe be a jerk here, but how can you like Nishi, he's a rat, he hides then camps out and takes other people's kills, he has no concern for others even if they save his life. He's not even a good Gantzer, he just hides well.

[eurys]

I'm sorry to maybe be a jerk here, but how can you like Nishi, he's a rat, he hides then camps out and takes other people's kills, he has no concern for others even if they save his life. He's not even a good Gantzer, he just hides well.

Now now, I'm more a defender of justice (I'm Kato number one fangirl after all XD) but I also find Nishi a very interesting character. Like Izumi, he can be despicable (well, there's no comparison between him and Izumi though, Izumi was a monster), but he's a very important part of the story and he's very human too.
Don't forget he was (and still is) in middle-school when he unfortunately entered Gantz's cruel world. Dying at such a young age and being forced to fend for oneself in such a hostile environment, surrounded by heartless people (like Izumi) necessarily affects one's personality.
Oku mentionned how Gantz changed Kei, how he started enjoying the rush and excitement of the hunt. It's the same with Nishi, he felt the excitement of having the power to kill.
And like jasse said, if Kei didn't benefit from Kato's influence, he may have ended like Nishi, or worse, like Izumi.

But I do agree that many "fanboys" make it as if he's a powerful Gantzer and they are wrong. He's just sneaky and intelligent, that's why he could survive so long (90 points when we meet him).

[Spartan27]

Alright I'll give him that. He is interesting in the sense that he has multiple facets to his personality. In many ways he was too young to start playing such a game, and it warped an already somewhat warped mind. The humaness of his character is interesting as well. I could see a lot of people becoming like him. I think my view of him has been warped as well by some his fans who make him out to be this super Gantzer, when in reality he's either medium or maybe even poor, I mean Reika of all people has scored more points then him, and he was killed by the Yuzo alien.

[eurys]

I think my view of him has been warped as well by some his fans who make him out to be this super Gantzer, when in reality he's either medium or maybe even poor
Tell me about it :rolleyes:
I've seen people rooting for Nishi to take Kato's place as the new lead, saying he's more competent.
Nishi is ranked B, people, the same as Reika. He's really not strong and badass. And Oku insists on his cowardice, which is a flaw that makes him interesting to me but it doesn't make him a great Gantzer. There's no need to idealize him.

Though I wonder if Nishi purposedly avoided to target Kato or not in the last chapters... I guess not, since he shot him and Anzu just after, but still, it was convenient. I'm not even sure he killed the Tengu, cause it will give him 71 points so soon.

[HidingWithin]

I've always been fascinated by the flawed characters. My list of favorites would include Itachi, Kimbley, Gin, Nishi, Rigardo, etc... see a pattern? If they're a flawed sociopath, I generally have a weakness for them because they look so good on paper.

In Nishi's case, I think he's a real interesting character. He's not the best Gantz player, but he's cunning and intelligent. His downfall is that he knows it, and lets his ego get the best of him.

As for Nishi taking Kato's place... even as big a fan I am of Nishi I would say no. He's better off in the background, sneaking around, and making people wonder what's going on in his mind.

Anyway, this last chapter should give Nishi haters cause to rejoice. I wasn't too thrilled. :yell

[Spartan27]

I'm sorry I feel like a made an attack against you without cause, personally I guess I'm more annoyed by his smug attitude without backing it up than anything else.

[HidingWithin]

I didn't feel you attacked me at all. ;)Forums are made for disagreements, and to each his own, right? Nishi can't be everyone's favorite. :)

[Ileenka]

I think this thread is more interesting than the Gantz FC. :ohh

I'm superficial and shallow when it comes to characters in the manga.. so I'll say Nishi is young, has phoenix eyes and a not too flattering hairdo. Am I bashing yet? Hope not.. I must've read too much Bleach, everything reminds me of it - when Nishi was dying, he wailed, "Mama, mama, mama....!" Well that is aliken to Aaro wailing for "Aizen-sama! Aizen-sama!" when he was konking out. I must say both died similarly. But Aaro went out with a fizz. Like hot meat on cold ice. Fzzz.

Sorry eurys sensei, I don't like Nishi..if he's more good looking then ...maybe :hm But come to think of it, I deeply despise Izumi as well despite his bishie look. I dislike the way he died, it was too redeeming for the likes of him. But Izumi is cooler in combats...so sometimes it's 'almost' a tough decision to hate him completely. I'm a shallow Gantz reader! :nuts

I hope Kishimoto is not revived. :hm

[Spartan27]

Tell me about concerning Izumi. The guy is a mass murderer for selfishly wanting to get back into the game, all he cares about is power, but my god does he know how to use the extendo sword. I don't like his looks, but again the way he fights makes him look cool. I'm personally hoping the Host Samurai takes over this sport since I like him more than Izumi, I vote for more face time for HS and his somewhat cute female vamp.

[eurys]

Justine, you disappoint me :yell
Your shallowness fails. Oku improved and Nishi is charismatic now. But imo, Izumi looks like he belongs in a L'oréal ad ("because I'm worth it")...
Poor Kishimoto, you're truly allergic to useless boobs now :cry

Ok, jasse asked for them, so I decided to post the characters stats that Oku detailed in the Gantz manual. I dunno if this was translated in english, but I couldn't find it, so I translated it from french thanks to the gantzotaku site.

Kei Kurono :
Intelligence: 4/5 Luck:1/5 Rapidity:3/5 Strength:3/5 Stamina:3/5 Unknown ressources:5/5 Rank:S

Masaru Kato :
Intelligence:3/5 Luck:2/5 Rapidity:3/5 Strength:4/5 Stamina:4/5 Rank:A

Kei Kishimoto :
Intelligence:3/5 Luck:1/5 Rapidity:4/5 Strength:2/5 Stamina:3/5 Breasts:6/5 (-_-) Rank:B

Joichiro Nishi :
Intelligence:5/5 Luck:3/5 Rapidity:3/5 Strength:2/5 Stamina:2/5 Cowardice:6/5 Rank:B

Masanabu Hojo (Homo XD):
Intelligence:4/5 Luck:2/5 Rapidity:3/5 Strength:4/5 Stamina:4/5 Attraction to girls:0/5 :p Rank:B

Sadayo Suzumura (Sadako):
Intelligence:1/5 Luck:1/5 Rapidity:1/5 Strength:1/5 Stamina:1/5 Hair length:5/5 Rank:C

Sakuraoka Sei (Lara Croft):
Intelligence:5/5 Luck:0/5 Rapidity:5/5 Strength:4/5 Stamina:5/5 Sex:5/5 :huhuh Rank:S

Shion Izumi :
Intelligence:5/5 Luck:5/5 Rapidity:5/5 Strength:5/5 Stamina:5/5 Self-control:5/5 Rank:S

Kenzo Sakata :
Intelligence:4/5 Luck:3/5 Rapidity:3/5 Strength:2/5 Stamina:3/5 Nosebleed:5/5 Rank:A

Hiroto Sakuraï :
Intelligence:3/5 Luck:4/5 Rapidity:3/5 Strength:1/5 Stamina:2/5 Virginity:5/5 (what the?:headscratch) Rank:A

Daizaemon Kaze :
Intelligence:3/5 Luck:3/5 Rapidity:6/5 Strength:6/5 Stamina:6/5 Rank:A

Reika :
Intelligence:3/5 Luck:3/5 Rapidity:3/5 Strength:3/5 Stamina:3/5 Beauty :5/5 Rank:B

Yoshikazu Suzuki (gramps):
Intelligence:3/5 Luck:5/5 Rapidity:1/5 Strength:2/5 Stamina:1/5 Compassion:5/5 Rank:A (isn't that too high?...)

Hoi-Hoi :
Intelligence:2/5 Luck:5/5 Rapidity:1/5 Strength:1/5 Stamina:1/5 Love for Izumi:5/5 Rank:C
Trivia time : It's a female panda who killed herself by violently hitting her head while playing at the zoo.
:rotflmao Yeah, not that bright it seems.

Koki Inaba :
Intelligence:2/5 Luck:5/5 Rapidity:2/5 Strength:2/5 Stamina:2/5 Insignificance:5/5 Rank:C

[Ileenka]

Spartan: I really don't like the Host Samurai at first, he didn't seem like a long term character then. But who am I kidding, what character is 'long term' in Gantz except for Kurono? Even he has his times of absence, like now. Host Samurai's cool factor was multiplied by 10 when he gave Izumi the final blow. :inlove

Though Host Samurai is shorter and more blond ..(no offense to blondies, I love blondies!!! I just prefer dark-haired dudes a little more. Just a teeny weeny bit more) hahaha. Host Samurai's persona won me over as these chapters drone on, but to be honest I wasn't all that into him in the beginning. The cute vampire girl belonged to Akira.... :mad:

Eurys-sensei, there's nothing wrong with being shallow, just as long as I don't apply this outlook in real life, am I right? :D Kato is awesome, needs to change that hairdo, though. Nishi is too short! Tall people ooze charisma easier. :nuts I like the scene where Nishi told those Gantzers, "You stooooopid amateurs, this is how you kill the alien, the 100 pointer is mine, you n00bs." Then like, 3 mins later he got owned. :lmao

edit. Sensei! Thanks for the stats!!

Joichiro Nishi :
Intelligence:5/5 Luck:3/5 Rapidity:3/5 Strength:2/5 Stamina:2/5 Cowardice:6/5 Rank:B

:lmao :lmao


Hiroto Sakuraï :
Intelligence:3/5 Luck:4/5 Rapidity:3/5 Strength:1/5 Stamina:2/5 Virginity:5/5:headscratch Rank:A

:lmao :lmao

:inlove :inlove

Cherry-kun! XDDDD

[Spartan27]

Hey Ileenka what's with your sudden interest in Gantz? As for Host Samurai his cool factor went up 10 fold for me when he talked about getting his finger back from the current aliens.

Am I the only one who's surprised that Laura Croft is ranked S class, I mean she's good, but S class good?

Oku has the coolest character ratings I have ever seen, he gives out stuff like virginity, nosebleed, hair length, and maybe my favorite insignificance for the character I still can't figure out why he's still alive.

[Jasse]

Thanks eurys for everything:love

@Spartan: Yes, its a bit surprising...but Sakuraoka Sei said she trained in combat and that she has knowledge in how to deal in battle and that she took classes or something of that sort when she was younger.
Thanks to her, the big Buddha stopped that habit of regenerating. I guess the surprise comes from the fact she only got one chapter to shine in and then she was quickly offed.

The statistics generally makes sense..:) I am pleased with most of them.

Although what surprised me is that Yoshikazu Suzuku was A ranked. I figured he'd be B but he turned out higher than i expected ..Good for him. I like his character:)

Its no surprise i guess that my fav character is Kei Kurono.
For me, he is a character that embodies what the Gantz experience is all about and that is survival and Kei is undoubtedly special in that regard.
Besides, he development is very commendable, realistic and compelling...all in all...he is a great character. I can say alot of good things about him,
but i'd better stop:p.

About Inaba, I am almost somewhat "convinced" that he'll do something "big".
I was very surprised he's still alive till now..i thought he would be one of the fodder guys who would get offed quickly because of their ignorance and untimely arrogance. but No, he stuck around and even received some development.I think Oku is onto something with this seemingly "unimportant" character. I hope he redeems himself somewhat.

[Spartan27]

I love gramps he's great, just to see him pick up a freakin dinosaur was awesome,

Kei, what can I say, he's probably my favorite character in all of manga, I know I probably am hyping up his character development but to me it was the most realistic and probably human developments that I have seen. I just can't get over how he went from being a despicable person to being an absolute true hero. It was gradual, it took a lot of failures, and it also made me realize how miserable of a person he was before his transformation. Gantz in many ways saved his life, without it he would have never met Tae, and he would never have gained the self confidence in being himself around others, Gantz gave him a reason to live and move forward.

jesse, I know what you mean about Inaba there has to be some reason why he has stayed alive, I think he might be the one to take on some leadership just because nobody else has stepped up to the plate, Reika at least right now is a horrible leader, Tokyo team hasn't done anything except stand around except for Kaze, Takeshi, Kato, and now Nishi.

[Raf]

I like how everyone calls the Host Samurai, "Blonde hair vampire" yet in a color spread he had blue hair >_>

[Spartan27]

ya I've seen that as well, but the thing I don't like is that one of the things that I like about Gantz is that the character models are really human, people look like people not manga people, and for a character to have blue hair seems like it's out of place, but then again he's supposed to be hip and cool, so maybe its dyed blue.

[HidingWithin]

Eurys, thank you for those character stats! But Nishi a 6 out of 5 on the coward factor? :cry That's ok, what he lacks in courage he makes up for in intelligence.

Host Samurai... I'm debating whether he will stick aorund or not. I think his little girlfriend might not last long. She's kind of weak, and her death would provide some great motivation for Host to get his butt in gear (the finger excuse just isn't cutting it for me). But even if he manages to survive this fight, we don't know how well his own kind will take to him being a Gantzer now. And I think there may be one strong leader vampire we have yet to meet.

Gramps is great, but he's on my list of people who may not possibly make it. For sure Master Psychic is a goner (to me) and possibly the worthless guy (hmm... Inaba? I forget his name)... I'm even questioning whether Reika will see this through.

Someone on another forum brought up a good point that her story is done, and that she's fulfilled her role. I like Reika, so I'm not sure I'm ready to see her exit quite yet.

As to who will take down the 100 pointer... there's no doubt in my mind... Hoi Hoi is just waiting for his chance to pounce. "She's" going to marvel us all.

[Spartan27]

Aww come on the finger line was great, it was cool.

I think Reika provides an interesting character, I hope she doesn't die, she wants to do the right thing, but at the same time she's scared she'll get everyone killed, so that's made really hesitant. I think its going to be interesting to see if she tries to stay leader or if she realizes soon that she isn't cut out for the job.

Hoi Hoi gosh I don't know I think she's still trying to find Izumi.

[eurys]

I like how everyone calls the Host Samurai, "Blonde hair vampire" yet in a color spread he had blue hair >_>

Well, you can't really blame people for thinking that when Gantz probably has the majority of characters with realistic hair colour, and since the pic was only released for "Gantz The Game" on PS2.
Someone speculated Hikawa was a true samurai turned vampire, hence the Host Samurai surname. I like that explanation.

To be honest, I don't care much for Reika, especially since Anzu's more interesting to me. But yeah, Sakata seems the more likely to die :(

[Ileenka]

Eurys-sensei got me to read Gantz. I was really bored and the first few pages when they died in the train crash were horrid, but I couldn't stop reading. Before I knew it I caught up with the whole thing in three days. Furthermore, it's a good deviation from Bleach, and there aren't the usual 'heated arguments' where Gantz is concerned :rolleyes: so I like to take a break from the dull non-progressive storyline and also the usual uncultured and dimwitted antagonists in the Bleach fandom. Excuse my bluntness of speech.

I think the one most unexpected thing I've seen of Izumi is when he picked up HoiHoi and made a run for it during the Dino Alien Mission. I was half-expecting him to give a flying kick to the panda when it hugged him at the legs. He didn't. I admire Oku for how he is able to insert some redeeming qualities into a character like Izumi, though it still isn't enough to make me be a fan of his. I still dislike Izumi. But I dislike Nishi more...XD (shallow radar emitting its signals)

[HidingWithin]

I was surprised that I ended up liking Reika, especially being the TaexKei fan that I am. But she grew on me, and I like that she took the lead. I like that even though she has that glorified female Gantz body, she at least has the brains to boot. All the other women of Gantz have not had the best portrayal, save maybe Tae. Lara Croft was cool, but she was also very vulnerable. And I think that horror chick could have evolved into something, but unfortunately she died all too quickly.

Anzu... that is the Osakan MILF, right? My jury is still out. :/ She hasn't done much other than cling to Katou. In fact, I thought it was hilairous when he flung her aside this last chapter...


I think the one most unexpected thing I've seen of Izumi is when he picked up HoiHoi and made a run for it during the Dino Alien Mission. I was half-expecting him to give a flying kick to the panda when it hugged him at the legs. He didn't. I admire Oku for how he is able to insert some redeeming qualities into a character like Izumi, though it still isn't enough to make me be a fan of his. I still dislike Izumi. But I dislike Nishi more...XD (shallow radar emitting its signals)

I loved that moment as well. And for a moment there I thought maybe Izumi wasn't that bad a guy after all... but looking back he has no real redeeming qualities. At least Nishi loves his mama. :p

[Spartan27]

She's a young and cute MILF though, I think what is going to be interesting to see is if they do make it out alive will the Osaka team and the Tokyo team now work together on further missions.

Here's my theory, we've heard about this world wide competition thing right? Izumi talked about proving that the Japanese are the best, I think Gantz is making the teams go through a trial run, a sort of elimanation game to see who will represent Japan.

Ileenka, I think a lot people have that experience with Gantz, they either read a few chapters and run away screaming or they read all 269 chapters in a few days. I like it because unlike the shonens out there this seems to have realer characters, I also love the fact that anything goes, nobody out there knows who lives or who dies, not even the protagonist is safe, that uncertainty makes every chapter something worthwhile to wait for, because you never know what might happen.

The only downside that I see in this manga is that the storyline is a bit weak right now, I mean I see no end in sight, we have no idea who the main boss will be, we have no idea what needs to happen in order for this manga to end, we don't even no who the main protagonist will be in the end. I think Oku just think ahead like maybe 20 chapters, I don't think he has any idea where he wants this to lead to, none.

[HidingWithin]

Yeah, she's cute, but at the moment she's borderline useless, so until she starts redeeming herself I have to be on the fence. A pretty face only goes so far. :p

I forgot to mention, the finger line was awesome, but I think he needs more reason to fight than just retrieving his finger.

And here's how my Gantz theory goes... it's fairly similar to yours: I think at the end of this mission or the beginning of next mission the remaining Osakan and Tokyo teams will be combined. They'll be transmitted into the same apartment. I also think after this mission we'll stop seeing these random alien missions, and more of the international thing. This next arc will reveal more discoveries on exactly who and what Gantz is.

As for my experience with Gantz: Gantz was the first seinen I ventured into. I was one of the people who read the first 30 or so chapters, and then ran away screaming. Actually, I think I stopped when Nishi was killed. I picked it up again, several months later, and have been hooked since. When Kei had his turnaround is when I started to appreciate it. The character development is the best that I've read in manga.

[Jasse]

I agree with everyone here.

I assume that once this finished. We'll get information about Gantz goals and the world tournament.Anything about Gantz himself would suffice.
We know so little about him.

I also would about the "sending"...where do they send the aliens? to their supposed homelands..

The aliens goals...Do they desire the cliche "world domination"or are they simply looking for a place to live??

[Spartan27]

There are so many question surrounding Gantz, is he human, is he an alien, is he some sort of cosmic punisher. Then we have the aliens themselves, are they being punished, are the invading us, or are they being sent here. Then the game itself, is this a tournament of some sort, is this some sort of police force that has to recruit dead people to join, is this really a nationwide thing, how has there not been more speculation about all these destroyed buildings, why is the game evolving.

Overall there are soooo many questions that Oku has to give us at some point, I'm just concerned that he actually doesn't have any answers for us at this time, and what he is doing is stalling until he knows where he wants to go.

[Ileenka]

I was surprised that I ended up liking Reika, especially being the TaexKei fan that I am. But she grew on me, and I like that she took the lead. I like that even though she has that glorified female Gantz body, she at least has the brains to boot. All the other women of Gantz have not had the best portrayal, save maybe Tae. Lara Croft was cool, but she was also very vulnerable. And I think that horror chick could have evolved into something, but unfortunately she died all too quickly.

I like KeiTae as well, it just grew on me. :) As for Reika, I am mostly indifferent towards her. However, I just don't understand how could she have uttered 'I love you' to Kei when she doesn't really know who he is at the very core. I have problems with female characters who do that. It's such a strong statement made frivolous, and the only thing she likes about him is because of his heroic display during their missions together. I am aware that it is generous of her to give up her 100 points to revive Tae, but then again other people have given up their points for Kei as well. The way she acted in the Osaka mission also annoyed me a little, but I can definitely see where she's coming from.

Anzu... that is the Osakan MILF, right? My jury is still out. :/ She hasn't done much other than cling to Katou. In fact, I thought it was hilairous when he flung her aside this last chapter...


She provided Kato information regarding her Osaka team, I think the readers wouldn't have known as much if it weren't for her. It's still too early for me to judge her. I think she's alright for now.


I loved that moment as well. And for a moment there I thought maybe Izumi wasn't that bad a guy after all... but looking back he has no real redeeming qualities. At least Nishi loves his mama. :p

That's right. He has no real redeeming qualities, and the way he died protecting Ryoko was so 'out there' that I still have problems accepting it. Oh wow! Another phoenix eyes Nishi lover! :lmao


Ileenka, I think a lot people have that experience with Gantz, they either read a few chapters and run away screaming or they read all 269 chapters in a few days. I like it because unlike the shonens out there this seems to have realer characters, I also love the fact that anything goes, nobody out there knows who lives or who dies, not even the protagonist is safe, that uncertainty makes every chapter something worthwhile to wait for, because you never know what might happen.

The only downside that I see in this manga is that the storyline is a bit weak right now, I mean I see no end in sight, we have no idea who the main boss will be, we have no idea what needs to happen in order for this manga to end, we don't even no who the main protagonist will be in the end. I think Oku just think ahead like maybe 20 chapters, I don't think he has any idea where he wants this to lead to, none.

I think that's a very strange thing to say. As you said, the positive thing about this series is that you'd never know what might happen, and that provides the exhilaration to readers that they'd never usually expect. Yet, the same point was made negative when you say 'there is no ending in sight, 'we have no idea who the main boss will be, we have no idea what needs to happen in order for this manga to end, we don't even no who the main protagonist will be in the end'. o_o;

Honestly though, I think a lot of long running mangas go this way. I'm only concerned about being entertained for now and for some reason, I still look forward to continue reading Gantz. Unlike Bleach - there is no end in sight, we already know who is the main villain since 3 years ago, but haha we still have not much of an idea what this Aizen really plans to do next. :notrust Kubo led us around the bush with meaningless fights and no-brained situations; has turned many likable characters into squash pulp, and made borderline-disliked characters into pure hatable ones. I shall stop here before my post became a Bash Bleach post. :lmao

[Spartan27]

I think the unpredictability is a double edged sword, perhaps I'm just hungry for answers, but I think I would just like to know what all this stuff is, we've waited 269 chapters for answers and it seems as if we don't know anything, we've been given hints, but again I just really want to know what the f is going on. To be honest what might occur is that I get answers only to be dissapointed that I might not have anything to look forward to. Perhaps I shouldn't want this ride to end, and what ride it is, guys being smothered to death in boobs, dinosaurs, vampires, dogs relieving women, and don't forget the lovable panda.

[eurys]

To be honest, I've been reading this manga for a long time now and...I don't really need answers, I'm not asking for them.
I did do my share of speculations at the begining. I wondered why the aliens seemed pacifist and never attacked first (although now the last missions are showing much more hostile aliens), where the Y-gun was sending the aliens, Gantz's goals etc etc...
But I've come to appreciate Gantz as a story about human survival first. I enjoy reading about people growing or bonding and I enjoy good drama. I also enjoy the gorefest but heh, I'm a horror fan.
I also think people are too harsh about phase 2. It just began and you can't expect answers right now. During Kurono's journey, we didn't get much more hints either but I didn't hear people complain. Now at least, rules are changing and it seems Oku could finally tackle those issues.

About Anzu, I find her extremely likable :love Maybe it's the way she teased the "hypocrite alien" XD or how she talks so easily with her Osakan accent (ok, so it's a translated accent but it works for me). Imo, she showed more usefulness than Kishimoto or Reika when they were introduced, since it's not her first mission.


Anyway, I translated some parts of a Hiroya Oku interview by Asian-Beat. I only translated the Gantz related stuffs of course:

-Whether with your first manga Hen or with the actual Gantz, you're showing the world via a single point of view (note : I don't know what they mean here either :/). Both manga are published over sea but are radically different. Why did you want to do a science-fiction manga?
-I was always interested by science-fiction but there apparently was a curse in manga magazines for young people, since no science-fiction manga became a hit. So I began with Hen. Once I had "proven myself", I asked editors to let me do what I wanted and I began to write science-fiction.

-Gantz often has very explicit and violent scenes and you've been criticized for that. What can you say about it?
- I think the critics aren't completely wrong. Gantz has a side that touches upon people's brutality. I would like adults to read it with discretion, instead of highschoolers and young students.

- The story is incredibly unpredictable, with all the characters, except the main hero, dying, and it seems you surprise your readers each time. How do you write the storyline? Do you already have an idea about how you will end the manga?
-I have a vague plan of the story for the whole manga, but when the time comes to write, I do it according to my inspiration. I haven't thought about the very last chapter yet, but I've thought for a good while about what will happen till then. The story will reach a huge turning point soon, so you can look forward to this event with interest (note: I guess he's talking about phase 2).

[Jasse]

Thanks eurys:glomp

I agree...Whats great about Gantz is that it highlights how humans/characters can cope with almost seemingly impossible situations and the theme of survival.

If i have a serious criticism against Gantz though. It is that it lacks deep female characters (as Gantzers)..the female characters outside of Gantz are okay to me. But the female Gantzers don't seem for the most part motiviated for anything past their love interests (Kei Kishimoto,Reika and Sei)..Anzu might be a nice variation since she's has other personal worries regarding her son..but all in all,there isn't any female character that is as exciting or has a multi facet as Kei Kurono or Kato or even Izumi and Nishi(who are very important in the plot and are major drivers in the storyline).

[Spartan27]

You are completely right about the lack of deep female character development, other than Tae and to a little extent Reika there really hasn't been a female character that has undergone a process of evolving. In the overall scheme of things personally I think Kurono has been the only one to undergo an amazing development. There are others such as Cherry and Kaze, and to a certain extent the Old Man, but really the only one imo to really get an overhaul is Kei.

The women need a strong female who takes over as a superior Gantzer, Reika is allright, but when the chips are down she hasn't really come through that much. The only one so far who seems like she could have been really good is Sei, but we all know what happened to her. Let's all hope we Anzu develop into a character that takes on some of Kato's qualities, I think it would quite interesting to see her evolve into a hypocrite alien herself.

[Ileenka]

Thanks for the interview, sensei. Look forward to the rest of it.

-Gantz often has very explicit and violent scenes and you've been criticized for that. What can you say about it?
- I think the critics aren't completely wrong. Gantz has a side that touches upon people's brutality. I would like adults to read it with discretion, instead of highschoolers and young students.

To be honest, if I were a highschooler and if I heard about this manga, I would try to get hold of it ASAP because my curiosity always gets the better hold of me. But alas, in reality, my first manga when I started high school was Sailormoon. (Which I loved dearly, then).

And on Anzu and Kato. Six years age difference and Kato gets to be with an older woman <3, I know exactly someone here who loves that kinda thing - :lmao But like the others, I look forward to more development on Anzu as well. Though, I'm already tired of Nirehnyanyoon (I can't spell it so whatever :lmao) Isn't it freaky how most of the aliens seem to love morphing into women with huge breasts? I find the alien whom Inaba got together with (the one with a dozen breasts) a bit gross. Although, I found it extremely funny that he didn't die of suffocation. Distasteful as the jokes in Gantz may seem, they're still funny.

[HidingWithin]

Thanks again for the interview, Eurys, much appreciated.

I agree with everyone that says there is a serious lack of strong females in Gantz, but in Reika's defense I think she's been a force to be reckoned with. In fact that's what I like the most about her, is that she has come through, when needed most. She did make one major FUBAR in that she went back for the film instead of getting Tae to safety, but her heart was in the right place.

When it comes to strength she has put almost all the women and some of the men to shame. Yes, she loves Kei, but she has not let it be her downfall. When the fake Kei came on the scene she did not hesitate to pull her gun on him, not to mention she let Kei go (knowing he was in love with Tae). She has floundered in this mission, but can we blame her? It's her first time leading the team, and they're up against a 100 pointer. She has some things to make up, but in the upcoming chapters I think we'll see some of her strength shine through.

As for other strong female characters... the creepy girl in love with Homo had the potential to be strong, unfortunately she was killed before she had her chance. And Lara Croft went out in a blaze of glory. Even Tae showed her strength by running back to Kei (knowing she risked her life).

And the strongest female of them all? Why the recent 100 pointer hentai alien, of course. :nuts Look what (s)he did to the Pervert! True justice. :D

[Ileenka]

And the strongest female of them all? Why the recent 100 pointer hentai alien, of course. Look what (s)he did to the Pervert! True justice.

:lmao

True words. I wonder, if the hentai alien ate Inaba's arms and legs, did it also obliterate his ...you know... his...thing since it was also inside its erm, aperture? :confused:

[eurys]

I wonder, if the hentai alien ate Inaba's arms and legs, did it also obliterate his ...you know... his...thing since it was also inside its erm, aperture? :confused:
It's not an issue anyway, it will be back at the end of the mission :noworry
(though that would be funny if Gantz refused to heal it)


I found some stuff to translate about Nishi and...huh....Oku's obsession with...you know...:notrust
In memory of Nishi...
Nishi made a big impression on everyone, but his life stays surrounded by mystery. Actually, he had a puzzling normal life. According to Oku, "after each mission, Nishi goes back to home and go to school like a normal boy".
The cause of his death pre-Gantz was that he fell from a roof while running away from the Police.

Perverted extra (brace yourself people, that part is wtf):

Hiroya Oku :"I love girls with big breasts and childish faces!! (oh lol, well, at least, he admits it, not like Kubo) And I also love dogs, dooogs. No matter women hate me for that, it's been a while I've liked them. Yet, not one of the girls I've gone out with until had huge breasts...that's troublesome.
After what I just said, it's like I can hear my female readers thinking : "I've had enough, I'm boycotting that manga!" but...I can't stop it, I love them!!
I think that, just as female breasts attract us men, women have a fixation on male height or the width of their thorax. That being said, I wonder why no male readers ever wrote to me "I don't like Suzuki*'s height, he's above 2 meters", while a lot of female readers wrote to me to say "Saena*'s breasts are too big. Enough!!"
Why? That's weird!"

*: characters from Hen.
So people, I now turn your attention to this post a few pages ago:
Nishi is too short! Tall people ooze charisma easier. :nuts
:hm

[Jasse]

Much appreciated eurys again:love

@HidingWithin:

Reika isn't half bad as a female Gantzer..she's a decent fighter.
But still, I wish we can see a female Ganzter that is as strong or important as Izumi. Imagine a female version of a female Ganzter of Izumi or even Nishi in terms of fighting potential or storyline importance.
Unfortunately,there isn't a female gantzer like that.I would also like to see a female Ganzter taking on a 100 pointers alien but alas...

and LOL@ the interview...I liked how his female readers complain of Sei's chest size..i agree for one..its like they are two basketballs strapped onto her chest.(I don't mind Sei, she is a nice character) but God Oku sure pushes it.
I guess he admits to his breast fetish, he even has trouble finding a girlfriend with Gantz like qualities...(Ofcourse he would,whom i kidding:rotflmao)

Edit: the bit about Nishi is really nice...Wonder why was he running from the police in the first place? he sure had a rough life.

[Ileenka]

I wonder, if the hentai alien ate Inaba's arms and legs, did it also obliterate his ...you know... his...thing since it was also inside its erm, aperture? :confused:

It's not an issue anyway, it will be back at the end of the mission
(though that would be funny if Gantz refused to heal it)

My mistake. :ohh It wasn't Inaba. It's the rapist dude. :notrust

Sensei you are so sharp to speculate that Gantz may not heal that particular orifice. I wonder where does the author get all his ideas and inspiration from to draw this manga.

Thanks for the translated interview again! XD