Gantz (Review)
Gantz is Not for the Squeamish or Faint of Heart.
Gantz is one of the most violent, bloody, and sadistic anime I’ve ever seen. It also happens to be one of the most addictive that I’ve watched in a long time. I started the 26 episode series late one evening on a whim and didn’t stop until well into the next morning. Despite the fact that I found some of the themes and characters infuriating, my disdain for those aspects kept me firmly rooted in my seat eagerly smashing the “next episode” option as soon as it appeared on the screen. It’s not a series for the squeamish or the faint of heart, but it’s one that sucks you in from the very beginning and refuses to let you go.
The series follows two high school students, Kei Kurono (Christopher Ayres) and Masaru Kato (Illich Guardiola), who suffer a tragic accident while trying to rescue a homeless man who fell on some subway tracks. They awaken unharmed in a mysterious room with a black sphere called Gantz. It offers them incredible futuristic weapons and suits that enhance their physical abilities before transporting them across Tokyo to hunt down and kill aliens. If they manage to kill the aliens and survive the time limit, then they’re simply set free to be summoned again when Gantz needs them. It might sound like quite the adventure, but the aliens they’re sent after are incredibly dangerous and not afraid to kill their hunters in the most brutal ways possible.
Gantz is an incredibly intense anime because no character is safe from a bloody death no matter how major they are. In that regards, I’m sure Game of Thrones fans will love how merciless it is. I found myself staring slack-jawed at the screen more than a few times as the series progressed. Not just because people I had been rooting for ended up as casualties, but because more often than not they ended up as bloody smears across Tokyo. Director Ichiro Itano isn’t afraid to pull any punches and gives us some truly stomach-churning sequences from characters getting decapitated to crushed to melted by acid. While it seems incredibly sadistic at first, it slowly becomes clear that the series is trying to emphasis that so many series treat these concepts like fun little adventures but never explore just how dark they really are when you get right down to it.
The series doesn’t just stop at blood and gore though. There are plenty of sexual elements to the series, especially when it comes to Kei Kurano, who is one of those typical cliche sexually frustrated teens. His perversion comes to a head when he is introduced to Kei Kishimoto, a fellow player who doesn’t seem to mind that he’s so much younger than her. Their sexual relationship though leads to an emotional one that serves as a metaphor for the love and loss that we all feel at that age. Then again, the whole series follows his growth from hot-headed idiot to a mature young man. He might not turn out to be the hero we want by the end, but there’s no denying that he undergoes quite a journey over the course of the series.
(Shannon Emerick) another Gantz participant that also happens to be an overly endowed high school student. There’s also a lot of male gaze when it comes to her character, and she seems to always find a way to expose her breasts or at least giggle them wildly during action sequences. His crush on her gets uncomfortable at times because she doesn’t exactly have the same feelings for him, but Kei is selfish and apathetic enough not to let something like that dissuade him from putting her in some pretty uncomfortable situations. However, this seems more like a way to drive home that humans are pretty scummy all around. The series lets us in on their thoughts and dark backstories that seem to suggest none of them are innocent. The few that come close though are robbed of any chance by being forced to compete in Gantz’s twisted game of murder.
Gonzo is one hell of a workhorse when it comes to anime. They’ve done tons of series over the years and always impress me with how much detail they put into every frame. This is especially important when it comes to Gantz not just because of all the blood and gore (which can be tough to do in anime), but because the suits they wear look like something out of an S&M dungeon. The black latex suits gleam in the light making for much more eye-catching action sequences. I have to admit, I thought they looked pretty cool, especially as the swell around muscles to give the wearers more power, but it’s not something I would ever be caught dead wearing. Then again, if I end up having to wear one, I’m probably dead already.
Gantz falters a little in it’s heavy-handedness, especially when it comes to its philosophical commentary on morality. So many of the characters argue the supposed inherent evilness when it comes to killing and take a very black and white stance to it. As the series goes on, it slowly opens up gray areas in the debate until it comes to its final crazy arc. It’s clear that the series is aimed at young adults (specifically men) who will find it edgy and cool. The kind of stuff you might watch late at night when your parents won’t catch you. Despite all that though, I found myself mesmerized by Gantz. It’s not exactly the most intellectual series I’ve seen, but it tackles enough high brow concepts to offset the gore and sexual elements. It’s a gritty and brutal series that will leave a lasting impression on viewers.
