ADV Films // 2004 // 100 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Judge Mitchell Hattaway (Retired) // October 27th, 2005
The first two games were only a warm up!
I kicked a dog a few weeks ago, so God has punished me by delivering another Gantz disc to my doorstep. This time around we're treated to a helping of four -- count 'em! -- episodes. Here is the lowdown on each:
* Episode 14: "Goodbye"
The survivors of the last mission
return to their daily lives. Kurono is pissed because he knows Kei would rather
be living with Kato (and because she won't give him some loving). Kato finds his
aunt abusing his younger brother and slams his aunt up against a china hutch;
when the old lady recovers, she tells Kato and his brother to get the hell out
of her house. Tetsuo starts using one of his Gantz weapons to exact revenge on
his enemies; he loses his job at the construction site, which prompts his wife
to kick him out of their home. Kurono and Kei get into a fight; Kei leaves. Kato
and his brother move into a rundown apartment. Tetsuo threatens the members of a
rival gang. His head suddenly explodes.
* Episode 15: "I Wanna Be There Now!"
Kurono masturbates
while fantasizing about having sex with Kei. Meanwhile, Kei is wandering the
streets, scrounging for food. The old lady who was rebuffed by Kurono after she
asked him for directions way back in the first episode shows up at his door;
Kurono is understandably freaked out. Kurono dons his battle suit and is
summoned by the Gantz; Kurono finds several new people in the room with the
Gantz when he arrives. Kato appears, as does Kei, who is promptly molested by
that horny dog. Kurono and Kato wonder what has become of Tetsuo. Among the new
Gantz captives is a priest; he believes they are in Purgatory and advises
everyone to pray. Kurono gets pissed and storms out of the room. He is followed
by an older, attractive woman named Sei; Sei and Kurono strike up a
conversation. He tells her he wants to have sex with her; she initially refuses,
but then gives in. Kei heads for the bathroom in order to don her battle suit;
she finds Sei and Kurono getting it on in the hallway.
* Episode 16: "I'll Do It!"
Kato advises the new recruits to
don their battle suits. The priest, believing Kato to be a demonic manifestation
of temptation (whatever that means), advises the others to ignore him. After
changing positions several times, Sei and Kurono finally finish doing the deed;
Sei puts on her battle suit. The Gantz begins its countdown and transports
everyone outside; they suddenly find themselves standing at the gates of a
temple. Huge statues flank the gates. One of the new recruits attempts to leave;
his head promptly explodes. Kurono punches a hole in the temple gates; another
of the new recruits wonders if the statues are the aliens the Gantz ordered them
to kill. Kato uses an x-ray gun on the statues and discovers that they are
alive. Kurono levels his gun at one of the statues; the statues suddenly come to
life.
* Episode 17: "I Can Shoot Them, Can't I?"
Kurono and Kato
continually fire at the statues and miss. One of the statues squashes the
priest. The dog runs around in his battle suit (how the hell does he put it
on?). A homeless guy wanders onto the battleground; it is the same man Kurono
and Kato pulled from the train tracks moments before they were killed in the
first episode. Two punks with aluminum baseball bats show up and beat the
homeless guy to death. Kurono goes nuts and blows a foot off of one of the
statues.
Everything I said about the previous releases holds true for this one. Gantz is still boring and pointless. Once again, the episodes presented here could easily have been edited down to two installments. The characters still spend far too much time talking and arguing. Nobody is watching this series for that, so why include so much of it? I am glad that Kurono finally got laid, though. Maybe now he'll stop his ceaseless bitching about not getting any.
The technical presentation continues to be topnotch. The anamorphic transfer is flawless, although I couldn't help but notice a slight dip in the quality of the animation itself. The 5.1 English dub features a good sound mix, but the voice acting is still incredibly grating; I would advise anyone who watches to choose the Japanese track, which features a very good stereo spread. Extras include the expected clean opening/closing sequences and previews, as well as some promo spots for the Gantz video game. You also get an interview with director Ichiroh Itano and CG director Yasuhiro Kato; this runs about fifteen minutes and spoils upcoming events from the current plotline. Lastly, there is an interview with voice-over actress Chiake Kuriyama and Hiroya Oku, the gentleman who created the manga on which this series is based (thanks, man); this runs about fifteen minutes and spoils upcoming events from the current plotline.
As I type this, Volume 8 is staring at me from across the room. Join me again soon for a discussion of that release, won't you? Poor, poor, pitiful me.
Review content copyright © 2005 Mitchell Hattaway; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2013 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Judgment: 50
Perp Profile
Studio: ADV Films
Video Formats:
* 1.85:1 Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English)
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Japanese)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Release Year: 2004
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks
* Clean Opening/Closing Animation
* Gantz Video Game Commercials
* Cast/Crew Interviews
* Volume 8 Preview
* ADV Previews
Accomplices
* IMDb
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0434685/combined
* Official Site
http://www.gantz.tv/
* Volume 1 Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/gantzvol1.php
* Volume 2 Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/gantzvol2.php
* Volume 3 Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/gantzvol3.php
* Volume 4 Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/gantzvol4.php
* Volume 5 Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/gantzvol5.php
* Volume 6 Review
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/gantzvol6.php