The Charge

Born to die.

The Case

Yeah, I know. I said I wouldn't be back for any more of this, didn't I? Well, they strong-armed me into it.

Anyway, this second volume of Gantz episodes contains two installments. Here's a rundown of the events from each:

• Episode Three: "Kei, You're Awesome"
The confrontation with the adult Green Onion Alien continues. Poppa Green Onion slaughters several of the Gantz's captives, leaving only Kei Kurono, his friend Kato, and the young woman Kishimoto. Kato attempts to reason with the creature, but quickly realizes he's getting nowhere. He then pulls his weapon and threatens the alien. Kei also pulls his weapon, but the alien knocks Kato over a guardrail and down an embankment. Kei and the young woman flee, with the alien in hot pursuit. The creature chases them to a dead-end, but Kei manages to slip past it; the creature follows Kei, leaving Kishimoto behind. Kato comes to, sees his old friend and the alien run by, and follows them. Kei's uniform activates and allows him to leap away from the creature, although the alien manages to catch up to him as the dazed Kei pauses to ponder the suit's abilities. Kato comes up behind the creature and puts it in a stranglehold. The creature uses one of its claws to slice open Kato's arm. Kato releases the creature and falls to the ground, his arm bleeding profusely. Kei grabs the creature by its throat; the alien fights back, but Kei's armor protects him from the attacks. Kei pummels the creature, which is then restrained by bands of energy generated by a remote capture device. Nishi, another of the Gantz's captives, materializes and tells Kei to kill the alien.

• Episode Four: "Okay, Here are Your Scores"
Kei levels his weapon at the alien. Nishi yells at him to shoot, but Kishimoto runs up and tells Kei to hold his fire, so Kei puts his weapon back in his holster. He and Nishi then proceed to bicker. Nishi draws his own weapon and shoots the alien, and the creature's body begins to dissolve. Nishi begins to vanish, as do Kei and Kishimoto. Kei breaks down when he realizes that Kato's body is being left behind. The three reappear in the room with the Gantz, which is still counting down. Nishi wonders why the Gantz has not stopped its clock, but understands when the dog begins to materialize. Kishimoto recoils at the sight of the dog, which once again attempts to perform cunnilingus on her. The Gantz then brings Kato back to the room. The clock on the Gantz stops, at which time the sphere opens and gives its captives their mission evaluations. Nishi proceeds to leave, but the others force him to stay so they can question him. Nishi reveals that he has been under the Gantz's control for about a year; he also says that whenever someone is killed on a mission, the Gantz quickly chooses a replacement. Nishi then activates his suit's invisibility mode and sneaks out. Kei returns to his apartment and falls asleep with the television on; the following morning, he sees news reports about the deaths of those who were killed during the confrontation with the Green Onion Alien and its father, as well as a report about his own disappearance.

There, that's everything that happens in these two episodes, so now you don't have to watch them. Why do you want to avoid watching them? Because Gantz continues to suck and because Gantz continues to be pointless. These episodes aren't quite as bad as those featured in the first volume, but I think that's because there aren't as many characters to hate (although, when you think about it, that's really nothing to cheer about). There are no redeeming qualities to the surviving characters, nor is there anything remotely interesting about the storyline. Once again, all we have is violence for the sake of violence, rampant misogyny, and that damn dog.

As was the case with the previous release, the technical merits are the only redeeming qualities of this disc. The transfer is near perfect, with some instances of edge enhancement being the only flaw. Oddly enough, the Japanese stereo track is actually an improvement over that of the first volume, with better channel separation and more bass activity. The English 5.1 track, while still impressive, isn't as immersive as that featured on the previous release, but that's because these episodes are heavier on dialogue and lighter on action. Extras include clean opening and closing sequences, a preview for the next release, and a brief, there's-not-much-there interview with Daisuke Namikawa, the actor who provides the voice of Kei.

Second verse, same as the first. I hated the first two episodes, and I hate the two included here. I'll again warn you to steer clear of Gantz. If, however, you're a fan, you can rest assured that this release will treat you to more of the same.

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