All Rise...

Judge Mitchell Hattaway wonders, if he scores 100 points killing the icky creatures that made this anime, can he go home too?

Editor's Note

Our reviews of Gantz: Game Of Death (Volume 1) (published March 24th, 2005), Gantz: Killed Or Be Killed (Volume 2) (published May 5th, 2005), Gantz: Aftershocks (Volume 3) (published May 12th, 2005), Gantz: Terminal Dispatch (Volume 4) (published June 16th, 2005), Gantz: Process Of Elimination (Volume 5) (published August 25th, 2005), Gantz: Fatal Attractions (Volume 7) (published October 27th, 2005), Gantz: Deathwatch (Volume 8) (published October 27th, 2005), Gantz Season 1 Box Set (published March 15th, 2006), and Gantz: The Complete Series (published February 20th, 2011) are also available.

The Charge

The genocide option.

The Case

Hey, this isn't fair. Who snuck in an extra episode?

This sixth volume in the ongoing Gantz series contains three (three!) episodes of this violent, misanthropic anime tale. Here is a synopsis of each:

• Episode 11: "He Can't Shoot"
Nishi continues his attempts to get away from the Suzuki Alien. Kato jumps in to help Nishi, but his efforts prove futile. The alien screams directly into Nishi's ear, causing his eyes and ears to burst. Nishi sinks into the canal, and the alien turns its attentions to Kato. Kato draws his weapon, but is unable to fire on the advancing Suzuki Alien. Kei implores the others to join her in helping save Kato, but all except Kurono refuse. Haruya, Kinji, Kayo, and Ryota walk away while Kei and Kurono jump into the canal. Kurono fires at the Suzuki Alien as it reaches Kato, momentarily rendering the alien unconscious. Kayo attempts to make a call on a pay phone, but all she hears is the song the Gantz is playing. Kinji attempts to leave the battlefield; his head promptly explodes. Back at the canal, Kato grabs the Suzuki Alien and attempts to crush it; a bird-like creature emerges from the alien's robotic shell and flies off. Kato and his companions manage to drag Nishi to the sidewalk; Nishi continues to bleed from his ears and eye sockets. The others learn Nishi had been attempting suicide when the Gantz took him. After a death scene longer than Sean Connery's in The Untouchables, Nishi finally expires.

• Episode 12: "Kato, You Wait Here"
Realizing there are still more Suzuki Aliens wandering around, Kato sets out to find them. Haruya refuses to take orders from Kato, so he stays behind; because Kurono does not have his battle suit, Kato orders him to stay behind. As soon as Kato and the others are gone, Haruya grabs Kurono's gun and orders him to start tracking the other aliens. Before they leave, Kurono manages to hide a weapon under his sweatshirt. Kato runs across Kayo and Ryota. Another Suzuki Alien appears; Kato attacks it, and several more aliens appear and attack Kato. Kayo and Ryota manage to slip away. Kato eventually crushes the alien's robotic suit, forcing the bird creature inside to emerge; Kato then kills the bird creature. Kato attacks one of the remaining aliens; the other two Suzuki Aliens fly away. Kurono and Haruya end up at a small apartment complex; Haruya orders Kurono to go inside and see if any aliens are present. Kayo and Ryota hide in a garage. Two of the Suzuki Aliens find them and kill them. Kurono discovers six aliens in the complex. He also finds a large bird-like creature; he realizes it is the aliens' boss.

• Episode 13: "Please Die"
Kato and his companions discover the bodies of Kayo and Ryota; they open fire on the aliens inside the garage, but this has no effect. The aliens surrounding Kurono allow him to approach the boss alien. The boss alien suddenly turns and starts walking in Kurono's direction. Kurono pulls his concealed weapon and begins firing, but this only serves to anger the boss alien. The boss alien emits a piercing shriek; the apartment complex begins to crumble. Kurono runs. Kato and his companions find Kato and Haruya. Kato looks at the decimated building and thinks the mission is over. The boss alien suddenly emerges from the rubble and grabs Haruya; the alien takes off, decapitates Haruya, drops his body, and returns to grab Kurono. Determined to survive, Kurono tugs on the boss alien's mechanical breathing apparatus. The boss alien suddenly drops Kurono; the plummeting Kurono fires at the boss alien, causing the creature's head to explode. Kurono crashes onto a roof. The others find him and are transported back to the room in which the Gantz rests. The Gantz then gives them their scores for the mission. They realize they are awarded five points for each kill; using information he received from Nishi, Kato determines the Gantz will release them once they reach 100 points. The doors open and they are allowed to go home and await their next mission. Kurono is dismayed to learn Kei wants to move in with Kato.

I'm starting to believe I will never rid myself of this series. I keep thinking it eventually has to end, but every time I turn around more characters are brought in for the slaughter. This could go on forever. And I think I've mentioned this before, but it wouldn't be half as bad if they would simply get on with it. Yeah, there's some action in the series, but this is far outweighed by the amount of time the characters spend arguing with one another about whether or not they're actually going to do anything. It's fairly obvious who is going to stand and fight and who is going to try to get away, so why do we need these endless scenes in which the characters bicker? Cut out all of the fat and the three episodes here could have easily been condensed down to two, or possible even one. At this rate, I am sure this series will ultimately run twice as long as need be.

The technical presentation is once again topnotch. The anamorphic transfer is first-rate. The stereo Japanese track does its job very well; the 5.1 English tracks features good surround action and is quite immersive, but the voice acting work is grating. Extras include clean opening/closing sequences, a few promo spots from the show's original Japanese broadcast, previews for other ADV releases, and a preview for Volume 7.

Speaking of Volume 7, I'm sure you can check back in a few weeks and I will have suffered through it. Until then, pray for my sanity.

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