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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