Gantz Vol. #8
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January 23, 2010
by: Adam Beck
The rampage finally comes to an end, but what is left after the dust settles?
Manga Description: “Have you ever… heard of the room of the black sphere?”
This might be the watershed volume of Gantz. It’s the end of the great Buddha battle, and it doesn’t seem to be going well. In fact, it would be amazing if anyone returned to the locked apartment overlooking Tokyo Tower. It’s really been the worst fight yet. But there’s got to be a gleam of hope somewhere. After all, our protagonist, Kurono Kei, just got his first piece of action!
But wait! What do we have here? New characters, new intrigue, and maybe a few clues about the truth behind this strange alien-hunting mission taking place in modern-day Japan.
Death, confusion, sadness, angst, and new beginnings seem to come in every volume of Gantz, but so far, volume 8 is the big one.
Manga Review
Content: (This section may contain spoilers)
Having just come off the seventh volume, I was pumped and ready for the next and final volume of the temple story arc. If you’re familiar with the anime adaptation of Gantz, as it was published in North America before the manga began its rotation, then it should interest you that this is the point in the series where the anime spun off and concluded the series with its own ending. Instead of telling the story of Kurono hunted by the super powered humans, we are introduced to a new character, whom I can tell already is going to be another important character.
The eighth volume continues off from the last as the Angelina Jolie clone (I’d go look up her name, but it’s inconsequential) is taking on the main antagonist of the arc. It is by far the toughest enemy the crew has had to fight, and it shows as it eradicates everyone in its path. How can you destroy a being that can regenerate, shoot lasers, throw acid and swing a sword (and still have hands free)? Everyone seems to want a piece of it, as the fight goes from Jolie to the sniper to Kato. I enjoyed each fight, even though Kato’s I thought was a lot less intriguing, if only because early on, the creature spawns into a larger and more ferocious beast. Usually I would enjoy the variety, but I didn’t enjoy the idea that the thing could absorb a human’s brain and then that human would have some sort of control. It felt so random; I enjoyed the alien a lot better when it couldn’t speak English as all it can do is taunt and insult Kato. In any case, the fights in this volume I thought were a little better, although with the same amount of gruesome executions. Maybe not as graphic but it was still horrific to see characters scream in pain and pray for their lives or the lives of others.
The second half of the novel goes back to the real world, which we haven’t seen since the fifth volume, and even then we were pulled back to the small apartment in no time. As I mentioned before, we are introduced to a brand new character: Izumi Shion. He is a tall and confident young man with long hair. Instantly he is considered the stud of the class which every girl wants to get with him. Right away he seems like an interesting character, but also seems to be setting himself up with something to do with the Gantz sphere. In any case, he’s a character that everyone should keep an eye on as he doesn’t appear to be an ordinary high schooler. Other than Izumi’s introduction there are only two other parts to the second half of the novel. One is just a rinse and repeat of where Kurono is being bullied and the other is Kurono confronting the other Kishimoto which becomes an uncomfortable scene. You can really tell Kurono has no clue how to approach the young girl as he does well for a little bit, until he completely blows it. It is an awkward scene that I really don’t see much use for. In the end, the eighth volume finishes off one of the strongest arcs yet and opens up another.
Artwork: Artistically Gantz’s eighth volume is simply amazingly sickening. As I repeat in every Gantz review, this is not a series for someone with a weak stomach. Sure, it may be a comic, but it contains some of the most brutal deaths you will see in a manga, offering nothing but screams of pain, blood and severed limbs. Body pieces, organs, death, all of it play a role in the series’ appeal, and they are all well drawn. While there is a strong attention to detail in almost every area, including the 3D backgrounds, it is the plain faces that stand out. While male characters look fine and vary a bit more, each with alternate detail, it is the female characters that caught my eye. All of the female characters Kurono and Izumi interact with seem to have a cute plain face, while all of the other girls have more detailed faces, oddly enough making them less appealing. It’s definitely something you will notice in this volume specifically. Overall the artwork is great because of the attention to detail. You most likely won’t find a manga as gruesome and as well drawn as Gantz.
Translation: It has been awhile since I’ve been picky with Gantz, but there are a couple issues I did have with this volume. I didn’t find any overlooked sound effects (as it would be hard considering all of the Japanese text has been erased with stylized English text left in its place), nor did I find any grammar or spelling errors. It is some poor page transfers that are a bit of a problem. On pages 121, 165, 187, 188, 200 and 213, I found that the top of the pages had a large enough blank cut to catch my attention. The one on 165 is by far the worst of the bunch, but thankfully they are pretty minor and won’t damage your experience. Other than that, the dialogue is pretty loose with contractions used whenever they can be. As for extras we get a couple pages dedicated to the fact that Hiroya Oku hates cat ears, a page specifically for the boobs – that’s right – and lastly a weekly schedule for Hiroya Oku.
The Bottom Line: The eighth volume of Gantz finishes one scenario and begins another. Thankfully the conclusion to the temple saga was an epic one, offering more tragedy and sadness than others. But look out: there is a newly introduced character by the name of Izumi and the gruesome artwork is still intact.
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Content |
Even though the ending is a bit of a letdown, the three fights at the beginning carried the volume. |
7.5 |
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Art |
Wonderfully rendered artwork with both 2D and 3D pieces. Although I do wish there was a balance in female character. |
9.0 |
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Translation |
While there aren’t any overlooked sound effects, spelling or grammar errors, there are some paper cuts at the top of some pages. |
8.5 |
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Verdict
Gantz’s eighth volume advances the series a bit further, but at the same time pushing it back a bit. While we earn a new character, we lose plenty in the process. While there can be some awkward moments, the overall entertainment value of the action at the beginning is more than enough to satisfy fans of the series.
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7.5
[not an average]
+ Three great fights.
+ Newly introduced character.
- Female character designs need a balance.
- Some translation issues.
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