Gantz Volume 4: Terminal Dispatch - Anime District
- Anime District
- Richard Brownell
- 08/18/05
- click here
After the third volume with two episodes without fighting aliens, we get a couple more in volume four. Episodes 7 and 8 continue the story of our three heroes coping with a new reality. This new life for them brings surprises about how they truly feel. It also brings new hardships for them to deal with. But after dealing with the likes of the big Greenonion alien, a few real life troubles can't be too much for them to deal with, can they?
With Kei having finished enforcing his authority at the schoolyard, the focus in this DVD shifts to Kato and Kishimoto. Kato's younger brother is still getting beaten by their aunt and now they're being starved as well. At school, Kato has to deal with older kids wanting to beat him up. But he's had about all he can take. The rage that he was unable to feel during the Greenonion game has built up inside him and he's had about enough. The scenes involving Kato's rage are some of the most powerful to occur thus far. The nice guy of the first few episodes is now just a facade for others to see.
Kishimoto, on the other hand, has gone in the reverse direction. She convinces Kei to go find her replacement. Recall from earlier that when Kishimoto was saved from death by Gantz, her original was left and survived. Kishimoto sees that the original her is doing fine. But what really changes her mood is remembering what her life was like and why she turned to suicide. Following that, her mood is hardly the depressed teen angst we saw until this episode. Now she's as bubbly as any bouncy anime girl, which really doesn't even suit her. She was more entertaining depressed, but this newfound happiness adds a layer of depth that her character was lacking before.
Besides the main characters, we get a larger amount of auxiliary characters in these two episodes. These stories are quite good in their own right. We start to get to know these new characters and gain an attachment to them. Unfortunately, this is Gantz we're talking about and there's one thing pervading this entire DVD: the next game of Gantz is coming soon. Besides the survivors from the last game, some people do have to die and be picked by Gantz for the next game.
Despite the lack of aliens in this volume, the brutality and gore of Gantz is still back. It's almost as if there's just enough in the show to remind you what you're watching. It reminds me of the quote by Berserk creator Kentaro Miura, 'If it isn't berserk, it isn't Berserk.' The same can be said for Gantz. There are certain things that Gantz needs: darkness, sexual overtones, hardcore violence, and this DVD does not disappoint.
Visually, these two episodes look great. It may just be my imagination, but the digital style chosen by Gonzo for Gantz seems to have come into its own in this volume. It was already stunning, but this time it was seamless enough for me not to notice it was there. But that could also be because this volume has less digital effects due to the lack of alien combat.
The overall feeling of these two episodes is anxiety. Something is coming (the next Gantz game) and while most of the characters aren't thinking about it, something about the way these two episodes were done makes it so that the viewer can only think about what is about to happen. The survivors of the last game are ready to do what it takes to survive. But will the next set of Gantz resurrectees be ready to fight against aliens? And will they be as weak as the little Greenonion alien or as strong or stronger than the big Greenonion alien? The next volume is waiting for me in my DVD player already. Until next review.
Posted on Thursday, August 18, 2005 (Archive on Sunday, September 18, 2005)