I guess ADV just can't keep a good thing going.  They started releasing Gantz with only two episodes per volume with a retail price of $17.98, and the fans and critics, myself included, complained loudly.  Happily with volume 7 they included four episodes with a retail price of $29.98.  I was very pleased and complimented the company in my review for that volume.  But with volume 8 they stick it to the fans once again.  The price stays the same at $29.98, but they drop the episode count down to three.  This is just a slap in the face to the people who have supported this show so far.  Not only was the first half of the show incredibly expensive, averaging about $9 per show, but the second half is going to cost even more at $10 an episode.

The show is good, but the way they are releasing it is just pushing fans away.

Series recap:

For those of you who haven't seen the previous volumes, Kei Kurono is a high school student who gets into some serious trouble on his way home from school one day.  He and an old friend , Kato, get killed.  Or do they?  They get hit by a train and their bodies are scattered over the station, but moments later they both wake up in an apartment with several other people and a large black sphere:  the 'Gantz".  The other people have recently 'died' too, and no one knows why they are there.  The sphere, communicating through poorly spelled messages that appear on its surface instructs them to kill an alien hiding in the city.  It opens up to reveal weapons and uniforms, and then the recently dead disappear one by one to confront their adversary.  It's a deadly game and most of the people who play it don't make it out alive.  While playing the game they discover that the suits they wear give them super-strength and offer them some protection from harm, but not enough.  Just who or what the Gantz is, why they have to play this game, or what the points that they are given at the end of every game mean are still a mystery.

Along with Kurono and Kato, a young, attractive and very insecure girl named Kishimoto lives through the first game.  She turns up on Kurono's door soon after the first hunt and asks to move in with him.  He naturally says yes, but is dismayed to learn that she's not interested in my physically.  She just needs a place to stay.

Volume Eight:

All three episodes on this disc deal with the next game which started on the previous volume.  The group has to fight two giant statues that have come to life, and though they are immense, they can move fast enough to dodge the blasts that emit from the strange guns that the humans are armed with.  Of course if they get past the first round of aliens there is always a "boss" alien, and this time is no different.

Though it sounds like there isn't too much going on in this volume, some significant things do happen amid all of the blood and gore.  Kurono is nearly fearless as he attacks the monsters, and the others slowly realize that he's just really good at this game.  Not only is he doing well now, but he did in the previous game too, and then he didn't even have a suit.  Maybe this is what he was meant to do.

This is an exciting volume.  The battle is good, but more than that the relationship between Kurono, Kato and Kishimoto becomes more clear, and by the end of the volume you know where things stand.  Also there are some twists that took me by surprise, and that rarely happens.  I like a show that can keep me guessing.

With this volume, Gantz ramps down to three episode per volume, but keeps the price the same.  In effect raising the price of the whole series.  This makes it even more expensive than the two episode per volume format.  Thanks for nothing ADV.

Audio:

Gantz comes with an English dub in 5.1 and the original Japanese soundtrack in stereo.  The original track sounded very good, but the English dub was a little easier to watch.  There are several scenes where people's thoughts are audible, and it was a little easier to understand who's thoughts you are hearing in the English dub.

I preferred the Japanese soundtrack overall.  Though the English dub was in 5.1, it wasn't as dynamic as I was expecting.  The explosions didn't have a lot of impact, and didn't sound much different from the stereo mix.  There were several scenes where the English voices were mixed too low and a little hard to hear.  Besides that, they did make good use of the surround channels, throwing some of the effects and occasionally the voices to the rears.  The Japanese track also did a good job with the front soundstage, using it to full advantage.

There were not any audio defects worth noting.

Video:

Generally the anamorphic widescreen image was very clean, though there was some aliasing.  This was minor though, mainly occurring in the backgrounds.  The colors were a little on the muted side, but that was probably the creator's intention.  A very nice transfer.

Extras:

Not only did they cut out an extra episode, but ADV has gotten rid of the extras that were on the previous disc too.  The only thing on this volume are clean opening and closings and a music video.

Final Thoughts:

Okay, if you've read the rest of this review, it's pretty easy to tell that I'm irked at ADV.  The first half of the show was released on two episode volumes for $17.98, and now they've added one more episode but nearly doubled the price.  What a crock.  If someone from ADV wants to address the reasons for this change I'd be happy to report it in the next issue of Anime Talk.

The show itself is still very entertaining, though bloody.  The relationship between the main characters continues to evolve, and the show still throws some curves that I didn't see coming.  A unique program, a blood and gore anime with a solid story, this disc is recommended.