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Gantz Vol 9:Judge, Jury & Executioner
Well, ADV has released the penultimate volume of Gantz, and it only contains three episodes again. Though I really dislike the way they are treating the fans with this release, I have to admit the series it excellent. If the show sucked, it would be easy to trash the whole disc, but the show is really good and deserves a look. Volume nine is the most intense so far, with a lot of surprises that will keep viewers on the edge of their seat.
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.
Volume Nine:
(Warning: There are no spoilers for this volume, but this review does talk about events that occured in the previous discs. If you haven't seen those yet, especially volume eight, you should skip down to the technical review.)
After the cliff hanger ending to the previous volume, I couldn't wait to see how this game ended. With one of the main characters, Kishimoto, dead it really raises the stakes. If she can die, then any, or all, of the other characters are vulnerable too. With Kei missing an arm, and having his leg being slowly eaten away by an alien liquid, it looks like he'll be the next to go. The current games end in the first episode, and it's quite a nail biting show.
The next game starts right away in the next episode. The room has some new faces of course, but this time the people and their deaths seem related in some way, though just how isn't clear. This new game isn't like the other ones though. As soon as Gantz shows the picture of the alien they have to hunt, it's clear that everyone is going to be screwed royally. The show is accelerating as it's nearing it's conclusion, and there's no telling how it will all end.
This was the most intense volume so far. The show is just as bloody as ever, but the turn of events is really surprising. This is one show that will really keep you guessing, and as soon as you think you've figured out how it will play out, things change once again.
The thing that has me the most shocked is the fact that a blood and gore anime like this actually has interesting characters that grow and develop as the show progresses. A great show where you find yourself really caring about the characters.
The DVD:
Gantz continues with the three episode per volume format for a retail price of nearly $30.00. This makes it even more expensive than the two episode per volume format. Thanks for nothing ADV. The disc come with an insert.
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:
In addition to a clean opening and closing, there is a 20 minute interview with sound director Hiroyuki and the Japanese voice actors who play Kato and Kishimoto. This interview does contain spoilers, so you might want to watch it after the series concludes.
Final Thoughts:
I wish the ADV would stop jerking the fans around with the way they are releasing this series. It really is too bad that the show isn't being put out in a reasonable fashion. It would be much more easy to recommend if it was. As it is, this series is really expensive, but it's worth it. As much as I'd like to recommend people avoid this I can't. It's an intense series that has good characterization and a lot of action. If you don't mind a lot of violence with your anime, this is a series you should check out. Recommended.
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