I started reading Gantz today, because I figured I ought to read more random manga. Let me just say first that this series distrubs the fuck out of me. Just in terms of the explicit violence and the random naked women. I mean, I'm not normally phased by violence and gore, but this is a bit extreme even for me.
I just hit chapter 90, though, and felt the need to scream. AAAAAAHHHHHH. AAAAAHHHH, WTF NO THAT'S NOT COOL FUCKIN' HELL THAT'S NOT COOL AT ALL. AAHHHHH.
But other than the OH GOD BURNING UNFAIRNESS WHY, it's actually pretty good. A little bit more shounen than I'm accustomed to, but it's entertaining. A bunch of people get snatched away from the jaws of death (gasp, shock) and are brought to a room with a giant black ball in it. They're then sent off, armed with bizarre futuristic weapons and cybernetic body suits, to fight aliens that have infiltrated Tokyo. They get points for killing the aliens in creative or exciting ways. If they disobey any of the rules set down by the black ball (name of Gantz), their heads explode. If they die in the game, they stay dead- but if they survive, they'll go back to the room with the black ball, completely healed and free to go, until the next time they get pulled in.
The main character is a sex-obsessed asshole, but his character development is actually pretty astonishing. The standard shounen message of gaining strength and using your powers for (great) justice is still there, but it's as subtle as a kick to the shins, as opposed to most shounen manga, where it's as subtle as a very large rock to the head.
Every chapter starts off with a picture of a scantily clad, large breasted girl or three, and there's some rather startlingly explicit sex to go along with the violence; that's probably just my American bred sensibilities twitching, though. The art is pretty and the plot is on horrible amounts of crack; I'm not quite sure I'd reccommend it, but I am entertained. Mostly. People's heads explode on a regular basis, and the people whose heads don't explode usually end up disembowelled and dismembered in new and exciting ways. It's a bit...intense. And I'm not actually sure what the hell is going on with the plot.
Finally, around chapter 180, the story starts hinting at what's actually going on; by 210, I'm expecting some pretty heavy exposition soon, because it looks like there's actually a plot now. The story moves very slowly; a lot of space is taken up by the crazy fight scenes, and by people's heads exploding. It reads quickly if you just skim through the fights, though.
...and there's a panda. o_0 I...wow. Panda. Naturally, the panda follows the most cold hearted, evil bastard of the lot around. I need to make icons of this, I think.
2 comments:
ARG GANTZ. Gantz should not be as addicting as it is. =_= really, you hate yourself for reading but somehow... although when Main Character's shy!girlfreind was killed off just so he could get together with hot!girl, ARG. That was my final straw. Goodbye Gantz, I won't miss you.
The really cool thing is the art. Did you know, it is all done by computer and traced over?
-Sonya
(haha, on the off chance you check the comments again) Yes yes! It is addictive like whoa...but he doesn't actually get together with the hot girl! It looks like he will, but then he doesn't because, you know, character development. It's awesome. You should go back to reading it again, because the crack content just keeps increasing.
Think I'll start downloading Hikago next, maybe.
Post a Comment