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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Wednesday, 12 April 2006 00:00 |
 With their first battle for Gantz out of the way, Kurono, Kishimoto and Kato return to "normal" life for a while - although after their experience, normal is a hard thing to be. Both Kishimoto and Kei find themselves having to deal with different sets of issue, while Kurono has to deal with is raging hormones - all the while waiting for the next call from Gantz to go play the game...
5 - That Means At The Time...
Kurono's back to his
normal high-school life, while the media are left to puzzle over where
his and Kato's bodies disappeared to after the train incident. The
return to school isn't much fun, either, as a friend under pressure by
the school hardmen for money "tags" him to be the next victim. Can he
come up with !00,000 Yen on one day's notice, or will he find another
way out of the problem? After Nishi's comments about them being
copies, he's also got time to think about whether he's really himself -
something that's just become of vital importance to Kishimoto, as she's
just returned home to find her "original self" survived her suicide
attempt...
6 - All Right!
It's
Kurono's lucky day, as he comes home to find Kishimoto asleep on his
doorstep - after finding she can't really go home (since her original
is still alive), she's looking for a place to stay, although it takes
her a while to get around to admitting that. Even then, her way of
asking is a little unique - "Could you keep me as your pet?" - but
Kurono's just fine with the concept. If only his hormones were a
little more controllable. While he's having a good time, though,
Kato's experiencing the darker side of life as he has to deal with his
abusive aunt...
7 - We're After You
The
media are still trying to find out what happened to Kurono & Kato -
while they only have the flimsiest of clues to go on, they're making
some progress. Kato's still having to deal with his aunt, who's very
quick to dish out the abuse but not so keen to take it. He's not
really able to take out his frustrations on her, but when the bullies
at his high school decide to pick a fight with him, he gets a chance to
get his anger out of his system. Meanwhile, Kurono receives a hint
that Gantz will be summoning them again soon, and does his best to
teach Kishimoto how to make use of her suit before it calls, but she's
more interested in paying her original self a visit...
8 - Uh Oh!
Wondering
why Kishimoto tried to commit suicide? The pressure of parental
expectations. She didn't live up to her mother's lofty academic
expectations, and the disappointment from her was palpable and too much
for her to bear. Seeing her original continuing in that life has given
her a new lease on her own, though, as she realises she no longer has
to worry about what other people think or expect. She has a new goal
in life: finding love with Kato (much to Kurono's disappointment -
looks like his condom stash will never be used now...). She gets to
meet him again sooner rather than later, too, as a new round of the
game begins...
There are some fairly big themes explored here, that give Gantz
more depth than I was ever expecting - which just goes to show how
difficult it is to judge a series by its first few episodes. First up,
there's the issue of just how "real" our players are - which is of
particular concern to Kishimoto as the "real" her is still very much
alive. The way this plays out, along with the revelations about why
she tried to kill herself in the first place, really do add to her
character and move her along towards becoming a more cheerful,
optimistic character. If only the game will allow her to live long
enough to enjoy it.
The comedy angle comes from Kurono's
attitude towards Kishimoto after she moves in with him. On the surface
he's a complete and utter bastard towards her, but I challenge any male
not to see something of their teenage selves in the way he behaves -
there's a level of honesty in his reactions that's completely
unexpected. It also fits with the generally dark theme of Gantz. Of
course, it ruins Kurono's chances of ever being seen as a likeable
character, and I'm still a bit worried about the long-term appeal of a
series where one of the leads is so unsympathetic.
Finally from
the leads there's Kato's efforts to protect his little brother from his
aunt's abuse, which give the first hints of the rage that lies beneath
his confident & proper exterior. He can't take it out directly on
his aunt, but he's damn well prepared to take it out on anyone else who
gives him reason to - an attitude that will probably work to his
advantage in the game.
Interspersed through all of this are two
more plot threads - the ongoing attempts of the media to track down
Kato & Kurono & solve the mystery of their disappearance after
the train incident, and the introductions of the latest batch of
soon-to-be-dead "players" for Gantz's game. Both arcs are interesting
enough, although there's a certain "get on with it" feel to the
introduction of the new players as you know they're not likely to make
it past the first battle. The media side is a bit more interesting, as
it could well have repercussions further down the line.
If you hadn't guessed yet, I was impressed by this volume, something I never really though I would be with Gantz
- the first volume took a bit too much delight in its visceral nature
for me to realise there'd be hidden depths. There are, and it raises
the show's standard greatly. The game provides the short-term, "hell
yeah!" fun, but there's more to Gantz than that - and that makes it well worth watching.
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