Gantz otherwise known as cringe, is a very frustrating Anime with a somewhat brilliant concept however the way the writers decided their annoying characters should behave really tested my patience, you got extremely menacing aliens charging at characters armed with a powerful suit and ultra effective weapons (albeit still kind of stupidly designed since there's a huge lag between when you fire the laser guns and their impact) but all they do is stay baffled, reluctant to shoot or/and make the most illogical choices, it doesn't help that all of the group of humans basically stay still and rarely ever engage or do something of merit when the alien monsters are ripping one of them apart right in front of their eyes, either fight or run like hell! besides you'd think this kind of behaviour would change later in the show but no these guys are still acting so dumb even after their previous experiences.
I have a very wierd relationship with this Anime series since despite of its endless flaws it still has something that hooked me on it, I consumed this piece of sleazy dumb action/horror in a matter of 2 days, I don't think that the creator intended for it to be goofy but I think I was approaching it in the same way I would approach an exploitation B movie, not to mention that this is the most Japenese Anime you'll probably ever see containing alot of perversion and brutal brutal violence, so there's plenty to like here for all you weebos out there.
69 Reviews
Gantz is a nice addition in a time of predictable anime.
anissueofblood30 August 2006
Gantz actually got my adrenaline pumping throughout the series and in effect almost made me feel like breaking in the television screen at some points. It kind of gave me that same feeling that GunGrave did. You feel for the characters that you do not even know just for the sake of wanting him/her to survive Gantz evil game. The series is quirky in the beginning and later on turns disdainful on the viewer. I started to feel hopeless towards the end and although I wanted the best to happen for everyone that's not what necessarily happened. If you plan on watching this then plan on watching cool action scenes that feel like they came straight out of a video game and non-stop violence. Yes, there is much graphic violence and sexual content on this one, but if you are old enough then try to endure it for the sake of enjoying an action packed anime. The only thing that got me kind of mad ws how the characters took forever to actually shoot a villain/alien/evil human. Inside my mind I was like, "Come on already!!!! Don't get yourself killed!" Check this out. I dug it.
Awesome
jnco_guy652 February 2007
This is an awesome series unlike some people think. Yeah i think they could have taken it farther since the Manga goes on Forever, but i think it was a great series altogether. The voice actors a well done and the animation is great. Nothing is forgotten by these animators and i think that is great. I would recommend this DVD series to the most die hard Anime fans (meaning the like more then Naruto and Inyuasha great but not the best anime's.) So if you like blood, death, and maybe a little sex in an anime this is the perfect one for you. just know you have to watch the last episodes a few time before you completely get what happens unless your some1 who catches on fast.
Not a great series, but has some shining moments
fuzzy_wunz25 May 2005
The Gantz anime series is an amalgamation of events that occurred in the first few volumes of the manga. It's an introduction to the Gantz universe and its inhabitants--most notably, the aliens and their human hunters. Like the manga, the anime centers around the growth and emergence of Kurono (Chrono) as a hero and his effort to win and survive at all costs. There's a good deal of sex and violence as well as long stretches of philosophical banter and social critique, but it often comes across as being so self-righteous and ultimately defeatist that most messages would only be appealing to audiences that already had the same beliefs.
The artwork is dark and is true to Oru Hiroya's concepts down to the intricately detailed weapons and power suits. The characters range from the sexually eager and aggressive Kurono, to the gallant Katou, to the buxom Kishimoto. The animation is mostly satisfying. Since Hiroya's artwork uses 3d models for scale and proportion, they can seem stiff and often lack fluidity. That same flaw is evident in the anime as well.
The story is intriguing, at the least, and seems to be inspired by movies such as The Cube. The sci-fi aspects are cool and even I would like to run around in a power suit for a day or two.
Altogether, it has some great ingredients that are marred by plodding progression and preachy characters. The fan-service is there, though not to an excess, but this is certainly not for children or those that are easily offended by violence, gore, or opinions diametrically opposed to your own. It's definitely worth watching and depending on who you are, you might just like it a lot.
The artwork is dark and is true to Oru Hiroya's concepts down to the intricately detailed weapons and power suits. The characters range from the sexually eager and aggressive Kurono, to the gallant Katou, to the buxom Kishimoto. The animation is mostly satisfying. Since Hiroya's artwork uses 3d models for scale and proportion, they can seem stiff and often lack fluidity. That same flaw is evident in the anime as well.
The story is intriguing, at the least, and seems to be inspired by movies such as The Cube. The sci-fi aspects are cool and even I would like to run around in a power suit for a day or two.
Altogether, it has some great ingredients that are marred by plodding progression and preachy characters. The fan-service is there, though not to an excess, but this is certainly not for children or those that are easily offended by violence, gore, or opinions diametrically opposed to your own. It's definitely worth watching and depending on who you are, you might just like it a lot.
It sticks with me
jdchapa14 October 2021
Pretty awesome when I saw it for the first time. A decade later it was fresh again when I saw it with a new girlfriend. It sticks with me and I'm troubled by the hints of lunar occultism. Another case of an anime teasing you with something beyond the veil and doing it with the style you can't get anywhere else.
What can i say?.....AMAZING!!!
krispenno10 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I cant get over the great expectation of this underrated show, i believe it is to be told a bad adaptation from the Manga, i did not think so myself having read the manga and then watched the show, i was fairly impressed and i think its time this show got a good review because it freakin' deserves one, the first thing i realised about this show is the amount of realism in the characters, The Lead character Kei Kurono: hes a perverted teen who thinks about nothing but girls, and doesn't want to help anybody, and has a huge level of arrogance and in the first episode is hit by a train along with his friend after they try to help a homelessman whom has fallen on the tracks. next, Masuro Kato: always wants to help people, always thinks he is doing the right thing, and in the end gets whats coming to him also hit by a train, Kei Kishimoto: the female of the story commits suicide in the bathtub, does nothing but whine and does nothing about it and last but not least Joichiro Nishi: killed himself by jumping off his school rooftop, and i only have one thing to say about this guy...hes the best. and in the end each of the main characters (well the ones who are still left) have learned how to be good human beings
A Fantastic Piece of Anime. It Has It All.
Chrispy_G26 May 2012
I don't like to use the word 'masterpiece'...but it wouldn't be an insane adjective to use to describe Gantz. This is one of the best all around anime I've ever seen.
It has an extremely interesting and rather unique concept that is thoroughly explored and discussed through the characters. It has the surface level 'low brow' entertainment like extreme amounts of violence and a pretty hefty amount of nudity. It does an excellent job of going against the typical story clichés. Moments of character empowerment are shot down in the flash, people who seem like throwaway characters come back later, and none of the characters are safe from harm.
Speaking of the characters, they are very dynamic and what makes this show last. Good guy heroes often come off as cowardly, douchebags save the day, etc etc. The characters also come across plenty of moral dilemmas and have plenty of discussions about the nature of society.
Some say they hate the ending, or that it is confusing. I don't see why, if you just pay attention a little bit to the visuals and how the fundamentals of the whole thing works...it's quite clear. Yes, there are some things that aren't fully explained...but the end result, what happens to our hero(and/or heroes) is quite clear.
In conclusion, it's an anime with a great concept, great characters to explore it, great animation, a ton of violence, plenty of nudity, a decent amount of action and some good social commentary. Regardless of the manga, if you've read it or what you think of it, Gantz is a fantastic stand alone anime...and I think I'd prefer THAT to a seemingly endless story.
It has an extremely interesting and rather unique concept that is thoroughly explored and discussed through the characters. It has the surface level 'low brow' entertainment like extreme amounts of violence and a pretty hefty amount of nudity. It does an excellent job of going against the typical story clichés. Moments of character empowerment are shot down in the flash, people who seem like throwaway characters come back later, and none of the characters are safe from harm.
Speaking of the characters, they are very dynamic and what makes this show last. Good guy heroes often come off as cowardly, douchebags save the day, etc etc. The characters also come across plenty of moral dilemmas and have plenty of discussions about the nature of society.
Some say they hate the ending, or that it is confusing. I don't see why, if you just pay attention a little bit to the visuals and how the fundamentals of the whole thing works...it's quite clear. Yes, there are some things that aren't fully explained...but the end result, what happens to our hero(and/or heroes) is quite clear.
In conclusion, it's an anime with a great concept, great characters to explore it, great animation, a ton of violence, plenty of nudity, a decent amount of action and some good social commentary. Regardless of the manga, if you've read it or what you think of it, Gantz is a fantastic stand alone anime...and I think I'd prefer THAT to a seemingly endless story.
A look inside the minds of humans... or maybe just Japanese people.
sircerealkiller23 April 2008
It has come to my attention that the last reviewer for this Anime series must have been someone between the ages of 12 and 14, still stuck on the "DragonballZ fight, fight fight!" mentality and simply ignored the bigger picture. While this show has it's fair share of action, the show focuses on the inner livings of diverse human types being put through varying dangerous situations. The show presents humanity for what it (in the mind of the creator, that is), a huge group of cowards, glory seekers, murderers and all together selfish people. Among them are thrown a few gems, innocent bystanders (children and the elderly) and people that follow a humane moral code; of course, their only role is to provide hope to the viewer, to show that humanity does have it's good sides, however insignificant.
I am left with the impression that Gantz is in itself, purgatory. Passing judgment on the humans he "saves" from absolute death by forcing them to go through a series of trials. Those worthy, the ones that "survive" the trials, regardless of past crimes, will be rewarded, and those that fail will continue their lifeline by resuming their deaths.
I am left with the impression that Gantz is in itself, purgatory. Passing judgment on the humans he "saves" from absolute death by forcing them to go through a series of trials. Those worthy, the ones that "survive" the trials, regardless of past crimes, will be rewarded, and those that fail will continue their lifeline by resuming their deaths.
My favourite anime of all time.
csicsergo19 August 2018
I've never seen anything like this. The subtle but strong colors, the simple character styles, the AMAZING music, the exciting storyline, everything is great about this tiny little adaptation of a longer (and even better) manga. I even liked the different version of ending that the writers thought of. A definite game changer for me, and it set the bar quite high for me, as far as animes and films go. 10/10 would recommend.
Seriously think before you watch this.
tunaspam31 October 2006
Gantz is something of a confusion. It goes back and forth and in the end it reveals something of an unsure director who really doesn't have it all together. It dons the mask of a drama and of a satire during the course of its duration and it can get a bit unclear.
Does this make Gantz bad? well it depends on how you look at it. There is some very offensive material in this anime and it definitely doesn't justify it completely. There also isn't a lot of plot fluency or direction and the ending is very uncertain. Not to say that Gantz doesn't have it's good moments, cause it does and they shine quite brightly; but it's just what you have to go through to get there.
I would never recommend Gantz, being how touchy it is. In the end it's something only to pursue if you really have your own mind made up.
Seriously think before you watch this, it could make or break you.
7.3/10
Does this make Gantz bad? well it depends on how you look at it. There is some very offensive material in this anime and it definitely doesn't justify it completely. There also isn't a lot of plot fluency or direction and the ending is very uncertain. Not to say that Gantz doesn't have it's good moments, cause it does and they shine quite brightly; but it's just what you have to go through to get there.
I would never recommend Gantz, being how touchy it is. In the end it's something only to pursue if you really have your own mind made up.
Seriously think before you watch this, it could make or break you.
7.3/10
I personally couldn't go for it
jace-rynearson30 November 2018
I really like the Gantz manga, I've been reading it for some time and it's become one of my favorites, but the anime in my opinion is kind of bad.
I know what you're thinking, I'm probably being unfair comparing the two. But here's the thing, I watched the anime BEFORE I started reading the manga and still didn't like it. Now that I've read the manga, I'm glad I didn't watch it all the way through (and that I gave the manga a chance).
For one, the animation, to me at least seems lazy and kind of ugly, and that's without comparing it to the gorgeous art of the manga. It also constantly zooms in and out, making the world seem more artificial. I've seriously seen better animation in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop. You know you've done something wrong when animation from almost 10 years ago is better than yours. But even that is only a minor problem.
The story for Gantz is intense and violent for good reason, but with the anime, it felt kind of flat at times. And the pacing was all over the place, it didn't seem to know when to be intense and when not to be, not helped by the fact that it's got almost no music throughout and focuses on things that DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THE MANGA. We start the series off with the main character being a total jackass to everyone he meets and everyone KNOWING HIM FOR IT. Sure, in the manga, he was kind of a jerk, but very subtle and even pretty likeable, the anime just seemed to forget about all of that and make him like an unfunny Peter Griffin. That aside, each of the story arcs are so dragged out, the first story arc probably could've taken 2-3 episodes to complete, not FIVE. Not to mention that the endings to each episode are so sudden and nonsensical and each episode is full of random stuff that slows the plot down drastically, I can literally name at least 10 things in the first episode alone that didn't happen in the manga (for good reason) and screw up the continuity of the entire story.
Also, the ending was complete time filler crap that was VERY similar to the aforementioned Cowboy Bebop at the very end. There's also a lot of random new characters who have little depth or substance by comparison to the ones in the manga or earlier in the show. I know that some anime like Black Butler do that if there isn't any more source material at the time, but that's not the case for Gantz. By the first episode, there was a lot more story than they've got in the entire anime, in fact I'd say they only adapted a third of the existing source material at the time. All that time, I was just asking "did they blow their whole budget on how many unnecessary monologues and scenes there are?" Apparently so, cause I can't think of any other way they wouldn't include more of it.
On the plus side, though, the English voice acting is surprisingly good, Christopher Ayres in particular does a pretty good job as Kei Kurono, even if he kind of makes him sound older than he actually is. So is this a horrible show? That's kind of a strong word, but I personally didn't like it even BEFORE I read the manga. I think this series could use a reboot with a better, more competent production team because Gantz deserves a good anime adaptation. But if you're looking for good English dubs, check it out (I don't blame Funimation in any way, I just blame the original team). Also, I know I'm in the minority, but still, this is my two cents on the show, I enjoyed Gantz: 0 a lot more
I know what you're thinking, I'm probably being unfair comparing the two. But here's the thing, I watched the anime BEFORE I started reading the manga and still didn't like it. Now that I've read the manga, I'm glad I didn't watch it all the way through (and that I gave the manga a chance).
For one, the animation, to me at least seems lazy and kind of ugly, and that's without comparing it to the gorgeous art of the manga. It also constantly zooms in and out, making the world seem more artificial. I've seriously seen better animation in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop. You know you've done something wrong when animation from almost 10 years ago is better than yours. But even that is only a minor problem.
The story for Gantz is intense and violent for good reason, but with the anime, it felt kind of flat at times. And the pacing was all over the place, it didn't seem to know when to be intense and when not to be, not helped by the fact that it's got almost no music throughout and focuses on things that DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THE MANGA. We start the series off with the main character being a total jackass to everyone he meets and everyone KNOWING HIM FOR IT. Sure, in the manga, he was kind of a jerk, but very subtle and even pretty likeable, the anime just seemed to forget about all of that and make him like an unfunny Peter Griffin. That aside, each of the story arcs are so dragged out, the first story arc probably could've taken 2-3 episodes to complete, not FIVE. Not to mention that the endings to each episode are so sudden and nonsensical and each episode is full of random stuff that slows the plot down drastically, I can literally name at least 10 things in the first episode alone that didn't happen in the manga (for good reason) and screw up the continuity of the entire story.
Also, the ending was complete time filler crap that was VERY similar to the aforementioned Cowboy Bebop at the very end. There's also a lot of random new characters who have little depth or substance by comparison to the ones in the manga or earlier in the show. I know that some anime like Black Butler do that if there isn't any more source material at the time, but that's not the case for Gantz. By the first episode, there was a lot more story than they've got in the entire anime, in fact I'd say they only adapted a third of the existing source material at the time. All that time, I was just asking "did they blow their whole budget on how many unnecessary monologues and scenes there are?" Apparently so, cause I can't think of any other way they wouldn't include more of it.
On the plus side, though, the English voice acting is surprisingly good, Christopher Ayres in particular does a pretty good job as Kei Kurono, even if he kind of makes him sound older than he actually is. So is this a horrible show? That's kind of a strong word, but I personally didn't like it even BEFORE I read the manga. I think this series could use a reboot with a better, more competent production team because Gantz deserves a good anime adaptation. But if you're looking for good English dubs, check it out (I don't blame Funimation in any way, I just blame the original team). Also, I know I'm in the minority, but still, this is my two cents on the show, I enjoyed Gantz: 0 a lot more
Overstated for the Sake of Subtlety
jak7890-128 July 2007
"Gantz" (2004) is somewhat of a curiosity within its genre. While it boasts an high-octane action reputation built on almost absurd levels of violence, this is not the end-all be-all of "Gantz". The plot is the vehicle of this absurd tumult, revolving around the dead being coerced into forcibly evicting or executing transient aliens, and is itself somewhat absurd even if it is intriguing. The story itself is driven by the character development, however.
The characters are remarkably well written, having many facets to their psyches complete with strengths and flaws. Early on, the anime begins by exploring the Bystander Phenomenon (many people watching another in distress, though nobody helping) and Groupthink/Mob Mentality through an interesting usage of the Protector Archetype. Best of all, the characters, particularly Kurono Kei, are dynamic.
Though it is easy to get lost in the exaggerated violence, apathy, and cruelty which weave in and out of the storyline, this ultimately serves as a vehicle for age-old philosophical quandaries, though you have to look through the Tarantinoesque bloodshed to see them. Chief among the questions raised, are: "Is life truly sacred?" "Is it kill or be killed?" and, "What, if anything, can one person do to change the world?" While the viewer may make his or her own conclusions to these questions, the director still hasn't given his answer yet, forcing the public to wait for "Gantz" Season 2.
This anime contains adult themes including violence, nudity, and profanity. Not recommended for children.
The characters are remarkably well written, having many facets to their psyches complete with strengths and flaws. Early on, the anime begins by exploring the Bystander Phenomenon (many people watching another in distress, though nobody helping) and Groupthink/Mob Mentality through an interesting usage of the Protector Archetype. Best of all, the characters, particularly Kurono Kei, are dynamic.
Though it is easy to get lost in the exaggerated violence, apathy, and cruelty which weave in and out of the storyline, this ultimately serves as a vehicle for age-old philosophical quandaries, though you have to look through the Tarantinoesque bloodshed to see them. Chief among the questions raised, are: "Is life truly sacred?" "Is it kill or be killed?" and, "What, if anything, can one person do to change the world?" While the viewer may make his or her own conclusions to these questions, the director still hasn't given his answer yet, forcing the public to wait for "Gantz" Season 2.
This anime contains adult themes including violence, nudity, and profanity. Not recommended for children.
Could have been far, far better...but still worth watching...
npvbrukout15 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The first Season of Gantz, and indeed most of the second, was really quite a good watch. In fact it was pretty amazing. If it had carried on in that way then it could quite easily have been one of the better anime series by far.
Unfortunately, towards the end of the second season (after the episode with the statue) the last few episodes get pretty tedious and I was left feeling hard done by. Over a course of 22 episodes they build up characters that are annoying at times but gradually become really likable. It was an odd feeling to see all the members pair off into couples and consider it to be not only cute but well done. The last mission they are all sent on (involving the statues)was good up until all but one of the members of the original group dies. The only characters that weren't annoying are all killed off in the space of 10 minutes by the same alien.
Generally after this it becomes very, very bad. Although I feel the main reason for my disappointment was due to the likable characters (that took around 9 or 10 episodes to get used to and like) dying right near the end, and being replaced with some really quite annoying characters.
Combine this with a lack of plot; half baked/arsed philosophical rants; and an air of confusion (based upon the characters themselves not knowing what is going on and having to use them to try and establish what is going on) and you are left feeling a little disappointed. Not finding out what Gantz is didn't bother me at all. The way Gantz in it's later episodes was going I really wasn't expecting any kind of remotely enlightening information. However, the final straw to break the donkey's back was not even knowing what happened to Kurono, or equally as annoying; why in the final episode.
To be brutally honest if you are going to watch this series you can quite easily get away with watching up until episode 22...then just turn it off. It will only go downhill after, and leave you with more questions and ultimately feeling as if you wasted your time. Only a little though.
Oh and way, way, way, way too many flashbacks. All of the same ****ing things.
Unfortunately, towards the end of the second season (after the episode with the statue) the last few episodes get pretty tedious and I was left feeling hard done by. Over a course of 22 episodes they build up characters that are annoying at times but gradually become really likable. It was an odd feeling to see all the members pair off into couples and consider it to be not only cute but well done. The last mission they are all sent on (involving the statues)was good up until all but one of the members of the original group dies. The only characters that weren't annoying are all killed off in the space of 10 minutes by the same alien.
Generally after this it becomes very, very bad. Although I feel the main reason for my disappointment was due to the likable characters (that took around 9 or 10 episodes to get used to and like) dying right near the end, and being replaced with some really quite annoying characters.
Combine this with a lack of plot; half baked/arsed philosophical rants; and an air of confusion (based upon the characters themselves not knowing what is going on and having to use them to try and establish what is going on) and you are left feeling a little disappointed. Not finding out what Gantz is didn't bother me at all. The way Gantz in it's later episodes was going I really wasn't expecting any kind of remotely enlightening information. However, the final straw to break the donkey's back was not even knowing what happened to Kurono, or equally as annoying; why in the final episode.
To be brutally honest if you are going to watch this series you can quite easily get away with watching up until episode 22...then just turn it off. It will only go downhill after, and leave you with more questions and ultimately feeling as if you wasted your time. Only a little though.
Oh and way, way, way, way too many flashbacks. All of the same ****ing things.
Mindlessly, aimlessly, and gratuitously juvenile with the pace of a crippled snail.
belacstein31 March 2020
If you haven't already started this series, don't. EVER! If you have and suffer from the same obsessive-compulsion to complete things that I do then I can only offer my sympathy and hope that the next anime you pick up is not quite so soul-crushingly, moronically, and perversely juvenile in it's utter wasting of your life.
I read some of the review titles for this series and I had to keep checking the top of the page to be sure they were talking about the same series. Words and phrases like 'amazing', 'great', 'best anime ever', and 'my favorite' should NEVER be applied to this utterly worthless pile of refuse. I actually had to stop mid-episode multiple times and go do something else just to cool the frustration that was unavoidably and constantly generated from trying to relate to the undeveloped characters (both one-dimensional and infantile) and enjoy the undeveloped story (again, both one-dimensional and infantile). Only my obsessive-compulsion to always finish any story I start, reinforced by some perverse need to find what one reviewer called 'some shining moments' got me all the way to the end of it. I found maybe four or five of those 'shining moments' throughout the entire 26 episodes, and they really were just brief moments. I only picked the series up in the first place because the movie "GANTZ-0" presented such an interesting basic premise and story idea that I felt compelled to find more material to fill in the massive gaps of character and story-telling that exist in that title (once again NOTHING [characters, plot, story] gets developed at all). What a colossal mistake that was. Hours of my life that I will never get back. There was never a single moment in the entire series that suggested anything other than perverse, slow-witted, socially apathetic juveniles were involved with the project and only perverse, slow-witted, socially apathetic juveniles could possibly enjoy it. Now for some specifics:
Plot: The plot is disjointed and often frustratingly unrealistic. Characters are constantly put into tense, life or death situations and (after WAY too much internal conflict and monologue) end up finally taking action (or not) based on the weakest and most juvenile motivations, or no apparent motivation at all. For example, faced with a gruesome death from a horrifying creature a character might finally do the dumbest thing possible just to try to impress a huge-boobed girl or because someone called them a 'fag'.
Story: The story is at times incredibly slow (think Dragon Ball Z) and sometimes basically non-existent (because for minutes on end literally NOTHING actually happens). These moments are filled with the freaked out, horrified, confused, or just plain blank expressions of the various present characters with no dialogue or internal monologues at all interspersed with moments filled with nothing more than said dialogues or internal monologues, all of which are simple, unsophisticated, and juvenile. Worse still, many of the episodes end in such moments then the next episode actually replays the last five minutes of the previous episode before adding another five minutes or so of the same drivel before anything actually happens so the whole thing can FINALLY move forward to the next of these brain deadening pauses in the action.
Characters: There are only three characters that even persist long enough in the series to have the opportunity for real development and even they are still left one-dimensional and emotionally infantile at the end of 26 episodes. Sex, power and survival seem the only real motivations for any of the characters, with the possible exception of Katou who naturally ends up being the only character of interest by default. Even these very basic motivations are dealt with on the most simple level and in the most juvenile terms.
Action: Even the action (when it FINALLY happens) is left seriously wanting. It is visually fun at moments, but often utterly idiotic in it's execution (I was regularly screaming in my head, "You just did WHAT?!?", or even worse, "Nobody would do that!! NOBODY is that stupid!!"). Even if you disagree with my take on the execution there simply isn't enough of it. Considering the premise this should have been an action-packed and action driven story, but there is nowhere near enough of it for that.
I read some of the review titles for this series and I had to keep checking the top of the page to be sure they were talking about the same series. Words and phrases like 'amazing', 'great', 'best anime ever', and 'my favorite' should NEVER be applied to this utterly worthless pile of refuse. I actually had to stop mid-episode multiple times and go do something else just to cool the frustration that was unavoidably and constantly generated from trying to relate to the undeveloped characters (both one-dimensional and infantile) and enjoy the undeveloped story (again, both one-dimensional and infantile). Only my obsessive-compulsion to always finish any story I start, reinforced by some perverse need to find what one reviewer called 'some shining moments' got me all the way to the end of it. I found maybe four or five of those 'shining moments' throughout the entire 26 episodes, and they really were just brief moments. I only picked the series up in the first place because the movie "GANTZ-0" presented such an interesting basic premise and story idea that I felt compelled to find more material to fill in the massive gaps of character and story-telling that exist in that title (once again NOTHING [characters, plot, story] gets developed at all). What a colossal mistake that was. Hours of my life that I will never get back. There was never a single moment in the entire series that suggested anything other than perverse, slow-witted, socially apathetic juveniles were involved with the project and only perverse, slow-witted, socially apathetic juveniles could possibly enjoy it. Now for some specifics:
Plot: The plot is disjointed and often frustratingly unrealistic. Characters are constantly put into tense, life or death situations and (after WAY too much internal conflict and monologue) end up finally taking action (or not) based on the weakest and most juvenile motivations, or no apparent motivation at all. For example, faced with a gruesome death from a horrifying creature a character might finally do the dumbest thing possible just to try to impress a huge-boobed girl or because someone called them a 'fag'.
Story: The story is at times incredibly slow (think Dragon Ball Z) and sometimes basically non-existent (because for minutes on end literally NOTHING actually happens). These moments are filled with the freaked out, horrified, confused, or just plain blank expressions of the various present characters with no dialogue or internal monologues at all interspersed with moments filled with nothing more than said dialogues or internal monologues, all of which are simple, unsophisticated, and juvenile. Worse still, many of the episodes end in such moments then the next episode actually replays the last five minutes of the previous episode before adding another five minutes or so of the same drivel before anything actually happens so the whole thing can FINALLY move forward to the next of these brain deadening pauses in the action.
Characters: There are only three characters that even persist long enough in the series to have the opportunity for real development and even they are still left one-dimensional and emotionally infantile at the end of 26 episodes. Sex, power and survival seem the only real motivations for any of the characters, with the possible exception of Katou who naturally ends up being the only character of interest by default. Even these very basic motivations are dealt with on the most simple level and in the most juvenile terms.
Action: Even the action (when it FINALLY happens) is left seriously wanting. It is visually fun at moments, but often utterly idiotic in it's execution (I was regularly screaming in my head, "You just did WHAT?!?", or even worse, "Nobody would do that!! NOBODY is that stupid!!"). Even if you disagree with my take on the execution there simply isn't enough of it. Considering the premise this should have been an action-packed and action driven story, but there is nowhere near enough of it for that.
A new level to the Japanese animation ?
j_rinley14 April 2006
When i was thinking that a great part of the animes were looking similar, i watched this one with no great expectations.I got surprised with the realism of the characters' actions. OK the history is NOT the most incredible that i've seen in my life but that's not the point in this anime. Maybe some will think it's shocking,too violent or will not like the strong language etc... However this was the way to show each characters actions and feelings in the worst situations. This anime is great because it is really innovative and explores the characters like no other. There's taboo, so anything can happen anytime, always letting you surprised . If you're bored of the old story of the princess and the magic world and the magic sword and the magic... GANTZ is VERY recommended.
A gripping if somewhat gory drama
Tweekums26 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This infamously gory series opens with teenagers Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato being struck by a train while rescuing a homeless man who had fallen from the platform. Rather than dying they find themselves in a room along with other people who have just 'died' also present is a strange black sphere. Suddenly the sphere opens and an array of weapons appears and when they look inside they see a strange man. One of the people already there explains that this is 'Gantz' and he will send them on a variety of missions. It turns out that they will all be sent out to hunt down a variety of aliens using futuristic weapons. At the end of each hunt the survivors return to the room, any injury they sustained healed. They are then free to get on with their lives
until Gantz summons them for the next hunt along was new players. When they aren't hunting aliens we see Kurono, Kato and a girl named Kei Kishimoto who stays with Kurono but has obvious feelings for Kato.
'Gantz' has a reputation for fairly extreme violence and for quite a lot of nudity. It doesn't have as much violence as show like 'Elfen Lied' but the violence here feels far more real. This is largely due to the character design which is more realistic than many shows and plenty of time is given to their development. For the most part the 3D CGI backgrounds looked great most of the time although occasionally it doesn't quite come up to scratch. There is quite a bit of nudity although it felt deliberately uncomfortable rather than the usual fan service.
The episodes featuring missions are nicely action packed with plenty of exciting moments even if characters have a habit of talking when they should be shooting at times! These missions take place in real time so a one hour mission takes two and a bit episodes. The between mission episodes show us the characters normal lives so we grow to care about them or possibly get annoyed by them! If you are the sort of person who wants everything explained by the end you may be disappointed but if you don't mind some major points remaining a mystery you are likely to enjoy this; I certainly did. Overall I'd certainly recommend this but only to older viewers; it is certainly not a show for children.
'Gantz' has a reputation for fairly extreme violence and for quite a lot of nudity. It doesn't have as much violence as show like 'Elfen Lied' but the violence here feels far more real. This is largely due to the character design which is more realistic than many shows and plenty of time is given to their development. For the most part the 3D CGI backgrounds looked great most of the time although occasionally it doesn't quite come up to scratch. There is quite a bit of nudity although it felt deliberately uncomfortable rather than the usual fan service.
The episodes featuring missions are nicely action packed with plenty of exciting moments even if characters have a habit of talking when they should be shooting at times! These missions take place in real time so a one hour mission takes two and a bit episodes. The between mission episodes show us the characters normal lives so we grow to care about them or possibly get annoyed by them! If you are the sort of person who wants everything explained by the end you may be disappointed but if you don't mind some major points remaining a mystery you are likely to enjoy this; I certainly did. Overall I'd certainly recommend this but only to older viewers; it is certainly not a show for children.
Poor Stretched Out Plot Delivery
enilenis10 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
On a long enough timeline the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
That's Gantz in a nutshell - an endurance test. Throw people into a hostile environment and see how long they'd last. Examine whether cooperation, competition or isolation yield better result under extreme conditions.
Major complaint is that the series is too long for the amount of story it presents. Sure, most of what you see is filler material, but beneath the mush hide few original and clever ideas.
First off, the main protagonist is the opposite of the conventional hero. He's not transformed into one either. He starts from repulsive and transitions into a violently destructive individual without actually becoming a "hero".
Secondly, the series defies positive progression. Most characters brought into the plot die shortly after. If the knowledge gained about the mysterious Gantz device is not passed onto someone with better survival record, then the information is lost until someone else re-discovers it through experimentation.
The characters battle to establish structure among people refusing to accept anyone's authority. Since no one knows exactly what's going on, each theory presented by a random newcomer is equally valid. Temporary alliances form and break, but in the end there are no winners or losers.
I found myself enjoying the series more than I though I would due to its lack of predictability. As a viewer, you do end up sharing experience with the characters. To each problem multiple solutions are proposed, giving you a chance to pick sides and see how it all plays out.
That's Gantz in a nutshell - an endurance test. Throw people into a hostile environment and see how long they'd last. Examine whether cooperation, competition or isolation yield better result under extreme conditions.
Major complaint is that the series is too long for the amount of story it presents. Sure, most of what you see is filler material, but beneath the mush hide few original and clever ideas.
First off, the main protagonist is the opposite of the conventional hero. He's not transformed into one either. He starts from repulsive and transitions into a violently destructive individual without actually becoming a "hero".
Secondly, the series defies positive progression. Most characters brought into the plot die shortly after. If the knowledge gained about the mysterious Gantz device is not passed onto someone with better survival record, then the information is lost until someone else re-discovers it through experimentation.
The characters battle to establish structure among people refusing to accept anyone's authority. Since no one knows exactly what's going on, each theory presented by a random newcomer is equally valid. Temporary alliances form and break, but in the end there are no winners or losers.
I found myself enjoying the series more than I though I would due to its lack of predictability. As a viewer, you do end up sharing experience with the characters. To each problem multiple solutions are proposed, giving you a chance to pick sides and see how it all plays out.
great story, art, music, etc almost ruined by fan service
ProfessorMovieMovie23 April 2008
Fan service... strikes again. Not as bad as Witch Blade, but bad enough. This is an excellent anime. Original story and that is very hard to do. Love the artwork, editing, music, especially the opening song... I love just about everything about this anime except for the gratuitous fan service.
It's shown often and in scenes where it is completely unnecessary. Huge boobed teens oozing into skintight suits and shown completely naked. The only girl in the first half is, of course, only there for the fan service. They don't really give her much of a personality. She is in love with another character and seems to only exist for him.
Why? Isn't the anime industry aware that their audience has long ago expanded from teen boys and socially inept men? Just tell a damn good story, with great artwork, voicing, etc. and leave the fan service to a minimum. Seriously.
Oh wait... pardon me. I take it back. I forgot who makes these things. Inspired by teen boys and made by socially inept men. Sometimes they get past the fan service and actually come up with a great series.
Gantz is one of them.
It's shown often and in scenes where it is completely unnecessary. Huge boobed teens oozing into skintight suits and shown completely naked. The only girl in the first half is, of course, only there for the fan service. They don't really give her much of a personality. She is in love with another character and seems to only exist for him.
Why? Isn't the anime industry aware that their audience has long ago expanded from teen boys and socially inept men? Just tell a damn good story, with great artwork, voicing, etc. and leave the fan service to a minimum. Seriously.
Oh wait... pardon me. I take it back. I forgot who makes these things. Inspired by teen boys and made by socially inept men. Sometimes they get past the fan service and actually come up with a great series.
Gantz is one of them.
Decent anime
ssjasper20032 May 2007
For those who have read the manga - this was a decent adaptation of the manga to anime format.
For those who haven't - please go do read the manga. You will realize that gantz is much more than just killing aliens.
As we all know how it starts, people die & are brought to the gantz room & send on missions to kill aliens. This is where it all starts.
Imagine if you died in some way & you were transported to this room & told to go on missions killing "aliens". I would imagine most of us who haven't killed would question what is happening & those of us who are more tainted & aren't in the norm in life wouldn't find killing anything a problem.
Gantz goes into the human physique & shows how the characters think like real human beings. Well if I died & this hot girl started talking to me & we knew that we definitely died before we came into the room, I would take my chances & hit on her & see how far I could get. Don't anyone of you people say "I would never do that". This is what gantz is all about it puts people in situations where they have to overcome what they've been told in life & break the norms to survive & protect who they care about.
The last mission is how this world is. The biker who died from drowing after he saved that womans child. She could've saved him but she chose not to & just ran off with her baby. The girl who got killed by her stalker & the 2 killers. The old man believed that everyone needed guidance in life to become good but the kid with the blue hair wiped out almost everyone even his own partner. Just shows how gritty it is.
For those who haven't - please go do read the manga. You will realize that gantz is much more than just killing aliens.
As we all know how it starts, people die & are brought to the gantz room & send on missions to kill aliens. This is where it all starts.
Imagine if you died in some way & you were transported to this room & told to go on missions killing "aliens". I would imagine most of us who haven't killed would question what is happening & those of us who are more tainted & aren't in the norm in life wouldn't find killing anything a problem.
Gantz goes into the human physique & shows how the characters think like real human beings. Well if I died & this hot girl started talking to me & we knew that we definitely died before we came into the room, I would take my chances & hit on her & see how far I could get. Don't anyone of you people say "I would never do that". This is what gantz is all about it puts people in situations where they have to overcome what they've been told in life & break the norms to survive & protect who they care about.
The last mission is how this world is. The biker who died from drowing after he saved that womans child. She could've saved him but she chose not to & just ran off with her baby. The girl who got killed by her stalker & the 2 killers. The old man believed that everyone needed guidance in life to become good but the kid with the blue hair wiped out almost everyone even his own partner. Just shows how gritty it is.
Gantz is perfect!
botha-ruan14 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I really like gantz even though I didn't get the ending, but thats what I like about gantz the last episode leaves you hanging in the air not knowing what actually happened, I think it would be better if you watch it twice so you can get 'n better understanding of gantz, but in the end I know that it was an great plot and that it is directed very well! The question I still ask myself is what was the purpose of gantz (the black sphere) Gantz is an anime that lets you question the difference between life and death and you wonder what people see when the revers to life and death? So the question remains, what is life and death really?
The saw movies in anime form seriously
soloriamagic0818 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
If you have seen the Saw movies then you should know what I'm talking about. This anime is like the devils spawn of them. A group of people( dead people) are transported to a room in an abandoned apartment minutes after their deaths.In the room is a black ball with a person in it. This is Gantz, and he's a sadistic bastard.Cue the mind rapes and psychological trauma among other things. You have just walked into hell trust me. You can return back to the real world but there's a catch. Gantz likes to play, and the game he likes to play can cost you your life. The game is simple. It's seek and destroy. If you're alive after the time limit is up you get to go home fully restored. You die you stay dead.
However, your life belongs to Gantz and he can, and will, call you back to the game whenever he feels like it.Oh yea gantz doesn't explain the rules to you. On purpose. If you break his rules, that he doesn't tell you about in the first place, then let's just say seeing you in any more episodes becomes slim(er).
What exactly is Gantz, and w.t.f. does he want no ones knows. The anime never explains it and I'm not sure if the manga does either.This anime is full of nudity, sex, violence, and gore. Oh god the violence and gore. It's definitely M or even AO material.
Pros- Everybody can die and god damn they can die horribly. No one has plot armor. If you are transported into Gantz's game, no matter if you have main character stamped to you, you can die as easily as everybody else. I like this because it's realistic. No one likes an immune hero. Its gets boring when you know no matter how many limbs, and blood they lose they will survive over and over. Looks at you Bleach.However, the one bad thing about this is it's easy to get attached to the characters, well some of them anyway, but since everybody can die it's a good chance you'll not be seeing them alive for much longer.
Dialouge- Most of it was so good. So realistic. I laughed at quite a few bits even in a sadistic, dark anime like this. However, there were some bad nuggets.
Visuals- the people looked real. You can actually imagine them in everyday life.
Voice acting- I don't see why a lot of people hated the voice acting. I quite liked it. The voices for each character suited them.
Music- creepy and fits the scenes. Love the intro music.
Cons- This anime is not particular nice to female characters. The main character is likable in a jerkass with a heart of gold kinda way, and I use the heart of gold part lightly. However, he is sex crazy.EVERYTHING regarding sex in this anime is a direct result of his antics.I know its part of his personalty, and him being male unfortunately, but they could have toned it down a bit.
The to dumb to live idiot ball gets passed around a lot.Characters take their sweet time trying to kill the things that are trying to kill them. I understand being passive but this is going overboard. Way to much naive idealistic talking goes on as well.What makes the idiot ball even more profound is that gantz, the sadistic chess-master, sends them to kill things that weren't bothering anyone in the first place.So if they had just left well enough along until time ran out then well what might have been...
Gantz cheats. A lot. To the point that even getting half of the people to come back alive is nearly impossible.
However, your life belongs to Gantz and he can, and will, call you back to the game whenever he feels like it.Oh yea gantz doesn't explain the rules to you. On purpose. If you break his rules, that he doesn't tell you about in the first place, then let's just say seeing you in any more episodes becomes slim(er).
What exactly is Gantz, and w.t.f. does he want no ones knows. The anime never explains it and I'm not sure if the manga does either.This anime is full of nudity, sex, violence, and gore. Oh god the violence and gore. It's definitely M or even AO material.
Pros- Everybody can die and god damn they can die horribly. No one has plot armor. If you are transported into Gantz's game, no matter if you have main character stamped to you, you can die as easily as everybody else. I like this because it's realistic. No one likes an immune hero. Its gets boring when you know no matter how many limbs, and blood they lose they will survive over and over. Looks at you Bleach.However, the one bad thing about this is it's easy to get attached to the characters, well some of them anyway, but since everybody can die it's a good chance you'll not be seeing them alive for much longer.
Dialouge- Most of it was so good. So realistic. I laughed at quite a few bits even in a sadistic, dark anime like this. However, there were some bad nuggets.
Visuals- the people looked real. You can actually imagine them in everyday life.
Voice acting- I don't see why a lot of people hated the voice acting. I quite liked it. The voices for each character suited them.
Music- creepy and fits the scenes. Love the intro music.
Cons- This anime is not particular nice to female characters. The main character is likable in a jerkass with a heart of gold kinda way, and I use the heart of gold part lightly. However, he is sex crazy.EVERYTHING regarding sex in this anime is a direct result of his antics.I know its part of his personalty, and him being male unfortunately, but they could have toned it down a bit.
The to dumb to live idiot ball gets passed around a lot.Characters take their sweet time trying to kill the things that are trying to kill them. I understand being passive but this is going overboard. Way to much naive idealistic talking goes on as well.What makes the idiot ball even more profound is that gantz, the sadistic chess-master, sends them to kill things that weren't bothering anyone in the first place.So if they had just left well enough along until time ran out then well what might have been...
Gantz cheats. A lot. To the point that even getting half of the people to come back alive is nearly impossible.
Interesting premise, but overrated.
taemujin27 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Average rating 7-8? Just proves most anime watchers are just closet perverts who are obsessed with Japanese culture.
I enjoyed the first and last episode, but everything in between was bland and actually pretty terrible.
Throughout the entire anime, I was wondering, "WHY DON'T THEY JUST SHOOT THE DAMN ALIENS?" They are teleported to some surreal purgatory like place and see people close to them dying left and right in horrible ways (getting torn apart, mauled, etc.), yet they sit there just to get killed time and time again. It seems that the creator is an egotistical pervert who thinks society is corrupt and tries to make a point that people will go above and beyond themselves to save people they don't even know. He/she completely ignores the fact that natural human instinct is for survival. Saint-like people do in fact exist in this world, but you would never see so many in such a small group of people. Perhaps the creator says that is how he would act... please. I will say it again, the creator is a self righteous/egotistical pervert who created this anime to indulge his own alien like fantasies.
Sorry, but this anime is terribly overrated and a waste of time. If you are some pervert who enjoys hentai, gore, and the like then please watch this and give it another 7-8 rating. However, if you actually enjoy a story that was well thought out (meaning LESS PLOT FAILURES and actually acknowledging human nature) then just skip it. The only reason I give it a 3 rating is because the artistry was pretty good.
I enjoyed the first and last episode, but everything in between was bland and actually pretty terrible.
Throughout the entire anime, I was wondering, "WHY DON'T THEY JUST SHOOT THE DAMN ALIENS?" They are teleported to some surreal purgatory like place and see people close to them dying left and right in horrible ways (getting torn apart, mauled, etc.), yet they sit there just to get killed time and time again. It seems that the creator is an egotistical pervert who thinks society is corrupt and tries to make a point that people will go above and beyond themselves to save people they don't even know. He/she completely ignores the fact that natural human instinct is for survival. Saint-like people do in fact exist in this world, but you would never see so many in such a small group of people. Perhaps the creator says that is how he would act... please. I will say it again, the creator is a self righteous/egotistical pervert who created this anime to indulge his own alien like fantasies.
Sorry, but this anime is terribly overrated and a waste of time. If you are some pervert who enjoys hentai, gore, and the like then please watch this and give it another 7-8 rating. However, if you actually enjoy a story that was well thought out (meaning LESS PLOT FAILURES and actually acknowledging human nature) then just skip it. The only reason I give it a 3 rating is because the artistry was pretty good.
It's fantastic, but had potential to be up with the greats.
Calscapes20 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Gantz, a wonderful anime which uncovers new great places in Horror and Sci-Fi to thrive in respectively. I highly recommend you watch it, or rather read the Japanese book version, too get your own personal feel of it. I say this because I imagine everyone will get a TOTALLY different view of this. Why? Because it's based mostly on 'morality' and how long can you cope before you smash your TV. I found myself getting so angry because of all the standing around. What could have been a solid 10/10 or at least 9.5/10, is wasted on the anime not (to put it simply) cutting the sh*t. A lot of the episodes feel like around 50% filler to reveal certain information like the targets, deaths, dangers etc. I felt like putting all the episodes into some program and cutting them down so it would redeem itself. The slow nature of Gantz does occasionally suit its storyline, for example; to raise tension, to raise panic, and to calm the storm. But most of the time, it's agonising. Don't let this give you the impression that it's a badly put together anime, that just is it's weak point. The characters are spot on, although some are annoying they are thankfully minor characters who die quickly. Kei and Kato are from the get go, believable and great characters, showing a full range of problems and individual characterisation. Kei's obsession with large breasts adds a realistic touch to the anime but not so much that it is the main focus, showing that he IS a real human being, even after seemingly getting his head ripped off. Kato's caring nature and violent out-spurts show the struggle to try and keep control over everything precious to him. Another problem I found with Gantz was that it partially felt like it didn't care for it's viewers too much. Nishi, was an interesting rival (or so I think) and character to manipulate and carry the story along. But the anime seems to be like bad side of 'Game of Thrones', they killed off nearly all of the likable or interesting characters early on, almost to the point of me not caring who lives or dies. Again, don't get me wrong Gantz's story and setting is unique, how people can be so harsh and oblivious, it raises many philosophical questions, such as; 'Kill or be killed', that other anime's or Japanese book version's are afraid to stutter. The dark and gritty side to Gantz is arguably the greatest parts, and at times it failed to recognise that the focus is not so much paranoia but the 'thrilling' atmosphere, that no one knows about. I could sing it's praises all day, but it just misses occasionally. Especially the ending which turned into Gantz realising it's number of episodes was running out and rushing everything, to the point where Gantz killed itself. So, if it weren't for the grey alien inside the Gantz awakening, this would be most definitely a solid 9/10 with a bit more correcting. But otherwise, 8/10.
Mixed anime weirdness
smellthecult-com-11 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
A strange one this, which is confusing right from the start in terms of plot. It all feels a little disjointed, with conversations seeming to start half way through, and finish just as abruptly.
The plot, as far as I can figure it out, is this: Certain people, for various reasons, die before their time. When this happens, some of them are selected and transported to a room with a bunch of other pickees. After hanging around in the room for a while, bewildered, a huge black ball appears. At this point, one of the gathered instructs them that they have to don a suit which is imbued with special powers, and go off to fight an alien(!) Thing is, they have no choice about fighting the alien, as they are transported automatically at a given point in time, at which moment the huge black ball starts counting down an hour - the time they have to dispatch the alien menace.
It's all rather odd, none of the characters are likable in any way with no redeeming features, and it also has possibly the worst title music of any show I have ever heard - a hideous Japanese interpretation of 'jungle' - yet it is strangely compelling, and will keep you watching until the end.
Far from the best anime out there, but still intriguing enough to recommend.
The plot, as far as I can figure it out, is this: Certain people, for various reasons, die before their time. When this happens, some of them are selected and transported to a room with a bunch of other pickees. After hanging around in the room for a while, bewildered, a huge black ball appears. At this point, one of the gathered instructs them that they have to don a suit which is imbued with special powers, and go off to fight an alien(!) Thing is, they have no choice about fighting the alien, as they are transported automatically at a given point in time, at which moment the huge black ball starts counting down an hour - the time they have to dispatch the alien menace.
It's all rather odd, none of the characters are likable in any way with no redeeming features, and it also has possibly the worst title music of any show I have ever heard - a hideous Japanese interpretation of 'jungle' - yet it is strangely compelling, and will keep you watching until the end.
Far from the best anime out there, but still intriguing enough to recommend.
prepare for letdown
enkephalin078 October 2011
When you wind up dramatic tension in a scene, it has to pay off, in either action or plot revelation. But it's possible to spend so long on the wind-up that no pay-off will be worth it, and all your get for the effort is viewer apathy. This series does this a lot.
Every action is preceded with 5 minutes of internalizing the obvious, and followed with 5 minutes of predictable reaction. It's as if this was written to be accessible an audience too dense to grasp a situation within the first 30 frames -- an audience not mature enough for this level of graphic violence and sex in the first place.
The illustration and sound were very fine, but not enough to make this less grueling to watch. But if you happen to be studying Japanese, this is pretty basic material to listen to, so it won't be a complete waste of your time. The characters aren't much for observation, or any thought that isn't self-involved and too rudimentary for the capacity for real self-consciousness.
However, if you wanted to watch a pack of animal-order personalities get horribly mutilated -- no, forget that, they still don't die quick enough to sustain interest.
Every action is preceded with 5 minutes of internalizing the obvious, and followed with 5 minutes of predictable reaction. It's as if this was written to be accessible an audience too dense to grasp a situation within the first 30 frames -- an audience not mature enough for this level of graphic violence and sex in the first place.
The illustration and sound were very fine, but not enough to make this less grueling to watch. But if you happen to be studying Japanese, this is pretty basic material to listen to, so it won't be a complete waste of your time. The characters aren't much for observation, or any thought that isn't self-involved and too rudimentary for the capacity for real self-consciousness.
However, if you wanted to watch a pack of animal-order personalities get horribly mutilated -- no, forget that, they still don't die quick enough to sustain interest.
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