Gantz

After reading this manga, I felt compelled to write something. This isn't your typical review; I'm just letting my thoughts flow freely.

Many people claim that Gantz is a masterpiece, while others dismiss it entirely. I don't fully understand either side. Some parts seemed excessively long, while others had me on the edge of my seat.

The first thing I want to say is: Hiroya Oku... what the heck, you're crazy. What an incredible idea you stumbled upon. The story might be somewhat conventional, but the execution was flawless. Hats off to you.

Secondly, some battles are waaaay too long, man. If you're looking for fast-paced action with nothing but killing and Rambo-style fights, this manga isn't for you. I enjoyed many of the battles, but there's definitely filler masquerading as fighting.

Last but not least, the panel from page 4, chapter 337 is a piece of art. It's solid gold, and the entire manga is intense, but that particular panel stands out. 10/10

That's all, chao pescao

Okay, so this is my first review on MAL, and if I make any mistakes, I apologize in advance. Gantz was the manga that got me into the genre a few months ago. Initially, I wasn't planning to read it, but I decided to give it a try, and I was NOT disappointed. Once I started reading, I just couldn't stop! :) I'll do my best to write an unbiased review.

Story - 8
The story of Gantz is above average, combining mature themes with sci-fi, action, adventure, and a touch of mystery. There were a few plot holes towards the end of the series, but overall, it was pretty good, at least in my opinion.

Art - 9
The art is quite good for its time in the early 2000s. For some reason, the first two-thirds of the series have excellent art, but there's a short period where it slightly declines before bouncing back for the finale.

Characters - 8
I personally liked most of the characters, though there were a few I absolutely despised, and others about whom I had mixed feelings. One of them was Kei, the main character of Gantz. In the first chapter, he comes off as a rude teenager, but his reputation improves over time. Another character worth mentioning is Tae. Without giving away spoilers, her actions and influence on some of Kei's decisions made me strongly dislike her. I prefer every other female character over her.

Enjoyment - 9
This is a really enjoyable series that was well worth my time. The action scenes kept me on the edge of my seat, the suspense had me biting my nails, and the deaths genuinely saddened me.

Overall - 9
Overall, this series gets an 8.5 from me, but I rounded it up to a 9. If you're thinking about reading the series, please do!

Thank you.

Gantz Review

Story (8/10) Very Good

After reading the entirety of the manga story that is Gantz and gaining an initial understanding of everything the mangaka aimed to portray, I believe Hiroya Oku did a very good job crafting this tale. Sure, there are numerous elements I could nitpick, critique, and dislike about what transpired in the story of Gantz. Nonetheless, considering all its flaws, it came together remarkably well by the end.

Art (9/10) Great

More Specifically (9.75/10) Great+

Like many manga artists out there, his art skills surpass his storytelling abilities—not to diminish his storytelling prowess as I still consider Hiroya Oku a very good storyteller. However, no one would disagree with me when I say his skill in drawing environments, alien species, weapons, armor, mechs, and especially naked women is impressive and easily the most outstanding aspect of Gantz.

Characters (6/10) Fair

Moving from the strongest aspect of his manga to what I perceive as the weakest—the characters. Explaining my frustration, hatred, dislike, and overall negative opinions about every character that bothered me during the manga would take forever. The only character I found remotely tolerable by the end was Tae Kojima. It was agonizing to read some characters' actions and decisions. They aren't entirely terrible since some undergo minor character development that makes them slightly more bearable. Still, the majority do not, making this easily the weakest part of Gantz.

Enjoyment (9/10) Great

More Specifically (9.25/10) Great

I'd say my enjoyment of this manga was great. Even with the countless plot holes and borderline painfully unlikable characters readers must follow, it never reached the point of being boring or unreadable—at least for me.

Overall (8/10) Very Good

More Specifically (8.25/10) Very Good

I've heard a lot about Gantz. My cousin held it in high regard, having read much more than I have. He also reads many manga I recommend, so when it was his turn, he recommended Gantz first. When discussing gore-filled series, Berserk usually comes to mind first, but Gantz wouldn't be far behind. I wouldn't be surprised if Hiroya Oku drew significant inspiration from Berserk, and I bet he wouldn’t deny it if asked. Speaking of inspiration, he wasn’t shy about mentioning other manga series within his own work. I watched Inuyashiki before reading or watching anything Gantz-related, and he did it there too. Some series he paid homage to include Fist of the North Star, One Piece, and several characters mentioning Gundam—which I found cool since I’m a fan of those series, especially Gundam. Overall, I found this manga to be a very good read. While I wish I could give it a higher rating, the objective side of me couldn't overlook its flaws. But I’ll be damned if anyone told me this wasn’t a very good read (if they’ve read the whole thing), because I’d be the first to disagree. It is indeed a very good read and manga.

Gantz is kind of awesome, but in a weird way. A really weird way. Not "weird" because of any kind of originality, but because of how it manages to be awesome. The plot is extremely lazy with blatant holes throughout. It's mostly about the overblown/unrealistic action, and holy mother of god, is it overblown/unrealistic. Ammo clips are infinite when actual guns are used. The masses are weak, brainless, and easily influenced cannon fodder, to an absurdly exaggerated degree. "The masses," of course, including just about all side characters. In the world of Gantz, gangsters hang out in toilet stalls and collect people's teeth like baseball cards.

Characters lose limbs and just joke about it without bleeding to death. At one point, the crew fights off an army of massive evil Buddha statues. No societal or theological commentary there, just shits and giggles. This was clearly the product of a creative mind, at least at the outset, but a lazy one as well. It falls apart towards the end, it's full of terminated sub-plots and forgotten characters, and it constantly re-writes its own rules. So why was it not bad? Well, it is self-aware to an almost hilarious degree. Okay, it is absolutely to a hilarious degree. I can't imagine Oku (the mangaka) wrote this stuff with a straight face. The aliens are often ridiculously comedic in their odd design, although they got less so as the series went on. They have zero personality besides some funny quirks and rage buttons.

Gantz plays with the idea of "hey, what if they're just misunderstood," and then, for the most part, tosses that idea out of the window along with all possible ambiguous morality or subtlety. Gantz first dons a façade of depth via things such as cynicism and death, but it acknowledges this and subverts it over time as if its playing a joke on you. This is actually enjoyable if you have the right attitude and observe it like you would an Ed Wood film or something of that ilk. The amount of tropes it ultimately evokes may be record-setting, and this is, in a way, impressive in and of itself.

Terminated subplots are probably the biggest issue. At one point vampires are introduced. They are never explained, their exact abilities and motives are unclear, they just look like humans, and their whole diabolical vampire organization is forgotten. At one point psychics are introduced. Their abilities are never explained and the limits vary, the origin unclear. Things in this same vein happen again and again throughout the manga. That said, it's somehow a bit refreshing to have a poorly written series that just does not give a fuck about silly little things like "plot," if only in that it harbors no illusion as to its quality and just focuses on delivering good action and fanservice instead. The series is actually near-pure fanservice, in one way or another. At a certain point, if the plot gets bad enough, the author would be better off just not trying anymore. Gantz knows this. It knows where to focus its energy and how to play to its strengths. I wish manga like Bleach were more like that.

Hilariously enough, the attitude the mangaka had while writing this manga epitomizes the nihilistic themes surrounding it far better than anything within the work itself. Unfortunately, the action is marred by inconsistency. Really, the entire manga is, but I think we've established that. The way the weapons and suits work changes inexplicably from chapter to chapter. Hell, even the way Gantz beams people in varies, in more ways than one. Not to mention all of the rules and limits. As the combat lacks proper consistency, it consequently lacks proper tension. It can be pretty entertaining, like some cheap Hollywood popcorn blockbuster, but it doesn't offer much in the way of substance or emotion. Tension is further reduced as more plot points are introduced that make fatal injuries and even death negligible. There is the whole "what if the world is destroyed" thing, but the general populace in Gantz is so stupid that you kind of like it when they die.

The characters are all either one dimensional or they ended up having development that was completely contrary to everything we had learned about them previously. They sometimes work as semi-clunky plot devices, but they are hit or miss overall. Any development they experience is to serve the plot, contrived, and spontaneous. They all invoke the "parents do not exist" trope to some extent, because Oku considered the prospect of writing more characters and was all like "dude, fuck work" and then I imagine he smoked a joint or two and had a marathon Idolm@ster watching session with Kentaro Miura and Yoshihiro Togashi. That said, a lot of the characters do manage to be entertaining, and, due to the high body count, only a few of them overstay their welcome. The few that do, I want to stab, but I also get some kind of masochistic pleasure out of watching them succeed and I imagine Oku bestowed plot armor upon them for this very purpose.

The art is, surprise, surprise: inconsistent. Some faces are far too similar, or just generally not well drawn. Early on especially, they often looked really wonky. Landscapes are usually lackluster in terms of scope, and creativity during battle. I remember in a scene that took place in Italy the art was just chaotically beautiful, and repulsive simultaneously; the atmosphere was incredibly unique as well and I found myself wishing it was like that all the time, but alas, it was not. The different settings were usually not disparate enough, atmospherically. The aliens are mostly creative and detailed, with some exceptions, such as the entire final arc. The action is sometimes a bit hard to follow, but is generally fluid and well executed from panel to panel. The fanservice was generally alright, albeit forced as all hell, but I found myself thinking that Oku believes all titties are identical and are all the size of basketballs. I was gonna fly out to Nippon with my porno collection to teach a nigga about the vast spectrum of areolas and give him a tit diversity tolerance course and shit, but he eventually learned the concept of "DFC" and I was reasonably satisfied.

The rushed ending and drawn-out final arc is where Gantz went completely wrong. Expect to hear a lot of name-yelling by tragically separated lovers, expect the concentration of plot armor to reach unprecedented levels, expect one of the least subtle manga ever to get even less subtle, and expect to watch the only truly interesting character in the series turn into an annoying and generic Hollywood hero. Every single character morphed into a complete cliché, for that matter; even if they were somewhat cliché before, they still had some individuality. In the end, there isn't a single compelling character.

If you want answered questions, then this is not the place to go. The plot points that were resolved (most were not) were all resolved with a ridiculously random deus ex machina evoking the age-old maxims of "it was [more] aliens" and "don't read too much into it." The ending itself is not only a complete shift from everything that came before in the manga, it is completely devoid of all logic to an extent that I had never seen before this manga. Trust me, no exaggeration, wait until you read it.

If you want mindless—and I do mean mindless—action, then you're in luck, because that's all Gantz really delivers on. That said, it delivers on this somewhat well and with a sense of humor. It is actually at its best when it's overblown, unrealistic, exploitative, and absurd. If you go into it knowing what to expect then you should end up enjoying it somewhat. I have to admit, the only other manga this length that I have reread as many times is probably One Piece. The final arc and horrendous ending drag the final product down pretty significantly, but it's still not bad.

Additional comments: I said "Hollywood" three times in this review, but don't get me wrong, it isn't really like any Hollywood film. There are just some similarities in the intent.

Gantz is a story that keeps you hooked from start to finish, yet it's also frustratingly flawed. It manages to maintain your interest throughout, but not because of a compelling plot or well-developed characters. Instead, it relies on constantly shifting and intriguing plot points that are frequently introduced and then abandoned just as quickly. The narrative hints at deeper concepts and meanings, but these are seldom explored satisfactorily. The manga boasts high-quality artwork and an abundance of lazy "fan service." Some spoilers ahead:

In Gantz, upon dying, certain individuals find themselves in a special room where they are tasked with hunting aliens to earn points for revival. Initially presented as a straightforward death game manga, Gantz deserves credit for being one of the pioneers of this concept. While the mission structure can be formulaic, the creativity in alien designs and action sequences keeps things fresh. Due to this setup, characters are continuously introduced and killed off, but few are well-written. At best, their deaths serve as shock value; at worst, they can feel comical. The main character, Kei, receives some decent character development, and perhaps three or four other male characters have some notable writing, but the rest are quite one-dimensional, including all the female characters.

The first female lead, 15-year-old Kishimoto, was transported to the room after attempting suicide, only to discover she had actually survived, and the one transported is essentially a clone of her original body. So now there are two of her walking around. Do we get to explore the mental state of a suicidal teenager who returns as a fake copy of herself? No, but we do see her naked body a lot, and she experiences sexual harassment and assault, including by Kei. Then there’s an adult woman who falls in love with our 15-year-old hero after a single night. Next comes Reika, whose primary role is to provide fan service as a sexy, popular girl chasing the main character, allowing the author to draw the same busty girl naked for chapter covers. Tae, who ends up with the protagonist in the end, is perhaps the only female character approaching having a personality, but beyond being shy, socially awkward, fond of drawing, and in love with Kei, there isn't much more to her. Tonkotsu gets some brief but interesting moments, so if you combine all the female characters, you might extract a single personality out of them, but most of their characterization boils down to which male character they fall in love with over a couple of hours.

The fan service isn’t limited to the treatment and depiction of women but extends to the main character as well. While he does receive some decent development, a large part of his characterization revolves around the "loser in real life becomes a super cool guy saving the world and getting the girls" wish fulfillment trope. Because of all the fan service, it often feels like you're reading the author’s self-insert wish-fulfillment fantasy and thinly veiled fetishes instead of a carefully crafted plot.

Speaking of the plot, many elements are either dropped entirely or explored superficially. The whole cloning/copy element remains unexplored, even when Kei himself gets a copy made of him, since it’s merely there for fan service, allowing him to be with both his modest high school girlfriend and the sexy, famous idol simultaneously. Vampires are introduced as adversaries working with the aliens, but their entire subplot is abandoned. Kei is shown cheating on Tae by going on a date with Reika, but her memories of that event are erased, and the conflict is never resolved. At the end, characters get to ask godlike entities about the nature of the world and humanity, and while these moments are treated as emotionally significant, the actual revelations are fairly surface-level, akin to teenage shower thoughts.

The aspect Gantz excels at is its visual presentation, though it has its issues too. Character designs are quite good, with occasional instances of same-face syndrome, but that’s not a major problem most of the time. The alien/monster designs are outstanding, and the author demonstrates a great talent for drawing unsettling, creepy, and outright scary expressions on them—so much so that I’d read a completely horror-focused manga by him, if he ever created one, despite finding Gantz itself lacking. The backgrounds are reportedly created in 3D first, with characters placed into them before the drawings are completed. This creates a unique environmental atmosphere that I haven’t seen in any other manga. It works well most of the time, but there are instances where it’s hard to make out what’s happening, especially with characters wearing black clothes against darker, more shaded backgrounds. The action sequences can also be difficult to follow, with motions and impacts feeling somewhat clunky.

Despite its numerous flaws, Gantz manages to keep you reading through to the end. Perhaps it’s the hope that just one of the intriguing questions posed will finally be answered, or maybe it’s simply due to the sheer absurdity of it all, which did make me laugh out loud, particularly in the first half. It’s not a story with a great plot, characters, or themes, but if you can turn off your brain and indulge in the fan service, you’ll probably enjoy it. People who think gore, violence, nudity, sex, and shallow questions about the nature of humanity are profound on their own, without the need for good writing to expand upon them, will likely appreciate it a lot. Therefore, I believe Gantz will continue to be a relatively popular work, despite everything.

[Spoiler Free]

Notes: My grading criteria differ slightly from others because my average score is 7 instead of 5, so take it with a grain of salt.

This is the first review I've ever written, and please forgive my poor grammar. So, just now, I binged the entire Gantz manga, and wow, my mind is really in a mess.

First of all, the plot or story of Gantz can be summed up in one word: "Mediocre." The premise of the manga is genuinely interesting, and the initial parts are very well executed. It's a thriller and action story that goes the extra mile to make it better. However, it progressively worsens as the story continues, with more plot holes becoming apparent but still somewhat enjoyable at best. Nevertheless, I feel many story elements are wasted. The final arc utterly fails with a rushed storyline and numerous plot holes raining down. Many potentials are squandered, leaving much unexplained. Don't get me started on the ending, which felt like a joke to the reader. Another complaint I have concerns the plot armor, which is ridiculously over-the-top for some characters, making Mission Impossible look like child's play.

Secondly, the characters are bland and forgettable except for a few. They are mostly generic, and their designs don't do them much justice either, combined with some bad decision-making. One thing I want to criticize is how female characters are portrayed in the story. Personally, it's a mockery to almost any woman because they are written purely for fan service. Almost every girl seems to want to hook up with one of the main cast without any meaningful relationship development. Like, who would die for some random guy you barely know?

Lastly, the art is generally excellent most of the time, except for the CGI-like drawings that look really ugly. The monster designs are unique and can be haunting sometimes.

Conclusion: Gantz is worth reading if you have some spare time. The story is an enjoyable brainless type of story with added gore. Personally, I enjoyed it very much except for the last arc.

A sexually driven high school boy dies in a train accident and finds himself in a room with others and a large black sphere. Soon, he is thrust into a "game" where he and the others are tasked with killing aliens; whoever reaches 100 points gets to come back to life. Gantz is often misunderstood as a manga. It's not surprising, given its extensive content of nudity and gore. However, you shouldn't judge it too quickly. Honestly, I believe it shouldn't be judged solely on its intense content. Gantz is my personal favorite manga. It didn't just provide me with enjoyable reading time but also taught me many things—like moral values, psychological messages, and meanings. It certainly isn't an educational manga, but by the end, you learn a very important lesson. I won't reveal that lesson; go read the manga yourself and find out. The main character, Kei, starts off as a sort of pervert—a horny kid dreaming of losing his virginity—and he faces a lot of bullying. As the story progresses, Kei undergoes significant mental development, and the person he becomes by the end is, in my opinion, one of the finest examples of character growth in manga history. Readers also improve and develop similarly to Kei overall. Thus, it leaves a substantial impact on the reading community. The story is incredibly creative and follows an unpredictable plot—you truly can't guess what will happen next—which makes every chapter exciting and smooth. There aren't many dialogues; usually, the crucial part is the artwork in each chapter. This makes it easy to read and progress from chapter to chapter. The artwork is impressive at first and becomes incredible as it goes on. The designs of the aliens are unique and well-drawn. Throughout the manga, there are many scenes involving sex and violence, but in my view, they aren't overly disturbing if you're not sensitive to such content. Gantz is a true masterpiece. Please don't let those who despise it deter you. Read it. You won't regret it in the end.

I'm going to keep this brief and straightforward. Gantz is quite puzzling and confusing, as it doesn't make much sense until you progress through the story. Essentially, Gantz is a black sphere that selects individuals to fight for it. Since the series isn't complete, many questions remain unanswered. When characters die in the anime, they reappear in front of the black ball with an assignment to eliminate a specific alien or leader. They use futuristic motorcycles, swords, and unprecedented weapons. The manga's setting resembles a video game where killing monsters earns points; the ultimate goal is to accumulate 100 points. Failure results in losing all points or being killed. Kurono Kei, the protagonist, starts off selfish and disdainful but undergoes significant changes throughout the series due to intense experiences. This manga is thrilling, with an intense storyline that makes you want to keep reading all day. The artwork is fascinating and gory, incorporating various elements like love stories, action, and comedy. The only downside is some characters' illogical behavior. For instance, if someone appeared before you covered in blood with a knife, you wouldn't just stand there asking why they look murderous without trying to escape. Some characters lack common sense. In conclusion, this manga offers much more than what is described here. I recommend reading a volume to see if it suits your taste. I give this manga a 10.

This is the classic basic-bitch Reddit bro Seinen manga.

It's overall horribly okay. If the characters were written better, it could be stunning.

Pros:

- The manga itself is very well drawn in terms of panel flow and action pacing.

- It is believable and reads easily where many action manga fail to do so properly.

- The amount of gore for the topic matter is a perfect balance to the plot.

- Some male characters and minor ones are believable in terms of what one would do in that scenario.

- It jumps into the story in a reasonable fashion and tells the story well throughout the manga.

- The "aliens" are unique in design, and the idea for the story is original.

- There's a dog. The dog is cute.

Cons:

- I'd like to introduce the author to some real-life women. He seems to have trouble conceptualizing them outside of stereotypes.

- Big-titted Rei Ayanami bootleg is a horrifically bland turbo-cuck. She's bland and excessively used as rape-bait in the story to the point where it's unnecessary, and the story screams "this was written by a dude."

- Whore Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider is also a character that had me roll my eyes. Guys who don't know women tend to write only three kinds: doormats, semen demons, excessively bitchy, or crazy.

- All these women in the story were poor rip-offs from other sexualized, poorly written female characters.

- The constant Yakuza guys are annoying. It's the same trope over and over. It's gross and tiring.

- The other characters are frustrating due to their lack of development and how they act outside the world. It feels too scripted in their "not in the alien fight" time for a manga that is supposed to keep you guessing... except for the dog. We love the dog.

Gantz

I watched the Gantz anime years ago and remembered liking it. After revisiting it, I was disappointed. Rarely have I encountered such poor execution, or so I thought.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I started reading the manga, finishing it in five days. Honestly, it entertained me more than expected, otherwise, I wouldn't have finished it so quickly.

The issue is, Gantz is only good for entertainment. A closer look reveals a lack of experience.

[Story - 5] The concept and plot of Gantz are appealing. As a viewer, you feel drawn to uncover the mystery behind the black ball and why people must fight aliens. This gets explained over time. However, Gantz poorly delivers its plot. The first 120 chapters are almost catastrophically written. Events, characters, their dialogues, and content were painful to read. From chapters 120-180, it became somewhat tolerable. Chapters 180-280 were very interesting and convincing. Everything after that was weak again but still better than the first 120 chapters.

The manga tries to compensate for lack of content with irrelevant shock scenarios like "brutal character deaths," which hold no weight. The author lacked understanding while writing. He constantly added new elements like "Alien Parasysts" (aka Vampires) and Esper superpowers without explanation. It reminded me of the "Godzilla vs Kong" movie. Things happened because the plot demanded them, lacking real background. Ironically, the protagonist's ignorance drove several developments. See the conflict between him and Izumi. All this occurred because the protagonist refused to act. Constant consequences moved the plot forward when they could have prevented it. But they didn't because the author wanted it that way.

The Finale Arc explored "cruelty and justice," showing how close they are. But this was overshadowed by the author's personal dislike for people. He repeatedly portrayed people as worse than they are, making many scenes almost funny.

[Drawings - 10] Here, I can't criticize. The author is a natural genius with proportions, representations, and surroundings. This is one of the best-drawn manga capturing atmosphere well.

[Characters - 3]

This is the worst area, by far. Without the satisfactory development of the protagonist, this manga would fail in terms of characters. Let's start with "Humans" who didn't participate in the Gantz games and knew nothing about aliens.

Their intelligence is alarmingly low. They're aggressive, rapists, and stand around stupidly filming while people die, corpses lie around, and buildings explode. They're written unrealistically. I don't need to mention the "propaganda scene" from the final arc. Anyone who has read it will understand. Ordinary people can't reason logically. On the other hand, NPCs in Skyrim and Sims seem intellectually superior.

Then there are those with better insight into what's happening and are part of the Gantz games.

Countless die due to a lack of real team communication. 99% are selfish, deaf beings deserving to take part in the games. Protagonists don't pass on information about "bombs." As a result, at least one person dies every round just because they leave the arena. Otherwise, they never plan and just stand around to show how dangerous the monsters are. And no, the monsters aren't dangerous (except for the last 3 arcs), yet someone keeps dying because the plot demands it.

If nobody dies, they stand around asking if they can shoot the aliens. The best example is the "Oni-Arc," where intelligence reached a certain low point. Half the group is butchered, and they ask if they can shoot the monsters. Whether to shoot now. Surprise, guess who's dying? This is even worse than the constantly tripping blondes in Hollywood horror films.

Now, the main characters, focusing on Chapter 180+ from the Final Team. Up to that moment, everyone changes constantly and lacks personality.

The Final Team is at least personable, and I liked them, even with little development and monotony. Their intelligence was higher than any other individual in the manga, increasing their plot armor, oops, chances of survival.

In the final arc, character development was pointless.

What's done with "female" characters is particularly interesting. Not only are they mostly available for fan service, showing breasts, nipples, and vagina. No, they also lack personality and fall in love after a character exchanges 2-3 sentences or saves them once. Then they want sex immediately. They're more sexually active than any rabbit I've known. This is the sole purpose of every female character. Except Tae, who can only say the protagonist's name and has plot armor dwarfing Fairy Tail.

Gantz is entertaining, yes, dull entertainment with an average plot. If you survive the absurdly bad writing style, you can read through the manga. But don't expect much from characters; it's a wasted effort.

Possibly with a more capable author, Gantz could have been a very good manga. Because the potential was undoubtedly there.

Gantz is a marvelous work that manages to be magical in its plot and drawings, making you dream and understand how vast human creativity can be. Despite being enchanting, Gantz is a sad story; it shows the rotten side of our current society, often prompting us to rethink our behaviors while completely stirring our emotions. I recommend Gantz to any art fan because, to me, this manga is nothing less than a masterpiece. The story captivates you from beginning to end, explaining why I finished all the chapters in less than a week. Hahaha. If you didn't like the anime, still give the Gantz manga a chance; I'm sure it will surprise you!

(Spoiler free)

My commentary focusing on the relationship between the leading male and main female protagonist:

In chapter 2, an event occurs that should deeply traumatize everyone involved. The unconscious, naked female lead is introduced. The male protagonist's immediate reaction is one of arousal. It is soon revealed that she has just attempted suicide. His sole response to this revelation is "This girl is hot!"

She is then dragged into a back room by a "bad" male side character who attempts to rape her without any apparent motive. This disturbing scene is depicted with only two panels showing the man unzipping his pants. Eventually, she is saved by a member of their group. This harrowing incident is never mentioned again, and the victim seems entirely unaffected. Despite the severe psychological trauma from her suicide attempt and the subsequent assault, the male protagonist continues to have objectifying, sleazy thoughts about her.

A few volumes later (these characters have barely spoken), she declares that she wants to be "his pet," but adds, "you shouldn't have sex with your pets." He eventually thinks, "I might as well just rape her." I've omitted many other glaring examples of rampant misogyny, delusion, and entitlement exhibited by the leading protagonist, whom we are arguably encouraged to identify with and support.

I fully support an individual's choice to read hyper-sexualized manga, but I argue that something like Gantz goes beyond the taboo boundaries of incest-corpse-rape Hentai (which probably exists). The writer doesn't seem to fetishize the emotional depravity; it's simply presented as an everyday occurrence that has no impact on the characters.

Read the first volume of Gantz to remind yourself of some of the most unintentionally immoral, depraved, unintelligent, and delusional themes that manga (as a medium) can offer.