Gantz-
Volume 3
(MVM Region 2 PAL DVD)
(2005)
review by Blackgloves

"Gantz" is my current, number one anime guilty pleasure; the full uncut version (not shown on Japanese television for reasons that soon become apparent, but featured in its entirety on these DVD volumes) is one of the most outrageous, sexually explicit and blood-soaked television anime serials ever conceived. But these uncompromising X-rated elements are only the cherry on top -- for "Gantz" is also one of the best designed and best executed series currently doing the rounds on UK DVD. This particular volume, save for one unbelievable sequence early on in the first episode, is mostly sans the soft-porn fantasies of the previous four episodes, but fully delivers its quota of bizarre, nightmare fantasy action scenes as our protagonists are forced to fight for their lives in the second round of Gantz's utterly mystifying live video game.

Our three 'heroes' from the previous episodes (tall, dark and handsome Masaru Kato; large-breasted pink haired cutie Kei Kishimoto; and sex-starved, breast-obsessed teen Kei Kurono) are once-more teleported to the vacant apartment where resides the imponderable black sphere known as Gantz. This time they are joined by a ragbag assembly of fresh meat -- all either killed in a motorway pile-up or a vicious gang fight earlier that night -- who have been added to take part in the killer game. Are they really dead? It seems that they are identical copies of their dead counterparts, "faxed" to Gantz's deceptively normal-looking abode at the precise moment of that counterparts death! What's it all for? The nature of Gantz remains a mystery; all that our three heroes know (and the new members will soon find out) is that they must don the skin-tight black power-suits and the compliment of tracking devices and weaponry provided by their spherical captor, and enter the dark Tokyo streets (they will be invisible to everyone else for as long as the game is in progress) where they must seek out and destroy one of a series of species of alien creature designated with special powers -- before that creature destroys them!

Kato, Kurono and Kishimoto are not the only survivors from previous rounds; they are joined by the cynical Nishi -- a veteran of the game who selfishly refuses to help the newcomers in the knowledge that the less they know, the better his chances of continued survival! The new players in this round make a motley collection: a dotting grandma and her infant Grandson; a teen mag idol; a strange, mute girl who looks like "that chick from "The Ring""; a gang of lunk-headed bikers and their mysterious leader; and ... a dog!

The dogs only contribution to this volume is a memorable one though: in what must be one of the most outrageous sequences ever devised for TV anime, said dog bounds up to the buxom Kishimoto and, while her arms are caught-up from struggling to get in to her skin-tight power-suit, thrusts its head between the now buck-naked girl's legs and begins merrily lapping at her genitals!

Gantz issues the bewildered new bunch of pawns the details of their next opponent: The Suzuki Alien appears to be a robotic humanoid with a fixed grin on its face; dressed in ugly, powder blue slacks and green jumper! Not much of an opponent on the face of things, but Gantz's information tends to be deceptive if previous rounds are any indication. However, the bullish biker gang find it hard to come to terms with their new situation and might prove as much of a challenge as the odd-looking alien -- first of all sexually menacing young Kishimoto (as if she hadn't enough to deal with!) and then threatening Nishi, whose blunt manner doesn't go down to well!

With one gruesome fatality among the group before they have even been transported to the site of their coming battle, Gantz issues its final message: "Please go eliminate this target now, you bastards!" With that, they find themselves standing on a deserted level crossing in Tokyo City. The coming episodes will see the players battle for their lives against what proves to be an even stranger, disturbing enemy than they could have ever imagined. The Suzuki Alien uses a sonic voice to burst eyeballs and eardrums and its geeky robot persona turns out to be (literally) just an outer-shell for something even creepier and weirder -- like something out of an early surrealist painting! Meanwhile, those who try to escape the site of the battle end up having their heads exploded in a Scanners-style shower of gore and brain matter (with its bursting eyeballs and exploding heads, this proves to be a very Scanners-influenced instalment)! In-between skirmishes with their new enemy, the group hold prolonged discussions on the nature of morality and responsibility when trying to decide if Nishi should be helped after he is corned by the lethal alien... And will Kurono survive without his power suit?

Not much sex in this Volume but plenty of full-on gore and violence -- with that same off-key atmosphere and exceptional animation we've seen in previous episodes. Once again, all fans of original anime need to see this series.