DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
| Well?? is it me or Gantz just killed many people to give/teach Kei a BIG LIFELONG LESSON. My thoughts: 1. About my first comment, well if you look it that way...Gantz just disappeared after the whole story as if it was like "MY JOB IS DONE... NOW ON TO THE NEXT KID"... look at the granny, She was like "Thanking" kei the whole series as if like that granny/Gantz illusion wants to put that into kei's mind (just how like school works)...and the song that gantz always plays...as if it was teaching that there will always be tommorow.. no one gets it other than kei 2. I didn't expect that they would kill the dog....i thought it was like a running gag that the dog always survive no matter how many persons die XD 3. I'm still confused about kishimoto...Well the "Other" kishimoto is alive and kicking....i thought that if "the" kishimoto will die the other one will also die as well...so how the hell what happened 3.5 Gantz always kills the persons that i will think that is good couple for kei... :( XD 4. Overall. its a 9.....I'm kinda used to "read the manga if you want more" and because of Muroto's speech...well it's kinda true right? but as human beings..we have a choice to move forward XD |
     |
| the last few episodes of this anime were very annoying. 'shoot already!' thats what kept on coming in my mind, the characters were literally standing around when they were about to die instead of reacting. the start of the series was very good. the dialoguesand thinking of the people was very authentic. i think i will start reading the manga to justify this series. ive heard its better than the anime. |
 |
| Honestly, the ending to the anime could easily pick up from where the manga picks up. This was a filler arc, but it didn't have a dramatic or conclusive ending, Gantz could transport Kei back into the room alone (just like in the manga) and it'd easily be cannon and a smooth transition |
Arcade_fire87 said: Honestly, the ending to the anime could easily pick up from where the manga picks up. This was a filler arc, but it didn't have a dramatic or conclusive ending, Gantz could transport Kei back into the room alone (just like in the manga) and it'd easily be cannon and a smooth transition but the ending of it shows the black ball disappeared... |
 |
| Again, even if Gantz disappears, it can still be counted as a dream. Honestly, this ending is absolutely perfect. Those who don't like it are simply butthurt or just don't get it. This is a reflection on society and an individual's thoughts and roles. |
Jackster27 said: I found this series to be quite annoying. All I was thinking the entire series was "quit standing around and just f**king shoot already." Nothing ever got done. It was very aggravating it felt more like I had to watch than I wanted to. Dude, i felt the same thing. At first i was pissed about how stupid they all are, and i kept on watching just to see their ass gets kicked. I mean seriously all they did was, stand around as the monster approach them at 1/2 miles per hour then get killed some how. Most used dialog by order was Yelling each others name, ask what to do, telling every one don't shoot, telling every one to shoot. Most used action by order, staring contest, almost shooting and stand very still. Most annoying of all is that they don't understand that a gun is a ranged weapon. Although i like how their actions improved in the end of the anime and they were really cool, but i m still very annoyed by how stupid they were at the beginning. |
| Ok, ending aside, I really, really, REALLY, enjoyed this series. How often do characters die in anime? D.Gray-man was a huge dissapointment for me back then, because everyone was brought back to life with the wave of a hand. Blue Gender, however, was closer to the mark with characters dieing left and right. However, the two main characters were clearly untouchable, which is somewhat understandable. Finally, in this series, I was completely suprised when Masura and Kishimoto died. I don't mind the ending as it clearly is telling the viewers to "read the manga". It was a great watch, and I enjoyed the philisophical aspect of it all, the value of a human life on a individual and national scale, and also how the protagonist wasn't a total pussy and got shit done. |
| It feels like the producers had no idea how to end it and just stopped it right in the middle of the arc. D: |
 |
| Loved the ending. Saw this nearly seven years ago. Still remains as one of my favorite endings, alongside Last Exile and End of Evangelion. For those otherwise unaware, this is cerebral entertainment at its finest. This contains perhaps more philosophy and psychology than any other show I've seen. They emphasize Buddhist precepts and champion pacifism. It's a study on today's society and how through our disillusionment we come to embrace each other in the most incredibly personal ways. The ending managed to convince me that it's worth opening up to people if only for the relief you feel at having coming to share yourself with another: Kei Kurono and Mika Kanda (I'm amazed I still remember her name after all these years). It truly is timeless, at least for me. It remains to this day as one of my favorite anime of all time. Even after all these years, I still have yet to see anything better. Thanks for everything Itano. If only there were more brave souls such as yourself. |
| This last (filler) arc was rather crappy, I would've prefered if it was more like the Tae arc in the manga. Overall, 7/10. Would have probably gave it an 8, if it wasn't for the horrible ending. |
| Nice story, horrible ending. |
| Well it was good and interesting while it lasted but then again I was annoyed by the constant standing still/hesitation of the characters (as most of the posters here think so too) when aliens/moving statues are out to get them, I was screaming in my head "just shoot already fer cryin' out loud!". I guess the ending pretty much suggest everyone still interested to pick up the manga but I'm not really sure if I'll read the manga in the near future though. |
| You see there's no need to wonder where your god is, Coz he's right here! ...and he's fresh out of mercy. |
| A truly amazing series, but God what a lame ending. |
Mr. Wonsworth, you may NOT eat my scones! |
| Lately I've been let down by more than one Anime series it seems. I mean really your going to give us the finger on that one? Where does the Manga pick up at? I dont usually read them but this might be worth a glance, or soes anyone have a site that sort of just tosses out a summery of each chapter? After all it's been like 7 years since the anime ended and it still on going. |
| I wanna read the manga at the point where the anime just ended. Can anyone recommend which chapter of the manga I could begin to read to follow up the events of after the anime ending? I really like to know what happends. Thanks! |
Astara said: I wanna read the manga at the point where the anime just ended. Can anyone recommend which chapter of the manga I could begin to read to follow up the events of after the anime ending? I really like to know what happends. Thanks! Quite frankly. Chapter one. The anime was making changes from the second episode. It's totally worth it, and much more emotional to read from the very begining. Hyunato said: I don't get the train part, let alone BANG... Anyone? Gonzo had just finished watching Cowboy Bebop. MRLX69 said: I watched this despite the low ranking (I usually go for the 8.0+) and I was very, very pleased initially. I really wanted something to happen on the romance side tho.... but what the hell is up with that ending. It's even more screwed up than Berserk.... Actually, Berserk is freakier.... Funny you should mention Berserk.... It's an example of HOW to stick to the manga. |
Astara said: I wanna read the manga at the point where the anime just ended. Can anyone recommend which chapter of the manga I could begin to read to follow up the events of after the anime ending? I really like to know what happends. Thanks! Chapter 91 in the manga is where the anime left off, excluding the anime filler[Episode 22+]. |
| Last 3-4 Episodes failed epicly |
| That was an ending? Huh. Guess someone need to 'redefine' the word ending. Good thing i've read the manga earlier then. |
'Everything is impossible until proven possible.' - Me |
| The ending sucked, to be honest, but the series was great. The only complaint I have was how Oh, the ending is *THAT* much worse now that I've read the manga up to chapter 357. They should've kept it true to the manga, goddammit. They would've been able to make more seasons, and they would've been awesome. |
Wicked_GloryFeb 27, 2012 9:17 AM
| Lemme smang it girl. |
| Lots of talking in this episode, as well as an unsatisfying ending, so I would say a 2.5 or 3 out of 5. As for the series, I think having Katou and Kishimoto and the others die was surprising and unexpected, but most of the series went by really slow, with lots of talking and meaningless scenes. The ending is very disappointing.. 5 or 6 out of 10. |
 |
| I wrote this over in the other Gantz forum (1st Stage, about the ending in answer to some of their questions), but I also thought it would come in handy here as this would be the first place I'd think to browse for discussions: For all those acting like the ending was rushed or made up, I point to the very first episode of the anime. The director had this planned since the very beginning. He just didn't want to tell anyone until a ways in. He also left massive hints. People in the fourth and final game of the anime are there on day one with Kei at the station, watching him try and help the drunk guy up with Kato. The fourth game, while made up (I like to use the term original when compared to the manga), is quite honestly the best of the bunch. There are a lot of themes running around throughout the show: philosophy, psychology, sociology (good versus evil, objectivity versus relativity, nature versus nurture, the unconscious versus conscious mind, nihilism versus existential enlightenment, apathy versus empathy, isolation versus inner-connectedness) -- most of which, believe it or not, were answered in the final scene. So it's not this vague sort of ending like some are making it out to be. Throughout the series, Gantz looks down on humanity, and during the first couple episodes we can see why. A completely nihilistic atmosphere is used to convey the characters' attitudes and emotions, with the sole exception of Kato. We are brought into their lives during their final moments. In the beginning we can hear everyone's thoughts. This again was used to portray the nihilistic attitudes of our current generation, but in addition to that it served as the opening argument to the idea of independent thought and inner-connectedness. While the beginning weighs heavily toward individualized thought patterns (much of the explicit action), one can't help but notice the director's stance with his choice to use those very same strangers when Kei and Kato pass the station the first time. They run through several tunnels, but at each station it's the same characters with a continuous thought pattern. I believe he chose this direction to illustrate how similar societies' attitudes are under nihilism. It's not nearly as individualized as the philosophy makes it out to be. Those guys and girls could have been anybody. There are numerous amounts of people who'd be thinking the same thing. The intention was to make those characters blur and become a group: nihilism as a whole. According to nihilism there is no meaning in life lest the individual recognize it as thus--their thoughts are completely separate and isolated. By showing them here as a group, we begin to see how that's not the case. By expressing their individuality, they become a big blur, a single organism of conscious thought. They're acknowledging collectively the whims of society as it pertains to one another however unaware. This connection they all share in common, and like I said is the opening volley on the argument or idea of inner-connectedness. Now fast-forward to the third game--I'm going to try and breeze through this because I didn't mean for this to become an essay. The characters find themselves taking on "Buddha." Unlike Neon Genesis Evangelion, they were actually referencing the philosophy rather than the spiritual aspects associated with the symbol. In Buddhism, the pursuit to one's self is the ultimate goal: that realization or enlightenment. Kei denies this through his personal outbursts of violence toward the aliens for using these symbols as vessels: he wants to live. It's not enough to achieve enlightenment. He's fighting to protect others. What the director did here was brilliant. Using the deaths of all his comrades, he was able to wipe the slate clean and pose the question: if you're here fighting to live or to protect someone or otherwise acknowledge some form of reality that your existence seeks to hold for yourself or for others, than is that drive still there when everything is taken away from you. After the third game, he knew there was no going back. Gantz wouldn't let him. Didn't matter if he found a way, Gantz was in control. Gantz was trying to show to him how meaningless his life truly was (existential nihilism). There was no one to protect. There was just him; frozen in this state between death and life with no possible way of returning. Gantz was trying to show him that this was all there was for him. He could choose death or "live" in this half-existence with nothing to go back to. Kei showed to him that he was wrong. Despite how much he took away, he still found a reason through the vague concept of humanity. In the fourth game, he acknowledged the existence of a universal truth. He found it in Mika Kanda. He saw everything that was good in life in her. For once, he didn't see her as an object or woman of desire. He saw her for who she truly was, an honest to God good person, and he sought to protect that. To him, she stood as a symbol of the greatness of humanity. The final argument to Gantz. He'd fight to his very last breath defending what she stood for/who she was, even knowing that Mika would not be able to return to her old life either; that she'd continue to live this half-existence with Kei... theoretically (Gantz wouldn't let her, it wanted all of them to die). Kei was fighting for an idea, showing to Gantz that as long as he still drew breath, life was worth living. Mika served as his answer as to why there was meaning to life; a reason to have a reality. Living meant something to them because it meant reaching for that natural inner peace that one can only find in a reality where their person can be expressed. Without that peace and goodwill for one's self/others there was no reason for a person or the collection of ideas they represent to persist. The meaning and answers to an individual's ideas and philosophies lie in the reality they can effect. Otherwise no substance would be needed. -- Sidenote: Mika Kanda was shown in the first episode during the train scene as well as the homeless basher. / long explanatation <----- start below if you don't want to read blob of text This will probably go over most people's heads because it grapples with a lot of abstract theories, ideas, and philosophies that represent us as individuals. But if you had to take one thing away from all this, know that the director was trying to show that Kei beat Gantz at his own game. In order to get across its point, it'd first have to snuff out the ideas Kei and Mika represented, but by killing them it was also acknowledging a truth in itself: the scary notion that life had meaning--so scary that it felt it had to stamp it out in order for it to feel better, that the world would be a better place for it without them; thereby providing meaning to an existence (it was scared of a reality with Kei and Mika in it). So not only did Kei get Gantz to acknowledge objectivism but also its own existential enlightenment. It became aware that it too sought its own answers to its own being. The director chose to illustrate this scene rather simply, by showing Gantz manipulate the environment to try and kill Kei and Mika, and Kei confronting it and making the gesture of firing a gun (that he beat it). Kei was now in control of him. The idea he represented had an effect on Gantz. The director also chose to illustrate the scene the way he did in order to pay homage to Cowboy Bebop. Can't remember where I heard it: possibly a commentary. Anyways, sorry for the ridiculously long explanation, but I thought it was needed. There were more parallels and subtext throughout the show, but this one in particular explains the last scene, which I'm sure is the reason a lot of people came here. Excuse my grammar and writing, please. I'm typing this really really fast and haven't proofread anything. I'm kind of tired after 30 minutes of typing, researching, and thinking. ...SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz -_- |
| I get amused everytime I see how people tend to analyze every graphical/explicit detail but refuse to reach out to the meanings behind it, even though that meaning was the whole point of the show. This show is open to so many interpretations and as a final "trial" of Gantz we have here people crying that the director used blue instead of black. The way I saw it, this show could as well be a pretty straight irony towards religion and god and the way people let themselves be controled out of fear of unknown. If Gantz is god, doing the final jundgement for dead people, giving them a way to redeem themselves, it's pretty obvious. But who passes further judgement to Gantz himself? who says god is right? by what criteria? Kei was the biggest hypocrite of them all, preaching to others (the old lady imo) what he couldnt do himself. Its funny how people can hate his character though. He's had a very steady positive evolution and every trial seemed to had brought up something good in him, so that in the end Kei finds the answer himself, without being given any hint and without the help of anyone else as he was left alone. It was really heartwarming ending, regardless of the manga, the anime made a lot of sense. Actually the most interesting thing to notice was that in the end "god" didn't win. Because Gantz had no meaning behind him, behind his evil deeds. Whether Kei lives or not really has no importance. He was dead already, remember? But he found his way. |
MorridineSep 25, 2012 9:07 AM
| A to big of an open ending like thought they really fucked us over! Wasn't all to bad the whole Anime but could have been A LOT better! Still not bad 7/10 |
 |
| Well the whole series was extremely depressing but the ending was really happy :D..So I love it... Surely a 9/10 :P it's just I wasn't so fond of the animation |
-------Only God will judge me -------- iSignature |
| Well, the first half was fine, but the ending...what the hell? This season was really good in my opinion, I can't believe they didn't manage to wrap things up decent. |
 |
| Gantz Brotherhood? |
| weird ending |
 Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
happyrobcafe said: Throwing out my two-cents of interpretation: Gantz is a psychological show that seeks to explore the idea of redemption before death. The ending scene of the anime (different from how the manga progresses) I think takes the anime in a very different direction. I still think redemption has nothing to do with this show. There is no kind of god or whatever in Gantz that would somehow reward your so called redemption, so I odubt we can talk about redemption if there is no entity to redeem you. The main idea revolves around the entity deciding your "fate" and the power of individuals to change that which is basically the opposite of redemption... you redeem yourself after you've committed some sort of sin but this concept has meaning only if you relate it to a god that is considered ideally good. It's really not the case of that Gantz dude ANother argument in my favor would relate to the way the show started. It was Kei not being able to decide what to do, which side to pick... to help or not to help the guy falling in front of the subway? Kai trouble with decisions was changed by Gantz who decided "for" him, for everyone. |
MorridineJul 27, 2013 7:04 PM
| As some people wrote, there is a lot of psychological, philosphical etc. stuff in it. But that all isn't worth much if it isn't executed right, especially with regard to the medium used. People hesitating to shoot when people are in danger, after being gung-ho a moment before for nothing. The "good" guys always waiting until the enemy is out of danger or at least prepared to dodge, even when they are portraited as being determined to kill. There are simple too many inconsistencies, especially with the suit. Like, Kato's suit is broken after he wrestled the first alien. Later on they do stuff like that again and again and again. The girl in the last team being in pain from the draperie whip and later again when Hajime slap here with a stick or whatever. Since when is a human without using the suits power stronger then an alien? The suit is shown to completely shield the user from harm by falling several floors, getting kicked by an experienced Karateka and fire, and severly limiting the effect of being punched by an alien that has at least as much strength as the suit when wrestling. But it does nothing when being whipped with draperies and sticks, even when the material alone, without any special powers, should be enough to stop it. Gantz suddenly being able to do halluciations..well, it might simply have chosen not do so earlier, but when it's not portraited as being able to do so earlier it's simple a "deus ex machina" move, no matter how appropriate the actual term may be for Gantz itself. On top of that the whole story is written in a way to make sure you don't like it. Everyone is fucking up all the time without a reason, and everytime someone finally can stand on his own, he messes up big time and gets everyone killed a moment later. There are other shows that feature heavy psycholigcal and philosophical things. Take Evangelion. Even with every character having a major personality disorder and half the cast being only 14, the actions are more coherent and have less inconsistencies. Or take Elfen Lied, sudden personaility changes on a moments notice, but still more comprehensible. Gantz has it's upsides, like, not having the usual "pervert" scream/accusation whenever a girl feels like doing so being useful, even though it would never have been more appropriate. Kishimoto loved Kato, but that didn't mean she was oblivous to Kei, she saw the strong sides in both, and a bit of of the weak. A lot of things were refreshingly unconvential, butoverall it's like someone had this really nice idea, but had no idea what do with it. I don't know if the manga has the same problems or if they failed at adapting it, but there are just too many things that could have been done better without even affecting the overall story (which on it's own has things that could have been done better). |
| What a troll ending. Apart from that the series were nice although I don't know why all of this happened and who is Gantz. |
| I'm going to look at this more literally as I think people are overlooking major aspects of the show through interpreting things too much. I do think Gantz has become very cynical and twisted with how beings are treating each other, but ultimately its job is to officiate the huntings of aliens. I think Gantz was really angered when Kei tried shooting at it, and instead of killing him instantly decided to punish him. This leads up to the subway station ending. The scene was all an illusion in that place and it could've served for a number of reasons. Kei went onto the subway line to protest that trying to get to 100 points in his situation was pretty much impossible now (what can I do on my own?), and that he was trying really hard with for example carrying that woman (whether he knew she was dead or not is irrelevant to this). I'm guessing the "I won't die" line was false bravado given that his suit had broken, and instead he was relying on Gantz being merciful. From here it's a perfect open ending. That last shot of the subway going past is mostly likely from a "normal domain" perspective where the aliens and the "contestents" are invisible. Gantz could've forgave him by realising that the game was indeed too hard to play, and declared that he won either the round or the entire game; or Kei was killed. I think the Gantz ball dissapearing just means that it was finished for the round as at the start of the series it appeared in the same way. |
| Even if it didn't really feel like two different seasons since I watched the series all at once, I liked the first one better. At least back then, the hesitance and general stupidity of the characters was somewhat understandable considering how they weren't used to it. The whole filler arc was a mess, throwing the established rules out the window and leaving a ton of unanswered questions. I like the concept and Kurono as a character though so I'll probably check out the manga. It's weird rating this since I disliked pretty much every character besides Kurono, the ending was unsatisfying and the show often had me practically yelling at my tv. On the other hand, the gore, profanity and the fact that no one was ever really safe made for a fun watch. Season 1= 8 Season 2= 7 |
PreFuturism-0 said: I'm going to look at this more literally as I think people are overlooking major aspects of the show through interpreting things too much. I do think Gantz has become very cynical and twisted with how beings are treating each other, but ultimately its job is to officiate the huntings of aliens. I think Gantz was really angered when Kei tried shooting at it, and instead of killing him instantly decided to punish him. This leads up to the subway station ending. The scene was all an illusion in that place and it could've served for a number of reasons. Kei went onto the subway line to protest that trying to get to 100 points in his situation was pretty much impossible now (what can I do on my own?), and that he was trying really hard with for example carrying that woman (whether he knew she was dead or not is irrelevant to this). I'm guessing the "I won't die" line was false bravado given that his suit had broken, and instead he was relying on Gantz being merciful. From here it's a perfect open ending. That last shot of the subway going past is mostly likely from a "normal domain" perspective where the aliens and the "contestents" are invisible. Gantz could've forgave him by realising that the game was indeed too hard to play, and declared that he won either the round or the entire game; or Kei was killed. I think the Gantz ball dissapearing just means that it was finished for the round as at the start of the series it appeared in the same way. absolutely none of this is clear at all and it just speculation |
 |
More topics from this board
Poll: » Gantz - Second Stage Episode 12 DiscussionFentastic - Dec 8, 2008 |
29 |
by Randomega
»»
Feb 11, 12:01 AM |
|
Poll: » Gantz - Second Stage Episode 11 DiscussionFentastic - Dec 8, 2008 |
29 |
by Randomega
»»
Feb 10, 10:06 PM |
|
Poll: » Gantz - Second Stage Episode 10 DiscussionFentastic - Dec 8, 2008 |
26 |
by Randomega
»»
Feb 10, 5:26 PM |
|
Poll: » Gantz - Second Stage Episode 9 DiscussionFentastic - Dec 8, 2008 |
41 |
by Randomega
»»
Feb 10, 10:04 AM |
|
Poll: » Gantz - Second Stage Episode 8 DiscussionFentastic - Dec 8, 2008 |
46 |
by Randomega
»»
Feb 10, 9:15 AM |