Reviews

Back in 2004, many Americans including myself liked to watch Anime Network to witness edgier and darker anime. Released in tandem that year were Elfen Lied and Gantz. Elfen Lied became hugely popular and Gantz...did not. This is despite the fact that Gantz had more blood, more tits, and more realistic art than Elfen Lied. Many critics of Elfen Lied say that it is only popular due to tits and gore, but these people are missing a crucial bit of information in their analyses, the utter failure of Gantz! Gantz has a plot so stupid that an 8 year old on a sugar high could write a better one in 5 minutes. The characters are either unlikable assholes or bland and forgettable. The soundtrack leaves MUCH to be desired, despite that awesomely terrible J-rap at the beginning. Despite all of this, Gantz could have at least been entertaining if it embraced its own stupidity and became self aware. This worked very well with the absolute batshit insanity that is Hellsing Ultimate. Instead, Gantz too often tries to take itself seriously and fails miserably as a result. The manga at least tries to avoid this, but the anime strives so hard to squeeze in a moral in that insufferable filler arc that the viewer feels like gagging. Don't watch Gantz! If you feel like watching something violent featuring a guy in a black gimp suit, put on Pulp Fiction instead.