Gantz Volume 7: Fatal Attractions (DVD) - Anime Reviews


	Number of Episodes 4 Language Options English/Japanese/English Subtitles Released by ADV Films Extras - Clean Opening/Closing Animation - Gantz Video Game Commercials - Interview with Ichiroh Itano (Director) & Yashiro Kato (CG Director) - Interview with Hiroya Oku (Gantz Creator) & Chiaki Kuriyama (Seiyuu)
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Gantz Volume 7: Fatal Attractions (DVD)

The fragile bonds that hold the survivors together are frayed to the breaking point, but in Gantz’s game, survival is impossible without a warm body guarding your back. As the Gantz reaches into the “real” world and a fresh batch of resurrectees are offered up on the alter of the slaughter, Kurono finds himself partnered with a new lady killer. If looks could kill, he would have died a second time, but will she be his salvation or his death? Get ready for the body count to go through the roof, because nothing has prepared you for the seventh staggering volume of GANTZ!

Four episodes of Gantz, I may hyperventilate in preparation of all the carnage. No point in preamble… let’s go.

Episode 14: Goodbye

Tetsu is enamored by the equipment that he brought back from Gantz’s room – the delay gun, and has been firing off the weapon like a madman. He figures that his new weapon means that he should be respected, and is strutting around a bit. He calls out his landlord, and tries to sell him the gun – but when he mocks him, he ends up killing the man. When he gets back to wife and child, he learns that he’s lost his job because he didn’t show up (nor did his now deceased friends) and she kicks him out of the house to get some milk – he heads out to get it, and runs into the biker gang that jumped him last night. He intends to fight them again (but this time with his new weapon), but before he fires his wife tells him that she can suddenly give milk again… so he feels as though he is no longer needed and calls out Gantz’s name. That causes the bomb in his head to explode for revealing the existence of Gantz.

Kei and Kei-chan are still living together, but Kei would like the relationship to move to the next step (the bed in his mind). Kei-chan seems to keep talking about Kato, which keeps rubbing Kei the wrong way – he cannot understand why she is so enamored by Kato, and why she shows no interest in him at all. Whenever she talks about Kei, she seems distant, almost talking about him in the 3rd person – very cold. A discussion that night quickly degrades into a gripe-fest, and Kei-chan feels as though she’s not welcome there anymore and leaves. Kei didn’t want to have her leave, and feels guilty for what he said.

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Kato’s home front continues to be untenable – his aunt continues to beat his younger brother for the smallest infraction. He tries to act as a buffer, but when she continues the onslaught – he finally uses force to stop the attack (he sends her into a hutch). She wants them gone, which is just fine with Kato, who has been working towards an apartment so he can live with his brother. He is gathering discarded furniture and bedding to furnish the new apartment, and is trying to turn the apartment into a home as quickly as possible.

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Episode 15: I Wanna Be There Now!

Kei is upset that Kei-chan left, and can’t believe that he couldn’t get closer to her (despite the near continual fantasizing about it). He’s just generally angry – he fought earlier in the day with one of his friends, and is still angry about the extortion incident that he was brought into. His general unease in life makes him want to return to Gantz and participate in another mission – so when he feels the tingle of the transporter, he happily puts on his suit. Hojo (The model) is out catching a movie, but still cannot get a reprieve from his stalker Sayoko. Both are whisked away from the theatre. Kei-chan is killing time in a fast-food restaurant, and sneaks to the bathroom once the transporter starts.

As everyone arrives in the room, it’s quite full – we have Sei (the tall black haired beauty), a famous Buddhist priest, a military otaku, an American martial artist, two business men, a nondescript man, and a pair of toughs. The Priest has taken control of the situation, believing the room to be purgatory and is trying to lead the room in chants to pass on towards heaven. As Kei arrives in his suit, the room is unsure what to make of him – and they peg him as a Cosplaying Otaku. As the remaining gamers arrive, Kei-chan quickly gravitates to Kato – which serves only to further piss-off Kei and he leaves the room and goes into the foyer.

Kei is joined by Sei who immediately pegs on the anger on his mind, and his reaction to seeing Kei-chan. He tries to cover up the fact that he was crying from the emotions, but they instead talk about Kei’s appearance. She is impressed by his strong emotions and tries to comfort him – he instead propositions her and the pair start (umm you know) in the foyer. Kei-chan takes her suit and heads to the back to change and walks in mid-coitus… and promptly turns around.

Meanwhile, Kato is arguing with the group and is trying to prepare everyone for the coming mission. The priest is being dismissive and is working on maintaining total control of the situation – but once Gantz opens up just as Kato says, people start listening to him.

Episode 16: I’ll Do It!

The priest is claiming that Kato is a demon and is trying to lead the people astray from heaven – so he’s undermining everything that Kato is working towards. He’s able to get the otaku, the toughs, and the non-descript man to grab weapons, and one of the business men to grab a suit. The rest of the team suits up as normal, and Kei gets Sei to wear her suit. Kei’s attitude is becoming more aggressive, and he is starting to sound more and more like the student. Gantz sets the timer for this mission at an hour and a half, and everyone starts transporting out. As a last gambit to get people to wear suits – Kato picks up the toughs single-handedly and stands up a series of attacks from the martial artist. The toughs grab their suits, but do not wear them.

The entire group is transported outside a Buddhist temple, and their first two targets are the giant statues that stand on either side of the main door. Everyone is not sure what to make of their supposed opponents – especially when they don’t appear to move. One of the business men, the toughs, and the priest decide to leave but stop once the business man’s head explodes from leaving the fighting area. They all return to the doorway, and begin deciding how to proceed. Kato uses the X-Gun to check out the statues and discovers that they are in fact alive – and Kei intends to blow them away first, but they start moving.

Episode 17: I Can Shoot Them, Can’t I?

Despite their immense size, the giants are actually able to evade Kei’s shots and the fight heads into the courtyard of the temple. As they run inside, the Priest falls and avoids being crushed underfoot – he heads off on his own into one of the buildings and begins to chant a Buddhist mantra. One of the giants heads to him, so the group is going to counter-attack; Kei-chan tells Kato that he’s going to have to attack as well, and get over his unwillingness to fire a gun. He agrees, and everyone fires on the giant; however, the assault is insufficient as the giant crushes the man.

The giants then head towards everyone, and the group tries to keep them away from their raised position. However, the giants’ strikes are shaking the ground and knocking everyone off balance. Their lack of success is starting to wear on Kato, so Kei decides to take the initiative again and charges one of the statues. His shots finally start to hit the mark and he’s started to damage one of its’ legs.

This episode just flew by despite the fact that it held so much more Gantz goodness than usual. An excellent series of 4 episodes that is going to bring us in towards the end of the series (a shame really). This disc was good, the next is going to be even better.

- Tazman

(November 5, 2005)

"Are you crazy?"

"Crazy with compassion. C'mon, watch me blow its head off."

- Francine & Stan (American Dad)