What do you think?
Rate this book
Gantz #1-3
Gantz Omnibus, Volume 1
Former Tokyo schoolmates Kei and Masaru are struck dead by a speeding train, but a split second later they're alive, trapped in a room with other reanimated strangers and an ominous black sphere that soon flashes a dire message: ALL OF YOUR OLD LIVES ARE GONE. I WILL DECIDE HOW TO USE YOUR NEW LIVES. The orb supplies them with high-tech weapons and places them in a strange televised game to hunt a bizarre alien, but the team soon discover that the game is deadly serious . . . and the dead can still die!
Hiroya Oku's Gantz is manga at its most extreme—intense, violent, and erotically charged—selling over fifteen million copies in Japan and spawning a hit anime series, a live-action feature film, and an army of fans. Now in value-priced omnibus editions, Gantz returns with a vengeance!!
Hiroya Oku's Gantz is manga at its most extreme—intense, violent, and erotically charged—selling over fifteen million copies in Japan and spawning a hit anime series, a live-action feature film, and an army of fans. Now in value-priced omnibus editions, Gantz returns with a vengeance!!
672 pages, Paperback
Published September 4, 2018
76 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
About the author
Hiroya Oku
293 books339 followersHiroya Oku (奥浩哉 Oku Hiroya, born September 16, 1967 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka) is a mangaka who is the creator of Gantz, Zero-One and HEN, all of which have been serialized in Young Jump. He has finished working on his most renowned manga, Gantz, which began in July 2000. His manga often contain explicit violence and gore, as well as sexual situations.
He won the second prize of the Youth Manga Awards in 1988, under the penname Yahiro Kuon.
He designed a character for Namco Bandai's Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 fighting game, Soulcalibur IV named Shura.
He won the second prize of the Youth Manga Awards in 1988, under the penname Yahiro Kuon.
He designed a character for Namco Bandai's Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 fighting game, Soulcalibur IV named Shura.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
November 15, 2021
When Kei and Masaru are run down by a subway train while trying to rescue a drunk, they wake up in an apartment with a strange black globe and a bunch of strangers, tasked with hunting down an alien...
This was recommended to me a couple years ago but I didn't pick it up until I hauled some crap to V-Stock a few weeks ago.
One of my guys on Twitter called this "Weird sci-fi and titties." I think he meant it to be derogatory but those were the big hooks for me.
The art is good but uses a lot more gray tones than I normally like, as if it was originally in color but someone photocopied it. I know manga is traditionally in black and white but all the gray tones made it seem kind of muddy.
Anyway, the story was very engaging. Are Kei and Masaru dead? Are the part of some game show? Will Kei ever lose his virginity? What's the deal with the Gantz, the black globe that now controls their lives? All the unanswered questions make me want to read subsequent volumes.
Gantz Omnibus Volume 1 scratches that guns and boobies itch with a heaping helping of weirdness. Four out of five stars.
This was recommended to me a couple years ago but I didn't pick it up until I hauled some crap to V-Stock a few weeks ago.
One of my guys on Twitter called this "Weird sci-fi and titties." I think he meant it to be derogatory but those were the big hooks for me.
The art is good but uses a lot more gray tones than I normally like, as if it was originally in color but someone photocopied it. I know manga is traditionally in black and white but all the gray tones made it seem kind of muddy.
Anyway, the story was very engaging. Are Kei and Masaru dead? Are the part of some game show? Will Kei ever lose his virginity? What's the deal with the Gantz, the black globe that now controls their lives? All the unanswered questions make me want to read subsequent volumes.
Gantz Omnibus Volume 1 scratches that guns and boobies itch with a heaping helping of weirdness. Four out of five stars.
August 22, 2021
This is a retrospective review.
In Gantz, you die and show up in a room with an ominously large spherical device.
Your lives have ended. How you use your new lives is entirely up to me. That's the theory, anyway.
No one knows what Gantz is, but soon discover they must kill aliens that no one else can see. Death is such a prevalent theme that develops in such a natural way. Kei slowly begins to uncover what Gantz's motive is behind controlling their lives.
It is brutal, but the character development in this series is arguably one of the best I've seen when encompassed by such a grim environment.
A great series if you can overlook the objectification of women. Although the series is dark, gritty, erotic and nihilistic in nature it slowly becomes hopeful and more aware of women as people.
This series is fantastic, but suffers from tiddiephilia, as breasts have physics that would only apply to women who are able to slap people with their supple breasts, mid-battle.
In Gantz, you die and show up in a room with an ominously large spherical device.
Your lives have ended. How you use your new lives is entirely up to me. That's the theory, anyway.
No one knows what Gantz is, but soon discover they must kill aliens that no one else can see. Death is such a prevalent theme that develops in such a natural way. Kei slowly begins to uncover what Gantz's motive is behind controlling their lives.
It is brutal, but the character development in this series is arguably one of the best I've seen when encompassed by such a grim environment.
A great series if you can overlook the objectification of women. Although the series is dark, gritty, erotic and nihilistic in nature it slowly becomes hopeful and more aware of women as people.
This series is fantastic, but suffers from tiddiephilia, as breasts have physics that would only apply to women who are able to slap people with their supple breasts, mid-battle.
April 26, 2024
I started this series over ten years ago, but didn't have access to the last couple dozen volumes. Now my local library has all 37 volumes in a 12-book omnibus set so I'm going to start from the beginning and make another go at reading the whole thing.
A couple of Japanese high school students seem to die while rescuing a drunken man from the subway tracks, but instead of any of the traditional concepts of an afterlife, they find themselves teleported to a small apartment with a number of other people and locked in with a giant sphere called Gantz that sends them on timed and rated missions to capture or destroy aliens around Tokyo. There is much confusion among the abducted folks, leading to much death and violence as they blunder through their first mission. Exciting action and gore abound.
Unfortunately, fan service also abounds and the appearance of nude teenage girl quickly brings out the worst in some of the male characters, leading to rape attempts and sexual assault. By the end of the book, cheesecake pin-ups of her introduce each chapter, a practice that continues in the next omnibus.
Despite that, I'm intrigued by the nightmarish scenario the characters are cast into and the execution of the action scenes. And since individual chapters zip by so quickly, these big omnibus collections feel like a much more satisfactory chunk of the story than the little volumes I originally started reading a decade ago.
FOR REFERENCE:
Omnibus collecting Gantz volumes 1-3.
Contents: Volume 1, Chapters 1-10 -- Volume 2, Chapters 11-22 -- Volume 3, Chapters 23-34
A couple of Japanese high school students seem to die while rescuing a drunken man from the subway tracks, but instead of any of the traditional concepts of an afterlife, they find themselves teleported to a small apartment with a number of other people and locked in with a giant sphere called Gantz that sends them on timed and rated missions to capture or destroy aliens around Tokyo. There is much confusion among the abducted folks, leading to much death and violence as they blunder through their first mission. Exciting action and gore abound.
Unfortunately, fan service also abounds and the appearance of nude teenage girl quickly brings out the worst in some of the male characters, leading to rape attempts and sexual assault. By the end of the book, cheesecake pin-ups of her introduce each chapter, a practice that continues in the next omnibus.
Despite that, I'm intrigued by the nightmarish scenario the characters are cast into and the execution of the action scenes. And since individual chapters zip by so quickly, these big omnibus collections feel like a much more satisfactory chunk of the story than the little volumes I originally started reading a decade ago.
FOR REFERENCE:
Omnibus collecting Gantz volumes 1-3.
Contents: Volume 1, Chapters 1-10 -- Volume 2, Chapters 11-22 -- Volume 3, Chapters 23-34
December 1, 2022
When I die, I DO NOT want to end up here … this is hell 10x!
November 20, 2019
This is a hard one to rate - the story idea is fantastic. The art is well done (it's simple black and white). The mystery within the story keeps you intrigued with what is going on. But, the sexual stuff gets into some weird areas with some pretty uncomfortable scenes. I'm going to drop a star because of that issue. I've read the next three volumes and they don't have the same type of issues if I recall correctly.
February 16, 2022
Cool idea, but execution was poor. Parts were confusing and a lot of it was cringey, especially with Kei and “tits”. Won’t be reading any more of this series.
April 29, 2021
Nice start for epic fights.
January 28, 2021
This has the same specific issue that Gigant has: a very busty girl is minding her business and has her own problems when a horny teenage boy discovers her and is obsessed with trying to have sex with her.
I also am not a huge fan of the selflessness from Kato; it feels super contrived and one dimensional.
There also arent any women so far, aside from Kei. I am HOPING that changes, especially because the spin off - Gantz G - is primarily about a group of girls who go to high school together.
Also, the omnibus is HUGE. It took me like 2 hours to read it.
I am hoping the plot picks up and we get cooler monsters and more competent characters!
I also am not a huge fan of the selflessness from Kato; it feels super contrived and one dimensional.
There also arent any women so far, aside from Kei. I am HOPING that changes, especially because the spin off - Gantz G - is primarily about a group of girls who go to high school together.
Also, the omnibus is HUGE. It took me like 2 hours to read it.
I am hoping the plot picks up and we get cooler monsters and more competent characters!
April 27, 2019
I really loved it besides all the nudity that really killed it for me
November 22, 2025
Gantz Volume 1 - an interesting opening to the world of this game they're playing, leaves a lot open to learn about down the line. a large cast of characters, but most are fodder for the kill count and the gory ways they die.
Gantz Volume 2 - Poor onion man, just wanted an onion. finishes the Establishment of the cycle that will take place for the main character.
Gantz Volume 3 - Spent way too long letting us know that a certain character has big assets...other than that she seems to have a sad backstory.
Gantz Volume 2 - Poor onion man, just wanted an onion. finishes the Establishment of the cycle that will take place for the main character.
Gantz Volume 3 - Spent way too long letting us know that a certain character has big assets...other than that she seems to have a sad backstory.
January 15, 2026
This might just be some of the most graphic stuff I've ever read. But it's pretty cool! The world intrigued me and I want to figure out what the deal with Gantz and the aliens are. Looking forward to pick up the next volume!
P.S. Hiroya Oku might be enjoying drawing Kishimoto just a little bit too much...
P.S. Hiroya Oku might be enjoying drawing Kishimoto just a little bit too much...
February 6, 2022
I have started reading Gantz a couple of times prior to this but never have gotten past the first half before restarting (the first time due to not really seeing a point to continuing, the second time due to not having a way to read the later volumes). I am aware of just how strange and unusual and fairly unique this series gets: something of a proto-isekai meets hyperviolence meets "people caught up in games" meets...oddness. Very little tends to make sense, the art direction is unusual (combining computer drawn portions with hand-drawn touch-ups), and the action is...loud and confusing. Knowing the series becomes something a bit more compelling and tense, it is a shame to see this first omnibus volume struggling to really find a flow. What will eventually become a thrilling team survival story with incomprehensible technology and weirder aliens starts out as really lowbrow and horny to the point of tediousness.
There are multiple cases of sexual assault, a case of suicide, some mild bestiality (I guess?), a fair amount of naked breasts [though the one exposed penis scene gets censored, and I am still not sure if that was on purpose to highlight the humor of the contrasting moral outrage], some homophobia, and just generally crappy behavior. The violence is largely mundane and not really creative (yet) besides a couple of spots. Knowing that it will get better and dive more into the surreal horror of it all helps, but someone picking up this volume to get into the series would have to commit blindly. My first read through I got a bit past this before I considered it an interesting dead-end and not for me. It was only a later review that hinted at the big plot twists and stranger action coming that had me try again. Now that it's being released in omnibus volumes like this, I am ready to try again and see where it all ends up.
This volume, though, I do not know if I would even give it three stars like this without knowing where it is going.
There are multiple cases of sexual assault, a case of suicide, some mild bestiality (I guess?), a fair amount of naked breasts [though the one exposed penis scene gets censored, and I am still not sure if that was on purpose to highlight the humor of the contrasting moral outrage], some homophobia, and just generally crappy behavior. The violence is largely mundane and not really creative (yet) besides a couple of spots. Knowing that it will get better and dive more into the surreal horror of it all helps, but someone picking up this volume to get into the series would have to commit blindly. My first read through I got a bit past this before I considered it an interesting dead-end and not for me. It was only a later review that hinted at the big plot twists and stranger action coming that had me try again. Now that it's being released in omnibus volumes like this, I am ready to try again and see where it all ends up.
This volume, though, I do not know if I would even give it three stars like this without knowing where it is going.
January 3, 2023
Fantastic its like pure awful trash. Not many words on most of the pages, just sex and violence. The number of gore panels is rivalled only by the number of tit panels. This omnibus contains TWO scenes where a dog licks a girls vagina, the first time after she attempts suicide and is then immediately sexually assaulted after waking up naked and healed in GANTZ. Premise is good. Everything in the world is shit, people fall on train tracks, get the shit beat out of them, and theres just these panels of people calmly looking away from these people in need of help. The killing and excessive violence is hardly justified, the onion alien just wanting to be left alone, the people thinking they are just on tv. The cause anyone is fighting for is just bare survival, in a world that obviously is apathetic to them and their existence. Love the detail that the gantz ball is actively mean to them, like by adding to the over sexualization of the girl by calling her tits. The art is also really good, uses this cool computer generated technique, makes everything slightly took sleek, like the artist says it takes some "heart" out of it, but I cant help but feel it is perfect. Everything feels very hollow, and then the aliens and the gantz weaponry stand out from the page as otherworldly. The weapons fully look like CG models which makes them look futuristic and impossible, and the aliens stand imposing and singular against the otherwise drab backdrops. Otherwordly evils trying to hide in banal normality, barely disguising that they arent supposed to be here. UNNATURAL.
July 8, 2021
I 100% think there is too much unnecessary sexual content but I guess it serves its purpose in the end? It just kind of sucks that it’s there very early on and could very well turn people away. Also, the characters being absolute one-dimensional queefs is kind of fun somehow lol. It’s just insanely fun somehow from the plot to the excessive gore. If you remove all critical thought, Gantz is legitimately one of the craziest and fun mangas I have read to date.
November 4, 2018
I read all 650 pages and this is very much not for me. It kind of reminds me of "I Am a Hero" in the way it repulses me. I don't like the grotesque violence mixed with forced sex. Nor do I appreciate the homophobia.
August 5, 2022
I am 50/50 on it. On one hand, I find the concept intriguing, it's fast paced, the art is daring and 2/3rds of the manga was really fun but on the other hand, the characters aren't interesting nor likable (at least, for the first omnibus). There's zero hooks with the main leads. No attachment whatsoever. The writing is very hit or miss, sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's way too immature for too long. At the last third of the manga, it got boring real fast because I could care less about the characters. By the end of the omnibus the hook of the concept dryed out and needed to the main characters to take it from there and it failed. I am 50/50 on it, also because I want to give Volume 2 a shot due to my curiosity of the concept but at the same time I don't know if it earned the investment. I guess, I'll find out eventually. Rating: 2.5/5
March 16, 2024
It's absolutely incredible the amount of great works the world of manga has to offer.
If you're restricting yourself only to a specific genre of comic book, like Marvel o DC, you're missing a lot.
Gantz is an absolute masterpiece that certainly deserved a better edition.
This edition is not bad. Even though it's a 3-in-1 in a paperback edition, small size, it reads very well and it's very light. You've to be really careful with the spine though, it's really easy to break it. I manage to read it without breaking it but I was really careful with it.
This is basically a sci-fi story with a drip of black mirror vibes and a touch of eroticism.
Really good. I recommend it. Give it a try.
If you're restricting yourself only to a specific genre of comic book, like Marvel o DC, you're missing a lot.
Gantz is an absolute masterpiece that certainly deserved a better edition.
This edition is not bad. Even though it's a 3-in-1 in a paperback edition, small size, it reads very well and it's very light. You've to be really careful with the spine though, it's really easy to break it. I manage to read it without breaking it but I was really careful with it.
This is basically a sci-fi story with a drip of black mirror vibes and a touch of eroticism.
Really good. I recommend it. Give it a try.
February 14, 2023
Tot dusver deed deze manga me niet echt iets. Het is wel gericht tot pubers met zijn vele levensvragen en seksuele ondertoon.
De art is een combinatie van Adobe programma’s en 3D programma’s die dan achteraf manueel bijgewerkt zijn. Het was een digitaal experiment van de art department, het zal voor veel en extra werk gezorgd hebben, maar het resultaat is eigenlijk niets speciaal.
Waarschijnlijk komt de serie waarschijnlijk pas in omnibus 2 in gang. Heb al enkele pagina’s uit de toekomstige omnibus gezien, die zagen er wel interessanter uit.
De art is een combinatie van Adobe programma’s en 3D programma’s die dan achteraf manueel bijgewerkt zijn. Het was een digitaal experiment van de art department, het zal voor veel en extra werk gezorgd hebben, maar het resultaat is eigenlijk niets speciaal.
Waarschijnlijk komt de serie waarschijnlijk pas in omnibus 2 in gang. Heb al enkele pagina’s uit de toekomstige omnibus gezien, die zagen er wel interessanter uit.
January 14, 2019
I think I would have rated this higher if it was half the length. There just isn't a whole lot going on in a whole lot of pages. What did happen was pretty good (though the gratuitous nudity was kind of weird). I like the premise of the mysterious orb and the transporting of these 'dead' people and the whole attacking weird aliens thing. The characters are ok, but not much to them yet.
The art is pretty good for the most part. And I would continue to read the series.
The art is pretty good for the most part. And I would continue to read the series.
May 13, 2024
super weird but super good, reading in an omnibus format definitely isn’t my favorite but it’s all that’s available 💔 time to buy all 12 volumes now though. also since it’s a omnibus i technically read 3 books 🤫 #boymath
January 31, 2023
Glad I picked this up and randomly gave it a try. I can't say I hate all the boobs either
July 13, 2023
While I did enjoy this for the most part, I felt like the dialogue was very clunky and a bit underwhelming. I'm curious to see what happens in future installments and if they improve at all.
February 10, 2020
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
The afterlife remains a mystery for many as the opportunities to get a sneak peek of it remains impossible to this day. But what if the world beyond is one that looks very much like our own, but with a twist? There are many ways for us to conceive such a life and religion often establishes many possible foundations to the idea but what if it was much more surreal and cruel than we would’ve ever imagined? What if it was a sick and perverted game bringing into play abominable monsters and aliens while in the company of other unreliable individuals who have succumbed to death? Mangaka Hiroya Oku presents adult fans with an erotic horror epic bound to shock and awe those looking to be stimulated in unimaginable ways.
What is Gantz Omnibus Volume 1 about? Collecting the first three tankōbon of this manga series, the story follows Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato in their death experiences that lead them into an unknown reality parallel to their own where a bizarre sphere called “Gantz” forces them into playing games of death by hunting down the oddest alien creatures possible obliviously roaming their streets. With other citizens who have known life-ending tragedies by their side, they are off into the world trying to figure out the rules that envelop their new lives. It is only by playing these games that they will be able to find a way out, a way to either to live again or to die forever.
Those who look to be impressed by the gore in this franchise will find it rewarding to see how mangaka Hiroya Oku pours in mountains of detail into those horror sequences, polishing them digitally for fans to rejoice. Without giving fans too much of it too often, he doses them and accentuates the slaughter at key moments that allow the reader to indulge all the blood and limbs that come with it. The mystery around the universe in which revolves this story is also a key attraction as mangaka Hiroya Oku withholds a lot of plot elements to himself and sneaks in very little clues as to what is actually going on. To some, this will be insufficient to hold their attention, while for others, this will have them flipping through this dialogue-light manga at lightning speed.
Here’s where the manga loses its hold on me: the eroticism. While it is announced beforehand that it contains such content, it remains ridiculously obnoxious. There’s only one female character in this story and she’s as feebleminded as she could possibly be, while also having the most outrageous physical features that a teenager could dream of. It’s not even about how she’s presented either, it’s also what happens with her and how she’s used throughout the story to attain a certain level of fanservice that does a disservice to the story—it doesn’t help when each chapter begins with a sexual poster feature of her with as little clothing as possible. Mixed in with the teenage angst that comes with one of the most dislikable protagonists ever conceived, it’s safe to say that the gratuitous sexual content blatantly spoils anything worthwhile in the end.
Gantz Omnibus Volume 1 is a mysterious, unnecessarily erotic, and wildly gory story exploring a surreal afterlife game of alien hunting.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
April 28, 2020
An interesting Science Fiction concept that is continuously interrupted by teen sexual fantasy.
The science fiction nonetheless is intriguing enough to string the reader, and this one in-particularly, onto future volumes. Random characters who should have recently experienced a death, are transported to an apartment, which contains futuristic suits and weapons. The characters are given time limits to seek and kill (possibly murder) "alien beings," which only they can see. Their performance is given a score, reach a total total score of 100 points (in as many outings as it takes) without being killed and . . .
Apparently Hiroya Oku is known from his previous works, to include overly objectified sexual representations of women; I believe he states so in a written word in this Omnibus volume, perhaps as an excuse as to why it exists in this story and why the covers of the issues seem to have nothing to with the story, but rather a means to draw giant breasted sixteen year olds. That being said, my personal issue could also be I'm simply an American reader who isn't used to this type of "art."
The science fiction nonetheless is intriguing enough to string the reader, and this one in-particularly, onto future volumes. Random characters who should have recently experienced a death, are transported to an apartment, which contains futuristic suits and weapons. The characters are given time limits to seek and kill (possibly murder) "alien beings," which only they can see. Their performance is given a score, reach a total total score of 100 points (in as many outings as it takes) without being killed and . . .
Apparently Hiroya Oku is known from his previous works, to include overly objectified sexual representations of women; I believe he states so in a written word in this Omnibus volume, perhaps as an excuse as to why it exists in this story and why the covers of the issues seem to have nothing to with the story, but rather a means to draw giant breasted sixteen year olds. That being said, my personal issue could also be I'm simply an American reader who isn't used to this type of "art."
January 13, 2019
Intriguing plot, lots of violence and all that good stuff. Not something I’d normally read but I’m trying to be open minded and check out some of this stuff. In this series there really isn’t a whole lot of writing going on (literally and figuratively). Still, it’s interesting and intriguing, and the premise is very engaging.
July 17, 2022
Nice surprise! I wasn’t expecting much, going into it without knowing much, but it was really good. Reminded me a bit of Alice in Borderland. Good action, the art was nice and clean, maybe too many boobs close-up which wasn’t necessary but it’s often the case with Manga. I will try to put my hand on the next issue and will gladly continue this series!
April 18, 2024
This thing is royally unhinged
Read
May 15, 2021There’s a very fine line between genuine dark fiction and edginess for its own sake and Gantz pretty much flip flops over that line on a pretty regular basis. The premise is neat, involving characters being brought in to a deadly game where they must fight bizarre, frightening aliens. The catch is that they enter this game by dying and being brought to an apartment where a giant ball teleports them to the streets of Tokyo while wearing strange protective suits. It’s a cool premise for sure.
The thing about it is that literally everything is amped up to the nth degree. The alien designs are, well, rather horrifying. The violence is extreme. And my god the t and a is present at the start of almost every chapter. Most chapters open with some illustration of the characters but most of them are the sole critical female in various poses and states of undress. It’s completely shameless, and if I was the age of the protagonist Kurono I’d probably be more into it.
As it is, this is about as “problematic” as manga can get. Kurono our lead is completely unlikable, with his thoughts mostly being how “shallow” everyone around him is or how he can bang the female character. She herself is nothing but eye candy, and comes under threat of sexual violence twice in this omnibus. There’s whacky humor scenes where she’s assaulted by Kurono or, in one case, a dog and it just does not translate at all. None of it is titillating in any way. This is to say nothing of the way a gay character is portrayed as a violent rapist.
The other side of all this is that Gantz is an effective sci-fi horror story. When the characters enter the game there’s a genuine sense of tension and even dread due to the way the aliens are designed. There are only two in this volume, with a third being shown just a bit later on and they all channel the uncanny valley pretty effectively. It’s a unique way to approach what could have been a more straightforward action story.
I’m not assigning a star rating because I really don’t know what to make of Gantz. The illustrations are superb, and it’s pretty damn effective but it’s also absolutely loaded with despicable, unlikable characters and elements that felt dated even back during its original release. It is very likely a “guilty pleasure” manga. It’s complete trash at times,with horribly out of place fan service, and I know I shouldn’t feel compelled to read more, but I do. I have the second omnibus so I’m going to see where it goes from there. The core story is intriguing and neat, and the horror elements work really well. It’s just a shame the writer couldn’t resist packing in as much bullshit as he did
The thing about it is that literally everything is amped up to the nth degree. The alien designs are, well, rather horrifying. The violence is extreme. And my god the t and a is present at the start of almost every chapter. Most chapters open with some illustration of the characters but most of them are the sole critical female in various poses and states of undress. It’s completely shameless, and if I was the age of the protagonist Kurono I’d probably be more into it.
As it is, this is about as “problematic” as manga can get. Kurono our lead is completely unlikable, with his thoughts mostly being how “shallow” everyone around him is or how he can bang the female character. She herself is nothing but eye candy, and comes under threat of sexual violence twice in this omnibus. There’s whacky humor scenes where she’s assaulted by Kurono or, in one case, a dog and it just does not translate at all. None of it is titillating in any way. This is to say nothing of the way a gay character is portrayed as a violent rapist.
The other side of all this is that Gantz is an effective sci-fi horror story. When the characters enter the game there’s a genuine sense of tension and even dread due to the way the aliens are designed. There are only two in this volume, with a third being shown just a bit later on and they all channel the uncanny valley pretty effectively. It’s a unique way to approach what could have been a more straightforward action story.
I’m not assigning a star rating because I really don’t know what to make of Gantz. The illustrations are superb, and it’s pretty damn effective but it’s also absolutely loaded with despicable, unlikable characters and elements that felt dated even back during its original release. It is very likely a “guilty pleasure” manga. It’s complete trash at times,with horribly out of place fan service, and I know I shouldn’t feel compelled to read more, but I do. I have the second omnibus so I’m going to see where it goes from there. The core story is intriguing and neat, and the horror elements work really well. It’s just a shame the writer couldn’t resist packing in as much bullshit as he did
August 6, 2025
This is the best worst thing I've ever read. Seeing the opening scene of Gantz in a compilation of disturbing anime scene on YouTube when I was a pre-teen changed my life. This was during the time I was trying to get over my scaredy cat tendencies by exposing myself to as much horror as possible (thank you little me, you were kind of a genius for knowing that horror is our favorite thing). Seeing that opening more than ten years ago told me all that I needed to know. This was going to be one of my favorite things.
The first chapter of Gantz came out a few months before I was born. I say this in no-way to defend the blatant misogyny and other issues in these series but this thing is truly the greatest product of its time piece of art ever produced. This is the early aughts in sci-fi horror manga form. I have so many memories from my early childhood that were downright horrific and I don't even remember the worst parts of this time. Kei Kurono for all of his faults is the perfect poster boy for that late nineties early 2000s alienation that was infecting society. I love that his character arch is essentially just yeah life sucks people suck the world sucks, but people are still worth it and let us cultivate our garden (Candide is my fav book of all time). Kei also goes through so much loss and change throughout this series that it is impossible to not at some point start sympathizing with him and his plight. For being a young person he is so disconnected from any love and stability and his life and then he gets stuck in a death game. (He's also one of my favorite characters of all time but that's b/c he is a hypocritical liar. If you take his inner monologue at face value he is a horrible monster but the vast majority of his actions (ignoring some b/c the mangaka is weird about women) don't match his thoughts. He is desperate for companionship. He lives this guy that used to be his friend. He feels remorse and disgusts at leaving girl Kei behind. He is able to love and to change throughout the series. UGHHHHHHH I love his character arch. But like from the very beginning Kei is presenting himself in a way that he him thinks blends him in better with society but this is not how he really it. Kei in real life is that little boy running and jumping over things that just wants to impress his friends).
I also like how the aliens are portrayed as full characters in this. These have distinct personalities and motivations. The humanization of the onion aliens was as surprising to me as a child reading this to me as an adult. Every time I'm hit with the true horror of their actions when you see that the onion aliens are not that dissimilar to people.
The first chapter of Gantz came out a few months before I was born. I say this in no-way to defend the blatant misogyny and other issues in these series but this thing is truly the greatest product of its time piece of art ever produced. This is the early aughts in sci-fi horror manga form. I have so many memories from my early childhood that were downright horrific and I don't even remember the worst parts of this time. Kei Kurono for all of his faults is the perfect poster boy for that late nineties early 2000s alienation that was infecting society. I love that his character arch is essentially just yeah life sucks people suck the world sucks, but people are still worth it and let us cultivate our garden (Candide is my fav book of all time). Kei also goes through so much loss and change throughout this series that it is impossible to not at some point start sympathizing with him and his plight. For being a young person he is so disconnected from any love and stability and his life and then he gets stuck in a death game. (He's also one of my favorite characters of all time but that's b/c he is a hypocritical liar. If you take his inner monologue at face value he is a horrible monster but the vast majority of his actions (ignoring some b/c the mangaka is weird about women) don't match his thoughts. He is desperate for companionship. He lives this guy that used to be his friend. He feels remorse and disgusts at leaving girl Kei behind. He is able to love and to change throughout the series. UGHHHHHHH I love his character arch. But like from the very beginning Kei is presenting himself in a way that he him thinks blends him in better with society but this is not how he really it. Kei in real life is that little boy running and jumping over things that just wants to impress his friends).
I also like how the aliens are portrayed as full characters in this. These have distinct personalities and motivations. The humanization of the onion aliens was as surprising to me as a child reading this to me as an adult. Every time I'm hit with the true horror of their actions when you see that the onion aliens are not that dissimilar to people.
July 26, 2020
This is a review of the entire series.
Synopsis: Gantz tells the story of a teenager named Kei Kurono, among others, who die but find themselves brought back in perfectly healthy bodies and forced to participate in a "game" where they must hunt down and kill aliens.
Review: I almost gave up on Gantz several times, but now that I've read it all the way to the end, I'm glad I stuck with it. The beginning is dragged down by repulsive and unlikable characters, a messily paced story, unnecessary sexualization and gratuitous violence without much substance. As it progresses, however, the character development becomes pretty incredible and the growing threat of the enemies feels truly well done. Once the real enemies are revealed, it's mind-blowing how the series had been secretly foreshadowing their arrival from the very beginning.
Although it takes a while, some really good characters are introduced later on in the series and they're the ones that made me want to read to the end. Some characters that were absolutely unbearable in the beginning became polar opposites of their original selves and even made me sympathize with them quite a bit. The protagonist Kei for example, I hated him with all my heart for the first third of the series, he became progressively more likable in the second third of the story and then he evolved into one of the most memorable, unlikely heroes I've ever seen in this storytelling medium throughout the final third. The last third of the series is unbelievably terrifying with some of the most gruesome and disgusting battle/survival scenes in the history of fiction. It's much more bearable and intense in the final third because this time the violence and horror is happening to people we actually care about instead of a bunch of unlikable nobodies.
The final third of the story is what made me feel so glad that I didn't give up on this series. It had me on the edge of my seat more times than I can recall. There are a ton of chapters but they're very short and full of action which makes the series a quick read despite having almost 400 chapters. So even though the first third of the story was kinda bad in my opinion, it doesn't last for long and the payoff that comes after it's over truly impressed me. It's a flawed, thrilling and horrifying action series that takes a while to kick off. When it finally kicks off, however, it kicks off extremely hard.
Synopsis: Gantz tells the story of a teenager named Kei Kurono, among others, who die but find themselves brought back in perfectly healthy bodies and forced to participate in a "game" where they must hunt down and kill aliens.
Review: I almost gave up on Gantz several times, but now that I've read it all the way to the end, I'm glad I stuck with it. The beginning is dragged down by repulsive and unlikable characters, a messily paced story, unnecessary sexualization and gratuitous violence without much substance. As it progresses, however, the character development becomes pretty incredible and the growing threat of the enemies feels truly well done. Once the real enemies are revealed, it's mind-blowing how the series had been secretly foreshadowing their arrival from the very beginning.
Although it takes a while, some really good characters are introduced later on in the series and they're the ones that made me want to read to the end. Some characters that were absolutely unbearable in the beginning became polar opposites of their original selves and even made me sympathize with them quite a bit. The protagonist Kei for example, I hated him with all my heart for the first third of the series, he became progressively more likable in the second third of the story and then he evolved into one of the most memorable, unlikely heroes I've ever seen in this storytelling medium throughout the final third. The last third of the series is unbelievably terrifying with some of the most gruesome and disgusting battle/survival scenes in the history of fiction. It's much more bearable and intense in the final third because this time the violence and horror is happening to people we actually care about instead of a bunch of unlikable nobodies.
The final third of the story is what made me feel so glad that I didn't give up on this series. It had me on the edge of my seat more times than I can recall. There are a ton of chapters but they're very short and full of action which makes the series a quick read despite having almost 400 chapters. So even though the first third of the story was kinda bad in my opinion, it doesn't last for long and the payoff that comes after it's over truly impressed me. It's a flawed, thrilling and horrifying action series that takes a while to kick off. When it finally kicks off, however, it kicks off extremely hard.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews