"Gantz" (2004) TV series 2004-

Director:

Ichirô Itano

Writer:

Masashi Sogo

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

12 April 2004 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A group of people are resurrected from their deaths by a mysterious black ball called GANTZ to combat alien criminals hiding on Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Death | Explosion | Paralysis | Satire

Cast

Alyssa Anderson

...

Girl On Date, Additional Voices (unknown episodes)

Series Directed by
Ichirô Itano		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Greg Ayers		(1 episode, 2004)
Masashi Sogo		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Taishi Nishimura	....	producer (26 episodes, 2004)

Series Cinematography by
Kôjirô Hayashi		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Kiyoshi Hirose		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Direction by
Shigemi Ikeda		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Takae Iijima	....	color designer (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
Yasuhiro Kato	....	3D CG director (unknown episodes)

Series Animation Department
Toshihiro Nakajima	....	mechanical designer (unknown episodes)
Naoyuki Onda	....	character designer (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Fuji TV
• Gantz Partners
• Gonzo Digimation

Distributors

• AT-X (2004) (Japan) (TV) (season 2)
• FUNimation Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Fuji TV (2004) (Japan) (TV) (season 1)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• OVA Films (????) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Gantsu" - Japan (English title) (informal alternative title)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:18A (Manitoba) (some episodes) | USA:TV-MA | UK:15 | Australia:MA (some episodes) | Ireland:15 | Ireland:18 (some episodes) | UK:18 (some episodes) | USA:TV-14 (edited version) | Germany:16 | South Korea:18 | South Africa:16LV | New Zealand:R18 | Japan:R-15 | Australia:R | New Zealand:R16 (some episodes) | Chile:18 | Spain:18 | Colombia:18 | Peru:18 | Argentina:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (VHS/DVD rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (vol 2 & 3) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) (some episodes) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (Vol 3) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (volume 3)

Company:

Fuji TV

Movie Connections:

Version of Gantz (2010)

A look inside the minds of humans... or maybe just Japanese people.

It has come to my attention that the last reviewer for this Anime series must have been someone between the ages of 12 and 14, still stuck on the "DragonballZ fight, fight fight!" mentality and simply ignored the bigger picture. While this show has it's fair share of action, the show focuses on the inner livings of diverse human types being put through varying dangerous situations. The show presents humanity for what it (in the mind of the creator, that is), a huge group of cowards, glory seekers, murderers and all together selfish people. Among them are thrown a few gems, innocent bystanders (children and the elderly) and people that follow a humane moral code; of course, their only role is to provide hope to the viewer, to show that humanity does have it's good sides, however insignificant.

I am left with the impression that Gantz is in itself, purgatory. Passing judgment on the humans he "saves" from absolute death by forcing them to go through a series of trials. Those worthy, the ones that "survive" the trials, regardless of past crimes, will be rewarded, and those that fail will continue their lifeline by resuming their deaths.