Title: Gantz Omnibus.
Volume: 1.
Writer(s): Hiroya Oku.
Artist(s): Hiroya Oku.
Translator(s): Matthew Johnson.
Letterer(s): Studio Cutie.
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga.
Format: Paperback.
Release Date: September 4th, 2018.
Pages: 672.
Genre(s): Comics, Science-Fiction, Horror.
ISBN13: 9781506707747.
My Overall Rating: ★★☆☆☆.
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.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy for review!
Directed by Shinsuke Sato, the first live-action adaptation of the manga was released in 2011 and served as the first movie of a two-part saga,
Roars and Echoes 
Good grief, you could kill somebody with that omnibus.
I’m okay with scantily clad girlies, but spare the gore, please.
The preview did not appear overly explicit.
Happy Trails!
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You sure could! Can’t imagine what it would’ve been like as a HARDCOVER though.
It’s funny that you and gore don’t mix well, yet you love haunted houses!
Oh man, I’d show you the explicit content if I could but I avoided them for the slideshow. 😉
Thanks for reading, Icky! 🙂
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Mmmm no I think I’d pass Lashaan!
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Big pass, Sophie. 😉
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I watched the first 2 episodes of the anime when it was all the rage. I think I just turned it off during the middle of the second episode. It was just filth…
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Oh man, I’m a bit shocked that you even got around to trying this series out. I don’t know how loyal to the source material the anime is (usually they’re PREEEETTY loyal) but you probably know exactly what I mean by all the issues I raise in this review…
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I’d only heard about how violent it was, hadn’t really heard about the pornography included.
But from everything you said about the manga, they definitely seem to have carried that over to the anime.
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This sounds intriguing and a bit macabre. Though I would have to push past the gore, you had me with your review till this happened and beyond:
“Here’s where the manga loses its hold on me: the eroticism.”
I could not agree more with you…it would most likely turn me off.
Awesome review, Lashaan 🙂
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I assure you, when you realize the flagrant erotic elements, you’d find this a bit off-putting… The idea is nice but there are too many things that makes this less and less interesting as you progress. Thanks for reading, Scarlett! 🙂
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Oh my, this sounds really bad! On the other hand, if you need a doorstop, a blunt weapon, or are in dire need of paper towels, you seem set for life! 😀
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Tell me about it hahah I’ll use them to build a fort against any upcoming nuclear war. 😛
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It sounds like the author was aiming for a specific niche and you are just not a part of it.
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Perhaps. I still, however, don’t feel like my thoughts on this are irrelevant because of that.
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Most definitely not.
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I’ve never read the manga, but I did try the first episode of the anime way back. Never made it past that episode, though I did end up watching both live action movies and an animated spinoff movie. Though I wouldn’t consider them favorites, I did actually enjoy the movies. I think they had to scale back the eroticism quite a bit, though there is still some of it, just not as graphic or obvious as with the anime or as it sounds with the manga. The creatures were a bit odd, and it often felt like that style of “monster of the week” sort of program. A very strange creation, that’s for sure.
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I think the movies scales down immensely on the unnecessary erotic elements. And the movies do have really original giant crazy monsters to make it somewhat appealing. Have you tried Gantz: Zero? I wonder if it’s any good. I won’t lie that watching the animated or live-action movies is still in my plans someday. However, I’ll hit the breaks on continuing the manga for now…
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Yeah, I watched Gantz:O. That was the animated spinoff I saw. It was CG animated. I enjoyed it, probably more than the two live action movies, though I don’t recall all that much about it. I think it seemed a bit more serious than the other two, perhaps even less like the manga. But again, my memory of it is a bit foggy. I definately understand putting aside the manga.
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Hahaha I thought it sounded pretty cool from the first sentences of your review but I definitely won’t even try to read this 😂 Great review Lashaan 😊
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Oh yes, stay clear from this one. It’s not worth checking out… Even if it might get better at later volumes, I think the mere presence of erotic content makes this harder to indulge.
I wouldn’t mind trying the animated or live-action movies though. They seem to be a lot better for some reason hahah 😀
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Ooooh wow! I was looking at the 2 or 3rd ominibus arc and wondering how I missed the first one. Now I’m glad I missed it. I’m not a fan of eroticism on any level so yeah not for me. I’d read it on favorite lists before and kept telling myself to look for it. I too would have liked a glimpse of the hardcore parts in the slideshow. 🤣 but Really i see why you avoided those pages.
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Oh man, unless you know what you’re getting yourself into (gore/stupid characters/eroticism) then you’ll probably enjoy it. Otherwise, it’s going to have you scratching your head on why you even picked this one up hahahah
I would’ve showed y’all the gory/horny… elements but I didn’t want to shock too many or spoil y’all too. 😛 Maybe if I get around to reading, for some odd reason, the 2nd omnibus, I’ll share more explicit stuff.
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