Gantz Good Or BAD?

[Iron-boy]

So like titles says, Gantz just recently got published by DH, and i was wondering is it worth picking up? Also, what about XS?

[Nik Hasta]

GANTZ veers wildly between really good, enjoyable and thought provoking, to being really dragging, dull and horribly depressing.

I've kind of given up with it, I just eventually stopped caring about it as a series.

[Iron-boy]

How so dull? Story is dragging itself for no reason?
Also what the heck are the aliens? real aliens? or ghost?

How about XS? I might check more previews of GANTZ.

[OmegaDenmad]

After all these years, we still don't know anything about the aliens. Recent chapters in Japan have started explaining about Gantz itself and the purpose of the battles, but don't expect clear answers just yet.

The manga is entertaining, but people call it "Gorn" for a reason. Sometimes it's just a guilty pleasure and sometimes it's really good. All in all, a mixed bag.

[MartinRedmond]

I like it. But it's a violent, sadistic comic for men. You have to appreciate it for what it is. Don't expect something profound. I find it less offensive than many Japanese adult comics. IMO It's entertaining. As for the whys and hows, I've never been the type who cared to have it explained so it doesn't bother me.

[Inkthinker]

I'd say GANTZ was definitely better than XS.

But yeah, it does seem like Oku drags it out sometimes. I think it may read better in collected editions than it does in chapters.

[Iron-boy]

I just saw the price of Gantz and it 15$/volume that crazy, heck even Bleach is 10$/volume, Dark Horse are obviously trying to make a quick buck. So im going to skip Gantz, and save money for bleach.

[Inkthinker]

Dark Horse is one of the only publishers that would take a series like GANTZ and publish it uncut, unedited, uncensored, no matter how raw it gets. And it gets super, super raw.

You pay an extra couple bucks for that. Same reason Berserk isn't $7.99 a pop.

Viz won't do that. Bleach is a kiddie book... it's a fun book, I read it, but we're talking the difference between a series for teenagers and series that's DEFINITELY for adults-only. For crying out loud, Viz whites-out Rangiku's cleavage in the pages of Shonen Jump.

[Len Ikari145]

Dark Horse is one of the only publishers that would take a series like GANTZ and publish it uncut, unedited, uncensored, no matter how raw it gets. And it gets super, super raw.

You pay an extra couple bucks for that. Same reason Berserk isn't $7.99 a pop.

Viz won't do that. Bleach is a kiddie book... it's a fun book, I read it, but we're talking the difference between a series for teenagers and series that's DEFINITELY for adults-only. For crying out loud, Viz whites-out Rangiku's cleavage in the pages of Shonen Jump.

What about Saikano or Black Lagoon, both of which were left uncensored by Viz?

[Iron-boy]

I'd rather have a good story with minimal blood for cheap then a bad story with full of blood for 30-40% money more. Also why should they charge more for stuff they dont work too much on? Your telling me Vizmedia is editing bleach, if that true, in conclusive Bleach should cost more then Gantz since they are working more on it.However their cheaper? why so?

[NeoStar9X]

Reading up a little on Gantz the story seemed interesting enough. However after seeing a few scans of various scenes of the manga and clips from the show I don't think I want to bother to read the series or watch it. I don't have a problem with violence or even over the top violence when the content and setting calls for it but this seems to be violence and gore just for the pure sake of it. I can't stand shows that are loaded with gore and sex just so one can say it's an adult or mature title.

[SpydaWeb]

Iron-boy, I suggest you listen to the interviews I did with the Darkhorse folks where they talk about what they go through in putting a book together. Darkhorse does a lot more work and puts a lot more effort into their job than your average publisher.

Interview 1 (http://www.spydaweb.org/podcast/FC_EP12.m4a) - Carl Horn and Michael Gombos (Darkhorse Manga)
Interview 2 (httphttp://www.spydaweb.org/podcast/FC_EP22.m4a) - Michael Gombos (Gantz specific)

Both interviews are in Quicktime m4a format, but you can play them in Windows Media player with the right codecs.

[Iron-boy]

Ah okay thanks.

[Inkthinker]

I'd rather have a good story with minimal blood for cheap then a bad story with full of blood for 30-40% money more. Also why should they charge more for stuff they dont work too much on? Your telling me Vizmedia is editing bleach, if that true, in conclusive Bleach should cost more then Gantz since they are working more on it.However their cheaper? why so?

They edit the art in Bleach for the magazine release, then publish it without the edits in the collection. Seriously, you can't miss it anytime Rangiku and her Marianas Trench Cleavage comes on the scene.

Another reason that Bleach is cheaper per-volume is that it's directed at a younger and larger audience, and by keeping it priced low it helps it to lead sales. Because a more mature title has a smaller audience, it's priced higher to offset lower volume.

What about Saikano or Black Lagoon, both of which were left uncensored by Viz?

I never suggested that Viz alters ALL their titles... they do alter SOME titles for content, and not consistently (again, content for Shonen Jump gets edited for the magazine, then printed un-edited in the collected edition). Viz's track record tends to skew towards a younger market, and for them publishing mature titles has always been a niche, rather than a focus as at Dark Horse.

If I hear that a mature, adult-oriented series is being released over here, I generally prefer that Dark Horse (with a proven track record of quality) does it. For a second choice, Del Rey has been pretty good. But a series for grown-ups costs grown-up money, it's hardly fair to suggest that the only reason Dark Horse charges more for a book than Viz is because they merely wish to "make a quick buck". It's not like they're a new publisher who just started releasing Japanese comics in order to take advantage of "new" media. Dark Horse was publishing manga when most current readers were a gleam in daddy's eye.

[Abraxas]

Having had the anime first which was overpriced for a DVD with only 2 episodes, it was the sickest thing I have ever seen. The whole thing revolves around man's inhumanity to man, and human greed/selfishness. Over the top voilent images are abound, so caution is warranted. I think the series starts off the best around DVD number 6.

I have only 2 manga volumes to go by, but the manga for the most part is a straight storyboard for the anime. Both are great and worth a shot.

[The Xenos]

I like what I've read of Gantz, but it is a bit of a guilty pleasure. It feels kinda llike pulp or exploitation stories. It's full of sex and violence. Though it does have its moments of worthwhile story. It's not boring to me, but it does seem to drag in that it's a bit too blatant in extending the story for the serial format. At the same time, there are some interesting twists in the course of the plot.

I read a bunch of the scanlations ages ago and forget where I left off. I have been just picking up the Dark Horse editions because I did enjoy it.