Review by Frank Plowright

Hiroya Oku has spent considerable time setting up the cast for Gantz/13, avoiding any alien hunting for a pair of volumes leading up to what kicked off in Gantz/12. As this volume opens the cast are still endangered by dinosaurs. Oku realises that’ll produce amazing visuals, and he’s an excellent artist, so the results are stunning. And they improve once a T. Rex arrives. And if you thought things couldn’t visually improve further, remember that strange contraption Kei found in the previous volume? Well take a look at the sample art! He’s got it working.

Something that’s key to the enjoyment is Oku learning discipline and no longer letting the artistic possibilities extend the chapters beyond a natural lifespan. The dinosaurs are almost done and dusted in this volume, and when the situation escalates there’s a reason. There was also a reason for some characters last time being told to wear their protective suits and others not realising they were necessary, a decision they’re regretting. On top of that there’s the whimsy of Izumi, who does know what he’s doing, being accompanied by a panda. The only reason seems to be Oku wanted to draw it.

Because it’s so compact, yet the challenges are imaginative, this is the best action volume of the series to date. Other joys include commentary from the sidelines, and how some characters find who they can really be.

Oku needs a cliffhanger, so the threat isn’t completely finished here. Check Gantz/14 for that, or see them combined in the smaller sized Gantz Omnibus/5.