Review by Frank Plowright
Over earlier Omnibus volumes there’s been very little change to Gantz, but Hiroya Oku has now picked up the pace. A lot happened in Gantz Omnibus/4, and even more occurs over what was originally published in larger, but slimmer paperbacks Gantz/13, Gantz/14 and Gantz/15.
The biggest change concerns the raise in main protagonist Kei Kurowi’s self-esteem. In the previous volume he found a girlfriend in Tae, even if the circumstances of their hooking up were slightly sleazy on his part. Here he experiences the new sensation of people looking up to him rather than looking down on him as in school, where he’s acquired the nickname Mr. Lamp after a teacher’s caustic comment. In the Gantz world, though, his experience and managing to combat dinosaurs even without protective armour means even tough newcomers follow his lead. Among those newcomers is teen sensation Reika, someone with a national profile, and her admiration for Kei is immense.
From the start Oku’s art has been astonishingly good, both with action and personality, and the long opening sequence of man vs dinosaur is a visual gift. He doesn’t blow the opportunity, and because the dinosaurs are so large Oku resorts to even more spreads and pin-up pages to show the scale. There are further artistic highlights later when shadowy knights on black horses provide a test. As has also been the case from the beginning, Oku’s very good at ensuring the cast can be distinguished from one another. With the panda, of course, that would never be a problem.
So far Gantz has been predominantly an SF action thriller with a little high school drama on the side, but this volume heads through a ticklist of genres. There’s high school romance, gangsters with swords and vampires. The last two are actually one and the same, and while their presence leads to a spectacular swordfight with Izumi, unless Oku has something up his sleeve, they look to be the first time he’s taken a wrong step. Their inclusion seems too impulsive, and more an excuse to feature a different type of action than anything connected with the main plot. On the other hand, that connection may still be made as we’re not even halfway through the series here.
By the end, Kei’s popularity has taken a nosedive as the target for a new mission is revealed. It’s someone he doesn’t want to die, while others realise they will die if the mission isn’t completed. The tension as this volume ends is fully ramped up, and that’s in a collection where Oku’s made us forget what a bastard Izumi is. It’s very good indeed, so bring on Omnibus/6.
