Could have been far, far better...but still worth watching...

npvbrukout

The first Season of Gantz, and indeed most of the second, was really quite a good watch. In fact it was pretty amazing. If it had carried on in that way then it could quite easily have been one of the better anime series by far.

Unfortunately, towards the end of the second season (after the episode with the statue) the last few episodes get pretty tedious and I was left feeling hard done by. Over a course of 22 episodes they build up characters that are annoying at times but gradually become really likable. It was an odd feeling to see all the members pair off into couples and consider it to be not only cute but well done. The last mission they are all sent on (involving the statues)was good up until all but one of the members of the original group dies. The only characters that weren't annoying are all killed off in the space of 10 minutes by the same alien.

Generally after this it becomes very, very bad. Although I feel the main reason for my disappointment was due to the likable characters (that took around 9 or 10 episodes to get used to and like) dying right near the end, and being replaced with some really quite annoying characters.

Combine this with a lack of plot; half baked/arsed philosophical rants; and an air of confusion (based upon the characters themselves not knowing what is going on and having to use them to try and establish what is going on) and you are left feeling a little disappointed. Not finding out what Gantz is didn't bother me at all. The way Gantz in it's later episodes was going I really wasn't expecting any kind of remotely enlightening information. However, the final straw to break the donkey's back was not even knowing what happened to Kurono, or equally as annoying; why in the final episode.

To be brutally honest if you are going to watch this series you can quite easily get away with watching up until episode 22...then just turn it off. It will only go downhill after, and leave you with more questions and ultimately feeling as if you wasted your time. Only a little though.

Oh and way, way, way, way too many flashbacks. All of the same ****ing things.

score 7/10

npvbrukout 15 July 2008

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1911506/