Gantz vol. 16

Now here’s a new volume that I’ve been anticipating!  After the previous installment reminded me how good this series can be (when I don’t know what’s going to happen next), the waiting for this one actually started to bother me.  Which is something that hadn’t happened yet during Dark Horse’s rollout of the series.  Can it keep its momentum going?  Good question…

Vol. 16 gets right back into the action with the group having fractured in two based on those who want to kill Kurono’s girlfriend Tae, based on Gantz’s orders, and those who want to look for another way.  The resolution of the fight takes up the first half of the book and it’s an incredibly tense, thrilling experience.  While the odds are clearly against Kei and his friends, he proves to be incredibly resourceful under pressure and gives as good as he gets.  Seeing the tide of the battle shift back and forth in this fashion makes for great drama as it’s never clear who is going to win until the very end.  And that’s how it should be.

Afterwards, we’re witness to something that borders on a “retcon” of the established rules of the series.  We’ve known for a while that getting to 100 points in the game is supposed to earn you freedom, but Izumi reveals that there’s actually a menu of options once you get to that level.  You can choose to leave and have your memory of the events wiped, get access to better weapons, or have a person in Gantz’s memory resurrected.  Guess which option Kei will be going for?

While this revelation isn’t entirely implausible, it does have one major obstacle in its path.  Namely, if your memory is wiped after gaining freedom, how does Izumi remember any of this?  I like the motivation it gives Kei, but my enthusiasm is tempered by the nature of its reveal.

Same goes for the leadup to the next battle in the last two chapters of the book.  I’m not complaining about how the little kid with the awful parents dies badly, is recruited by Gantz, and becomes attached to the big, burly, martial-arts enthusiast because he looks like a sentai hero.  This is “Gantz” after all and it doesn’t get sentimental unless there’s some kind of violent death or dismemberment involved.  There’s a particular scene between Kei and Tae that illustrates that in this volume — but it’s VERY spoiler-filled.

No, what I’m worried about is how the schism that developed between Izumi and Kei’s groups in the previous battle isn’t addressed at all in these chapters.  Even if it was Gantz that gave the objective, I don’t see these two ever being able to work together, or even be in the same room without a fight breaking out.  However, that seems to be what’s happening here.  So I’m hoping that’s addressed in the next volume as they take on the “Demon Alien.”  His catchphrase is, “Hey baby.”  It should be awesome.

I’m still anticipating vol. 17, but it’s the kind of anticipation that comes when you’re worried that a series might be about to “ jump the shark.”  Mangaka Hiroya Oku has proved that he’s a crafty and smart storyteller, and the best case scenario is that my concerns will either be addressed or steamrollered over once the battle kicks into high gear.  If they’re not… well, I don’t want to think about that yet.  Time for some “Dragon Age II” instead.