Gantz: O

Found this hidden gem scrolling Netflix, and was really impressed. Never heard of Gantz, but was left wanting more!

This is one of the best manga adaptation I've seen, right after Akira and Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii's version). Well, that might be a bold statement since Gantz: O doesn't have the depth of these two, but it's a rather good adaptation of a segment of Hiroya Oku's manga, quite entertaining, and very, very well made. The motion capture is impressive, the best I've seen so far in this kind of production and leaves far behind the various declensions of Final Fantasy, Halo, or resident Evil (the animated ones). It's so good that I often had the impression to be watching live actors. The facial expressions are perfect, down to the glittering eyes that gives these animated characters the sparkle of life that's often missing in Asian CGI animation. No doubt this movie will be a reference for future productions of that type. Otherwise, just an advice, don't look away or be distracted in the five last minutes or you might be baffled by what's going on (I had to watch the end twice because someone talked to me at the worst moment and I missed the one sentence that was the key to it all).

Hav never been a fan of certain Japanese films due to their weird gore n story. Havent read any of their manga. As for the Gantz, without having any exposure to its video game, manga, anime n action films, i was pleasantly surprised n happy to see this movie on a dvd. Imagine the fun on big screen. In one word, Gantz:O is an impressive visual spectacle. The movie is filled with style, awesome action sequences n terrific monster designs. The monsters were good. The editing is top notch n thankfully the hand held cam stuff n quick cut editing is nada n most of the action happens in proper light so you can actually follow what is going on. The characters appeared realistic with their facial expressions n body language. After watching this movie, i have become a fan of the Gantz series n looking forward to its sequels. They hav included one weird scene, a weird old man transforms into a naked woman n then into multiple naked women... after all its a Jap movie.

Honestly the story is actually quite good, obviously it isn't the highlight of the movie. But if it was explored deeper I can imagine it becoming a really amazing story. We all know why you watched the movie though, because of the endless action scenes and stunning visuals. The action scenes are extremely creative without meaning to them, the weapons are inventive and the over the top gore is exhilarating to watch. And the visuals are absolutely the best I've seen on any movie so far. The lightning is dim with focus points that make certain areas stand out. ITS BEAUTIFUL! I don't really care for any of the characters, none of them were that great with the limited character development time but to be fair towards the end there is a certain attachment I felt towards the main characters, I did kind of annoy me how the people had only met that day and already they developed an incredibly strong relationship but whatever. If your looking for something to mindlessly watch, or are just looking to relax...watch this.

Most animé have great great combat scenes, maybe even great visuals due to excellent CGI and maybe some great scenes and story flow... but what is usually lacking is the dialogue, which tends to be lazy and feels like an after-thought.

Gantz:0 had the potential to be an excellent movie, but just like other animé with amazing CGI - it fell flat, over and rolled over into laughing zone. One of the girls just sounds like a mental basket - not sure what they were trying to accomplish with her character.

Overall I liked it... definitely not the best, but the animation alone, combat scenes, story-boarding was excellent.