|
Feature Presentation:
Special thanks to ADV Films for sending a copy for a review for this site. When I first took a look at the series, I though it might be another sci-fi aventure, but I wasn't expecting the sheer horror & all out grossness scenes. Though, even after all that, you still get to see some fan service, as in nudity! Not to mention that this is the uncut version that hasn't been release in Japan & I can understand why the original Japanese opted out not to release this version. I find it quite interesting, though, it does make me reflect on how stupid peoples can be, letting their fear clouded their judgements. The story goes starting with Kei Kurono, a normal high school guy who get really distracted on hot girls, went home one day. He never expected to be killed by a train while doing a good deed. He thought his existence was over, but he ended up in a room with other strangers. One of them is an old childhood friend of his, Masaru Kato. Not only that, there is a mysterious black sphere in the middle. As everyone is freaking out on what is going on, the black sphere started to detail their task, giving them weapons & suits. Suddenly, they are all transported outside. No one is really ready to face the horror that awakes them.
Video:
ADV Films did a very great job. I found no problem, the image are clear & the color looks perfect. To top things off, the series is feature on Widescreen format. If you got a Widescreen TV, you're going to enjoy this even more. There is some watermarks done for the introduction & ending credits (they are translated in English). Each episodes are separated into 5 parts: the introduction, part A, part B, ending & the preview for the next episode! The episodes are on a different track, so there will be a small loading time when you move on to the next episode. Also, at the very end of the last episode, you will get to see a preview on what is to come on the next volume. I do note that you can skip all those warnings & logos when you first load the DVD by just pressing the "Menu" button on your remote control.
Dubbing: English:
The dubbing is really great. It's about 85% of the original Japanese.
Audio 01: English 5.1:
Unable to test it, since I don't have a 5.1 surround system, I can't really say much.
Audio XX: English 2.0:
Just letting you know, there isn't an English 2.0 audio track on this DVD. This is artificially made from the 5.1 audio track, that's why I noted it as "XX". I found no problem with the audio, but I bet it would be alot more interesting with the 5.1.
Audio 02: Japanese 2.0:
No problem found.
Subtitle:
ADV Films have selected a great font, very easy to read. They use yellow for the introduction, ending themes & the Japanese dialogue & white for Japanese signs & text. There are two tracks of subtitling. One track is for the sign subtitling & the other one is for the Japanese dialogue. I might note that every odd numbered episodes, the intro & ending subtitles are in English, while the even numbered episodes are in Japanese on this volume.
Menu Option:
The menu is also in widescreen format, but if got just a regular full screen TV, it will display in that format with no problem. The menu is very simple, entering the strange room of Gantz with the black sphere in the middle. There isn't a "Play All" but a selection of one of the 2 episodes, "Screen Access", "Set Up" & "Extras". There is also a "Preview" for the next volume of this series. Selecting the "Play All" or either episodes will make the screen with gusting pool of blood, though there isn't any special effects for the others. The background music is the introduction theme on the main menu, as well as the other parts.
DVD Extras:
There isn't much extras on it, just a non-credit opening & ending. There is also an interview with the director, Ichiro Itano. It gives a good insight on how the series was made, along on why it was censored during it's first release in Japan.
Packaging:
Keeping the central theme of this series, the packaging reflects just that, with the color red that is use mostly. It somehow draw you to at least take a look. On the cover, you see Kei Kurono in full suit, with Kei Kishimoto, the sexy hot girl, when she is transported to the Gantz room. In the back, you will see many screenshots from the episodes of the volume, with a black sphere in the middle. The insert is pretty simple, with the titles of the two episodes & the same image as the cover. On the DVD disc itself, I find it very well think of, keeping it black, like the black sphere, with the Gantz logo on it! Now that's keep it with the series!
PC Viewing:
Watching it on the PC is the same as watching it on the TV. Very clean, no problem at all, very little pixel (little squares popping in & out), both normal mode & full screen mode. The sound is just great. Since the episodes are on different tracks, it will take time to load when you move on to the next episode. Like on your regular DVD player, you can skip the warnings & logos when you load the disc, just use the "menu" option to go to the menu screen.
Overall DVD Rating:
If I can sum it up in two words, very disturbing! It's blood & gore, with bodies exploding. It's just horror to watch the pain inflicted upon another. I really suggest not to have a snack watching it if you don't have a strong stomach. The thing that bugs me the most that it's only have two episodes per volume, so it's a pain to wait to see what happen next! At least, the price of each volume reflects that.
| 
