Genre: Sci-fi / Action

Range: Mature 18+

Price: 12.95 USD

The cliff-hanger battle that cuts off at the end of Volume 1 picks up without missing a beat, and Volume 2 of Gantz races right from where we left off.

For the uninitiated, Gantz is a hyper-violent and hyper-popular manga that is still going strong in its homeland of Japan. Not unlike some other titles in this genre, we are thrown into this story in the middle, living it through the eyes of high-schooler Kei Kurono . After having been run over by a train Kurono and his former classmate Kato find themselves trapped in a small Tokyo apartment. (Yes, you read that last sentence correctly.) Along with Kurono and Kei are a random group of strangers whose only connection is that they have recently died...or so they thought. Besides the strangers is a large black orb called Gantz that seems to be the center of the bizarre situation.

As strangely as they appeared, the group is sent on it's first "mission" to kill the "onion man".

This second volume lets us know how that mission (game?) ended up. This is an action-packed volume that succeeds in playing out, in parts, like an actual horror movie. A good part of the book is Kurono being chased by the onion-headed monster. Even during the intensity of the chase we are given some key hints as to what is really going on. But what happens after that is even more shocking, making the cliff-hanger in the end of the first volume pale in comparison as "what's going on?" shifts to "what's going to happen next?"

The sharp and cold style of Hiroya Oku Works (Oku and a team using hand and CG-drawn art ) allows the violent details to come through crystal clear.

The fan service of the first volume takes a back seat to the action (but doesn't completely disappear), and this second volume makes a great follow-up to the very satisfying first volume. With solid artwork, a compelling story, buckets of blood and shameless nude scenes, Gantz is the dictionary definition of good manly manga. 

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