LEARNING ABOUT THE GANTZ MANGA COMING FROM DARK HORSE

[MattBrady]

by Zack Smith

“Your lives are over. What you do with your new lives is up to me!"

Gantz. For years, this has been the manga series that American fans have longed to see reprinted in the U.S. This darkly satirical, action-packed story of recently-deceased souls resurrected by a mysterious force to kill for it is one of the most popular weekly series over in Japan. Demand for it in the U.S. has reached a fever pitch – and last summer, Dark Horse Comics announced that it had finally gotten the license to reprint it in the States.

With the first volume set to drop in June, we talked with Michael Gombos, Dark Horse’s Director of Asian Licensing, about what it took to bring Gantz to the fans – and what they can expect when it arrives.

Newsarama: Michael, for the uninitiated – what is Gantz?

Michael Gombos: Gantz is about a mix of typical people — male and female, young and old, students and businessmen — who, without leaving modern-day Tokyo. Without even leaving an ordinary apartment they find themselves suddenly under the total control of a black, floating sphere named Gantz, that supplies them with weapons and orders them to go out and kill targets at its command.

Why have they been chosen? What is the purpose of these missions? Can they break free of Gantz's power — and who or what is Gantz?

NRAMA: Now, the series has a huge following in the manga and anime community – could you describe the cult of fandom it enjoys both here and overseas? Also, what do you feel is the secret of Gantz's appeal?

MG: Those two questions are closely related. It's one thing to present readers with a mystery — many creators do that. But sometimes being cryptic serves to compensate for a lack of storytelling and artistic talent, which Hiroya Oku has in spades.

Gantz, like Akira, was a weekly title in Japan, and they shared an amazing ability to deliver to deliver such cool graphics every seven days that most artists would be glad to do in a month.

Gantz is sexy and slick, bristling with attractive characters and high-tech weapon designs. I think the story's idea of ordinary people being thrown into this real-life "game" resonates with the same appeal people feel for the best of today's survival horror or tactical shooter games. There's a moral tension, a dangerous thrill, in the idea of being forced to do these things in reality.

On that note, Gantz has appeal on so many levels. One thing to add is that oftentimes, when a manga has an anime counterpart (or when an anime has a manga counterpart), people might feel like there's something missing from one or the other.

Usually, one is superior to other. For example, while I am a big fan of Berserk (both anime the manga), my personal opinion is that the manga is clearly superior to the anime. For a property like Samurai Champloo, I feel the converse is true; the manga just felt completely different than the anime, and there were special things about the anime that were hard to convey (the hip-hop soundtrack, for example). Additionally, new characters were added.

Gantz is one of a few properties where I feel like the anime and the manga are on par with each other, in terms of what they have to offer. That is, I don't feel like people are missing out by only seeing/reading one, as both have a tremendous amount to offer the reader/viewer — something that manga scholar Carl Horn would describe as the "synergistic effect."

Going into what I said earlier – the art is completely jaw-dropping. It's stylistic without sacrificing too much realism. Many readers of this interview may already know this, but Gantz is done completely digitally, which is quite remarkable; while there are some "analog" pieces here and there, the medium of production might allow for timelier releases, and more series and character continuity.

And since I really can't avoid mentioning this, there is fan-service. I don't think it appears at the point where it becomes a "gratuitous detractor," but it's certainly there. Obviously, there is so much more to Gantz than guns and breasts, but if that happens to be the sole reason you buy Gantz, I can assure you that you won't be let down. I think that many fans appreciate Oku's dark sense of humor.

NRAMA: Bringing Gantz to the U.S. has been a long process – what’s that been like?

MG: I feel that with all manga, this is one of the most important parts of the history of the Gantz English-language editions coming-to-be. Without a doubt, this was the most difficult license that I have obtained for Dark Horse since I have been here.

Dark Horse had been trying to pick up Gantz long before I started. Michael Richardson met with the president of Shueisha around 2000 to talk about this, but nothing ever came of it. This process was repeated ad-nauseam.

NRAMA: Given that the process was such a struggle, what finally led to the reprints being approved?

MG: Persistence. I simply wouldn't let it go. There are some things that are confidential here, but Shueisha knows that Dark Horse is the undisputed king of Seinen manga (Newsarama note: Manga that is aimed at mature males), and knew that alongside other Seinen classics, Gantz would find a good home in our line up. I stressed this quite a bit. I made sure that we'd do precisely what the Shueisha and Mr. Oku wanted.

All around me, people said that given VIZ's existence and their relationship with Shueisha, it wouldn't happen. This of course, made me want to do it that much more. I felt like it was a title that belonged at Dark Horse, and simply kept trying.

Maybe Shueisha got tired of me showing up at their doorstep? Perhaps, that Dark Horse is, in a way, competing against itself; the more we sell, the more royalties Shueisha gets, and well, Shueisha is the parent company of VIZ. It's kind of like any big boxing fight produced by Don King: No matter who wins, Don King wins. With Gantz, no matter who wins, Shueisha wins.

Since they accepted our offer and we have been working together, they've been nothing short of great. Everything is very prompt, and they have been super helpful. Gantz is important to everyone involved. Like CLAMP's Mangettes, BLOOD+ and MPD Psycho, it's one of my "babies."

NRAMA: Now, Hiroya Oku is considered one of the "mangaka" in Japan, but his name might not be that familiar to some of our readers. Tell us a little about him and his work.

MG: Many of Mr. Oku's other works have only been published in Japan, and I believe that he's primarily known for Gantz. Admittedly, if every person is could only be known for only one project or property, Gantz is certainly a good one to be associated with.

More prominently, Mr. Oku does all his work digitally; nothing is done analog. He kind of pioneered this sort of work (many creators use it on and off throughout a series, or not at all).

From the art to the story, I pretty much love everything about Gantz.

NRAMA: Have you had a chance to work with him directly?

MG: I haven't had a chance to work with him directly. Japanese publishers tend to distance their creators from anyone but the editorial staff working on the serialized magazine running the property in question. I'd like the chance to someday meet him; if that doesn't happen, we're still absolutely honored that Shuueisha and Oku-sensei allowed us to publish Gantz in English. Audiences here have waited so long for such an important property, and I hope that Oku-sensei gains even more recognition worldwide from having an English-language edition of Gantz.

NRAMA: There are currently 23 volumes of Gantz in Japan -- what will be the release schedule for the U.S. editions?

MG: The first three will be released quarterly, starting in June. They will be released on a bimonthly basis from volume four.

NRAMA: What are some of the challenges in doing the translation for the U.S. edition, particularly in terms of the cultural contexts of the original story?

MG: Part of the appeal of manga is getting a taste for Japanese culture. I think people appreciate the fact that Dark Horse manga usually stay true to the original form. A fun challenge has been translating the personality of the manga that creator Oku Hiroya engrained, and trying to keep that as intact as possible.

NRAMA: Now, the demand for Gantz in the U.S. has been so great that many manga fans have been trading bootleg translations over the Internet. Obviously, this gets into a great deal of copyright issues that are an interview to themselves, but what would you say to encourage fans to pick up your official reprints?

MG: Gantz took a large amount of time, effort and resources to acquire. I am sure that everyone who likes manga wants to see manga on shelves in bookstores for years to come. Gantz is a big title, and it's something that people have been waiting for a long time.

The only way to let DH, Shuueisha, and Mr. Oku know that people love it is to go out and pick up a copy. Critical acclaim is there, and naturally, publishers and creators enjoy these sorts of accolades. However, the determining factor for the licensor is whether or not a series is successful is the royalty report.

NRAMA: Why are you personally excited to see Gantz hit the U.S.?

MG: It's a title I have wanted to see in English since before I started working at Dark Horse. The amount of love and effort put into acquiring this license is difficult to express in words.

NRAMA: Anything about Gantz you'd like to discuss that we haven't talked about yet?

MG: I'd like to thank the English-language edition editor Tim Ervin and retouch expertise of Studio Cutie for working so hard on it. They've really invested a lot of time and effort into the series.

Also, people should know that our edition of Gantz is exactly what Oku Hiroya and the Japanese licensors have requested. We're doing our best to publish editions of Gantz that make them and the readers very happy!

Gantz vol. 1 is scheduled to reach stores on June 25.

[SouthtownKid]

This has been a long time coming... I'm really glad to see Gantz finally get a domestic release.

[Varrus]

23 volumes?! Damn... and how much will each volume sell for?
Let's say ten bucks each. That's $230 for the series. That's a lot of scratch.

[Dood Lee]

Twenty three volumes have been released in Japan so far. The series is still ongoing and far from over. I wouldn't be surprised if the series totaled 40 volumes.

[SouthtownKid]

Originally Posted by Varrus

23 volumes?! Damn... and how much will each volume sell for?
Let's say ten bucks each. That's $230 for the series. That's a lot of scratch.

Are you going to buy them all at once or something?

[skaly]

Originally Posted by Varrus

23 volumes?! Damn... and how much will each volume sell for?
Let's say ten bucks each. That's $230 for the series. That's a lot of scratch.

Well, yes, but time is also a factor. It will take about four years before volume 23 is published here in the States. At about six volumes a year, we're talking about an annual total of $60, a mere $5 a month. Not bad in terms of "subscriptions," right?

[Varrus]

Originally Posted by skaly

Well, yes, but time is also a factor. It will take about four years before volume 23 is published here in the States. At about six volumes a year, we're talking about an annual total of $60, a mere $5 a month. Not bad in terms of "subscriptions," right?

Duh, of course. I did not even think of that. I blame it on the fact that I just came back from a big buffet lunch.

[SuperturboZ]

Originally Posted by Varrus

23 volumes?! Damn... and how much will each volume sell for?
Let's say ten bucks each. That's $230 for the series. That's a lot of scratch.

and it's worth every penny.

[Mendoza]

I doubt they will be ten. I would guess their pricing would be similar to that of berserk about 14.

[Arion]

The only thing I'm concerned about is censorship. Japan doesn't have as much problems as we do about nudity.

[hhbx]

Good to see Gantz finally come over for an official release (well, bad if you're a fan of the scanlations of course). A great and visceral manga that deserves a look.

[Xero]

What took them so long? And how much are they going to cut out of the series? The first three stories were extremely graphic.

[Reagunn]

I've had this as CBR's for a long time and they're in English.
Is this really the first English printing, and if so, where did the digital versions come from?
http://omanga.net/?type=proj&cid=gantz

I just realized that the link I provided no longer has the CBR's, they used to have the entire series on that site for free.
Yeah for licensing!

[Generic Eric]

Originally Posted by Arion

The only thing I'm concerned about is censorship. Japan doesn't have as much problems as we do about nudity.

I read lady Snowblood and Samuraii Executioner from Dark Horse. There was plenty of nudity and gore with no decernable censorships. These might be shrink wrapped though to protect the innocent.

[nickmarino]

my girlfriend is in love with anime and this is one of the few shows that i enjoyed watching with her. i'll probably pick up the first volume for her and see if she likes it.

[Question86]

This is the anime I would reccomend to anyone who has been unsure if they would like anime in general. The last dozen or so episodes are mediocre but the series as a whole is fantastic. Im definately buying this manga. And Dark Horse is the perfect company, now I know the manga wont be butchered like DC's release of Tenjo Tenge

Reagunn, fans translate un-published manga all the time. Up until now it hasnt been illegal because no one held the US copyright.

[Moosarama]

Gantz is insane. I can't say it's a great series, but it's so different, intriguing, bizarre and violent, yet the character moments really work, and the art is gorgeous, if a little heavy on T&A. It's been a long time coming.

[paptschik]

Originally Posted by Question86

This is the anime I would reccomend to anyone who has been unsure if they would like anime in general. The last dozen or so episodes are mediocre but the series as a whole is fantastic.

Most of which is filler anyway and while I love the anime visually, it doesn't even get close to the masterpiece that is the manga. While Gantz certainly does not reach the level of Berserk (best story to ever be printed in comic/manga form!), it's a great, often disgustingly violent epic with some truly heartwarming moments later on when the characters actually start the major character development.

[-Armando523-]

the anime was pretty crazy

[Moosarama]

Originally Posted by paptschik

While Gantz certainly does not reach the level of Berserk (best story to ever be printed in comic/manga form!).

Please sell me on Berserk. I tried the first three volumes and thought, "Eh, violent fantasy action series, so what?" But I keep hearing excessive praise about it. In which volume do things pick up?

[JFx]

This comic is amazing, I really love it, the must important thing in this comics is that everything can happen, everything

Is so Amazing (btw just for mature readers)

[Akcoll99]

Originally Posted by Moosarama

Please sell me on Berserk. I tried the first three volumes and thought, "Eh, violent fantasy action series, so what?" But I keep hearing excessive praise about it. In which volume do things pick up?

Volume 4. Honestly. The first 3 volumes more or less set up the action and the status quo of Guts Vs. Demons. Volume 4 begins the flashback that explains how everything got to be where it is in the world and is really where the story and art just take off. I've read through the most recent US volume, #22 I think, and the series just gets better and better. It is such a good series...

And while the Gantz anime didn't do much for me (thanks partly to ADV's inane release style for the show...), I am really excited for the manga. I have read the series HEN (a.k.a. Strange Love) from the same manga-ka and enjoyed it quite a bit.

[paptschik]

Originally Posted by Moosarama

Please sell me on Berserk. I tried the first three volumes and thought, "Eh, violent fantasy action series, so what?" But I keep hearing excessive praise about it. In which volume do things pick up?

Basically what Akcoll99 said. The first three volumes only introduce Guts and aside from Puck we don't get any other characters worth mentioning nor do we learn much about the world. This, along with another short arc around volume 14/15, is the only time Berserk feels like filler. Volume 4 to 13 are an EPIC flashback, we get a huge cast of characters and Guts becomes a lot more deeper as a character as we see how he grows up, how he kills for the first time, how he becomes a warrior, finds friends, comrades and loses everything to become the person in the first volumes..besides, the art in the first volume REALLY lacks the details later on....and the end of that arc...is just one of the best and must gutwretching conclusions I've ever read.
After the short filler in volume 14/15 or something like that we get straight to the next epic arc, which is my personal favorite, but it ain't for you if you're...sensitive when it comes to religious and/or sexual content...especially the whole, well, inquisition deal is quite disturbing.
From here on out there's pretty much, again, a new status quo and things go fast on the global side of things, but take their time when it comes to Guts' adventures. Some volumes/chapters in the later 20s might seem a bit boring to some because there is A LOT of setup, but I love these volumes just as much because we really learn a lot of the world, its rules, laws, politics, believes, people etc. and I just like how in general the book regains the "epic" tone it had throughout volume 4-13.
Also, Puck's humor works a lot better in later issues, because it isn't as "in your face" as early on...like I think in one issue we have the giurls taking a bath, Puck being with them and after that we have this tiny image of Puck basically looking like a wannabe Hugh Hefner. (I am aware that these humorous tidbits might bother some/take them out of the story, but they are rarely that "out there" and as I said, they're usually not pushed to the front that much, often you might as well miss them completely...IF Puck takes a lot of space it's usually for much darker humor, like when Puck tried to blend in with the pseudo-fairies, playing ball with them, only to realize that their ball is an eye)

[silvanthalas]

I read translations of Gantz through about, I dunno, "issue" 240 or 250? This was like 2.5 years ago or something. I finally stopped when the series took a big turn and still didn't seem to be getting even a step closer to explaining anything about anything. I read comic books, so I obviously don't mind stories taking awhile to get to where they're going, but Gantz just felt like the story was running on a treadmill.

[paptschik]

Originally Posted by silvanthalas

I read translations of Gantz through about, I dunno, "issue" 240 or 250? This was like 2.5 years ago or something. I finally stopped when the series took a big turn and still didn't seem to be getting even a step closer to explaining anything about anything. I read comic books, so I obviously don't mind stories taking awhile to get to where they're going, but Gantz just felt like the story was running on a treadmill.

Well, the thing about some manga, particulary manga like Gantz, is that they basically have one storyline, start to finish and they really take their time with it and unless we're really close to the end, there won't be that many explanations for anything.