Gantz/21

So Kurono died just as Gantz decided to send them on a mission. Convenient as hell. Obviously, the whole point of this is just to have Katou swear to revive Kei! I think the story would not have suffered at all had Kurono chose not to free himself. I still don't see the point of the vampires (and they're actually along for the ride too! First time for everything I guess, apparently, you can ride along a transfer). I guess... the author needed two more badass katana-wielding humanoids.

So anyway, the big reveal here is that the Gantz team... is not alone - apparently, there's another team in Osaka, so this is like a joint operation of some sorts. The Osaka team... is a bunch of perverts, bat-shit crazy sadists, rapists, and murderers - in a not-so-subtle contrast with the goody-two-shoes Tokyo bunch. Is there... some sort of cultural commentary here? Anyway, just the usual over-the-top manner that new elements get brought in.

Things escalate to bloody levels extremely quickly - but I think most readers, like me, are kind of numbed by this point. The number of deaths and amount of gore the author throws out feels like par for the course now. Takeshi is actually contributing here, which is awesome to see actually, and Kaze has a moment of personality here beyond “I'm strong!”. Oh, and we finally get some response from the government.