Logo handmade by Bannister
Column by Scott Green

Thanks...

The Anime AICN column would like to express its gratitute to Bannister for producing the Anime AICN logo. We'd also like to express our thanks to others who volunteered to help. A more detailed list will be in next week's post holiday column.

Don't Miss 2006

As the slate of releases currently stands, 2006 does not look like it will be a banner year for anime. Even noting the down turn and market difficulties, few predicted the degree to which there would be a dearth of licensing announcements during the big summer convention season. Even dipping into bad catalogue titles for re-release, there are several companies who currently don't look to be offering substantially much in the new year.

March 7th is a significant day to mark on your calendar. Diseny/Buena Vista will be releasing their next round of Studio Ghibli titles, including My Neighbor Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle from Hayao Miyazaki and Whisper of the Heart.

The classic Totoro is the charmingly lyrical story of two girls with a complex family situation who befriend a forrest spirit. The movie has received a new English dub starring Dakota Fanning and her sister Elle in the lead roles.

Howl's Moving Castle is Hayao Miyazaki's latest and possibly (but doubtfully) last feature, based on the British fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones, but intertwined with Miyazaki's reaction to the recent war in Iraq.

Whisper of the Heart is directed by Yoshifumi Kondou rather than Ghibli's better known Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. The movie follows a 14 year old girl discovering that she may want to be a writer who develops a deep friendship and perhaps more with a boy working to become a musician. Its stunning fantasy dream sequence is the first CGI animation from Studio Ghibli.

FUNimation has one of the more extensive lists of new titles with their round of acquisitions from Studio Gonzo.. The first to be released will be post apocalyptic off-color comedy Desert Punk (aka Sunabozu) in February. The big trio, rumored last spring and officially meted out through the summer Speed Grapher, Basilisk and Trinity Blood, will probably also see releases over the year.

Trinity Blood is a supernatural action about a future set war between humans and vampires. Tragically, its creator Sunao Yoshida died shortly after the anime was announced.

Speed Grapher is a Cowboy Bebop slick story of an emotionally scarred war photographer exposing corruption in a future society.

Basilisk is a strange and complex story of a feud between two ninja clans. The manga version of the series is being released as part of a new mature from Del Rey.

(It's a fair assumption that FUNimation has rock anime Beck too, it's been all but officially confirmed).

For non-Gonzo titles, FUNimation will be releasing Negima, about a young British wizard teaching in a Japanese girl's high school. Love Hina creator Ken Akumatsu lends an air of Harry Potter to his new swarms of girls series. While on the subject of Akumatsu works, TOKYOPOP will be releasing the Love Hina prose novels.

Bandai continues their slow and steady pace with Gundam SEED Destiny and Mai Hime, starting on March 14 and 28th respectively, as well as Eureka 7 on April 25th

Gundam SEED Destiny is the follow-up to the hit reinvention of the venerable mecha war franchise, this time pulling the bright look and personal relationship of Gundam SEED into the original military machinations.

Mai Hime works in engaging character drama and action in a story about girls with super powers who agree, for various reasons, to fight mysterious adversaries.

Eureka 7 is the new sci-fi from Studio Bones (Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Wolf's Rain, Rahxephon) that demanded the best work of the studio and a collection of anime stars'.

The first volume of Naruto, with the Cartoon Network edit and only an English language track of the popular Shonen Jump action adaptation, will be released on March 28th. An uncut collection will be released later.

It's a reasonable guess that Geneon will be releasing the new direct to video, more manga faithful adaptation of over the top horror/action Hellsing in 2006.

The new year will see several mecha classics repacked with ADV's release of Macross and CPM's release of VOTOMS.

Several comedies that redefine quirky are on the horizon, namely the long delayed Hare+Guu from AN Entertainment, and Ninja Nonsense (aka 2x2=Shinobuden) from the Right Stuf International.

Yaoi fans can look forward to Loveless,a pyscho/supernatural story, the anime version of which will be released by Media Blasters and the manga version of which will be released from TOKYOPOP.

GTO followers can keep an eye out for prequel Shonan Junai Gumi, which will likely be released in over-sized volumes.

Horror Manga fans will not want to miss Dark Horse upcoming titles, include Hideshi Hino's Lullabies from Hell, Junji Ito's Museam of Terror, Scary Books by Kazuo Umezu, School Zone by Kanako Inuki, Octopus Girl by Toru Yamazaki, Satsuma Gishiden by Hiroshi Hirata and Old Boy by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi. A number the horror titles will be released in April. For pure pulp, Dark Horse will be releasing brainwashed assassin epic Crying Freeman.

Viz's delayed character drive suspense Monster, one of the most rewarding manga you'll find starts February 21st. Viz will also be releasing another volume of God of Manga Osuma Tezuka's magnum opus, Phoenix on March 14th. Classic, dark global trotting assassin tail Goglo 13 starts on March 7th.

Don't let the work of smaller publishers get lost in the shuffle. Go Comi's series have so far all been exceptional, if easily overlooked titles. Her Majesty's Dog, a more modern horror, more character driven Inu Yasha goes from a Borders and Walden Books exclusive to a full release in April.

Keep an Eye out for the next volumes of the OEL manga hits of 2005. Since they're works in progress, subsequent volumes aren't also on the predictable intervals of translated manga. MBQ, Steady Beat, Dramacon and Unearthly have been some of this column's favorites.

Unlicensed titles to hope for include Mind Game a visually and philosophically robust art house anime movie. The anime adaptation of Monster is said to be up to the quality of the manga. Tenjho Tenge's Oh! Great has a more younger audience oriented action called Air Gear that has wrapped up its manga run and begun looks to be starting up as anime.

Hit fashion manga Paradise Kiss, and Peach Girl, a shoujo with a great villain received anime adaptations this year that haven't been licensed.

The absolutely insane manga version of Gantz is sadly wanting a North American licensor.

Manga Preview Claymore
by Norihiro Yagi

To be released by Viz April 2006

Cleaving and slicing off body parts foremost... geyser blood spurts as a secondary option. That seems to be the chief product offered by Claymore, which opens with an armor clad young woman taking the head off a humanoid beastie. The look is a little Berserk and a little Shadow Star, and the action is all about quick infliction of massive and certainly fatal amounts of bodily damage. It demands respect for not tip toeing around or slighting the audience in what its offering.

"Claymores" are members of a trained/created organization of monster hunters for hire. The Claymores play an essential social role thanks to their ability to detect the yoma when the creatures disguise themselves in human form. However, their position is complicated by a creation process that integrates elements of the yoma into their being.

Claire arrives at village whose citizens are being picked off by a hidden yoma. She's a young woman in shapely chest plate and short scale skirt, with penetrating eyes and a sword about has tall as she is. She moves into town, tracks and kills the yoma and moves on, receiving little gratitude from the villagers apart from a boy who's lost his family to super-preditor.

The first volume is mostly episodic, examining pieces of the business of Claymore/yoma conflict. Claire fights through various traps, interacts with aspects of the business, such as the managers/payment collector. There is some continuity business that leaves with a point projecting the series' path along a tragic trajectory.

The script does go into the monster/human dichotomy of Claire. Elements of her bestial instinct and the ingratitude from most of those she protects do receive attention, but largely, more than being a smart or intelligent manga it is innovatively pure at delivering fantasy hack and slash.

Norihiro Yagi's work brings a clean, sharp style to the manga. Tonight, precise, thin lines given it an intent looks that plays well with both the speed line and the action in which Claire's sword just goes thorough the dam things. The backdrops and architecture don't always fit together with a real work logic, but they are present enough and are drafted well enough that, with its crumbling edifices and castles, the manga does establish the look of a world. There are times where Claymore looks like standard if dark action, but when Claire smashes through a wall, and splits the floor a desire for logic is left behind in the strict coolness.

Manga Spotlight: Reiko The Zombie Shop
by Rei Mikamoto

Released by Dark Horse Manga

As Japanese cultural observers have recently remarked, death is hot these days. Especially the chart toppers Death Note and Bleach, but a host of other titles are demonstrating that in the anime/manga world, death, zombies and grim reapers are capturing the consumer's imagination. Reiko is less about the emotional or intellectual cache of the topic, or even the inherit fascination. It does tap into the popular life and death vein, but in a way comparable to a manga version of horror rock. While the front cover is a little flat, and mistakable for a typical action manga, the rear gets the attitude right, featuring a manically grinning blood splattered chick holding a knife. It's the Bad Death Here signpost that graphically announces what's to come.

Here's a high concept you will not find in Shonen Jump. Reiko is sort of the teen for hire supernatural problem solver that you'll see in a host of horror manga. Reiko is paid to take care of messy issues, but her specialty is invoking Satan to raise up the dead as zombies, generally to implicate their killers or exact revenge, but it's never that clean. In fact, this is deliciously distasteful manga with an irreverent mind for violence.

The stories are simple, but effective. Generally they are quick to establish set pieces in which Reiko is immediately introduced to the subject for zombification. For example, three girls at the top of a staircase and a dead one at the bottom. There are also several suicides along with other bad or just strange deaths.

With a litany of gore from the manga's maggot filled opening, to sliced through eyes, to hurled and then shattered severed heads, along with other nice touches like a Jesus statuette slingshot in a chapter illustration, you can brag about having read this manga. The by the book severe bodily damage moments are suitably atrocious, but there are also several gasp at the originality scenes that will have you marveling that some one thought them up and then had the guts to put them into a published manga.
Some of the character work is a little technically weak. The way that facial features have inconsistent size ratios is reminiscent of OEL creators whose work hasn't matured. Still, when things are getting smashed and sliced. No complaints.

Despite the amazingly outrageous shots, most of the high notes through the stories are rather similar. Meaning that while each story is perfect on its own, and the volume ends with quite the cliffhanger, reading it one sitting leaves it open to burn out. Volume one makes volume two looking like an attractive, though disturbing prospect, but reading the volume through is probably not the optimal method for consuming the work.

The translation and localization isn't faulty, but it is noticeable, which isn't always a desirable quality. Reiko isn't a work that heavily utilizes sound effect illustrations, but they are present, and in this case, noticeably untranslated. There's plenty of swearing in the translation, which can be problematic because missing equivalent in the Japanese language sometimes means the use in English translations are badly placed. Here, it perfectly fits the tone of the work, but again, not problematic, but noticeable.

Manga Spotlight: Ghost Hunter Volume 2 by Shiho Inada

Released by Del Rey

Like Reiko the Zombie Shop, Ghost Hunter is another conventionally constructed supernatural problem solver work with a bland initial impression. Like Reiko, that impression is misleading. The similarities end there. Ghost Hunter captures several elements familiar within North American prime-time hour dramas. First, and perhaps what really sets the work apart, is that is an intelligent procedural. It treats the supernatural like its a real field of study, akin law or forensic crime investigation. The participants debate tactics and analysis. They work through points of understanding.

The second point of comparison is that is works with an ensemble cast of young, attractive people. It makes a point that these people are younger and better looking than what are generally found in their professions, ie a partnership of am ex monk who now looks like a flowing haired rock star and a miko (Shinto shrine maiden), who looks like looks and smarts on the move up young corporate exec. Put the two elements together and you get something like the OC meets CSI supernatural beat. <.p>

If the formula sounds like the latest round of talk-to-ghost shows, it worth differentiate that while the Ghost Hunt has the shoujo relationships (chiefly the school girl protagonist and the narcissistic young boss at the supernatural investigation agency), the chief thrill of the work is the logical progression of steps and experimentation leading up to the solution of a problem.

Ghibli News

Twitch has pictures of the four short films for the Ghibli Museam here and here

From Nausicaa.net

Free program streaming website "PC TV GyaO" is streaming Joe Hisaishi's (composer for the Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli movies concert "Lovers of December" that was held at the Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall here.

How to see this program.
1. Click "PLAY"
2. Register with "date of birth", "e-mail address", and "occupation". Choose "agreement" (not necessary to choose it)

Ghibli museum announced that Miyazaki Hayao is preparing the related exhibition of the new short films which starts on January 3 in a gallery with museum staff every day. See here

Photos of the Heidi gallert at the Ghibli Museam can be seen here

Buena Vista Japan has a new English language site here

A trailer for "Ningen wa Nani wo Tabetekitaka" DVD from the Ghibli Gakujutsu Library can be seen here

Nausicaa.net also posted information about the new Miyazaki short film (in Japanese) starting at the Studio Ghibli Museum on January 3.

TOP:
The story of Fuki, an energetic girl setting out on a trip to look for a new house. There's little dialog, and in an unusual twist all sound (music, sound effects, dialog) is expressed by people's voices. "House-hunting".

NEXT:
The story of "Mon-mon", a water spider who experiences love at first sight with a lovely water strider, who skitters freely over the surface of the water. "Mon-mon the water spider."

NEXT:
The story of a visionary world according to artist Naohisa Inoue's original work "Iblard". "The Day I Harvested a Star".

NEXT:
The Saturn Theatre, where Ghibli shorts are shown that can't be seen anywhere else.

Seven Seas OEL in NewType

NewType USA will be serielzing Seven Seas' original English language manga Aoi House, from Adam Arnold, co-creator of Animefringe and Shiei(Amazing Agent Luna) starting in the January issue.

Aoi House is described as a teen comedy in the spirit of Love Hina, The Real World and Comic Party about two straight guys with no choice but to move into a college anime clubhouse full of crazed yaoi fan girls. Each four-panel strip will be presented vertically in traditional Japanese "4-koma" format and will run on the final page of Newtype USA.

In May 2006, Aoi House will be collected into graphic novel format and published.

GITS 2: Innocense Dub

Anime News Network reports an English language dub of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocense is in the works with with Richard Epcar, Crispin Freeman, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as reprising their Stand Alone Complex roles as Batou, Togusa, and Kusanagi.

The movie was released in region 1 by DreamWorks' Go Fish link without an English dub, and a criticized closed caption style format for its subtitles.

One Piece on Fox

One Piece will be returning to Fox's Saturday morning lineup in the new year. TV Guide lists an episode for January 14th.

Japanese Sites, Previews and Announcments

From AnimeNation

The site for medical action Ray (the original manga version of which is released domestically by ADV) is online at ray.tv/

The site for light novel based Kamisama Kazoku, romance manga based Tonagura!, Baldr Force EXE Resolution and Shonen Omyoji have gone online.

Trailer for Ergo Proxy from Shukou Murase (Gasaraki, Witch Hunter Robin, Gundam Wing, Samurai Champloo) and Dai Sato (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo,Wolf's Rain) have been posted here.

A trailer for the fourth direct to video release of Tales of Phantasia is online in narrowband and broadband formats.

A flash trailer for Amaenaideyo is online a href="http://www.vap.co.jp/amae/storyM.html">here

The official Japanese "kerozoro" website (Sgt. Frog) now hosts a streaming Windows Media trailer for the Keroro Gunso and Kaiketsu Zorori movies double feature, scheduled to open in Japanese theaters on March 11, 2006.

Studio Bones (The Cowboy Bebop Movie, Wolf's Rain) announced they will be adapating Itsuki Natsumi's manga series Juuousei.

TV Asahi's official Pretty Cure website has reveiled that Futari wa Precure Splash Star, the third series will feature a new cast with Cure Bloom (Saki Hyuuga) and Cure Egret (Mai Mishou) taking the place of Cure Black and Cure White.

Kodansha has announced that Riichi Ueshiba's supernatural fantasy manga series Yumetsukai will debut as an anime television series next April.

Viz Talks Gakuen Alice

Anime News Network reports Viz has responded to rumors that they have licensed Gakuen Alice saying "we are trying to license Gakuen Alice but no decision has been made". Gakuen Alice has been described as being comparable to Kodocha

Anime Network on Shaw

Anime News Network reports Shaw Communications will be offering Anime Network a subscription on demand offering to their network for $4.99 a month.

Dark Horse to Release Haibane Renmei

Dark Horse Comics will be releasing the first volume of the manga version of Yoshitoshi Abes (Seriel Experiments Lain) on April 26 with a retail price of $14.95.

From Yoshitoshi Abe, creator of NieA Under 7, Serial Experiment Lain, and Texhnolyze anime series, comes Haibane Renmei Anime Manga Volume 1. The Haibane Renmei Anime Manga is a full-color adaptation of Yoshitoshi Abes fantastic anime series, presented in the non-westernized manga format for a fun, Japanese-style reading experience!

In a long-forgotten walled town, humans coexist with the Haibane, angelic beings of unknown origin. Rakka becomes the newest Haibane after she awakens from a strange dream and finds herself hatching from a massive cocoon. With no memories of her previous life, Rakka struggles to adjust to her new surroundings, however burning questions remain in the back of her mind. What are the Haibane and what is their purpose? What lies beyond the town walls? Thus Rakka begins her wistful journey of self-discovery and wonderment.

Dark Horse will also be releasing the first volume of underground horror manga creator Hideshi Hino's Lullabies from Hell on April 19th.

Considered one of the most twisted and disturbing storytellers in manga, Hideshi Hino has long been considered a master of the horror genre since his debut in the late seventies and has gone on to produce hundreds of bestselling manga titles. Dark Horse Manga is proud to add his twisted tales to its horror manga line with this collection of four stories in Lullabies from Hell.

The self-titled first tome introduces you to the author himself told in a unique horror quasi-biography fashion. The second story tells of Hinos having willed his pregnant wife into birthing a horrible, planet-devastating reptile baby that eats puppies and children! Two other tales of equal horror and disturbing scenarios round out this collection.

More Talk of SEED Trilogy

Anime News Network and Gunota report that Sunrise has again indicated that they are planning a third Gundam SEED series. There has previously been talk of a follow-up to Gundam SEED Destiny contingent on the popularity of the work.

New Digital Manga Titles

Anime News Network points out Digital Manga Production listed on their site that they will be releasing Almost Crying by Mako Takahashi and J-Boy by Biblos, an anthology of 1-shot stories from Biblos's Japanese magazine Junk Boy.

Japanese Cromatrie Pakaging

Twitch has posted some amusing pictures of Japanese package for the movie of aburdist comedy Cromartie Highschool here

New Bandai Naming

Gunota reports following the Namca/Bandai merger, the following new names will be used for the company's American operations:
ow has a press release outlining their newly reformed North America operations.
Group companies are:
- Bandai America - Toys
- NAMCO BANDAI Games America - Game software
- NAMCO CYBERTAINMENT INC. - Amusement facility
- NAMCO AMERICA INC. - Business machinery & tools
- NAMCO NETWORKS AMERICA INC. - Development and distribution of mobile contents
- Bandai Entertainment - Production, marketing, copyrights, management for movies, animes, etc

ADV Interview

ICV2 has posted an interview with ADV's Stacy Slanina, the Anime Network's Director of Operations and company spokesman Chris Oarr here.

Cosmogirl OEL Onlone

A collection of Dramacon creator Svetlana Chmakova's CosmoGirl OEL is online here

Slam Dunk Plagiarism Claims

The Mainichi has an article here detailing the contraversey of Takehiko Inoue's hit basket ball manga Slam Dunk, which looks to have copied poses directly from professional photographs. The problem was exasserbated after Inoue successfully accused Yuki Suetsugu of ripping off his work, which led to a court ruling a few months ago banning all 25 books making up Suetsugu's "Eden no Hana" series and ordering their recall.

Upcoming CPM Releases

Central Park Media will be re-releasing Revolutionary Girl Utena on February 28th, and releasing documentary Otaku Unite! and VOMTOMS on March 7th.

Central Park Media calls Otaku Unite!, created by Eric Bresler, the world's first feature length documentary about the history of anime fandom in North America, will be released on DVD in March. documentary which is both informative and entertaining.

Otaku Unite! illustrates the sense of unity and passion among die-hard anime fans ("otaku") by covering the evolution of anime fandom from its humble beginnings to a highly visible and noteworthy mainstream audience in the United States. This DVD will include a director's commentary by Eric Bresler, Kaiju Big Battle commercials, an extensive cosplay art gallery of photos taken at this year's Otakon and much more.

Popular shoujo television series, Revolutionary Girl Utena will be re-priced and re-released beginning this February. At that time, this well known series will only be available in box sets with The Rose Collection DVD Boxed Set, which includes The Rose Collection 1, The Rose Collection 2 and the stand alone feature Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie, slated for re-release on February 28, 2006. The re-release of the remaining two box sets will follow in the spring with all three sets priced at only $39.95 SRP each.

Further, Central Park Media has created a special limited time offer especially for its long time Utena fans. Those consumers who wish to purchase all three of the box sets can now do so for one low price of only $99.95(which includes shipping) and will receive an Utena t-shirt as a bonus. In order to qualify for this offer, orders must be placed on CPM's site at www.centralparkmedia.com/utena between January 1, 2006 and February 28, 2006.
In addition to the re-release of the box sets, Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie will also be re-priced to $19.95 SRP and re-released on February 28, 2006. This Collector's Series Edition DVD is loaded with extras including a commentary by famed director Kunihiko Ikuhara.

The Rose Collection DVD Collection and Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie will both have an order date of January 31, 2006 and a street date of February 28, 2006. In addition, all program discs will include audio tracks in English and Japanese with English subtitles.

The Rose Collection DVD Boxed Set

From Kunihiko Ikuhara (Director of Sailor Moon), Shinya Hasegawa (Key Animation Supervisor of Neon Genesis Evangelion), and based on the original manga by Chiho Saito

A surreal coming-of-age fairy tale from the Director of Sailor Moon.

Utena is a spirited schoolgirl with an unusual dream: to become a heroic prince who saves damsels in distress! Although it seems impossible, her goal is closer than she can imagine. When Utena befriends a shy girl named Anthy, she unlocks a hidden world of swordfights, enchantment, and danger!

3-Disc Set Contains Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Rose Collection 1 (episodes 1-7), Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Rose Collection 2 (episodes 8-13), and Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie

DVD Features: Director's Commentary, Behind-the Scenes Video (The Making of the English Dub, with Kunihiko Ikuhara), Previews, Extensive DVD-ROM Features, English & Japanese with English Subtitles & Romaji Lyrics Running time: 400 minutes
SRP: $39.95

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie Collector's Series Edition
Running time: 87 minutes
SRP: $19.95

Tthe much anticipated 52-episode classic mecha series VOTOMS will be released in its entirety in 2006. VOTOMS is a sci-fi war drama following the personal war of Armored Trooper pilot Chirico Cuvie in the aftermath of a galaxy-wide conflict and was created by Ryosuke Takahashi, Kunio Okawara, and Hiroyuki Okuno, the talents behind Samurai 7, Last Exile, Ronin Warriors, Gundam 0083, Gundam Wing, and Gundam SEED. The 2-disc release of the first story arc Armored Trooper VOTOMS - Stage 1: Uoodo City is scheduled for release this March with the remaining three story arcs to follow over the upcoming months.

Further, each story arc will contain a unique proof of purchase card. Upon collecting and mailing in all four cards along with a $15.00 shipping and handling fee, fans will receive the limited edition VOTOMS ammo can and bonus materials which include a VOTOMS guide exploring the many worlds, characters, and robots of Armored Trooper VOTOMS as well as a special bonus DVD documenting the VOTOMS universe.

This 2-disc Uoodo City set contains the entire first 13-episode story arc and will include a director's commentary by Ryosuke Takahashi. In addition, the discs will contain Japanese audio tracks with English subtitles.

In the twilight of a galactic war, Armored Trooper pilot Chirico Cuvie is caught up in an illegal mission against his own army when he accidentally witnesses the birth of a top-secret genetic super-soldier. Now a fugitive, Chirico is driven into the criminal haven called Uoodo City where ordinary men's lives turn on the flip of a coin. But as his enemies are about to learn, Chirico Cuvie is far from ordinary!

Late February ADV Releases

2/21/06
Gantz Season 1 Box Set (SRP $69.98 DVD)
Gatchaman Volumes 9 & 10 of 18
Gatchaman Collectors Box 5

Gantz Season 1 Box Set (episodes 1-13)
Directed by Ichiroh Itano and produced by GONZO Digimation (Chrono Crusade, Full Metal Panic!), Gantz is based on the ultra-violent, totally twisted manga series by Hiroya Oku (HEN, Zero One). If anything, the anime series surpasses its source material for sheer spectacle - so much so that it had to be heavily edited for broadcast on Japanese television. ADV Films has restored Gantz to its original, uncut form for its DVD release, much to people's surprise.

He thought he was dead. The last thing Kei remembers is the train running over his own body. But now he is in a room filled with strangers, all resurrected by a strange, featureless black sphere known only as the Gantz. Caught in a strange realm between life and death, Kei and the others must undertake brutal missions that the Gantz assigns. Otherwise, none of them will live long enough to leave the room. Is it a game? A nightmare? All Kei knows is that this reprieve from death may only be temporary. If they fail, they will die again.

Spike Statue

Figures.com has pictures of Yamato USA's PVC statue of Spike Speigel here. The 8" statues will retail in March for around $40.00.