One of the biggest reasons adults hesitate about stocking manga in their bookshops or libraries is concern about content. Partly this is historical: the first manga (and anime) to be available in translation in the UK back in the 1980′s were often violent and exploitative, and though those kinds of stories make up only a small proportion of manga production in Japan (where romance manga, sports manga, even business manga are the norm) the perception that all manga are like that still continues among adults to this day.

It’s wrong. Manga is “only” a form: as I hope my previous posts on 20th Century Boys and Twin Spica may already have suggested, manga can be about anything. If, however, you’re determined to cling to the perception that all manga contain strong bloody violence, bad language, gratuitous titillation and no clear moral compass… well: Gantz by Hiroya Oku is going to confirm all your worst expectations. And you know what? I’m going to recommend it here anyway, because I think Gantz is a blast. ;p

When horny, jaded teenager Kei is reluctantly coerced by his moral and honourable friend Masaru into saving the life of a drunk who has fallen into the path of a subway train, two surprising things happen. The first is that Kei and Masaru are both killed for their trouble. The second is that the pair of them (plus various other misfits) then both wake up in a strange room containing a mysterious black sphere.

In letters appearing on its surface the sphere explains only the following: its name is Gantz, Kei‘s and Masaru‘s lives are no longer their own, and from now on they and their unlucky fellow victims will be forced to hunt down and kill (or be killed by) various bizarre aliens that seem to be roaming the city. Gantz equips Kei and the rest of the group with some spiffy-looking but dubiously functional sci-fi weaponry, plus some costumes that (the sphere neglects to explain) will give their wearers super strength and speed. Then, with no further instruction, Gantz zaps the characters off on their way to take their chances. Who will survive? Who will die? Will intolerably, desperately one-track-minded Kei ever persuade someone to have sex with him or will aliens rip his limbs off first? Read Gantz to find out.

Let’s face it: Gantz is unlikely to be stocked in libraries – or not without restricted access. Your parents will probably not buy it for you; your granny will (almost-!) definitely not give it to you for Christmas. Gantz is violent, sexy and probably “too old for you.” But it’s enormous fun – a gleeful, gory, guilty pleasure that I heartily recommend. And to any adults reading this post who are appalled by my recommending this series here I say only this: reading that you disapprove of is still infinitely better than no reading at all.

Between following the multiple volumes of Gantz, 20th Century Boys and Twin Spica you can see I’m developing quite the manga habit here. But I still have more manga recommendations to come, I’m thrilled to say.

Happy reading!

Sam

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