GANTZ (2011-Japan-Live Action)
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Current user rating: 91/100 (189 votes)
Profile
- Movie: Gantz
- Romaji: Gantz
- Japanese: 前編
- Director: Shinsuke Sato
- Writer: Hiroya Oku (manga), Yusuke Watanabe
- Producer: Takahiro Sato
- Cinematographer: Taro Kawazu
- Release Date: January 29, 2011
- Runtime: 130 min.
- Production Company: NTV, Toho, Nikkatsu
- Distributor: Toho
- Language: Japanese
- Country: Japan
Plot
College student Kei Kurono (Kazunari Ninomiya) notices former childhood friend Masaru Kato (Kenichi Matsuyama) helping a drunk man who fell from a subway platform. Kei Kurono then jumps down to help his childhood friend. A few moments later, the subway train rapidly approaches and both men look on helplessly on as their life is about to end.
The next moment, Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato finds themselves in a strange apartment with a mysterious giant black sphere and others who have recently died. The massive black sphere in the center of the living room is "GANTZ". GANTZ then assigns the people gathered in the room on missions to exterminate aliens. They are given a set time and if successful will receive points. A total of 100 points will allow them to leave this purgatory like place or send someone else back to life. If they fail, they can perish forever ...
Notes
- Based on the manga "GANTZ" written by Hiroya Oku. The 27 volume manga has sold over 10 million copies.
- Distributor Toho announced on November 30th that "Gantz" will premiere in the United States on January 20th, ahead of its release in Japan on January 29th, 2011. The U.S. release will be dubbed in English and released in about 300 theaters.
- Related titles:
- GANTZ Perfect Answer (2011)
Cast
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| Kazunari Ninomiya | Kenichi Matsuyama | Yuriko Yoshitaka |
| Kei Kurono | Masaru Kato | Tae Kojima |
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| Kanata Hongo | Natsuna Watanabe | Tomorowo Taguchi | Takayuki Yamada |
| Joichiro Nishi | Kei Kishimoto | Yoshikazu Suzuki | Masamitsu Shigeta |
Additional Cast Members:
- Gou Ayano - mysterious group leader
- Nako Mizusawa - girl from mysterious group
- Kensuke Chisaka - Ayumu Kato
- Shunya Shiraishi - Hiroto Sakurai
- Ayumi Ito - Yutsuriko Aikawa
- Naho Toda
- Kazuyuki Asano
- Komatsu Toshimasa
- Motoki Ochiai
- Tieko Itikawa
- Tomokazu Koshimura
- Yurie Midori
- Hidekazu Nagae
- Yuko Genkaku
- Ryuya Wakaba
- Masanobu Sakata
Trailers
Image Gallery
Film Festivals
- 2011 (11th) Nippon Connection - April 27-May 1, 2011 - Nippon Cinema
- 2011 (12th) Japan Filmfest Hamburg - May 25-29, 2011 - Naginata
- 2011 (10th) New York Asian Film Festival / 2011 (5th) JAPAN CUTS: The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema - July 1-14, 2011
- 2011 (15th) Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival - July 14-24, 2011 - World Fantastic Cinema *Korean Premiere
- 2011 (15th) Fantasia Film Festival - July 14-August 7, 2011 *Montreal Premiere
Q&A (PiFan 2011)
Q&A took place after a screening of "GANTZ" at the 2011 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival on July 15th. AsianWiki editor Ki Mun was there and transcribed/translated the session.
- Moderator - Here is the director of GANTZ … Shinsuke Sato.
- Shinsuke Sato - Hello, I am Shinsuke Sato. Thank you for coming here. This is my third time visiting South Korea, but first time visiting Bucheon. Even though my visit here has been short, I am enjoying my time, eating great food and talking with the people. This is also the first screening for GANTZ in South Korea. I was curious how you would react to the movie. After several previews with reporters, who generally gave fine reviews and your responses I'm happy .
- Moderator - How faithful is GANTZ to the original manga?
- Shinsuke Sato - Hiroya Oku, who wrote the original manga, told me the manga and movie are different so make the movie however I want. I shot the movie freely, but the original manga is good and there are lots of fans of the manga. After watching the movie you should have the general idea of the original manga. Also, I wanted to make the movie version of GANTZ without damaging the image of the original manga, but at the same time, I did want to make the movie enjoyable for the movie going audience who may have not read the original manga.
- Audience Question - The movie GANTZ contains lots of action scenes. Was there any difficulties shooting the action scenes?
- Shinsuke Sato - It was difficult filming the action scenes without getting the actors hurt. I asked the actors to show a lot of dynamics in their action scenes, but also not to hurt themselves. I also asked them to push the boundaries for action sequences, so they were a little confused. Most of the actors are young and athletic. Kazunari Ninomiya dances a lot (as a member of boy band Arashi) and quite capable filming action scenes, but, Kazunari's character is an ordinary guy so his actions shouldn't be that spectacular. It was a little difficult to find the right balanace.
- Audience Question - Could you explain the appeal of the movie GANTZ over the original manga?
- Shinsuke Sato - Of course a large part of the appeal for the movie version is the appearance of Kazunari Ninomiya & Kenichi Matsuyama. For the movie to work we did have to make some changes. For example, in the original manga, main characters are high school students, but since we cast Kazunari Ninomiya & Kenichi Matsuyama, we felt it would be more appropriate to have them as college students. We tried to include problems reflective of that age group like difficulties in finding jobs and also how they contribute to society through the character played by Kazunari Ninomiya.
- Moderator - Did the other members of Arashi visit the shooting set?
- Shinsuke Sato – No they did not.
- Audience Question - I was a little scared through the movie, but I had a good time watching it anyways. I would like to know if there are any funny stories involving the two main actors while filming.
- Shinsuke Sato - On the day when we shot the scene where they were exploring the statue it was Kenichi Matsuyama's birthday. Staff members told me Kazunari Ninomiya prepared a birthday cake for him and that Kazunari made the cake himself. I didn't believe he made the cake himself, but he told me he did make the cake. I had a piece of the birthday cake and it was really good. I'm the director of the movie and I didn't even remember it was Kenichi Matsuyama's birthday. The staff and I were impressed by him.
- Audience Question – During the last scene, when it was raining, Takayuki Yamada is holding an umbrella that is a different color from all the other same colored umbrellas. Was there any symbolism in that?
- Shinsuke Sato - This is the first time someone asked me that question. You are quite sharp. During that last scene, I focused on trying to make the scene look gloomy and ominous, implying what's in store for part 2. There isn't a specific meaning for the different colored umbrella, but if there were all different colored umbrellas the tone would not have been as dark. Takayuki Yamada held the only bright colored umbrella so the viewers would notice his movements. Prior to filming we planned that scene specifically like that.
- Audience Question - Before you shot the movie did you ever think of using the 2.35 anamorphic format?
- Shinsuke Sato - Your question is quite technical. There are various types of aspect ratios used in films. In the past, I made of lot of independent movies using the standard size 1.85 format. For GANTZ, I thought about filming in the movie in a widescreen ratio, but eventually I chose the standard size. I needed to take various risks and for the screen size I picked what I am familiar so I could concentrate on taking risks with other aspects of the movie.
- Audience Question – Recently, Kazunari Ninomiya played a freeter and in GANTZ he plays a university student who goes through difficulties finding a job. Does his real personality match this type of character?
- Shinsuke Sato - The drama you are talking about (Freeter, Ie wo Kau ) came out after GANTZ finished filming. By chance, Kazunari Ninomiya got a similar type of role in the drama. Kazunari Ninomiya's actual personality doesn’t fit the mold of a freeter. Obviously, when he dresses up he looks like a star, but in the movie when he is in a suit and mixed in with extras he blends in. In the first scene, Kazunari Ninomiya appears on the train station platform standing among a group of extras. It takes a while to find him. He is quite a mysterious and unique actor who can act as a normal young man.
- Audience Question - Ordinary people become serious and desperate about life because of death. This becomes a turning point for them to think about life more seriously. I don't know how the next episode will end, but I think you made this movie thinking about living the present life more deeply.
- Shinsuke Sato - While making the movie it was like a war. Shooting was very difficult. We shot part one and part two simultaneously and it took five months to complete. During this time, I kept thinking about what I can do, who I am. In the beginning of part one, Kei Kurono is an ordinary young man, but through strange situations he comes to find himself. Coincidentally, during the filming I lost my confidence and sometimes had troubles with staff members. It was a time for me to think about what I can do.
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Edo Says:
Aug 18 2011 10:19 am
Watched the 1st movie three times already. Japanese voice is miles better of course.
The movie is great, you can't expect a 4 hours story to be as detailed as the anime/manga series.
It was exciting, emotional with that japanese melodrama atmosphere/acting and let me really hyped to see Perfect Answer.
rachel Says:
Aug 12 2011 7:22 pm
i just watch this movie only to see kenichi matsuyama. even if i didn't like the story, but i'm so happy to see kenichi! aaawwwww kenichi!!! i'm big fans of kenichi. if kenichi didn't play here, sure i will not watching this movie, LOL
Wes Says:
Aug 01 2011 8:04 am
Awesome Mange, an above average anime, and a abysmal excuse for a movie. One of the reasons GANTZ is such a HUGE success is because of how unfair the world can be. I remember reading the manga and going like "NO WAY" in almost in ALL of the chapters seeing all the circumstances some of the characters had to endure on a day to daily basis. Not to mention the nudity and sex scenes as well, reminding us we as humans are completely out of control "...causality, There Is No Escape From It.." Why turn it into a PG 13ish type a movie is beyond me...
And it also looks like the writers forgot to mention that Kei is a total pervert when we first get to know him, going from a average teenage joe who has nothing but sex, and vanity on the brain. To the AWESOME hero we all know him as now. Another mistake, they shouldn't of introduced Tae so soon into the movie.. Seeing that she and Kei met under different circumstances actually.
Just one of the few things that kinda bothered me through out the movie, but one thing was for sure. the special effects BLEW ME AWAY!
momo Says:
Jul 21 2011 7:10 am
this movie would have been a lot lot better if Takuya Kimura had played the main role.
kenzarah Says:
Jun 18 2011 11:33 am
I've read the manga and I still love that movie. I thought that its visual and animation were awesome. But, why the English version is dubbed? It would be better if I could listen the real voice of the stars. But, it's okay. The dubbing were really good...
GANTZ Says:
Jun 01 2011 4:30 am
It's Sucks I better read the manga than watching same title but wrong story...
yssa Says:
May 31 2011 2:30 am
Actually the movie is not bad…Im looking forward to watch the part two of it.
drexz Says:
May 15 2011 12:38 am
putang ina nyo pinanuod nyo na dami nyo pa reklamo kau kaya gumawa at mag produce mga tanga
ACF Says:
May 01 2011 8:41 am
looks interesting! but i’m just about 2 start reading the chap. 2 of it… seriously i dont like kishinomoto’s appearance on manga.. haha! you know what i mean.. (XX) looks disgusting… hehe! but anyway.. looking forward again 2 this movie, since i’ve already seen matsuyama portraying the role of L in Death Note, and the one playing kei kurono is .. uhmm.. well actually i find him cute also.. hehe!! wanna watch it, but not now… I also like it’s graphics… and the plot itself… even though i know it’s much better 2 read it’s manga than watching it, if you want to know the whole story of it.. i think it is just it’s summary.. anyways it’s hard 2 write and adapt a manga 2 movie, ya’ know… simply because, of time lack.. i also think the actors and actresses are good.. that’s all.. ^^
ACF Says:
May 01 2011 8:24 am
looks interesting! but i'm just about 2 start reading the chap. 2 of it... seriously i dont like kishinomoto's appearance on manga.. haha! you know what i mean.. (XX) looks disgusting... hehe! but anyway.. looking forward again 2 this movie, since i've already seen matsuyama portraying the role of L in Death Note, and the one playing kei kurono is .. uhmm.. well actually i find him cute also.. hehe!! wanna watch it, but not now... I also like it's graphics... and the plot itself... even though i know it's much better 2 read it's manga than watching it, if you want to know the whole story of it.. i think it is just it's summary.. anyways it's hard 2 write and adapt a manga 2 movie, ya' know... simply because, of time lack.. i also think the actors and actresses are good.. that's all.. ^^
Holybyte Says:
Apr 13 2011 11:35 pm
the visual graphics is amazing !!!! especially when kishimoto ..shows off ^^(laughs)
alexconnin Says:
Apr 05 2011 4:10 pm
was dissapointed the best looking one died >.> kanata hongo and they just sat there around him and watched him die so they really the ones who killed him >.>
karlita Says:
Apr 05 2011 2:51 pm
well i´ve read a lot of comments saying that is a horrible movie, but in my opinion is not so bad, i watched the anime and is really good too, i think is an interesting movie, i recomend it.
Logan Says:
Mar 18 2011 10:01 pm
anyone who comments on here saying bad stuff about the movie and providing no answer to how it could of been better given thte little time you have for a movie are just bad critique. i just watched the movie hearing how bad it was suppose to be and was supprised how wrong people are. i thought it was actually good. maybe the dub part was sort of corny and funny but after a while u get use to it and everything else was good. sure they change some stuff but dude, how do u expect someone to fit a whole season worth of anime epsodes into 2hrs without maganageing to stay change something cut characters out. do know how much talking and stalling they do in the anime esp wworhen they fight monsters. in the movie, they made it more realistic. no more are the animals sloow as heck, they move faster, and the people talk less and fight or die faster. The best thing to do when trying to fit so many parts of the story into 2hrs is to start from the really main parts and then start adding whatever that best well help tell that story. anything that was left out was just not important enought to make it in and some parts had to be changed in order to keep the really important stuff understandable. Comone people, think....anyone who can get a high enough position to direct a movie like this probably has a good reason for the way they made the movie that way. they were not jsut trying to suck or fail at it or do something stupid. they had good reason to because thats what they believe and what they believe has gootten them to where they are so don't act like u know everything when u ahven't considered that maybe just couldn't bee the same as teh manga because there just wasn't enough time.
Gantz Fan Says:
Mar 11 2011 1:46 am
This manga has a lot of potential to be made a movie but this was already expected. I am sure it was rushed and had bad writers. I don't understand it either, all the neccessary tools to make this a winner was all there in the manga. From scenes to dialogue all the producers and director had to do was take from the manga, I don't know why they try and spice things up. The anime was horrible. They should have waited for a while before letting anyone make an anime based on the manga. Highschool of the dead had a good adaptation and even a better anime production, why couldn't Gantz?
rell Says:
Feb 18 2011 5:26 pm
Man Another jap movie = fail , Bad Acting, Bad Writing , Bad Dialogue, and Plain boring
Ester Says:
Feb 06 2011 12:44 am
Promising actors (nino, matsuken, yuriko, kanata, takayuki) i definitely want to watch it
Desmo Says:
Jan 21 2011 5:59 pm
I partially agree with Xipher:
I thought there were many things wrong with the movie adaptation of the Anime adaptation of the original Manga, but, all in all, I liked it.
I feel that Kenichi Matsuyama and Kazunari Ninomiya got their characters wrong, but Natsuna Watanabe as Kei Kishimoto was right-on.
There was the expected and usual Japanese sense of the melodramatic and that’s OK. The story line obviously had to be abridged to fit the time constraints, but the dubbed dialog really missed the mark (unless it was that poorly written to begin with): I would have much preferred the original actors’ voices and interpretations.
Having been a fan since 2003 when a friend in Japan turned me onto the Manga series (I cannot read Japanese, but the stories tell themselves in pictures alone) and the Anime series when it was first available as a fan sub, I was practically salivating when I heard of the live action movie. Of course all movie adaptations of Manga fall short of the mark, save for a few scenes or character interpretations by the actors, so compromise expected; Overall I really couldn't complain, I thought Shinsuke Sato covered enough bases to satisfy most audiences. Long time fans should realize this and accept the compromises.
Of course all the hard-core Manga & Anime geeks, around whom the world rotates, probably won't see it that way.
Xipher Says:
Jan 21 2011 12:46 pm
Wow this movie was so horrible i can't even put it into words, as a movie enthusiast i was extremely dissapointed as it didn't even provide enough story to be even called a movie, as a Gantz fan, i'm mortified the changes to the story were horrible, they removed importante characters, they added characters that weren't supposed to be there (Tae) they changed the plot and didn't explain anything, i'm extremely distraught at the fact that there is another one, ugh...
Robert Says:
Jan 21 2011 2:06 am
Just saw the movie in seattle. never have really seen the anime or anything but i really liked the movie can't wait to see part two.
GatS Says:
Jan 20 2011 10:50 pm
just saw it in phantom event first part is not what I expected ! Very hard to rate and not sticking to the OG plot .
Hiko Says:
Jan 15 2011 1:02 am
Why dub in English? I wanna hear Nino's beautiful voice! :/
Chii Says:
Jan 07 2011 1:07 pm
The English version is DUBBED???? Oh that'll sound like crap. Why not just subbed? I want to hear Nino-san's voice, not someone else's.
karl Says:
Jan 04 2011 7:57 am
cant wait to see this movie!
Joey Says:
Jan 03 2011 11:46 am
Gantz... Wow the trailer looks awesome, the anime was off da'hook. I wish the anime would've kept up with the Manga Series. Like every other Gantz fan "I can't wait to see it" Wish it was made for the PS3...
ms Says:
Jan 02 2011 10:58 pm
Love the series!! Can't wait to see the movie :)
fsaffafasfs Says:
Dec 31 2010 5:55 am
Yamada Takayuki is the only one here knows how to act others are just bunch of cosplayers!!!!!!!!!!! FANGIRRLSS DIE!!!
Kazu-chan Says:
Dec 09 2010 8:16 pm
Same with everyone~~
cant wait to watch it too^^
I ♥ NINO!!
chocho Says:
Dec 09 2010 6:31 pm
oh wooooow!!! nino, Yoshitaka Yuriko (loved her in Tokyo dogs), hongo kanata... all in one movie??! i'm definitely watching
faith Says:
Nov 25 2010 9:48 pm
i cant wait to watch it
Kahwaigallery Says:
Nov 18 2010 12:38 am
Great!.... i really 100% love reading Gantz Manga!... Super story.... thriller....action.... !
like Kei Kurono character!..
Comment Says:
Sep 23 2010 5:35 pm
LOL Kenichi looks GREAT in Spandex!! ^_^
jeraziah Says:
Sep 09 2010 12:17 am
i dont like
jj Says:
Jul 24 2010 2:52 am
i can't wait for this movie. :)
I hope to see reika appear in the movie as in all of the cast that appeared in the manga, I hope to see them all there.
^^
Rayhel Says:
Jun 21 2010 7:30 pm
At last my most favorite manga is coming into live! I can't wait to see the movie~! I'm too excited about this..hahaha, this is too great for such a great artist,Hiroya Oku. I hope too see the next movie part 2 including reika shimohira,. hope she's beautiful as in the manga..hehehe..=]
Bella Says:
Jun 06 2010 11:51 pm
I cant wait to watch it! ^_^ i <3 Kinichi, he is so kawaii!!!
frea Says:
Jun 02 2010 11:05 pm
wow! i was surprise to see this. ive only watched the anime... i will definitely see this film.
Anna Says:
May 31 2010 8:32 am
Are they seriously not going to include Izumi in these movies? Since Tae is in, Izumi should be too. :|
It'd be interesting to see how much they've altered the original storyline. :D Looks interesting anyway!
mangaotoko Says:
Apr 17 2010 1:25 pm
@tonyboy
yoshitaka yuriko is perfect for the roll, it cant be shida miria (from seigi no mikata) because tae does a lot of sexually explicit things 1, and 2 idk if she's capable of pulling off the emotions that tae has and puts out there...and she has to be some1 who would eventually be willing to do something like that, ninomiya is what 26 27, yoshitaka is 22 and shidai miria is only 16 or 17....the real question is WHY is tae even in this movie...she doesnt appear untill later in the manga...but im looking forward to this...itll be interesting to see how they do the aliens....the cgi might suck but im still interested..i know why sawajiri wouldnt do that roll but i dont want to spoil it for the ppl who havent read the manga or watched the anime.
TonyBoy Says:
Mar 25 2010 9:55 pm
I wish somebody else was playing Tae Kojima, probably a young and up and coming girl thats kawaii!!!! May be like the younger sister in Seigi no Mikata. The girl playing Kei Kishimoto shows promise especially with all those promotional photos. Though I wish it could have been Erika Sawajiri making her comeback in that role. Well that would be my perfect world. Ohh well..
airena Says:
Mar 24 2010 9:53 pm
I can't wait to see this. I think Nino will be awesome in this movie!
KJ Says:
Mar 21 2010 3:09 am
I'm looking forward to see this movie!!
I ♥ Kenichi!!!
Nae Says:
Mar 07 2010 5:33 am
=] Sounds great.. love movies like this~! Plus it has Arashi and KENICHI!!!!
must must watch
tj Says:
Mar 05 2010 6:12 pm
me too sounds interesting !
Toto Says:
Jan 06 2010 8:46 am
Me wanna see! O_O