ACF 1310: GANTZ and GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER reviewed

Cover of the GANTZ DVD package

This past Saturday was a big day for GANTZ fans. NEW PEOPLE Entertainment, which had previously released the original GANTZ film, released its sequel, GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER, on DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo-pack. Those in the San Francisco Bay Area were afforded the additional treat of screenings of both films at the S.F. Film Society / NEW PEOPLE Cinema.

The two films (or more accurately, the two parts of the GANTZ live-action cinematic saga) were shown at Japan Society this past summer as part of the Japan Cuts film festival, where they were co-sponsored by the New York Asian Film Festival. Those screenings represented the New York premiere of the original and the North American premiere of PERFECT ANSWER. Since I wasn't able make those screenings, I was eager to watch the DVDs NEW PEOPLE sent me, and just finished watching both of them, as well as the extras provided on both 2-disc editions. Here's my report:

Megumi Kishimoto  (single-monikered actress Natsuna) is one of the few female fighters

 
When a drunk man falls onto the tracks as a train is approaching a Tokyo subway station, a young man named Kato (Kenichi Matsuyama) jumps down to save him. Another youth, Kei (Kazunari Ninoniya), who knew Kato years before, winds up on the tracks with him after the man has been put safely onto the platform. The train bears down and hits the two of them. But instead of dying, the pair finds themselves in an apartment in a high rise with a view of the Tokyo Tower. Some others are there as well, most equally bewildered as Kato and Kei.

Kato (left) with the injured Megumi

The main room of the bare apartment is dominated by a large, smooth sphere. This is GANTZ, which announces that their old lives are over and that it will control their new lives. They are provided with special suits and weapons and then transported on night missions to kill aliens. Those who are still alive when the time allotted is over are returned to the room and permitted to resume their "normal" lives during the day. They are assigned points for their performance on these missions. Those who survive and reach 100 points can either be erased from GANTZ's memory and return completely to their previous lives or they can chose to resurrect a fallen comrade.

There are three missions in the first film, and one of the main characters dies near the end. But some most peculiar developments occur in the last few minutes, creating mystery and suspense, and setting the stage for the second film.

Cover of the GANZT II: PERFECT ANSWER DVD

GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER begins with an under three minute summation of the first film. The story continues with one Masamitsu Shigeta (Takayuki Yamada) investigating the strange disappearances and reappearances of individuals believed dead and the unexplained destruction that has been taking place around Tokyo at night. Also there is a group of young people who are seeking access to the room in which GANTZ resides, their purposes unclear. The action ramps up as a confrontation on a subway leads to the death and injury of numerous civilians, which had not occurred on any previous missions. Meanwhile, something strange is going on with GANTZ itself.

What does it all mean, and who -- if anyone -- will survive or be resurrected? These are the questions that seek the PERFECT ANSWER

Some of those seeking GANTZ for reasons unknown

The GANTZ films, each a bit over two hours long, are based on an epic science fiction manga (31 volumes and going) by Hiroya Oku, that is published in North America by Dark Horse Comics. Shinsuke Sato (The Princess Blade) directed both films and has done a remarkable job of combining live-action and CGI. The special effects and the action sequences are truly top-notch. The cast members, almost all of them young and very good looking (both male and female), acquit themselves admirably. Besides the two male leads, Yuriko Yoshitaka deserves to be singled out for her lovely, natural performance as Tae Kojima, a college student and Kei's love interest.

NEW PEOPLE Entertainment has done a terrific job on the DVD packaging, and I'm confident that's at least as true for the Blu-ray/DVD combo-pack. Both DVD packages provide both original Japanese and English dubbed audio tracks, with optional English subtitles. The second discs include original Japanese trailers (no English subtitles for these) and interviews with the director discussing the respective films in Japanese with English subtitles.

The two GANTZ films offer a high-octane sci-fi thrill ride, smart, thoughtful, and packed with exciting action and special effects. I give them a 3.5 out of 4 star rating, very highly recommended. And while the two films constitute a self-contained and resolved tale, the possibility of other GANTZ films remains.

Both GANTZ and GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER, as well as other films from NEW PEOPLE Entertainment, can be ordered directly by clicking here.

ACF 1305: GANTZ I and II screening in San Francisco on January 14th

 NEW PEOPLE CELEBRATES RELEASE OF

GANTZ II: PERFECT ANSWER
WITH SPECIAL THEATRICAL  SCREENINGS
AT S.F. JAPANESE POP CULTURE THEATRE

Exciting Concluding Chapter Of Kinetic Japanese Sci-Fi Film Epic
Based On Popular Manga Series Released On DVD/Blu-ray; NEW PEOPLE
In San Francisco To Screen GANTZ I and GANTZ II On January 14th

NEW PEOPLE Entertainment celebrates the recently announced release of GANTZ II: Perfect Answer on DVD/Blu-ray with a special series of screenings of the entire GANTZ film saga this Saturday, January 14th at the S.F. Film Society | NEW PEOPLE Cinema located in San Francisco’s Japantown. Tickets are $10. Additional ticket and film info is available at: www.newpeopleworld.com/films.

GANTZ (Dubbed) 1:00pm

GANTZ II: Perfect Answer (Dubbed) 4:00pm

GANTZ II: Perfect Answer (Subtitled) 7:00pm

All those attending the screenings of GANTZ II: Perfect Answer will receive a free full-color GANTZ poster. A special ticket bundle is also available for $25 (DVD) or $30 (Blu-ray) that includes a movie pass, poster, and either the DVD or Blu-ray release.

How will we face the end? The GANTZ saga meets its ultimate conclusion in GANTZ II: Perfect Answer, which offers an intensely gripping story-line yet to be known to even readers of the original manga series. Determined to resurrect his friends who have died on previous missions, Kei and other members trapped in the world of GANTZ aim to score the 100 points needed to break through and regain their freedom. But with the emergence of a mysterious man investigating the Gantz members, Gantz begins to act up and the next target shocks the members. Some fight for love, some for justice but what will each member sacrifice?

GANTZ and GANTZ II: Perfect Answer are based on a popular manga series created by Hiroya Oku. The ongoing 31-volume sci-fi action epic has sold more than 16 million copies in Japan and is published in North America by Dark Horse Comics. The live-action films star leading Japanese actors Kazunari Ninomiya (Letters from Iwo Jima) and Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Detroit Metal City).

Kazunari Ninomiya, best known in America for his role in Clint Eastwood’s 2006 blockbuster, Letters from Iwo Jima, is both an actor and a singer. He is also world-renowned as a member of the Japanese boy band “Arashi,” which topped Japan’s music charts in 2009 with the three best-selling singles.

Kenichi Matsuyama is currently one of the most sought-after actors in Japanese film and he has won several awards including Japanese Academy Awards Best New Actor (2007) and Most Popular Actor (2009). Matsuyama is widely recognized for his part as L in Death Note (2006), Death Note II: the Last Name (2006) and Death Note: L, change the WorLd (2008) and also for his portrayal of Johannes Krauser II in the outlandish rock and roll comedy, Detroit Metal City (2009). He currently is seen in the U.S. as Toru Watanabe, the lead in TRAN Anh Hung's adaptation of Norwegian Wood, the popular, best-selling novel from Haruki Murakami.

For more information on GANTZ and other NEW PEOPLE Entertainment films, visit: www.newpeopleent.com.

ACF 1131: "DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 – To Be Continued" licensed by NEW PEOPLE Entertainment & will have U.S. premiere at J-Pop Summit Festival in S.F.

NEW PEOPLE ENTERTAINMENT LICENSES THE
JAPANESE POP MUSIC BIO FILM
DOCUMENTARY OF AKB48 -- TO BE CONTINUED

New Film Follows The Rise To International Fame

Of Japan’s Most Popular Pop Idol Group

And Will Have Exclusive U.S. Premiere August 28th

At The 2011 J-Pop Summit Festival In San Francisco

NEW PEOPLE Entertainment, a film division of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. that focuses on the licensing and distribution of Japanese films and media, has announced that it has licensed the film, DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 – To Be Continued, in the U.S. and Canada. The film follows the unstoppable all-female Japanese idol group, AKB48, and offering an insightful glimpse into the challenges that the group’s members have faced during their rise to international stardom. A trailer is available to view at: www.newpeopleent.com/AKB48

The U.S. premiere of DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 – To Be Continued will take place on Sunday, August 28th at 1:00pm at NEW PEOPLE’s cinema as part of the 2011 J-Pop Summit Festival. Tickets to the DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 are $12 and on sale now at www.newpeopleworld.com/films.

The annual J-Pop Summit, held in San Francisco’s Japantown, celebrates Japanese pop culture and is highlighted by a variety of film screenings, panel discussions, DJ dance parties, fashion shows, and live performances from several notable Guest of Honor artists. More information on J-Pop Summit Festival is available at www.J-Pop.com.

AKB48 was conceived in 2005 by Yasushi Akimoto, one of Japan’s most respected music producers. Starting as a small all-girl singing group based in the Akihabara district of Tokyo – the city’s bustling electronics and anime/pop culture shopping Mecca – AKB48 has grown to 60 members and topped Japan’s Oricon music charts with the two best-selling pop singles in 2010 as well as another two singles ranking in the Top 10.

“Pop culture and J-Pop music fans will delight in the news of our licensing of the DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 and we invite them to attend the special North American premiere at NEW PEOPLE during the upcoming J-Pop Summit,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. “AKB48 has become massively popular in Japan and also enjoys a fast-growing U.S. fan base. This is a group unlike any other in pop music and we hope more people will discover AKB48 through this film. Stay tuned for more news coming soon on the release of the DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 on DVD!”

With a complicated balance of competition and friendship among its members, the group’s bond is extremely strong. DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 – To Be Continued traces AKB48’s history with scenes from concerts and rehearsals, member general elections, and fan activities both in Japan and abroad. The film also includes personal interviews with select members that reveal each of the girls’ personal struggles, joys, path to growth, and dreams.

One unique aspect of AKB48 is that the group is divided into “Teams.” When AKB48 debuted in 2005, originally there were only 24 girls. Now there are 16 girls each on Team A, Team K, and Team B, who are the core members of the group. In addition, there are trainees who are aspiring members. Members total to around 60 girls as some graduate and some new members come in. In the recent years AKB48 has begun holding elections to determine the members who will participate in the recording of upcoming singles. Fans vote for their favorites and the girl ranked Number 1 performs at the center of the group.