GANTZ (Japan, 2011)
Directed by: Shinsuke Sato
Starring: Kenichi Matsuyama, Kazunari Ninomiya, Natsuna, Kanata Hongo, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Takayuki Yamada, Tomorowo Taguchi 

GANTZ: PERFECT ANSWER (Japan, 2011)

Directed by: Shinsuke Sato
Starring: Kenichi Matsuyama, Kazunari Ninomiya, Natsuna, Kanata Hongo, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Takayuki Yamada, Tomorowo Taguchi 

Gantz is a phenomena. A wildly popular manga and anime by Hiroya Oku, the manga has sold over 15 million copies in Japan alone, and in the USA it’s wound up on the New York Times bestseller list. Critically acclaimed, the anime has sparked a global cult. We’re proud to present, back-to-back, the two live action GANTZ movies, subtitled and with their original soundtracks, for the very first time. In GANTZ, it doesn't pay to be a good samaritan.

Salaryman-in-training Kei (Arashi boy-band superstar Kazunari Ninomiya) learned that a long time ago, but old classmate Kato (Kenichi Matsuyama, best known as "L” from the blockbuster Death Note series) didn't get the message, and when he tries to save a drunk, passed out on the subway track during rush hour, they both end up meeting the business end of a bullet train.  Instead of getting turned into human Sloppy Joes, Kei and Kato open their eyes and find themselves in a posh apartment near Tokyo Tower with a gaggle of total strangers who are all equally freaked out. An ominous black sphere toots a chipper worksong, sprouts high-tech weaponry, and announces that their old lives are over - that's just the way the cookie crumbles.  Now, pop into these high tech gimp suits and go kill some aliens.  Play til you win, win til you die. The first one to reach 100 points, wins. Whatever that means. This is the law of GANTZ and its sequel, GANTZ: PERFECT ANSWER, the double-headed death tool that has been devouring audiences in an orgy of squibs, body horror and beautiful Japanese pop idols getting vivisected.

The battle-slaves of Gantz live their normal lives by day, but every night they're summoned back to the apartment. Every night the weird, alien orb puts twenty minutes on the clock and sends them out to kill another fearsome alien or die trying.  Every contestant gets points based on their performance, and even grandma and the kids are possible targets in this inexplicable deathsport.  As the few survivors grow battle-hardened and amoral, their alliance breaks down and they begin to chase each other for glory, but what Gantz really is remains a mystery. And what happens when you get 100 points?

Like "The Twilight Zone" on PCP, GANTZ is a funhouse reflection of modern 9-to-5 ennui, where all your dime-store motivational platitudes get warped into twisted mantras of survivalism. GANTZ is a celebration of the savage suicide wish inside all of us - so pump up your PVC, wipe the viscera off your face, and get in the game.