Plot
The party still trapped on the Queen Berry soon drops from five members to four and then three. At the same time, suspicions run high that there might be someone else on the ship with them. Victorique and Kazuya soon discover who the hunter on the ship is but Victorique knows the true solution to the events on board are more complex than you would first imagine. At the same time how does Roxanne’s murder tie this all together?
Gantz is a franchise that has always had a mixed reputation. The manga is always known to have very extreme reputation with a good deal of gore, violence, sex, and a pitch black outlook. This has earned it a fair share of fans as well as detractors. It also know many complaints have been levied at it loosing its way in its long run. The anime has a similar reputation but has a quick fix ending by Studio Gonzo that almost always gets a poor reaction. But Gantz fans are almost always fans of its unrelenting nature. So while Narutaki and I have been interested in this series neither or us has started it. When animemiz mentioned the premiere in New York I figured that we might want to check it out if for nothing else the fact that it was a simultaneous debut in American and Japan.
This was my first real introduction to Gantz. I have heard small details about it, and I even own some of the anime thanks to a very good sale but haven’t actually explored the series till this live action film. And going to see this movie was pretty much a last-minute whim. So while I wasn’t excited going in, I became excited as we waited for the show to begin. Gantz entertained me, Kenichi Matsuyama contributed to that greatly, while also making me curious to bust out those DVDs I have.
I had never heard of Karakuri Odette, not one bit. In a lot of ways, this is what I want from the Manga Movable Feast; I like being introduced to a series, but I get recommendations all the time as I’m sure many others do, so having the push to pick it up is helpful. Karakuri Odette also provides a story that has underlying themes to mull over so it fulfills another point when I think about what I want from the MMF. The series is rather subdued but combines coming of age moments with the moral ambiguity of what exactly robots are for. The storytelling somewhat reminded me of (wonderful) Nari Kasukawa in the quiet approach to humor and relationships but Julietta Suzuki folds in a darker look at morality with it.
As we stated in our Mushishi article for the MMF a compelling method of examining humanity is looking at people through an inhuman lens. Androids fill this niche extremely well because while they look exactly like a human they are still removed from humanity by virtue of their creation. Androids can commingle with humans without creating a fuss but still allow an outsiders perspective of what makes a human a human. Androids are also useful metaphors for those who are alienated or on the fringe due to their nature. They are at first glance part of the group but they are also fundamental removed. Karakuri Odette can be seen as a romantic comedy that uses robotics to examine more than just the concept of can a human love a robot and be loved back. Karakuri Odette takes the older concepts often used in classic science fiction to explore the heart of humanity. At the same time it is a sweet story with tales of friendship and romance mixed with dash of humor. It hearkens back to the day when shojo used science fiction to tell stories while having a more modern sense of whimsy.
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