Gantz Volume 1 (v. 1)

Gantz/1 - Hiroya Oku An interesting beginning to this series, and since it leaves in a cliffhanger, I may well have to hunt for the next series. A group of individuals are brought together, seemingly at random, by a mysterious orb. They are kidnapped just as they are about to die. Fans of things like Battle Royale and similar game/hunting dystopias, maybe even things like The Hunger Games or "The Running Man," or maybe even better "The Long Walk," will probably like this given the story is one where the kidnapped are given weapons and ordered to kill certain aliens hiding in society. The folks cannot leave the game (is it a game? is it a reality show? It is a question that is often raised). This first volume raises a lot of questions. It has a pretty good pace once you get started. The art complements the story nicely. I found the story engaging and entertaining; I pretty much read it one sitting, and I am curious to find out more. As a side note, I am coming to this as a new reader. No, I have not seen the anime for it (which I am guessing there is one based on some comments here on GR), nor am I a manga "geek" (and I don't mean that in a good way, but more in the sense of the overly OCD readers who pore over every detail like their lives depended on it. I do read mangas, manwhas, etc., and enjoy them, but I don't overly obsess over them). So as part of my reading experience I am trying not to read too many of those comments just to see how I like the series. So far, I like what I see.