The series Gantz is experiencing a somewhat unexpected revival, not with respect to its original manga or anime adaptation but rather at the hands of figure and statue companies. Union Creative released two figures of Reika Shimohira a couple of years ago – one dressed in a black bodysuit and the other wearing a much more abbreviated version of that outfit – and FREEing is due to release their 1/4 scale version of Reika in a bunnysuit soon. In addition, the Japanese statue company Prime 1 Studio will be producing two versions of Reika, one called the Black Version and the other called the White Version, for reasons that are obvious to anyone who glances at each statue. And then we have this figure here, which came out late last year, if I recall correctly. This figure is the counterpart to Union Creative’s Reika, as she and Anzu seem fated to be paired together forever.
I must admit I don’t really know much about Reika or Anzu, given that my familiarity with Gantz stems from a cursory glance at the TV anime that aired in 2004. The female star of that show was Kei Kishimoto, whom I do not believe has ever gotten a figure. Evidently Reika and Anzu are considered more attractive subjects by figure makers and I don’t suppose I’d disagree.
A perusal of the Gantz wiki reveals that Anzu is a 23-year old mother of a 3-year old son. She is also an artist – I’m told of erotic illustrations, though I do not know that for certain – and she later strikes up a romantic relationship with Masaru Kato, one of the main protagonists of the series.
This figure is manufactured by Union Creative. No scale factor is given – which is sort of silly – but being that she stands a bit over 24 centimeters in height, we can calculate that she’s sculpted in 1/7 scale. Her one accessory is a sword which fits into her left hand.
As with the earlier Reika figure, two versions of Anzu were created, one sheathed in a skin-tight Gantz suit and this one, which has much of the suit removed to reveal much more skin. This suit obviously will appeal to collectors who prefer a more lewd interpretation of the character design. Anzu’s pose emphasizes this point, as she’s turned to the side in an archetypical 1990s comic book pose, where her large breasts and ass are visible simultaneously.
While her outfit looks fantastic, I am more equivocal on whether I like Anzu’s face. Her broad grin looks a little strange to me; it’s a little too wide, a little too artificial-looking. I have the feeling that the sculptor was trying to give her a semi-realistic look and made her mouth a bit too large.
That said, I don’t think it detracts too badly from the figure as other aspects of Anzu’s design more than compensate.
Going back to her outfit – being that it’s the highlight of this figure – her futuristic thong leotard will surely appeal to collectors with a thing for sexy women in tight, shiny outfits. The contrast between the piano-black portions and matte panels of her costume are quite nice, and the way the straps of her suit are stretched above her body do a nice job in emphasizing the size of her chest.
Anzu comes with a big sword, finished in black as all of the equipment supplied to the Gantz characters seems to be. The base of the tip can be removed to facilitate fitting it into her left hand.
While Gantz is a series that incorporates principles of nihilism, of sacrifice, and of survival through strength, it also expresses the baser themes of violence and female sex appeal, and that latter aspect is on full display here. That’s not surprising, of course – Union Creative surely wants to sell figures, and a pretty anime girl with a sexy rack, an exposed backside and a big scary sword will definitely find an enthusiastic market. Personally, that’s all I’m looking for. Despite the one issue I have with the design of Anzu’s face, I really do like this figure; I think it’s a superb counterpart to their earlier version of Reika. Union Creative’s products tend to vary in quality and attractiveness but in my view, Anzu scores highly in both respects.
