contained the scenes uncensored. The second stage was broadcast for thirteen episodes on AT-X from August 26 to November 18, 2004. The episodes were collected in twelve DVDs, released by Shochiku, from August 25, 2004, to June 29, 2005. In North America, ADV Films announced that they had licensed the series in 2004. It was released in uncut form, retaining the violence and nudity previously censored in Japan for broadcast. Ten DVDs were released from February 8, 2005, to January 17, 2006; The series began broadcast in Anime Network in 2005. In June 2010, Funimation announced that they had acquired the rights to the series; they released a complete DVD set on January 25, 2011. Gantz: O, a 3D CGI animated film based on the series, was released in 2016. Video game On March 17, 2005, Konami published a game for the PlayStation 2 in Japan named simply as Gantz: The Game. It features the characters and plot up to the Chibi Alien mission. The game mixes third-person shooter and role-playing game (RPG) elements together. The game also includes extras including Free Play mode, a Mini Mode, Magazine Browser mode, Gantz Rankings, a special preview movie and the scenario completion statistic. Novel A novel, titled Gantz/Minus, written by Masatoshi Kusakabe and illustrated by Yusuke Kozaki, started serialization in Weekly Young Jump on July 23, 2009, being the first time that a novel was serialized in the magazine. It takes place before the events of the manga, with the focus being on the characters Shion Izumi and Joichiro Nishi, who participate in Gantz's missions. It was later released as a collected volume on May 19, 2010. Another novel, titled Gantz/EXA, planned by Yumeaki Hirayama, written by Junjo Shindo and illustrated by Koji Ogata, began serialization in Weekly Young Jump on September 16, 2010. It was later released as a collected volume on January 19, 2011. Live-action films On November 24, 2009, it was announced that two live-action Gantz films were in production. The films star Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama in the roles of Kurono and Kato respectively, and were directed by Shinsuke Sato. The films were released in January and April 2011. The first film, titled simply as Gantz, was released in Japan on January 29, 2011. A special North American screening took place on January 20, 2011, during which the film was simulcast in theaters across 46 states. At