Surprise Anime Creator Reveals They’re Secretly Behind New Sci-Fi Action Hit Despite Retirement

The 2000s were a crucial era for the anime industry as they marked the global mainstream breakout of anime shows and movies. The series transitioned from analog cel production to digital animation, which was around the same time there was a major television boom in the West. While fans were introduced to the medium in the 1990s during TV broadcasts, there’s no denying that the 2000s helped the industry gain even more popularity. During the 2000s, sci-fi anime and manga were all the rage, especially if they focused on dark and horror themes. Despite that, only a few were able to make their mark in history, like Gantz.

Written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku, the manga was serialized in Shueisha’s Young Jump magazine from 2000 to 2013. While the manga received an anime adaptation, it couldn’t do justice to the original story by Oku. Thanks to the exceptional storytelling and plot twists, the manga is still considered a classic among Seinen sci-fi series. In August this year, Oku made comments about his retirement since he has been working as a manga creator for several years. He has released several unique stories, including Inuyashiki, Gigant, and more. However, he shocked fans with his latest comment about using a different pen name for a major sci-fi anime this year.

Gantz Creator Is Also Behind Thunder 3 Under a Different Pen Name

Thunder 3 received its anime adaptation by Fuji TV in July this year, and its streaming exclusively on Netflix. In his latest post on X, Oku confirmed that he used a different pen name, Yuki Ikeda, while the Thunder 3 manga was being serialized. He shared, “As everyone knows, Yūki Ikeda is my pen name. The reason I used a pen name was that if the big reveal in the first episode was my real name, it would lose its impact, so I wanted to surprise readers experiencing it for the first time as much as possible. I’m grateful to the anime staff. I watch every episode with bated breath.”

Gantz is known for some of the most intense plot twists, which is something fans would expect from the creator’s other work as well. As it turns out, Thunder 3 is yet another suspense story from him, which has some mind-boggling elements that would have lost their impact if fans had already expected them. The manga reached its conclusion in June this year, after only four months of serialization. As the anime concluded its latest season, Oku revealed the shocking update to cause more hype around the series.

Thunder 3 Anime Couldn’t Live Up to the Hype

Although the manga is critically acclaimed, the anime failed to live up to the expectations despite being produced by Fuji TV. While a second season has already been confirmed, it failed to cause enough hype after an underwhelming run in Season 1. The primary reason behind fans’ disappointment is the fact that the anime uses poor CGI quality, glacial pacing, and static animation that fails to capture the true essence of the original manga. The manga is famous for blending a cartoonish art style with a realistic portrayal of a parallel universe. Despite the seemingly bright atmosphere and the adorable visuals, the story stands out as deeper and more complex than it appears at first glance. This is all the more reason why the glaring visuals in the anime weren’t appreciated by fans.

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