Battle Royale by Koushon Takami

[ASRomatifoso]

Just finished reading this and thought I would recommend it. For sheer action and violence, it's pretty spectacular. It really moves along and seems far shorter than it actually is (600 plus pages). The writing style is strange but that is possibly due to it being a translation from the Japanese. Supposedly, a highly controversial book in Japan due to the violence wreaked upon teenagers by other teenagers, all at the bidding or coercion of adults/government.

Another thing is that the cast of characters is huge, making them hard to keep straight for awhile (of course, as a lot of them start dying, it becomes less problematic to keep track of them. The author seemed to make all the kids an archetype of some sort, i.e., star shortstop, star basketball player, rocker guy, class tart, thug, etc. which helps you to keep track of who everyone is as well.

The so called "deeper" meaning, political commentary or whatever seemed pretty trite to me but it doesn't take away from the book, really.

I recommend it. If anyone has seen the movie, let me know if it is good or not. I am considering ordering the import DVD.

 

[Oregon_Skeptic]

ASRomatifoso,

I own a copy of the Special Edition DVD. I've not read the book (it was manga, yes?), but I wanted to see the film for sometime. I was living in Japan when it was originally released but didn't get the opportunity to see it in theaters. As I recall, it earned an R-17 rating in Japan because of the kind of violence.

It stars Beat Takeshi (many Japanese I know consider him to be their best director and one of their best actors) as a teahcer who runs the Battle. Supposedly Beat took on the role because of the rising violence that he saw among Japanese youth. In spite of the R-17 rating, he thought junior high and high school kids should see the film because it showed just how negative violence is. He thought that the message of "violence solves nothing" needed to be heard, especially by teens. In the 18 months proir to the film's release there had been a few incidents of highschoolers perpatrating extreme violence. (In particular was a case in early 2000 if I remember right, where a teen boy had been a victim of school bullying and had snapped. He was on the baseball team and took a bat to four bullies and tired to beat them to death. After he thought he had killed them he went home and murdered his mother because he was sure that his crime would cause her such shame that death was better for her. Turned out that he did not kill the boys, only his mother. There was quite a national debate as to what to do with him. I think he eventually went to a men's prison, but I'm not sure.)

Anyway, as for the film . . . I think the movie is good, but not great. There is a message there about violence, about the decadence of society, and even about hope and healing (I think the flashbacks when the teacher remembers the little girl are touching), but I didn't not entirely buy the teacher's motivation. And I had rather high expectations for the violence itself--something like an early Brian De Palma film--but it wasn't like that. It was actually not as violent as I thought it would be. I initially had a little difficulty following who was who, but since the kids do seem to be stereotypes it didn't take me long to figure out.

The DVD quality also seems just okay--I haven't viewed it a a while, but the picture and sound quality were just average. As I said, I own the Special Edition, but since I never saw it in a theatre I can't say how it really compares to the original (Supposedly there is more footage of blood and the like).

If I were you, before buying it I would see if you could find it anywhere on and rent it. But if you do buy it, search a bit--I got mine new for something like 25 bucks, including shipping and handling (of course, I don't know if mine is a bootleg or not, either).

Good luck with it.

PGW

 

[thrombus29]

The sequel is out to, I don't know if it was based on a book or not.

Battle Royale II is as good as the first, but in a more Saving Private Ryan way.

 

[phildonnia]

Didn't know there was a book.

I saw the movie, but I didn't really get any 'deeper meaning'. I kinda like that freaky chick that's also in 'Kill Bill'.

 

[JamesM]

I thought Battle Royale was great fun, but I didn't approach it from the point of view of someone seeking a meditation on the nature of society and violence.

I approached it from the point of view of someone wanting to watch a bunch of Japanese teenagers eviscerating each other in various gruesome ways. And on that count, boy, does it deliver! As noted by O_S, it also has 'Beat' Takeshi in it, a man who surely has the most menacing twitch in all cinematic history.

 

[thrombus29]

If you like watching a nice Japanese evisceration check out "Ichi the Killer"

Makes Battle Royale look like the Magic Garden.

 

[nelsondogg]

If you like watching a nice Japanese evisceration check out "Ichi the Killer"

Makes Battle Royale look like the Magic Garden.

When you get done with Ichi check out "Visitor Q" by the same director. Most disturbing movie I think I've ever seen yet its not graphic in its violence or gore. Now that I think about it, almost any movie by Takashi Miike will blow you away in one way or another.

 

[Mendor]

I own a copy of the Special Edition DVD. I've not read the book (it was manga, yes?)

no (although I think there is a manga) -- a 600-page long prose book.

I liked the film but then I'm a wee bit twisted. The political background is completely different in the film, and there isn't so much political commentary, more sort-of "violence is futile/would you be this nasty in this situation" commentary.

But basically see JamesM's post for my reaction to BR the movie.

BR the book was quite a bit different, but enjoyable as well (though I noticed the seemingly stilted translation as well)