Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't let you put it down...
Review: When I bought this book, I was expecting it to be thrilling, suspenseful, and very, very bloody. Well I was right, but it was also so much more.
The book let you get into the minds of the characters...you felt what they felt. You felt sorry for some of the ones that were killed. The drama added with the violence was an even blend that didnt get messy. As I was reading, I didnt want to put it down. The chapters get so interesting you must know what happens next. You will be guessing the ending throughout the entire book, and I recommend this book to anybody. It is probably my favorite book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just A Game..
Review: ..it really isn't. I have watched the movie beforehand, but the novel opened up my perspective so much more.
With 42 students taken to an evacuated island, given a randomly supplied weapon, and wearing collars to blow you up, this is one gory novel. All the students are forced to kill each other till there is only one player left (in other words "every man for himself")
Every character is written about, giving at least some background information about who they are and why they act the way they do. From the main characters to even the littlest ones, everyone has a different death scenario, with a reason behind it. With the lack of trust from each other, no one can be safe.
When I first picked up the novel, I immediately read through it and could not put it down. Each page filled with more details from chapter to chapter. It may be more than 600 pages long, but once you start reading it, you wouldnt even notice it was that big of a book. I also recommend watching the movie after you have read the book. Pick up the book sometime and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: This is the Vol. 11 review page, right...?
Review: First, before I say anything else, let me say that I write this review while bearing the ELEVENTH volume in mind, as this page does have the cover of manga volume #11. I don't know why others are reviewing the novel (and why some are moronic enough to rank the movie above the manga/novel)...but whatever.
Have you seen the movie? Or read the novel? Are you willing to pick up only one Battle Royale manga volume among all of the ones you see on the shelves? Then make sure it's this one. Not only because the Kotohiki/Hiroki meeting is a much happier, slightly romantic alternative to the movie/novel one, but because...
Taguchi's art is gorgeously illustrated in these chapters, having some lovely dark and iconic pages of characters, a la Volume 8, to some extent. Volume 8 will still remain as the most chilling book, both in terms of artwork and story, but the word "grotesque" has much more than a minute part to play in this volume as well - it simply carries a less... promiscuous meaning.
This topical, character-focused, gloomy cover art is what all of the covers should be like in my opinion. But the latter ones to the highest degree, seeing as how they're in wind-up, hope-is-gone mode. I've seen the cover art for Volume 13, which is already released in Japan, and it's very disappointing. I was getting sick of constantly seeing boring happy shots of Shuuya - in fact, it's what deterred me from picking up the manga in the first place. However, this kind of cover art is not work that would bring someone completely foreign to Battle Royale into Battle Royale, but it doesn't need to be. Simplistic though this art may be, every little aspect of the front has meaning that is obviously dispersed throughout the book - the cross, symbolizing his "boy scout"-ness, his teardrop-like blood, symbolizing his fight with Kiriyama, his hopeless yet firm look into the light, symbolizing the [self-explanatory], and finally his expression, symbolizing gloom, maybe even repression. That's how I perceived it anyways and while others may not take scrutinize the cover to such a degree, I'm sure many will appreciate this.
Kiriyama easily takes the cake as the coolest (as well as the coldest) character in the manga/novel, despite him being the least developed and the weirdest in the movie. If there's one thing I could have asked more for in the novel it would be more of Kiriyama's backstory. Which we do get, and when you get to the end, there's a cliffhanger that hints at the possibility of there being more...
Kazuo. Kiriyama. He kills, but not out of hatred, odd idealism, sadism, psychosis, stupidity, or the like...but out of a simple and logical willingness to play The Program. No volume released so far makes this clearer, and based on what I've read in the novel, it's not likely to be made more clear in the future; automatically making this and the subsequent book a must-buy for Kiriyama enthusiasts (such as myself).
Giffen's humor also helps a bit. Of course, I'm not entirely positive the guy intended his DBZ, Batman, and Boy Scout remarks&references to be funny, perhaps just a mere "Americanization", but this guy's irreverence towards some of the original lines make me laugh. 'Specially as a longtime DBZ fan.
Here, in this volume, the manga series truly begins the "countdown" segment of Battle Royale. The punks, hoes, conceited morons, and other extraneous (but interesting and fun) characters are gone. They're all gone.
Order this, now. You're a fool if you don't; a fool who deserves his ey-...oops, almost let a spoiler slip =).
Rating: 
Summary: That's right. This book sucks.
Review: I had heard of the movie Battle Royale a long time ago, but never had the opportunity to watch it. On a recent trip to a large Japanese book shop I noticed this novel and decided to give it a go.
Ultimately, this was a very disappointing book.
The premise is interesting, but hard to swallow. In an alternative reality where (presumably) the outcome of WWII was different, Japan is a facist dictatorship known as the Greater East Asia Democratic Nation (or similar). The 'Program' is a government initiative where a junior high class is selected at random to participate in a kill or be killed Battle Royale. It is later explained that the Program was created to instill paranoia in the population. After all, if a class of school kids can turn on their best friends in such a violent way at the behest of the government, then how can anyone be trusted?
This premise may have sustained a good read in the hands of a more capable author. Unfortunately Takami creates an unwieldly mess.
Takami's first mistake is having such a large cast of characters. The class size is initially 42 or so and Takami attempts to write a backstory for each student. The end result is that you do not connect with any of the students.
Takami then goes on to create such unbelievable characters that any attempt to suspend disbelief is impossible. These kids are meant to be 15 or 16 years old yet they have the capability to build bombs using amonium nitrate and sophisticated detonators. They can program mobile phones, hack into government websites, hotwire cars and much more. These are pretty smart kids.
Finally the villian (nemesis, or whatever) is a 15 year old t-1000 Terminator, more or less. As a child, Kazuo Kiriyama was involved in a car accident which killed both parents. He sustained injuries including a splinter lodged in his brain. The doctor removing the splinter also removed a cluster of nerves which left him totally devoid of any emotion. Kazuo decides to participate in the game and quickly goes about killing most of his classmates. The thing is, this kid is just about indestructable. He survives torrents of gunfire without sustaining any injuries, can withstand a bomb explosion which doesn't even mess his hair, can dodge bullets like Neo (he can even dodge bullets while driving). The result is simply a disconnection between reader and book.
Also, the writing is poor. I am not sure whether this is due to the author or the translator, but too often sentences begin with 'That's right...' which becomes annoying. And conversation limited to "?" or "..." which is just being lazy.
In all, this book has more style than substance.
Rating: 
Summary: The best book ever written!
Review: I have read so many books, but this has to be my favourite. The author almost makes you feel sorry for the deaths of the students, and you almost feel as though you are there. If you were on an island, forced to kill maybe a twin brother or sister (Not that anyone had to) or maybe a girlfriend, your best friend, someone like that, what would you do? You can bet your life someone in the book did it. Whether you'd kill your friends (Kazou), hide out (Megumi), or try to stop the violence (The lighthouse girls) someone did it. There may have been a few problems with translation, but you can't help liking it. Everything is described in detail, and some would feel as if the character is a friend. You can cry, you can laugh, or you can wish you'd never payed the $10.85 + p&h, but you need to read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Good story, but worst translation ever seen...
Review: I knew that Tokyopop's translators have been mistranslating their mangas for years, but this one, Battle Royale vol. 8 is the worst one I have ever read!!
Before I bought this volume, I had bought Tokyopop's other mangas like Vampire Game, Petshop of Horrors... Each of them has same problem. OK, I can understand that a lot of Americans might not find the jokes in the mangas funny because of the cultural differences, so they had to change characters' conversations in order to satisfy the readers. But if Tokyopop does samething too often, I will say Tokyopop are disrespecting original authors' rights. In this volume, the translator changed almost 95% of all the conversations, even the most slightest detail. Although the "new" content is not "that" different from the original one, but these modifications already spoil the whole story. For example, in the last page, after Souma Mitsuko raped(?) and killed Yuichiro, what she said to Yuichiro's corpse in the original version was, "If I am pregnant, I will give birth to your child." In Tokyopop's version, the translator changed it to, "Thanks, guys. It was fun while it lasted. Sorta...Hmm...I wonder how many people saw me naked?" All right. "If I am pregnant, I will give birth to your child." Is this sentence that hard to understand? Do readers have to know Japanese culture well in order to understand it!? The translator totally changed Mitsuko's personality by modifying her mumble. I can't see why the translator had to do this! I suggest those who like this story and haven't read volume 8, take Japanese version or French version if you can read in Japanese or French. This volume will piss off anyone who has read other versions before.
Rating:
Summary: Its a crime not to read this book.
Review: I would have to say that Battle Royale is one of the greatest books of our time. Koushun Takami weaves an enchanting tale of violence, love, hate, drama, and mistrust better than any other author. He puts authors like Dean Koontz and Stephen King to shame. Battle Royale's characters are very real. They show fear, hurt, and ruthlessness as they are forced to play this horible game of kill or be killed. Some hide out until the end when they are slain, while others go out and play. The main characters (Shuya, Noriko, Shogo, Kazou, and Mitsuko) are all very diffrent and add variety to the book. Shuya is a popular boy who doesn't want to hurt anyone, but does want to get off the island. Noriko is a quite girl who follows Shuya around, trying not to get shot in the process. Shogo is a mysterious exchange student who wants to help Shuya and Noriko escape. Kazou is a ruthless killer who has no heart of emotions. And Mitsuko is a child prostitute/porn star who will do anything to win, including shooting her friends, manipulating people, and even suducing people. (she's my favorite character :p, so evil) With a deverse cast of characters and a well spun story with plenty of action, and drama I would give Battle Royale 10 out of 5 stars. No one should not read this book, it is simply a crime.
Rating:
Summary: Simply wonderful
Review: I'm an avid reader and a shopaholic(of books) at Amazon(and I'm from the Philippines even) but I've never written a single review for a book no matter how I deemed it wonderful.
Battle Royale is different though; it compelled me to start typing here. This books is simply wonderful and I want my testimony to add to the ever growing list.
Granted, the text was a bit poor; whether or not the Japanese version was originally like that or was corrupted by translation, I don't know. The emotions, reactions and details weren't that specific and seemed rush. There were times that the descriptions would simply bore and I would skip all these.
What's then is so great about Battle Royale? Frankly, I don't know. I just feel lightheaded and satisfied whenever I'm reading it.(I even threw aside the growing pile of homeworks just to be able to finish it.)
One is probably the characters. The class is brimming with different personalities, from a perfect robot, to a porn-star to a queer. There are characters you would feel attached with that reading them die would feel so sad.
Another is the logic in the novel. I probably wasn't that critical, but I deemed there were barely any flaws in the entire system. Ideas came in and went, almost none being far-fetched. The connection from one event and location to another would simply bring you to say "Ah!"
The third one is human relations present in this film. Especially the last chapter, but I'll not get into detail :)
The last one is that there are instanced when I expected something which I thought was "sneaky" and expected very few to notice it. This event happens, and then another thing turns out!
There are probably more reasons, but I couldn't articulate them quite well. One thing though: the story isn't that deep.
But then, I don't really care ^^. So to you reading this review, but this book immediately. It'll truly be worth it.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT ¿ a page-turner and instant Japanese pulp classic!
Review: I'm not the type who likes extreme violence, guts, and gore (which this book is filled with, but for good reason), but I really, really enjoyed this book. It is the best pulp fiction I've ever read. Keep in mind, though, that it is no masterpiece along the lines of Shakespeare and Fitzgerald in terms of language usage (it was translated from the Japanese language, and I thought the translator still did a fine job). However, "Battle Royale" is a very memorable book; you will be surprised how all the events stay in your mind. Despite there being some 42 kids with difficult Japanese names, I remembered each character, how they lived, and how they died. And this book is literally impossible to put down-it's v. v. compulsive reading. I finished it in one sitting. You probably already know what this book is about, but here's a quick plot summary anyway: the Japanese government institutes "Battle Royale," and randomly selects 50 ninth-grade classes for the program. Each class is left on a deserted island, supplied with different weapons, and forced to kill each other until there is only one survivor. Most are unsure of each other's intentions and cannot trust anyone; this is what the government wants: for no one to trust each other well enough to form a group against the government. "Battle Royale" has understandably been criticized as violent exploitation (esp. since these kids are 14-15 and some are more than willing to hack each other up), but there is something much more deeper than that. The book explores tricky relationships between people, and there are many questions asked in the film, like "Who can I trust?", "Can I trust my best friend?", "Can I trust my boyfriend/girlfriend?", "What is right/wrong?", "Can we fight the system?", "Since we're dying anyway, should I tell you I have a crush on you?", etc. These are all v. interesting questions and the author does a fabulous job of answering them, showing the devastating results. The description of violence is v. graphic as to be over-the-top and distracting sometimes, and the writing is sometimes corny and painful, but as a whole, the book moves extraordinarily well. On the whole, most of the characters are developed well and we understand why they are doing what they are. In every page, we find teenage angst, lust, love, treachery, betrayal, goodness, jealousy, suspicion, hatred, and all those goodies. Although many of the characters do unspeakable things to their classmates (either willfully or out of fear), we feel for them. We understand them and therefore, feel pity for them when they die or are wounded. Only good books can elicit that kind of feeling for 42 different characters. I highly recommend the book. Don't expect to be blown away by the writing style, but do expect to be blown away by an interesting and irresistible premise, thoughtful ideas, and a GREAT story of friendship and other human relationships. (If you enjoy the book, you should definitely watch the movie "Battle Royale", which is the best movie coming out of Japan in years. I read the book before I saw the movie, and although I think the book is better, the movie is also incredible. Some of the scenes in the movie, especially the lighthouse scene with Yukie, even outdo the book. Of course, some characters aren't as well developed, but that's expected and understandable. With excellent acting, great direction, fantastic use of classical music, and a superb story, the movie is definitely a must-see.)
Rating:
Summary: Irresistable
Review: In an alternate Japan, a fascist government rules. Ever since 1947, it has annually run "The Program", a brutal exercise where a class of 9th graders are selected to be taken to an isolated location and forced to kill each other until only one survivor remains. From the first time I heard of Battle Royale's concept, I was intrigued and wary - while the concept holds a strong potential for psychological terror it could also turn out to be little more than a novel premise for a standard gore fest. Thankfully writer Koushun Takami manages an addictive, fast-paced thriller that meets its potential. Clocking in at over 600 pages, Takami delivers a character driven thrill ride that succeeds by virtue of the personalities that drive the story. Takami fills Battle Royale with the high school archetypes we've become accustomed to seeing. They would be clichés in any other setting but their familiarity brings the reader closer to empathizing with the students. We may have seen these characters a million times before, but never in a setting like this, giving the audience a glimpse into the uncertainly they doomed classmates feel for each other. There's more to the novel than a well-plotted thrill ride. The story is set in the present of an alternate history. Presumably, the Japan of this universe did not lose in World War II because its militaristic government is reminiscent of the Japan that invaded China in the early twentieth century. This government implements Coming out a few years after novels like Haruiki Murakami's The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, which confronted Japan's attempts to ignore its brutal past, Takami creates a world where nationalistic cruelty turns inwards for lack of other easy victims. Best known for the gory DVD import that it inspired, Viz tries to give Battle Royale a literary sheen by calling it a "Lord of the Flies for the 21st century". Thankfully, that doesn't turn out to be empty marketing-speak, as an engaging, thought-provoking story lies within Battle Royale's covers.
|
