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: Bloody awesome (no pun intended)
Review: First thing I have to say is that I hate gore and I usually hate most horror. But Battle Royale is more than just gore and well, horror. Though I'm not going to deny that there isn't a lot of gore - there is. Sickening amounts of it. But there's just something else about it.
The characters are realistic. Some try to team up with their classmates, some go crazy from fear, and some kill each other. The suspence kills you too. (no pun intended...well, kind of) But, just like the characters say, you can't trust nothing (no one). This book isn't the average children break the system story. It definitly isn't what you expect.
But either way, it is impossible to put down one you open it.
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: Who do you trust?
Review: I have to begin by saying that this novel, hell this story can be viewed from two points of view. One: a reflection on the darker aspects of society. And secondly, a story about hope, trust, and faith. From the moment I picked this book up to the moment I closed the cover and put it back down (all of one day) I was captivated and held in thrall by the incredible story telling, the believable characters, and the incredible sense of reality that totally encompasses every last page of this book. Ok that may be a little over the top, but not by much. The setting alone caught my interest, a world controlled by such a level of fascism really frightened me, but more importantly the island, with its small microcosm of society featured by the 42 students really brought it all into brutal, paranoid, bloody, and sometimes faith filled reality for me.
One thing that I loved was that each character, no matter how long, or short they lived, felt like a person to me. They weren't just some body to add to the body count...ok maybe one or two.. But over all you had an idea of who the person was, and how they felt being shoved into this life or death situation. In this novel you can see the worst of society held side by side next those who by their sheer will manage to keep hope alive in this dreary world that fills the pages of this book.
Another great thing is the way that you are kept guessing through out the entire story. Who's telling the truth, who can you trust?, who will eventually turn on you and who will keep their word till the very end. I have not had the pleasure of reading a book this well written (and translated) in a very long time, and I have never read a book quite like this ever. I'm not saying that this book is a life changing experience or even a work that will change your views about some things in the world around you (even though they might, what do I know?) but I will say this, It will make you think and it will give you cause to pause and wonder.. What would you do.. If you found your self in... The Program.
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: 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: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A Book That is Deservedly Popular, but Highly Misunderstood
Review: Let me make this clear: Despite the myth propogated by various webpages and reviews (as well as the absurd movie adaption) Battle Royale is NOT a commentary on youth violence. Yes, it's rather violent, but the truth is Battle Royale is political commentary. For this reason, Battle Royale is worth reading, for the situation it presents is entirely relevant, and is eerily similar to many large-scale situations going on in the world today. It represents a world where the government has complete power to do anything they want to their population, even kill them, and they don't even need justification. The novel is NOT about teen violence, but is rather about the dangers of letting the people in power become too powerful. It shouldn't be compared to Lord of the Flies, but rather to George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984.
|
