Battle Royale: The Films

Hello 

An nyoung 

Konnichiwa 

Ni hao 

As strange as it may be I have 3 copies of the first Battle Royale film, I have a special edition version (silver), a normal edition (blue) and a blu ray version (not pictured), the 3rd DVD is the sequel to the original film.

The Battle Royale film was released in 2000 by Kinji Fukasaku, the film aroused both domestic and international controversy and was either banned or excluded from distribution in several countries because of it's brutal content and to this day is one of Japan's most famous films.

Normal edition

The cast was recruited to be the same age as their characters so all the cast were 15 and up and the film has Shuya Nanahara as the main character played by Tatsuya Fujiwara who has gone on to be a well known actor in Japan getting many lead roles. There are slight differences in the film to the book mainly changing 2 of the characters stories and changing round some of the timings of characters deaths. Obviously I prefer the book (who wouldn't) a few scenes in the book appear in the special edition of the film, how the movie ends is also changed from the book.

Special edition

When I first watched Battle Royale I couldn't help comparing it to The Hunger Games but because of this a western remake was scrapped as it was thought that The Hunger Games fans would take the limelight away from Battle Royale stating it was copying. Whenever I explain Battle Royale to anyone to interest them into watching it is by saying that it's like The Hunger Games but better. Whenever I watch the film now there are scenes that after reading the book definitely make me shed a few tears so I would definitely suggest reading the book before watching the film that way you get the in detail story and explanations.

Battle Royale 2

Battle Royale 2 where do I start I feel this film shouldn't have been don't get me wrong I enjoyed the film but not to the extent that I'd keep watching it again and again, the only real thing I enjoyed from this film was how they changed the way the metal collars detonated in the second film if girl No.3 died then boy no.3's collar would detonate killing him, also the game changes in the second film the new class are made to go to where a team that calls themselves The Wild Sevens are hidden to kill them to win. I'd still suggest watching this film to complete the story but I warned you if you think it's pretty bad.

The original Battle Royale film also has an awesome soundtrack for the film mainly featuring classical pieces that add to the suspense, I couldn't think of any other music that would fit this film it fits perfectly. My favourite song from the film is the ending song at the credits which to me gives a closure that it's finished.

Go watch the films and go read the book it's definitely up there in my favourite film and book.

See you soon! 

An nyoung 

Sayonara

Zai Jian 

Bye 

Battle Royale: The Book & Graphic Novel

Hello 

An nyoung 

Konnichiwa 

Ni hao 

Well today is kind of like Manga Madness but with a book and a graphic novel, as far as I'm aware Battle Royale also has a Manga but I haven't read it, I haven't been able to find it yet. So shall we begin?

Front 

Back 

Wrote by Koushun Takami, Battle Royale was originally released in 1999 in Japan where it was criticized as violent exploitation when it was first published but surprised people when it became a best seller, 2009 saw the book translated into English, and rereleased in 2014 with a new translation. The book has also been translated into Korean, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Norwegian, Turkish and Hungarian. I think it's safe to say that it's a popular book. I read Battle Royale last year (2014) and I had trouble putting it down (I watched the film first which made me want to read the book) as always the book is better than the film and Battle Royale is often compared to The Hunger Games as their plots are very Similar, Suzanne Collins has always stated that she knew nothing of Battle Royale until her book was published, in my opinion the ploys are too similar for it to be a coincidence but who am I to judge.

Battle Royale is set in a fictional police state of Japan known as The Republic of Greater East Asia, a program is created to stop any future rebellions in the guise of military research. The program consists of a class of upto 50 classmates aged 15 placed onto a island where they are forced to kill one another until only 1 survivor remains and the outcome publicised on local television. Under the guise of a school trip third year class B of Shiroiwa junior high school are placed onto a bus and then gassed to find themselves waking up in a school  on a vacated island with metal collars around their necks, they are told the details of the program and then given survival packs which contain a random weapon or tool and then set on their way one by one by student number (there is 42 students 21 male and 21 female). To make sure all the rules are obeyed they are told about their metal collars and that they are used to track each student and if any of them are in a forbidden zone or attempt to remove the collar it will detonate killing them.

The book follows all the students mainly male students 5: Shogo Kawada, 6: Kazuo Kiriyama, 15: Shuya  Nanahara,  19: Shinji Mimura and female students 11: Mitsuko Souma and 15: Noriko Nakagawa.

In my opinion the book is wrote amazingly and you feel emotions for characters that you feel you shouldn't because of how they are, it's definitely a  book I recommend to every one.

The book shows the map of the island the class are on and shows the forbidden zones and their designated times.

There is also a class register revealing all 42 classmates.

The book is separated into 5 parts; Prologue: Government Memo, Part 1: Start Game, Part 2: Middle Stage, Part 3: Final Stage and Part 4: Finish.

 After each chapter it reveals how many students are remaining and keeps the reader up to date at the start of each part also.

Battle Royale is a book the keeps you on the edge of your seat and entices you to keep on reading to find out who will kill who and who will be the winner. If you were placed into this situation could you kill your friends to survive?

Front

Back 

Angel's Border is set around a scene in the Battle Royale book it centre's around a group of girls that hide out in a lighthouse. The graphic novel contains 2 short stories of the girls hidden away in the lighthouse, story one features girls 2: Yukie Utsumi, 9: Yuko Sakaki, 12: Haruka Tanizawa, 16: Yuko Nakagawa, 17: Satomi Noda, 19: Chisato Matsui and boy 15: Shuya Nanahara. Story 2 features the same girls but with boy 19: Shinji Mimura. It shows them before they were entered into the game allowing the reader to connect and have some background with the characters that you didn't get in the book.

Sadly as much as I got into the graphic novel and even wanted Chisato and Shinji to get together it obviously wasn't to be as Angel's Border has the same ending as in the book all I will reveal is that they don't survive but how they die I will leave for you to read to find out.

Let me ask you a question that I asked earlier if you were put into a game like this could you kill your closest friends to survive? Remember only ONE can SURVIVE.

See you soon! 

An nyoung 

Sayonara 

Zai Jian 

Bye