The ultimate Nature Trek

[sigma7]

I read the first six volumes of "Battle Royale" in one sitting. I absolutely plowed through them after the first, mainly because I thought there only were six. Imagine my surprise when the story didn't end. I was a little worse for wear afterward -- while I knew what it was about, I wasn't at all prepared for it to be executed (ahem) so well. A class of 42 Japanese students get recruited (okay, kidnapped) for "Battle Royale," the newest reality-show phenomenon where the students are fitted with exploding collars and set loose on an island teeming with caches of various weaponry. The object of the game is to be the last survivor -- by killing all the others. Simple enough. The best part of this is the reactions by the students -- many refuse to play the game this way, others decide they have no choice, a few are frighteningly well-suited to it. The books do a good job of putting the lives of the students into perspective -- liberal use of flashbacks gives a sense of importance and identity to the most tangential of characters. It's very violent, of course, not purely in terms of killing and gunplay but also emotionally. It's harrowing, but it's a very good read.

And now I understand there's a movie. (Okay, I'm a little late to this party. Forgive me.) Now it's just a matter of tracking down the English version and bending my mind out of shape again.

Comments

[reynardine.livejournal.com]

Due to a variety of reasons, Battle Royale has not been licensed for US/North American distribution. However, there are ways around that, so long as you can deal with subtitles. Check out this site for some details on where you can get the DVD. Make sure you get a non-region (or region 0) version, which is compatible with US DVD players.

I've not seen it myself (not really interested in the subject matter), but the stable of young actors used in this movie (and its sequel) have gone on to be pretty successful in mainstream Japanese drama.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's a great site. Very thorough. And answers a lot of the questions I had and a few I didn't know I had.

And my God, it is Beat Takeshi. The face didn't click for the longest time. I've let MXC taint my perception of the man.

Thanks for the assist! I wasn't too excited about the prospect of a sequel until I read the synopsis, and y'know, suddenly I'm interested....