Product Description: In the near future, a random class of 9th graders has been chosen to compete on The Program, a popular game show that requires its contestants to battle to the death on a top-secret island. Included in this class are Shuuya Nanahara, Noriko Nakagawa, Shogo Kawada, Kazuo Kiriyama, and Mitsuko Souma. Five students that couldn't be more different, yet now find themselves sharing a common plight. Abandoned, and with no hope of escape, they must kill each other and the rest of their class, until only one of them is left living. Unwilling to slaughter his fellow classmates for the amusement of others, Shuuya forms an alliance to fight back and deliver a counter-punch to the government that ruined their lives. However, he must be careful, for there are some students who are determined to "win" this cruel game.
Waste of Time/Money ^ The original book and movie versions might have merit for a dissolutioned society, both in Japan and in US (although perhaps more so in Japan), keen of reading about horrors of government power run amok as well as human nature. The manga version, however, is a waste of time. First of all, tbe US version was extensively rewritten and the script does not completely follow the original Japanese manga. The major difference is making BR program into reality TV as opposed to an actual government program, which shifts focus away from dangers of too much government control. Other smaller changes were also made in the US adaptation. Also, given the price per book, it just seems that, given the liberties taken with the story, one would only get these books for the gory/sexual images as one can get a much better story from the book and movie.
A Hardbound Bloodbath ^ Book-to-movie adaptations are common in American culture. Heck, movies based on comic books are popping up left and right. Here, we have a manga series based on Koushun Takami's classic pulp novel Battle Royale and, yes, it's already been made into a movie. Two movies, to be precise (skip the second one).
Set in an alternate-universe Japan, Battle Royale stars a group of 42 ninth-graders who have been abducted and taken to an island to participate in a game of survivor (with much more literal backstabbing than the CBS reality show). The game, known as "The Program," is a televised event held every so often to keep the population in line by means of fear. The rules are simple: Kill all of your classmates within 72 hours. Be the last player standing and you win your life back. If more than one player is alive when the time limit is reached, everyone dies.
Battle Royale is about youthful rebellion against an oppressive society, not a commentary on the direction of reality television. The original novel beats the reader over the head with that theme. In fact, the novel was published in 1999, a year prior to the reality TV boom with the first broadcast of Survivor in 2000.
The manga truly shines in creating a sense of terror and panic that grips the reader and drags them along for a rollercoaster ride. There is a clear set of main characters, but the manga gives the reader a glimpse into the minds of every single player, offering everyone a chance to bond with at least one character before he or she dies horribly.
Battle Royale is oddly addictive and difficult to put down, but that could be because of the structure of the chapters themselves. Scenes rarely end when a chapter does. Instead, they end with cliffhangers that leave you itching to find out what happens. Then, when you finish the scene, it leaves you compelled to finish the chapter. It's a vicious but clever cycle.
The art style carefully plays into who the authors want you to like and hate. Likeable equals pretty. Annoying or unlikeable equals not-so-pretty. Keep in mind that "unlikeable" does not necessarily mean "evil." The two most vicious players are also the most physically attractive. The other thing that's great about the art is that the action is simple to follow. It's very easy to visualize what's happening to connect each cell fluidly. The violence is very graphic, but sometimes the art goes a little over the top with the sweating and tears.
This series is definitely for a mature audience looking for something exciting and action-packed but not flat. It would be wrong to call it "fast-paced" when fight scenes are drawn out and the story pauses often for the sake of flashbacks. It is an action-horror-thriller for those looking for more dimensions than just your average slasher. Think of it like the original Saw film. It's not a "slasher flick" at all. In fact, Saw is not even particularly graphic. Instead, it's a dark, psychological story that explores how different people react while in the scenario of "kill or be killed" within a given time limit. Battle Royale, on the other hand, is quite visually graphic, with nudity, blood, and guts (and brains), but the psychology is far more important.
The manga itself has been out for a while, but Tokyopop has recently been compiling them into "ultimate editions" with three volumes bound together in hardcover. There's just something so cozy about curling up in bed with a hardbound bloodbath.
-- Courtney Kraft
Fantastic! ^ Fantastic meaning a little too over-the-top. I haven't read the novel but I've seen the movie and it's somewhat better because it's far more realistic.
I'm not a manga reader but I do read indie comics and I would really have liked it if this series played it more straight than superhero-y. I have no idea what age 9th graders are in Japan but I'm guessing 15-17. It's ridiculous what these 9th graders can do. A 15 year old boy kung-fu'ing his way through 5 or 6 gangsters with guns. A 15 year old boy who never picked up a gun before shooting his way through 5 or 6 professional guards. A 15 year old girl with the breasts and libido of a silicone porn star. 15 year olds running prositution rings, gangs, etc. It's all kind of silly.
Maybe all of this is part of manga. I dunno. If you turn off your logic centers and turn on that part of your brain that doesn't mind over the top pulp fiction and Batman comics then it's actually quite good. The stories, the way people or groups of people fall, the relationships, the backstories, all of that is great. But it all could have been done with less X-rated, beyond belief, unrealistic, superviolent kung-fu and hentai sex.
A complete bastardization of a good story ^ Being a big fan of the movie, I decided to pick up the first 3 mangas in the series after hearing how good it was. I was, and still am, a rabid fan of Battle Royale, it's one of the greatest films ever made. However, I was completely baffled with how bad this manga was. They completely ruined the story, thus making it hard to follow. They added the "game show" element which makes it totally cheesy. Art wise it's not bad, but that's the only reason it is getting two stars and not one. They made Nanahara annoying as hell, Noriko a whiny little bitch who always disputes everything, and Kitano WAY over the top. In the movie (and the novel), he's a real stone cold scary teacher, there's not much about him but yet there's something about him that makes him scary. Here, he's like Stewie Griffin from Family guy.
Overall avoid this. This manga is so bad it plays out like a BR parody.
Do the research, ignore the hype. ^ First of all, it goes without saying that Battle Royale is not a story for anyone who detests violence. Regardless of what format you came to it in, the story is sound and was, at the time, an excellent commentary on where Japan could have been in an alternate timeline.
It was originally written as a novel by Koushun Takami and has been adapted into both a film (with sequel) and this manga. The manga was then adapted into English by Keith Giffen -for- Tokyopop. What people reviewing this book fail to realize, at times, is that Takami wrote the manga as well as the book. He had his hands on both. Giffen just translated things into English and, as often is true, not -everything- in Japanese manga has a suitable equivalent in English. There are cultural points that we just don't have an equal for. So things have to be substituted for those readers who don't have some omniscient insight into Japanese society and culture.
Yes, the violence, gore, and sex in the manga is over the top. What comic -doesn't- go over the top, though? What better way to drive home the insanity of The Program than to detail, visually, the horrors it causes? Everything in The Program is filmed and broadcast for the public to view. This is what they would be seeing, so how could the manga leave that out? While it can, at times, be sickening I find the detail level to be a wonderful injection of realism to the story. The drawings of the characters elucidate psychological flaws, character defects, egos, strengths, weaknesses, and things that caused them to be who and what they are.
All in all, I find this well done. If you can't tolerate a visual splatterfest, though, I would not recommend this series to you.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Tony's Online Tips
Trevor
