Battle Royale

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A Psychological, Action, Thriller that will take you on the most extreme thrill ride you can imagine. But be warned, you must be 18.

Battle Royale is basically about survival of the fittest, where kids have to duke it out with each other in a sort of "last man standing game". This interesting plot brings forth a great deal intensity and emotional turmoil, of which you have never seen. It’s also surprising how long and in-depth the story is, even though it only covers a short time-frame. The problem with this set-up is that it almost completely removes the thought of getting attached to any characters ... because they usually end up the same way. However at least some of them are developed so well that you cannot help but get attached to them.

The artwork is perfect in depicting a disturbing amount of gore and violence that you'll feel sick to the stomach, because the one thing this manga is famous for is going over the top. A lot of readers may have a problem with the extreme level of gore but one thing I personally had a problem with was how old the students looked, when they were supposed to be 15-16.

Battle Royale is an excitingly, gut-wrenching manga that will keep you on edge. It is really interesting how this manga was put together, in 15 Volumes, without the story feeling dragged. However the TokyoPop version did mess it up a bit with their poor translations. BR is also one of the few manga out there that allow readers to express so many emotions; from sadness, to frustration. Unlike the similar manga "Gantz" BR has this lingering feeling of hopelessness that makes the story very depressing. With this really depressing story it can make Battle Royale less enjoyable to read but there are plenty of shocking moments and cliff-hangers to keep you going.

^_^

A few years ago I saw a god-awful movie called Battle Royale, I discussed the movie with a friend and he said: Well if you hate the movie that much but liked the concept why don’t you read the original source material. This came as a shock to me at that time, I had no idea that the movie was based on a novel. I never got my hands on the novel so I decided to buy the manga.

I was astonished with the artwork in Volume 1, I kept staring at certain panels trying to figure out how much work they put into this. I ... was determined to add the complete series to my collection.

Volume 1 starts of with introducing the main characters and a little of their background. Unlike most series the main characters are not the only ones with a well thought out background. Every student in Battle Royale is a character so well developed that it could breath and walk right of the panels. I could even sympathize with the most evil of characters.

The artwork is extremely detailed, and not always for the faint of heart. One of the few flaws of Battle Royale in my opinion may be hidden within the beautiful artwork. Sometimes panels are so extremely detailed that it may be nauseating to stare at it too long.

If you like a little gore, some sexy antagonists, a flinch of love and an air of despair, then there is not another manga I could recommend as much as Battle Royale.

'Kill or be killed. This is how this fucking game works'.

It's more violent than your Tokyo Ghoul and much more emotional than Attack on Titan. This, ladies and gentlemen is 'Battle Royale' - an original story featuring a very gruesome gladiator fight imposed by the government act, between innocent teenagers on a deserted island. One thing is for sure - Battle Royale encapsulates trust, betrayal, love, insanity, gore, fear, anxiety, despair for survival and most importantly, hope into this incredible 15 volume manga that is just incomparable with the movie.

For most of you out there, who've seen the Battle Royale movie and are ... bitching how it's better than its 'successor' The Hunger Games… You haven't read the manga or the novel that was used to make, what is in my eyes now, poor of an excuse movie. Battle Royale is so surreal and down to Earth gory and explicit, yet somehow it feels frighteningly real and close to our own universe.

A group of 9th grade students are chosen to participate in The Programme called the Battle Royale. It is part of the law, that each year, a 'randomly' chosen 9th grade class, will be participating in this battle to death game, broadcasted all over Japan. A similar story, isn't it? Yet this is the original 'Hunger Games' and I'll go against my own opinion to say - 'Hunger Games' is nothing compare to Battle Royal in every single sense, be it books or the film (I'm being highly subjective here, but hey, this is my review and my own humble opinion)

STORY: 10/10

The story is following the original novel written by Koushun Takami, but expands greatly into a backstory of each single character. The story in this manga is very high paced, yet it doesn't feel too rushed at all, neither is it complicated to comprehend what's going on. It feels very natural and easy to read and the flow is never interrupted with unnecessary scenes. 'Battle Royale' has quality what most present day mainstream 'kawaii' manga lack. It is as if the majority of todays mangakas are aiming at readers who would prefer something 'light' and 'fluffy', but nothing that would seriously shake their already soft brains and challenge them to think deeply about the world they're living in.

'Battle Royale' makes you open your eyes to the reality that we are living in, but do not bear to admit - the brutality of everyday life, be it abused or neglected children, homeless and damaged people, prostitution and mental insanity. It questions the stability and the governments ability to control a nation. It's constantly in motion to question, break and push the limits of morals, such as the value of human life, the value of your own life and the value of friendship and love. One thing you'll be taught after reading 'Battle Royale' is how fragile and easily altered human nature is. How one can crack quickly under pressure when told 'Kill or Be Killed', and what was once a 'friend' is your ticket out of this hell. It makes you realise that there are more things one should treasure and more things one should be willing to sacrifice. It also explores how to show compassion and love towards those that would least expect to receive it, how to forgive those damaged by life people (ref. to Kiriyama).

Every single character in this story gets a chance to shine, and I'm serious - every fucking 42 students get's an opportunity to expose their inner personalities and backstories, that makes it seems like they're real people. It gives us, the readers, a chance to explore the reasons behind their actions, the reasons behind who they are. It is so down to Earth in terms of honesty and in terms of portraying the mentality of the majority of teenagers out there, that I doubt any other manga can do that.

ART: 10/10

'Battle Royale' aims at very realistic approach towards manga illustrations. The eyes are all aiming towards natural shape, the faces of most children are oddly shaped, which brings a great sense of reality. There are no sparkles, neither there are any neglected characters - each and every one of them has features that reflect their own personality. There is NO fan service, and this is what I love about it.

The quality. Oh don't get me started on how detailed and impeccable, Masayuki Taguchi's art in this manga is. I think if it wasn't for his art, this manga wouldn't be that meaningful or that popular. He breathes life into the characters and makes them all seem so ordinary, yet so unique in their own sense. If you think Attack on Titan had extreme expressions, you haven't seen what facial expressions did Kazushi Niida did whilst trying to rape and murder his class mate Takako Chigusa. Taguchi makes the characters to express a lot of pain, anger, desperation, sadness with a little grain of happiness and hope. Because of how extremely violent this manga is, those moments when characters are seen happy, like Nanahara's and Noriko's reunion, makes you believe that even in the most darkest moments, there's always hope.

And yes, this manga is most known for it's brutal, violent and highly sexual depiction. Now I must say, I've seen a lot of gore in manga such as Deadman Wonderland, yet not as EXPLICIT and OVERWHELMINGLY bloody as 'Battle Royale'. It makes Deadman Wonderland look like child's play. The shooting scenes and the way the bullets are portrayed protruding from the persons head with all the brains splashing, might make some of you gag as it's so realistic, it seems like you can hear the blood trickle and smell that sickening metallic smell that it brings. The anatomy can be sometimes exaggerated and the reason why I gave it a 9, is because most teens look like they'd be in their early 20's, when they should be 14/15. Well I guess none manga is flawless

CHARACTER: 10/10

However, the shining coin is the way the manga is divided into small arcs that are each dedicated to a different characters story line. The stories are all individual, meaning they're told from each characters perspective, making the plot very variable and not dragged on AT ALL (emphasis on this).

You have your protagonist, Shuuya Nanahara - a typical wannabe teenager who has big dreams to reach the top in the music industry and become the next 'Elvis'. He's way too loud (often scoulded to 'keep it down' by Kawada) and too quick to trust, but he has a good heart. A heart wanting to save everyone from the hell they're in. The story does revolve about Nanahara's struggles to come to amends with the reality of the game and it can be sometimes annoying, since he's usually turning on the waterworks, but he has a strong character.

Noriko and Kawada are two characters who keep Nanahara together. You could say they are his rock. Kawada must be my favourite. He is a previous winner of the game and his realistic approach usually throws Nanahara off balance, but at the end of the day, if it wasn't for Kawada's strong and sharp mentality, Nanahara wouldn't be Nanahara. Kawada made him to question his own morals, to question his priorities and most importantly, to value Noriko and protect her with his might.

Shinji Mimura was one of my favourite characters. A popular basketball prodigy, Mimura was a ladies man, a heartthrob, but also an extremely intelligent and caring man. His plan to go against the game was my favourite scheme in the series and I deeply miss him. Hiroki Sugimura was another major character, a friend of Mimura and Nanahara, he was the odd one out. Being socially awkward yet disciplined in the martial arts, Sugimura's caring nature was what made him so unique.

You have your main antagonist, Kazuo Kiriyama - a cold blooded killer who's dead on on wining this game. Kiriyama never speaks in the manga, but his personality is shown through actions. In the movie, he was a 'transfer' student, but in the manga, he was a gang leader and a genius who could learn anything he set his eyes on. His past is revealed in the last chapters.

Mitsuko 'Harcore' Souma is your another 'hot' antagonist, and myGod, does she like to flash her body. Abused since childhood, Souma developed a complex character that made her very manipulative and aggressive. In the manga, the chapters about her are the most sexually explicit.

ENJOYMENT & OVERALL: 10/10

Nothing more to add. This was one hell of a manga that took me through a roller coaster of emotional turmoil. It holds a lot of virtues discussing and touching upon so many loopholes in today's society and social background. What it is to truly love? To truly trust? To truly believe in another human being? Is hope really the mother of idiots? Or is it a grain of victory in the middle of
war? Are those who scarify themselves for the sake of others are heroes or idiots?

If you want to find out the answer to these questions, 'Battle Royale' is the answer, After all, this is something that will change you as a person after you read it.

I have to say that I started this series with a recommendation. I was talking with a friend that how I loved "Berserk" and "Gantz" (manga of course). Then he said that there is manga called "battle royale" that I should check it out. After reading the summary of it I was very enthusiastic. However nothing goes as smooth as it begins.

Story starts very promising but then it lose its pace. It always interrupted by pathetic flash backs. There is always a struggle between naive goodness and realistic evil. They tried to create an athmosphere ... that our good and sweet students are killed by evil ones. There is always a flashback and then a murder. So they think we will be sad:S Its very cliche nothing new to genre.

Characters are so badly arranged. Main character is so naive and always shouting while talking like a hyperactive. Also crying to every dead person. So we have a Pollyanna as a main character. And main evil character is like a robot or you can say inhuman. I dont say that as meaning a stone cold crazy person. Its inhuman in every aspect; reflexes,talents, martial arts. That takes away all that gloomy and realistic athmosphere they tried to create. Other characters has no personality (only their flash back memories which are so typical like revenge issues or promises). No character has charisma to attach you to series. And think that there are 42 characters comprtessed in to 119 chapters.

Art work is not even near the work of gantz or berserk so if you expect sth like that; back off! Art is so discouraging . It does not attach you, ıt can not create a desperate or gloomy atmosphere. Its like they draw it just from necessity. But they draw the close-up's better.

Enjoyment?! Its depression. The depression from finishing the manga u started:S Feelings of hatred against characters because they are so weak or naive and dumb. Pathetic romance trials. Every one going crazy after shooting a cat or sth!!! but everything look so artifical.

One word. ARTIFICAL. This series starts so promising but right after losing everything. Which age group they aimed is still a question. Because if you take gore out there is nothing left for some one 18 and older. No deep thoughts no plot no realistic affairs. Only naiveness remains. Naive and irritating characters with the same cliche "HOPE". So I have to say that if you consider to read this manga after liking gantz or berserk; just pass this amnga and continue your search.

It had to be a bit rubbish. That's what I always thought to myself when I saw Battle Royale mentioned. I assumed this because it doesn't have an anime adaptation. What I didn't know back then was the reason for this -- I thought it was because the series wasn't that interesting. I never suspected it was because what's included in the story is so extreme that it would have to be butchered to make the jump from manga to anime. There's just no way a series that involves someone getting raped whilst dying by a psychotic girl, with flashbacks to her being abused by ... her stepfather as a child appearing during what was happening, could ever be faithfully adapted into an anime. Once I actually read a description of the story and saw its high ratings I was sold -- it sounded like something different, and it most certainly is different from anything else I've encountered.

Battle Royale was everything I expected it be prior to buying it. Nothing was held back, everything was shown in graphic detail, there was lots of death and the situation the characters found themselves in is the kind that no-one would want to be in... but it's also a situation everyone is interested in from a voyeuristic perspective. A 1 in 42 chance of survival, where survival is only possible if you kill people you once thought of as friends... I wouldn't want to be in that situation, and I don't know how I'd handle it if I was. The story painted a bleak (and accurate) picture of how humans act when there are no laws and only fear and lust governing their actions. I read manga to see what's too extreme or not moe enough for anime, so in many ways Battle Royale was perfect for me.

The story starts with 42 students, all aged 14-15, on a bus. The students think they're going on a school trip. They talk, laugh and act like teenagers do. Then they all start falling asleep, only realizing when it was too late that the bus driver had put a gas mask on and gas was being pumped onto the bus. They then wake up in a classroom, sat at their desks, with some kind of ring around their necks. Once everyone starts to wake up, a person who introduces himself as their new teacher walks into the room, calling himself Mr. Kamon. After pausing to distress the confused students a little more, he reveals to them that their class has been chosen for The Program -- an event that takes place every year (and has done since 1947 in the Battle Royale universe) where a random 9th grade class is selected for an 'educational' battle to the death at a deserted location (the story of Battle Royale takes place on a small island). Smiling, he tells them that if they don't kill they'll be killed, either by their classmates or by the ring around their neck that will explode if there's more than one person left by the deadline.

Kamon is a truly great bad guy. He looks more evil than any other character I've seen. He's the sort of character that readers will want to see die as painfully as humanly possible. If I was to describe his looks, I'd say he looks inhuman, like he was modeled from clay, and that suits him perfectly. This guy enjoyed seeing the suffering caused by strangers being put in a truly hopeless situation, joking about how seeing the daughter of a famous person get raped on live television would increase the ratings and even going as far as to push the kids into attacking him during the first few chapters. With an evil grin and perverted tongue movement, he was happy to inform one of the kids that, after the woman in charge of the orphanage he was staying at argued against he and his friend being taken, he gave her "tough love" that she was only too happy to provide after "proper persuasion." He got kicks out of watching him get so angry he cried, and then blew his face off after, fueled by pure hate, he charged at him. It's too bad he appeared very little after the start of the story, only speaking when giving updates every six hours...

The first volume was fantastic just because of Kamon. He explained the rules of the game to the class of 42 with a smile and happy tone, showing a dead body of a teacher (he was on the bus with the students at the start) who was against them taking part in The Program and killing a female student who was speaking while he was explaining the rules as an example of how little he valued their lives. He then sent them off alone, one by one, onto the island to kill each other. They were sent out with the belongings they had with them on the bus and another bag, which contained a random weapon, map, watch, compass, water and bread. He made it clear that there would be no escape because the ring around their necks would explode if they tried to take it off and, if they still tried to escape knowing their head would be blown off eventually for doing so, then the ships around the island would shoot them in the water. He gave them no time to think, throwing them out into the wilderness with the knowledge that they'd die in a few days if they weren't the last student alive on the island.

Trust is hard to come by once you're given the task of killing everyone else to ensure your own survival. If you were in a class with 41 other people then you'd only be friends with a small percentage, and out of those few how many would you truly be able to trust? Most likely only a few. In that sort of situation the fear alone would cause many to kill -- people would become too paranoid to trust even the friends they'd spoke to daily at school. When a person is presented with a choice between death and friendship, the real person, who had put on an act in the past in order to get on in the world, comes out. It's horrible to think what fear and paranoia can cause a person to do, isn't it?

If there's one thing Battle Royale is then it's over the top. When people go crazy in this they have saliva coming from their mouths, their eyes are as wide as possible, they do the 'zombie walk', with their feet twisted inwards and their knees bent, and they act more like animals than humans. The ability the artist has at depicting extreme emotions is a huge plus in a series like this, where the situation is hopeless and death seems all but inevitable, but he goes too far at times, often showing brains, guts, breasts, dicks and everything else needed to make it near impossible to adapt into an anime. Personally, I would've liked to see a more realistic and less exploitive art. But, on the plus side, the art is very clear and nearly all of the action sequences were easy for me to follow, which isn't something I can say about a lot of the series I've read to date -- I usually have to go over panels numerous times in order to understand how one panel flows from the next.

The over the top comment also goes for the story at times. At this point I can't say if it was anywhere near as silly in the novel because I haven't read up to that point yet, though the novel has come across as somewhat less insane so far, but there's a part of the story in the manga that was impossible for me to take seriously. I'm referring to a scene where a guy runs away from another guy (a sociopath/terminator wannabe called Kazuo) after being shot, with his stomach hanging out, running into a warehouse. In the warehouse he has time to set the bomb he was building before Kazuo enters, as well as the time to wrap duct tape around his stomach, and he then manages to kick the bomb at Kazuo AND jump out of the window as he entered the warehouse, without getting shot. A truck then flies out of the warehouse as a result of the bomb blast, over the head of the guy who escaped through the window, and that's followed by Kazuo appearing out of the truck, unharmed. Kazuo then unloaded his machine gun on the guy who jumped through the window. And, as if to make it all a little more silly, the guy who had just had many bullets inserted into him still had the strength to pick up his handgun in one last attempt, after playing dead, at killing Kazuo. After all that, I wasn't sure whether to praise Battle Royale for being a bit too much or attack it for its distance from reality!

There are some other issues I have. Shuuya, the main character of Battle Royale, is the main problem. The manga artist had the annoying habit of turning Battle Royale into something of a soap opera at times, showing needless flashbacks involving Naruto 2...err, Shuuya being a goodie-goodie, acting on his feelings instead of his brain, and helping his friends back when he was at school (he got to know just about every important character at school after helping them in some way). The artist was determined to highlight the fact that near enough the entire cast liked Shuuya for acting brainless, just like in shounen stories where the main character does stupid things and gets loved for it. The flashbacks involving Shuuya saving the day did stop once all the characters had been introduced... however, they were replaced with (often chapter long) dream sequences that showed Shuuya getting support from his deceased friends. I hate it in anime when the plot advances through dreams/visualizations, and I hate it even more when characters are shown speaking to people long dead in an attempt to add character development... Would it have been so hard to just have Shuuya think for a few panels instead? There was no need for a large amount of chapters, many reusing the same art, to be used for repetitive conversations with the dead. I disliked Shuuya's character because, as well as being an idiot, the very existence of his character resulted in the story lasting 10+ chapters longer than it needed to.

Continuing on from what I said in the above paragraph, the pacing wasn't perfect. The story of Battle Royale takes place over the course of a few days, and it lasts for 15 volumes. If you do the math then you'll see the problem already -- a lot of chapters were created but not a lot of time passed. It's understandable when you consider how many characters are in the series but I must confess to often feeling that the story was dragged out and could've ended sooner. I didn't mind most of the flashbacks, which every main character had in order for them to be fleshed out before their deaths, but it became tiresome when dialogue was repeated time and again for no real reason. Kawada, an experienced character who joins up with and helps Shuuya and his female friend, Noriko, seemed to be pointing out in every conversation that Shuuya needed to kill to survive, no matter if he wanted to play the game or not. If Shuuya didn't get it then I certainly did, and I quickly became bored of seeing it being said. And, sadly, lots of the dialogue was like that, and it wasn't unusual to see panels used to repeat what another character had said in the past. But don't get me wrong: the pacing wasn't awful, it's just that I feel the story could've progressed quicker and, in my opinion, it would've been far more enjoyable if it had. If the pacing had been truly bad then I would've struggled to read 15 volumes in 3 days.

Another issue I had, which also had something to do with the pacing, was the ending. Near enough every story ends in disappointing fashion. No matter how talented the writer, it seems they all struggle to finish their stories in style. Battle Royale was no different. The ending wasn't what I consider bad, and it had a few twists that kept it interesting, but it could've been better. The final battle was rather anti-climatic, with the most prominent bad guy in the series getting shot in the head (after a car chase) and still not dying, like some sort of monster, which took away from what was supposed to be a battle to the death between high school students. He'd shown himself to be near impossible to kill before that but still fighting after taking a bullet to the head took it a tad too far. And, as if to finish the fight in the most boring way possible, Shuuya spent something like 1.5 chapters getting pep talks from his dead friends (in his head, obviously) because he found it too difficult to finish off a guy who'd mercilessly killed most of his classmates. Things did improve for the last stretch once the battle ended and the final the twists started hitting, but I wasn't best pleased with what was a rather upbeat and forced ending to a mostly very, very, very depressing story. Going on the start I was expecting everyone to die, and I feel the story would've been better if not for the final twist.

One final flaw I need to mention isn't anything to do with the actual story -- it's the English translation. There were many occasions throughout where the translator missed a word out of sentences, making what was said not come out right, and there were also a few times where sentences quite simply didn't make sense. The 'F' word was also thrown around a bit too much, as if it was done just to make sure it got an 18+ rating. Seeing a friendly and polite character randomly say "F*** a duck" didn't sit right with me. And, although this is a plus or minus depending on how you look at it, some of the characters speak in an informal manner - like any public school kid would in all fairness - and what they say can be a little difficult to follow. The translation isn't a major problem that ruins the experience; it's just an annoyance, but I still expected better.

But, anyway, enough of the negative. There's far more good than there is bad on show. It's true that Battle Royale is over the top and it's also true that the pacing isn't great and the story is often overly dramatic because of the Shuuya flashbacks/dream sequences that slow down the story. However, Battle Royale is impossible to put down because of the realistic way many of the characters cope with being put in a hopeless situation. There are many different personalities in the series and most offer something the others don't, meaning there's at least one character the reader can connect with and feel for. Like the story itself, there are a few characters that are too far-fetched, but there are also those with believable backgrounds. I've always said that a story that's able to get the reader watery-eyed has great characters, and one of the early death scenes, where a female character died in the arms of her childhood friend, made me a little watery-eyed because of how beautifully it was handled. You'd have to be a pretty cold person not to feel anything as you watch her die after only just having seen her fight bravely against a guy trying to rape her AND seeing a flashback of her and her childhood friend together away from the island, back when they were normal high school students.

There are a number of other parts of the plot that will prove hard to forget, two of which I'll mention now as examples. The first is a scene at a lighthouse that involves 6 girls having a complete breakdown of trust and going from working together as a team to suspecting each other of having poisoned someone -- it captured what paranoia can cause in the type of situation the characters found themselves in amazingly well. The other is a showdown between Sugimara, the kindhearted martial artist who doesn't want to kill anyone, and Kazuo, the sociopath who feels nothing and would give the terminator a run for its money. The fight itself was great and the build-up, which involved around 3 chapters of Sugimaru and his girlfriend talking, showing what Sugimaru had to protect, was even better. Because Battle Royale has a huge amount of characters, there were many short stories like those I just mentioned, some one-shot and some lasting for a few chapters, so there wasn't any shortage of tragedy on show, and we all know that what gets the most emotional reactions out people is death. It's a great series to read if you, like me, enjoy seeing short stories that have a chance of pulling on the heart strings.

So, what are my overall thoughts? Well, I think the series was well worth the £30 I paid for it. You know you're dealing with something high quality when you spend time with *insert whatever here* and time seems to speed up. This happened when I read Battle Royale. I read 6 volumes on the day the books arrived, 4 on the following day and 5 on the day after, never having any trouble reading for lengthy periods. I'm not going to say it was a perfect series because it wasn't, its pacing and the insanity of it all often taking away from the experience a little, but as dark, depressing and involving reads go there aren't many better stories in existence. If you think the premise sounds interesting then give it a go -- you'll enjoy it a lot if you can handle lots of death.

Rating: 8.5/10

Frightening, gruesome, startling and at the same time passonate, heart-felt and generally thoght provoking. A story about growing up in a harsh environment, while still hanging on to one's beliefs. Rarely does a manga contain such power as to make the reader feel so many emotions in a single volume. Battle Royale is one of those rare manga.

Battle Royale is the manga adaption of the Japanese novel. Writhe by Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi the story follows a class in a alternative future that are forced to a Battle Royale.

Story.
The Stroy takes place in an alternate timeline - Japan is a police state, known as the Republic of Greater East Asia . Under the guise of a "study trip," a group of students from Shiroiwa Junior High Schoo in the fictional town of Shiroiwa are gassed on a bus. They awaken in a school on an isolated, evacuated island southwest of Shodoshima, in also Kagawa Prefecture. They learn that they ... have been placed in an event called The Program, also known as Battle Royale.

Art.
The Art is the manga is one of the best you will ever see. The characters looks scarily realistic and this Koushun spend ed a loot of time in details.

Character.
The character are also a great part of the manga. Some of the are so dark you cant believe they are humans are have the typical hero character. So character change later in the story other remain the same.

Enjoyment.
I really enjoyed this manga. The dark story, the awesome character and the gory makes it a manga you find hard to find on this planet. There is almost everything here both action, drama, friendship and rivalry. But it lacks a small procent of humor but it might be hard to put in humor in this kind of dark manga. If you ever seen the manga in a story buy it too see if you like it. And there is a high chance you will

This is mostly intended as an in detail recommendation rather then a review. Battle Royale was amazing. I read the book a while ago, and now I just finished the manga, and I still felt just as into it and just as emotional and on edge reading the manga, as I did reading the book (As In, even though I knew what would happen).

Note: if you read the Battle Royale plot summary you will find it is VERY similar to that of hunger games, but Battle Royale came out a lot earlier (2008 hunger games and 1999 Battle Royale) Honestly I liked both the ... Hunger Games series and Battle Royale, but I found hunger games to be a massive rip off of it, which was much less intense emotionally, action wise, story wise, and romantically.

Anyway, Here are the main reason I loved Battle Royale:

~ ACTION: ~
Top notch realistic and intense in which you are on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, where all characters have an equal chance to die or live, the action, weapons, sturdiness of bodies and minds were very realistic and there was no overpowered moves, or weapons or abilities, only real life capabilities.

~ PLOT LINE: ~
It had an amazing plot, (can't spoil so I won't give specifics) where just like the hunger games, the setting takes place in a dictatorship where many people are treated horribly, and every year they host "The Program", which "randomly" selects a class of students in a "random" school and without any pre-empt, Bam, you are on a stranded area, now having to fight to the last one standing. The plot intensifies a lot and develops from simple survival into wanting to be free and get back at the program and the cruelty of it.

~ The CHARACTERS: ~
The characters, were all realistic, I mean in terms of mental stability, they acted as normal people, although many of the characters were constantly shifting in their struggle for sanity and while some went insane, others already were, and some just died like dogs. There were 3 main characters. The protagonist; Shuya Nanahara the hero type guy that believes in humanity, his friends, and can't even hold it against any of them to try to kill him, all around a good guy, too trusting though. Shuya develops slowly, but he surely develops into a strong consistent characters that knows his purpose. Noriko Nakagawa is not that major in terms of "Oh I really want to see what she will do next", but she does play an important role as the "anchor" of the the main character and the purpose for him to fight, to kill, and to survive. For a pretty girl, she has a strong, non whiny personality. Shogo Kawada was my favourite, he was the one who carried the manga, literally. Without him the main characters would have died fairly short into the game. Shogo is experienced, calm, and while he does have strong emotions or feelings, his overpowering sense of purpose and calm cold blooded analysis of everything makes him just about as amazing as a human can realistically get. His back story is heartbreaking and he is a truly well designed character.

~ The ART: ~
The art was very good, nothing out of the ordinary, just good quality, consistent, and realistic. The only 1 tiny tiny problem I had in all of the art was the announcer/directors face in the manga, I mean you only see him minutely after the first 20 or less chapters, but his face looks muscle intensive and disfigured. But besides that, the art was well done and there was no faults for the rest of the manga.

~ The ROMANCE: ~
The Romance was a major drive in this story, between Shuya Nanahara and Noriko Nakagawa, they had an intensive love, they are quite literally said to be "star crossed lovers", that is a quote. They love each other deeply, and their love and need to survive for each other and too keep the other alive helps them survive and develop into better characters. There is also quite a bit of other love in this manga, but the main love is between these 2 main characters, and quite the love it is.

Overall this manga was extremely intense, well thought out, relentless and passionate. It didn't stop getting more emotional and exciting, but rather continued to get better and better, upping the ante continually. I strongly guarantee that it if you can handle a mature, realistic and slightly gruesome manga this is something you most likely would enjoy.

Dismiss every knowledge of human rights and watch what happens to a world where the most deadly game is played. And it is only played because there are people who are willing to watch, either to bet on it or to amuse themselves.

This manga shows a possible future and explores every terrible part of it while developing the characters as they are pulled into a game where no one is really a winner.

Story carries this concept well. Firstly, the characters are introduced as they are going about their high school life only to suddenly be, while going on a trip, put to sleep and ... brought to a classroom where everything starts. Harsh reality is thrown at a bunch of sixteen year olds and the reality of being in a kill or be killed situation dawns upon them as they are thrown in a hell where every available choice is a wrong one and where friends hunt and kill eachother simply because they are in a frightening game. A game that must be played and this sense of inevitability and helplessness is what the story is basically constructed of.

Characters fill the blanks in the construction of the story. They are each introduced shortly at the beginning and throughout the story they each get a further development. In a sense, there are no real “main characters” since every character has their story and their view of the situation they are in which is thoroughly explained and even repeated on several occasions.

Since this is a death game naturally there are also death matches. Some characters have lived long enough to create fairly long fights, some of which have a fantasy and religious elements.

Art here is quite detailed and clean. Characters emotions are drawn well and they express what is appropriate in whatever situation. Since this is a horror and an ecchi manga it is important to note that the gore and sex scenes are extremely graphic and detailed.

Enjoyment here is, well, there should be no enjoyment here. This manga is all about a death game being played for the sake of amusing sadistic, bored or some such people. This manga basically is this game. What enjoyment can one find in a manga about a class full of teenagers killing eachother? There might be some who are interested in observing how certain people would react in such a dangerous sitation. You might find interesting the repeated retrospective each character has about their past actions or lives. Some philosphic conversations were also made. All we have left now are action and sex scenes. Since they are both explicit maybe some can enjoy the large amount of blood and organs flying around or maybe just sex. And maybe, just maybe, this can be enjoyable if someone out there has an awful grudge against teenagers. And, I almost forgot, yes, there is romance in this as well.

I was sceptic about this manga. I thought it would focus mostly just on gore action scenes. I was somewhat mistaken. There is action and gore, fo course, but all in all this is a big heap of every genre put together. Some scenes made me laugh, some scenes actually made me cry, some made me feel symphatetic, some just made me feel sick.
I think maybe it just has too much of everything which is the reason why I couldn’t really like it so to say, and constant repetition of some sentences at times made me feel annoyed. Although there is something awesome about this manga and that is the ending.
It usually bothers me if the ending is all wrong but this one here was, in my opinion, perfect. (It captures the whole story in just two words, amazing really.)

(Read if you feel you should, must, or have nothing better to do, hope this humble review helped you with your decision.)

I've not completely read Battle Royale yet because I love saving my money up. From what I have read so far though, it's a very impressive manga.

I've seen the film and that is partly the reason I'm reading the manga. The manga unlike the film shows you every death of each character and also goes far further into details about all the characters and their back stories.

The story you should know from the synopsis and what a great idea for a story. Such a nice difference from the average stories out there, boy likes girl, love triangle, you know the drill.

The art is fantastic ... and I feel that the nine I've given it is well justified. The backgrounds are wonderful and beautifully drawn. The characters all have a totally different look and the violence and gore between pages is clear and truly graphic.

I'm truly enjoying Battle Royale and rather excellently the movie and manga are worlds apart, so no part of the manga has been spoilt by the film. A manga well worth reading.

Battle Royale is set in an alternate universe, in which Japan is an authoritarian state which hosts an event each year known as 'The Program', also named 'The Battle Royale Act'. Each year, a random class of students are selected to fight to the death in a merciless battle for survival. Only one will survive.

The story revolves around the students struggles in the game, mostly Shuya Nanahara, a very likeable, popular and innocent student, who struggles to come to terms with the game, believing that there is a way out and that he can save everyone. Unfortunately, he soon discovers the emotional trauma which the ... game inflicts on the contestants, as he sees his close friend selfishly tear each over apart, each united with the common fear of death.

The most powerful aspect of this manga in my opinion is the large variety of characters, who are all developed in great detail, each with very defined and deep personality's. The characters are also used to portray many different themes, such as desperation, anxiety, loneliness and love. With such a wide cast of unique characters, Battle Royale creates a very realistic feel to the story, portraying a powerful range of 'what if scenarios' which will make you wonder what you would do if you were in the same situation.

Overall, Battle Royale is, in my opinion, a true masterpiece. An exiting, engaging story, a varied cast of unique and interesting characters, all portrayed through amazingly drawn artwork. A definite must read for any fan of action, drama and psychological mangas.

With all the recent hubbaloo about the Hunger Games and it's similarities to Battle Royale, I felt my need to re-read the manga growing. It's been an interesting experience going back and re-discovering the series and I'm surprised about my feelings towards it now.

Battle Royale takes place in a totalitarian Japan, where the government's #1 tv show is the Program. The Program consists of kidnapping a random class of high school students, dropping them in a secure location, arming them, and then encouraging them to kill one another. Last man standing is the winner!
This year, we've got a varied and diverse class, but our main ... man and eyes into the series is Shuuya Nanahara, a rock-and-roll rebel without a clue. The series then follows Shu on his quest to not only protect his crush Noriko, but to also NOT kill his classmates, as well as survive the game. Tall order.

In terms of story, BR is impressive just in the sheer size of it's cast. Each and every character - both the good and the bad - get some kind of moment to shine and some kind of focus. Sometimes this is to evoke sympathy, sometimes this is to explain their behavior, and sometimes it's to set us up for the fall. The author of the manga, Takaguchi, makes sure to take his time with each student and I love that. It's INCREDIBLY hard to create an interesting character (and to be fair, a large portion of credit must go to the original author, Koushun Takami), much less a whole CLASS of them. Props there.

However, on that note, I have to admit how much I didn't like Shu or Nori the second time around. Both of the characters are so extremely one-note that any scene with them ends up being the same conversation OVER and OVER. I ended up hoping that maybe this time, someone would pop out of a bush and shoot them both just to save me the speeches. When you've got such well-built characters like Hardcore Souma, or Shogo, or Mimura, or Sugimura - all of whom have diverse, interesting backgrounds and intriguing ongoing plotlines - characters like Shu and Nori end up being just boring. I get that they're a stand-in for the audience, but they just lack everything.

Takaguchi's artwork is incredible, but also not without flaws.

Amazingly to me, Takaguchi is capable of drawing EVERYTHING. Urban landscapes, natural landscapes, soldiers, various types of guns, elaborate karate scenes, body gore, car chases, and character moments. There is no one note that Takaguchi excels at, EVERYTHING looks good. His page layouts are generally simple, but they explode when they need to. As an artist who's still growing himself, I find myself amazed by the time and skill that Takaguchi puts into each page. Simply amazing.
However, as I said, it's not all good. Takaguchi's male characters are all so well built it's stupid. I get that this is a comic, and hell, I read American comics, where everyone is built, but there's a difference between a teen with super-powers and a teen without. There's also a difference in the type of story being told. We're supposed to believer that the Program could exist - and that WE could be a part of it. It's hard to imagine that when every male character's chest and arms are ripped like Jesus. Shogo looks like a body-builder for Heaven's sake! I can understand Sugimura (a martial artist) or Mimura (an athlete) to some degree, but Shuuya has no physical talent. He's a good looking guy, no doubt, but he has no reason to be THAT ripped. I'm not saying we needed more fat characters (there were fat characters), just that I think a bit of a control wouldn't have hurt.
My other artistic gripe is head sizes. There are several shots in the comic were someone's head is a large as their chest - which just isn't the way the body is built. This isn't terribly overwhelming, but it does happen. It's just odd enough to notice, but not enough to mar my enjoyment of the book.

Overall, Battle Royale is something amazing and it MUST be read. The characters are diverse and interesting, the book looks great to the eye, and it reads so well. Even having read it before, I still found myself wondering what was going to happen or how the series would play out. THAT is a good sign. This series isn't perfect by any means - and good luck finding Tokyopop's out-of-print editions - but Battle Royale is a must read book.

i like shojo mangas. most of the mangas that i read are without blood and these kind of staff. my brother has something like 400 mangas and one of is battle royale. at first, i didnt like the drawing at all, but later on i started to read it for real and, what can i say? this thing is brilliant!!!
i love everything in it!
i love the blood the drawing, the story..
now:
art: amazing. its so detailed that i dont understand how the hell do they do it.
lets say, that if a bullet goes into someone's skall- you can see it comes in and blows the ... head out and takes out the eyeballs and everything(i know- gross but awasome!)

story: great. attractive and interesting, makes you wonder why is that show on and what will they do next. you just cant leave without knowing what will happen. and each student has its own story and personality.

characters: i think that i love shuya the most. i dont know why but i do.
later i startes to hate kiriyama so much but in the end. 'sob, sob' i allmost cried bebecause of him!!!!
i feel so sorry for him!

anyhow, to finish it, i think that if you love blood(because of that manga i started to love blood....) and really good and interesting characters, you HAVE to read battle royale. believe me- its so worth it.

Probably this is one of my most favorite manga I ever read. Battle Royale will take you to the edge of your seat with its breath taking storyline. If you like action, drama, romance, martial arts, horror,pscyho killer, tragedy, high-school life, ecchi, name it for sure Battle royale will give you what you want. With detail characterization of every protagonist you will surely love how they bring them into life. How can you face adversary if you dont know who play the game? Will you ever trust anyone specially if your life is at stake? Battle Royale at is best!

How will I be able to read any other manga after this masterpiece?
You ever eat something so good that any food you put in your mouth starts being tasteless? This is Battle Royale for you.
This is a classic. It should go down in history books.
You think I'm exaggerating? You think I'm biased?
Read it, dive in it, explore it for yourself.
I'm still in awe of how complex this work of art is, how well made it is, how ruthless and fearless.
This is a story about a Program, where 42 students are kidnapped in an island and it doesn't end until only one of ... them survives, the old "Kill or get killed". Now, you think between 42 different characters, you will only manage to remember three or maybe even a group of the elite five. Well, that's where you go wrong, very wrong. This is also why I appreciate this manga too much. I cared for everyone, every single one of them. This care isn't just in a good way, caring for someone in this manga's case can also mean you never want to see their face again. Everyone had different motives, different background stories that are complex and well made, different views of the world, different hardships. I empathized with the most villain character...
I still can't write a coherent review, I know, but am I to blame?
Just do yourself a favor and read this.
But beware if it's your first manga because you will have a hard time finding one that's going to live up to your standards after this. I'm still on the search.

''From now on it's kill or be killed, play or not play.''

Battle Royale is one of those mangas you'll either love or hate. A manga that relies heavily on a combination psychological horror, gore and eroticism with an encompassive theme of man's diverse nature. Is it possible to pull a worthwhile experience out of this? Well, certainly.

Story 8/10:

The setup of BR's story isn't very complex, nor too original. In a totalitarian version of Japan, a random 9th grade class is picked each year to kill each other in a remote location. Winner takes all, only one survives. The whole ''Program'', as it is called, is ... broadcasted in the country as a means of ultimate entertainment. Various precautions have been installed to ensure the students will actually feel forced to murder each other.

As simple and perhaps unoriginal as this sounds, this simple structure works perfectly for a tale that thrives on character development and the transcription of various personalities from their basic setting into one of great tension and peril, accompanied by the occasional gore and eroticism. While very explicit, such scenes add to the characters and the merciless atmosphere outlines in the manga as a whole.

As a minor complaint, pacing tends to come and go from time to time, with some chapters displaying an adrenaline rush of suspense and action, while other chapters revert to an elaborate setting and matching text walls.

Art 9/10:

You either love or hate it. BR exudes a unique style, displaying disgusting gore, pornographic displays and the suspense of a bullet in highly stylized panels. Having run from 2000-2006, the art undergoes slight evolution throughout the chapters, with characters assuming slightly more realistic appearance and overal less messy art.

One of the major merits of this style is that it succeeds exactly in what it intends to do; capture the horror, madness that pervades the manga, as well as the character's non verbal responses to the various predicaments they find themselves in. Whether it's the sheer madness in the face of a girl who's lost her mind to fear or the expression of shock, sorrow or even happiness in the eyes of the recently deceased. The art allows the characters to live and die according to their mindsets, enhancing the impact their struggles and imminent deaths have on the reader.

Another excellent compliment should be made for the way the mangaka drew action sequences. Whether it's bullets captured in slow-motion, driving through someone's face or a car in mid-air, the stylish drawing style of the mangaka captures it beautifully. The results often resemble Matrix-esque action, giving depth to otherwise fairly fast-paced and mostly short-lasting fights.

The art is also primarily a reason why those with a feeble mind or of young age are not recommended to read this manga. Death, mutiliation as well as adult themes such as sex/rape are incredibly graphic and a constant reminder of that what happens in the manga is serious business.


Characters 9/10:

Perhaps the most important aspect of BR is the elaborate cast and their individual involvement in the story. As soon as the story kicks off, you are introduced to a whole class of 42 students as well as a few side characters. This may be a bit much to swallow all at once, though the story handles this excellently by introducing the characters often individually during the Program.

The majority of these characters have at least some of their background and personal motives revealed over time, with the main characters obviously undergoing more character development. A small problem may present itself with the sometimes long and prompt way flashbacks and character backgrounds are revealed. On the other hand, however, these sidestories tend to contain deep, psychological, moral or philosophical messages that are both thought provoking in general and provide you with an explanation for why these characters became the people they are and why they handle situations the way they do.

Everyone can die in BR is what the story wishes to portray and it does an excellent job at doing so. Character development is by no means a ticket to safety and as a result, you will find yourself rooting for well-developed characters to survive, only to find out that some of them meet with a tragic fate. It certainly makes for impactful deaths.

The only problem that arises with this is that such a variation in character types typically has every reader pick their favourites. As such, going through some of the flashbacks/backgrounds/developments of the characters you may not like all that much, can be tedious.

Enjoyment 9/10:

The manga provides an enjoyable read for those who can latch on to the tense atmosphere sketched. The realistic way in which characters and their trials and tribulations, all according to their personalities, are portrayed throughout the course of the manga forces you into picking favourites. As characters either grow on you or earn your antipathy, you'll find yourself rooting for your favourites to survive a crazed killer attempting to gun them down and for those horrible backstabbers to get what they deserve. Suspense and tension keeps you reading and if you're into psychology/philosophy, you may pick up a number of life lessons and some understanding of human nature up along the way.

Overal l 9/10:

Despite minor complications, an excellent psychological thriller/horror manga, making no effort in obscuring the severity of its content. A must read for fans of survival horror and psychology/philosophy. As a rather graphic manga, with adult themes, it is recommended that the reader is of age and/or resistant to graphic horror/eroticism.

The 42 students in Class B of the 1st year of high school at the Shiroiwa school are drawn to "THE PROGRAM" - a battle to the death between students, financed and transmitted by the dictatorship of the Republic of Greater East Asia.

Isolated on an island, armed, and restrained by an explosive necklace, classmates suddenly become enemies where only 1 must survive. Even if it means abandoning your friendships, humanity and hope.

In this unhealthy scenario, BATTLE ROYALE's narrative explores traumas, enmities, bullying and unrequited love in the past of his characters, justifying his actions in the present.

The fat man who was mocked by his colleagues ... for his sensitivity, now has a loaded beast. The girl with acne on her face has a revolver. The virgin has a pistol and so on ... What these young people become in the face of the horror they live in, is BR's main triumph.

In the 119 chapters, the book makes a point of even briefly telling the past of all its students, whether they were corrupted by the game or not, creating empathy or apathy, giving gravity to the moment of their deaths.

Deaths that insist on brutalizing and shocking; an arrow through the pupil, machine gun bullets penetrating the neck in an unexpected way, give the BR pages the tone of his work.

Silly students are drawn with more humorous strokes, the stronger ones resemble superheroes, the more "dramatic" ones have realistic strokes. When they inhabit the same scene, this mixture causes visual confusion.

There are intense clashes at all times, with sickening bouts at times that Shuuya (protagonist) needs to affirm how unfair the game is.

But the presence of Kazuo Kiryama - Nemesis of Resident Evil 3 in the form of a teenager -, Shougou Kawada - a mysterious 16-year-old with the face of a 30-year-old soldier -, Hiroki Sugimura - Bruce Lee -, Shinji Mimura - good at everything he does - and Mitsuko Souma - daddy's doll - praise the narrative.

Fortnite, CoD Warfare and The Hunger Games are students in kindergarten compared to Takami Goushun's impetuous BATTLE ROYALE.

One thing that can be noticed in battle royale is the relatively lifelike characters. the anatomy of each figure (with exception to the eyes) is relatively close and detailed to that of the human figure. However it retains its manga-like style in keeping with the simple lines. heavy inking and shading gives the manga a sense of suspense and accuity.

As far as the storyline goes. It is quite abnormal. It begins with the main battle and throughout the battle you learn of everyone's past lives which catches the reader by surprise. It is quite psychotic too.

The characters themselves have great depth. While not going ... into each and everyone individually (theres 43 in all) it does a good job of depicting the ones it does with detail.

Overall this is a good read. it keeps you hooked until the end, with predictable yet much anticipated showdowns between characters. The climax is all too exciting and it gets the blood pumping.

it was good when shinji was the main character. but
SPOILERS:


he dies midway, and replaced by mr elvis wanna be cry baby. holy shit worst protagonist every seen. at one point it took him 10 chapters to shoot some one with the constant monologues.

and then there is kiriyama who is literally kid batman fucking invincible plot armor. written to be used as a whim to take down everyone who is a trouble for the protagonist. since the author doesn't want him to actually get to kill anyone lmao.
horrible story elements destroys suspension of belief in the middle somehow they start jumping like ninjas and ... flipping over flying cards etc. this is supposed to be science fiction or something wtf is with the KI bullshit introduced midway.
it started off very good though i liked the plan to construct a bomb. but after midway it was a painful read. the art was very good though so that kinda kepted me reading. if it wasn't because of that i would have given this a 5/10



JK THE REAL REASON WHY THIS IS 10/10

I SWORE TO MYSELF WHEN I FIRST READ THIS.
IF THE ASSHOLE FAT TEACHER DIED THEN I WOULD GIVE THIS A 10/10
WASN'T DISAPPOINTED IN THE END.

Battle Royale is a manga I recommend to anyone looking for something to read in the thriller/horror genre. It's not for everyone, and is extremely explicit (both sexually and violently) throughout, but it perfectly achieves what it sets out to do: invest you in, and horrify you with, its story.

ART (9/10)
Masayuki has one of the most harrowing art styles I've ever seen when it comes to gore. He goes so far with his illustrations that it actually makes human innards and bodily functions look like pieces of expressionist art. The death sequences are brutal but beautiful, in a way. The characters themselves are drawn ... in a pretty generic way, but their expressions in key moments are really what make this manga sing.

CHARACTERS (10/10)
This manga does an incredible job of making you feel for all of the 40+ characters through their interactions with one another and the integration of their rich/unique backstories. Every character feels simultaneously real and surreal; they are just beyond what seems physically/mentally possible for high schoolers, but have backgrounds and traumas that really resonate with what many young people have been through and struggled with.

STORY (10/10)
Without any spoilers, I have never been able to read this manga in a span greater than 24 hours. Too many an all-nighter has been pulled to follow this story from its shocking start through twists and turns to its satisfying end.

PREMISE (10/10)
A horrific, all too believable future reality where involuntary battles to the death are broadcasted on live TV to entertain and control the masses. A classic premise, where only one of many can survive, that started with the eponymous novel and has seemingly been recounted a million times in recent literature/television/games (e.g. Hunger Games, Squid Game, PUBG, etc.). I don't think any version, including the novel, does it as well as it is done here.

I will say that while the violence is gratuitous at times, it does a good job of illustrating the darker sides of humans who have been failed by their societies and communities, as well as the limits of what bad-faith actors can achieve within politically oppressive systems. If you have an appreciation for this genre, I highly recommend giving this manga a shot!