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Battle Royale: Remastered by Koushun Takami (8-May-2014) Paperback
- GenresFiction
656 pages, Unknown Binding
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154 people want to read
About the author
Koushun Takami
100 books1,578 followersKoushun Takami (高見 広春 Takami Kōshun) is the author of the novel Battle Royale, originally published in Japanese, and later translated into English by Yuji Oniki and published by Viz Media and, later, in an expanded edition by Haika Soru, a division of Viz Media.
Takami was born in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture near Osaka and grew up in the Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku. After graduating from Osaka University with a degree in literature, he dropped out of Nihon University's liberal arts correspondence course program. From 1991 to 1996, he worked for the news company Shikoku Shimbun, reporting on various fields including politics, police reports, and economics.
The novel Battle Royale was completed after Takami left the news company. It was rejected in the final round of the literary competition for which it was intended, owing to its controversial content. It went on to become a bestseller when finally released in 1999 and, a year later, was made into a manga and a feature film.
He is currently working on a second novel.
Takami was born in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture near Osaka and grew up in the Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku. After graduating from Osaka University with a degree in literature, he dropped out of Nihon University's liberal arts correspondence course program. From 1991 to 1996, he worked for the news company Shikoku Shimbun, reporting on various fields including politics, police reports, and economics.
The novel Battle Royale was completed after Takami left the news company. It was rejected in the final round of the literary competition for which it was intended, owing to its controversial content. It went on to become a bestseller when finally released in 1999 and, a year later, was made into a manga and a feature film.
He is currently working on a second novel.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 21, 2025
Wow… making me cry last part!!!! Damn!!! TEAR THE COUNTRY DOWN!!!! - honestly this book is just so powerful- betrayal, friendship, romance & survival is all I can describe this book.
I must say the book itself is gorgeous!!! Like damn pop off illustrator!!! Second, the story is chefs kiss from beginning to start I just could envision scenes AND SCENES I NEVER WANT TO ENVISION. Crazy crazy stuff BUT SO INTRIGUING it hooks you in. Third, the characters!!! I must say some of them were killed off comedically but some of their thoughts jesus… it’s the instant panic you can hear in all of them.
So I must say this is an all rounder book- read this when you have time- I could have finished this in a week but schedule got so messy! But I must say- this book is gold and now I want to watch the movie XDDDD
I must say the book itself is gorgeous!!! Like damn pop off illustrator!!! Second, the story is chefs kiss from beginning to start I just could envision scenes AND SCENES I NEVER WANT TO ENVISION. Crazy crazy stuff BUT SO INTRIGUING it hooks you in. Third, the characters!!! I must say some of them were killed off comedically but some of their thoughts jesus… it’s the instant panic you can hear in all of them.
So I must say this is an all rounder book- read this when you have time- I could have finished this in a week but schedule got so messy! But I must say- this book is gold and now I want to watch the movie XDDDD
June 10, 2025
Absolutely brutal. Very engaging. Would recommend if you are looking for something to distract you
May 19, 2025
Herregud for en berg og dalbane!! Elsket denne boka 10/10. kommer til å bli skuffa når jeg ser filmen
February 19, 2025
3 kids plan to rage against the authoritarian regime with rock and roll, poems and cigarettes (+ some school kids die maybe? Idk it was vague)
March 17, 2025
This review will be for the Battle Royale Remastered book translated by Nathan Collins with some comparisons to the Yuji Oniki translated version of Battle Royale (in the extended review).
Summary of my review: (2/5) It was alright, but I'm mad about it. I had expectations going into it, comparing it with the Yuji Oniki translated version. It's not for me, but it can be an enjoyable enough read without having those expectations.
It's written like a YA Fic with YA characters despite it definitely being categorized for adults. I don't care for the way it was written/translated and I was surprised at just how young the characters were- with a lot of call backs to characters' middle school memories with a lot of overly mature subject matter for those characters ages.
Story-wise it was okay; staring at a (3/5) and being knocked down to a (2/5). It starts with too many characters (makes sense since they are going to be killed off) which makes it hard to A.) keep track of who is who & B.) have any attachment or care for the characters for when they do eventually die. Most characters aren't that fleshed out and some are harmful stereotypes, but that being said the plot was still enjoyable in the beginning. The story became a (2/5) as it continued because of how irritating it got for me to read; having to continuously keep suspending my sense of disbelief with the parameters the story set, and it didn't help that I never really cared for the main character Shuya Nanahara- and found him increasingly irritating as the plot progressed. I can't say I care for the ending, but at this point I might just be a hater.
***
From this point on there will be some spoilers.
An extended review:
This book was incredibly hard for me to keep reading; to start with I had preconceived notions going into it. I had originally read Battle Royal by Koushun Takami (translated by Yuji Oniki) back around 2012. At the time I was not able to handle the descriptions of violence and dropped the book early on. That being said, I was really confused by the differences from the two books; my first indication being what I remembered as the writing being different and the "first" kill. I did some research and found out that the two are "different" and that I was actually reading the remastered copy translated by Nathan Collins.
Personally, I do not like the way the Nathan Collins one is translated. It feels too much like a YA Fic book (which is fine, just not my taste), and I had remembered the Yuji Oniki translated one feeling like it was written more for adults with the over the top graphic descriptions (I'd like to revisit this when I get the chance to see if my memory is actually correct). This was less of a problem and really just more of a preference.
My real problem with the book was with the story; enjoyable at times but otherwise incredibly irritating. It is written like a manga, and while I love manga, I don't mean that as a compliment. It sets its self up as being relatively serious and grounded in reality, but from around the middle of the book to the end I had to keep suspending my disbelief at the plot and characters' actions. I really hated that certain rules of reality would apply to some characters but not others; for example [Spoiler] the protagonist is able to out run a machine gun, but a character with equal running talent is not- not due to the circumstances but due to the protagonist buff. It was at that point in the book where I truly gave up- and the plot only continued downwards from there.
I also had a big problem with the way a lot of characters are written. None of the female characters are written remotely well, and I'm not sure if this is a translation issue or a author writing female characters issue. Pretty much all of them are horribly sexualized in some way; whether it's the infantilization of some or oversexualization of others - it's really gross on so many levels. Hell, some of these girls have literally done prostitution when they were in middle school; and I'm not saying that characters like this can't be written- those experiences can unfortunately be real, but NONE of these experiences are taken that seriously. Other than being sexualized none of them really have a personality (including Mitsuko, who's "personality" is more of a stereotype). Even Noriko doesn't have much going for her (which is such a disappointment since there was so much that could have been done with her character). We pretty much only view her through Shuya's POV. which infantilizes her, always seeing her as weak and helpless and "pure"- we never get to see her personality really or know what she's actually like. None of the female characters seem to exist for themselves.
There's also some harmful stereotypes with some of the other characters. The most egregious being around the only gay character being categorized as a pervert, sexual harasser, and stalker. The story also perpetuates negative stereotypes surrounding psychopathy (which isn't much of a surprise).
Other than the harmful stereotypes, a lot of characters just aren't written well- being killed off too quickly to learn anything about them, or being giving major buffs that makes it hard to think of them as remotely believable.
My biggest irritation is with the main protagonist- Shuya himself. He starts out fine, kind of bland but has unique hobbies such as baseball, guitar, being anti government, and being an Ameriboo (none are actual personality traits); I couldn't help but compare him to Shinji the whole time (who has an actual personality along with unique hobbies and motivations). Shuya gets really irritating to read because he keeps sidelining Noriko (his main priority supposedly) to go help others; which isn't a big deal at first but is soooooo irritating that he doesn't learn from his previous actions (and keeps being reminded by other characters to look after Noriko). As the "plot" continues Shuya honestly feels like a self insert harem protagonist; like why are all these girls interested in him with no indication of them liking him prior??? I honestly wish that either Shinji or Kawada had been the main character because they were so much more interesting.
***
Clearly this book wasn't for me, but it was interesting enough for me to at least finish. If you are remotely interested in this book I would still recommend it to some extent (perhaps reading the manga instead, since it reads like that anyway -or watching the movie? IDK I haven't seen/read either). The premise is still compelling despite my (many) complaints.
Summary of my review: (2/5) It was alright, but I'm mad about it. I had expectations going into it, comparing it with the Yuji Oniki translated version. It's not for me, but it can be an enjoyable enough read without having those expectations.
It's written like a YA Fic with YA characters despite it definitely being categorized for adults. I don't care for the way it was written/translated and I was surprised at just how young the characters were- with a lot of call backs to characters' middle school memories with a lot of overly mature subject matter for those characters ages.
Story-wise it was okay; staring at a (3/5) and being knocked down to a (2/5). It starts with too many characters (makes sense since they are going to be killed off) which makes it hard to A.) keep track of who is who & B.) have any attachment or care for the characters for when they do eventually die. Most characters aren't that fleshed out and some are harmful stereotypes, but that being said the plot was still enjoyable in the beginning. The story became a (2/5) as it continued because of how irritating it got for me to read; having to continuously keep suspending my sense of disbelief with the parameters the story set, and it didn't help that I never really cared for the main character Shuya Nanahara- and found him increasingly irritating as the plot progressed. I can't say I care for the ending, but at this point I might just be a hater.
***
From this point on there will be some spoilers.
An extended review:
This book was incredibly hard for me to keep reading; to start with I had preconceived notions going into it. I had originally read Battle Royal by Koushun Takami (translated by Yuji Oniki) back around 2012. At the time I was not able to handle the descriptions of violence and dropped the book early on. That being said, I was really confused by the differences from the two books; my first indication being what I remembered as the writing being different and the "first" kill. I did some research and found out that the two are "different" and that I was actually reading the remastered copy translated by Nathan Collins.
Personally, I do not like the way the Nathan Collins one is translated. It feels too much like a YA Fic book (which is fine, just not my taste), and I had remembered the Yuji Oniki translated one feeling like it was written more for adults with the over the top graphic descriptions (I'd like to revisit this when I get the chance to see if my memory is actually correct). This was less of a problem and really just more of a preference.
My real problem with the book was with the story; enjoyable at times but otherwise incredibly irritating. It is written like a manga, and while I love manga, I don't mean that as a compliment. It sets its self up as being relatively serious and grounded in reality, but from around the middle of the book to the end I had to keep suspending my disbelief at the plot and characters' actions. I really hated that certain rules of reality would apply to some characters but not others; for example [Spoiler] the protagonist is able to out run a machine gun, but a character with equal running talent is not- not due to the circumstances but due to the protagonist buff. It was at that point in the book where I truly gave up- and the plot only continued downwards from there.
I also had a big problem with the way a lot of characters are written. None of the female characters are written remotely well, and I'm not sure if this is a translation issue or a author writing female characters issue. Pretty much all of them are horribly sexualized in some way; whether it's the infantilization of some or oversexualization of others - it's really gross on so many levels. Hell, some of these girls have literally done prostitution when they were in middle school; and I'm not saying that characters like this can't be written- those experiences can unfortunately be real, but NONE of these experiences are taken that seriously. Other than being sexualized none of them really have a personality (including Mitsuko, who's "personality" is more of a stereotype). Even Noriko doesn't have much going for her (which is such a disappointment since there was so much that could have been done with her character). We pretty much only view her through Shuya's POV. which infantilizes her, always seeing her as weak and helpless and "pure"- we never get to see her personality really or know what she's actually like. None of the female characters seem to exist for themselves.
There's also some harmful stereotypes with some of the other characters. The most egregious being around the only gay character being categorized as a pervert, sexual harasser, and stalker. The story also perpetuates negative stereotypes surrounding psychopathy (which isn't much of a surprise).
Other than the harmful stereotypes, a lot of characters just aren't written well- being killed off too quickly to learn anything about them, or being giving major buffs that makes it hard to think of them as remotely believable.
My biggest irritation is with the main protagonist- Shuya himself. He starts out fine, kind of bland but has unique hobbies such as baseball, guitar, being anti government, and being an Ameriboo (none are actual personality traits); I couldn't help but compare him to Shinji the whole time (who has an actual personality along with unique hobbies and motivations). Shuya gets really irritating to read because he keeps sidelining Noriko (his main priority supposedly) to go help others; which isn't a big deal at first but is soooooo irritating that he doesn't learn from his previous actions (and keeps being reminded by other characters to look after Noriko). As the "plot" continues Shuya honestly feels like a self insert harem protagonist; like why are all these girls interested in him with no indication of them liking him prior??? I honestly wish that either Shinji or Kawada had been the main character because they were so much more interesting.
***
Clearly this book wasn't for me, but it was interesting enough for me to at least finish. If you are remotely interested in this book I would still recommend it to some extent (perhaps reading the manga instead, since it reads like that anyway -or watching the movie? IDK I haven't seen/read either). The premise is still compelling despite my (many) complaints.
February 14, 2024
Read this in three days. I'm hesitant to say I enjoyed it because it is a dark book but it was so gripping. As it's over 600 pages I wasn't sure if it was going to be fast paced enough to hook me but I was in a page 1.
This book is dark and tense but is also gripping, mysterious and at times moving. I really didn't know what the outcome was going to be and didn't expect the way it ended although I enjoyed it. Very well written, the descriptions of the landscape and the characters were just so engrossing.
Really wish the manga wasn't out of print as I'd like to read that now too.
This book is dark and tense but is also gripping, mysterious and at times moving. I really didn't know what the outcome was going to be and didn't expect the way it ended although I enjoyed it. Very well written, the descriptions of the landscape and the characters were just so engrossing.
Really wish the manga wasn't out of print as I'd like to read that now too.
March 30, 2024
i can excuse murder but i draw the line at homophobia
4.5 ⭐️
4.5 ⭐️
January 7, 2025
A 600-page high-octane thriller packed with betrayal, rage, and survival—Battle Royale is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Before diving into the novel, I had already experienced both the live-action adaptations and the manga, but I have to say, the novel surpasses them all with ease.
Shuya, the main character, embodies hope in the middle of sheer madness (and when I say mad, I mean mad mad). He’s thrust into a horrific situation where he must kill his 41 classmates as part of a totalitarian government program designed to ensure obedience among the youth. Despite the brutality, Shuya refuses to give in to the “game,” instead focusing on fighting the government, though reality often works against him. While some cling to survival at any cost, the novel masterfully explores the raw and primal aspects of human nature when pushed to the brink.
Everything about this novel is perfect in my eyes, except for the romance. The love triangles and crushes annoyed me a bit, though I understand the desperation to form connections when tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
Gritty, raw, and unapologetically violent, Battle Royale is pulp fiction at its finest. The author, Koushun Takami, shows incredible boldness in his writing, as reflected in the afterword. I’m excited about the possibility of him creating another work that could surpass this cult classic—if he ever decides to write again.
Lastly, I’m proud of myself for finishing this 600-page epic. It’s a personal achievement I’ll cherish, especially for a novel that deserves every bit of its legendary status.
Shuya, the main character, embodies hope in the middle of sheer madness (and when I say mad, I mean mad mad). He’s thrust into a horrific situation where he must kill his 41 classmates as part of a totalitarian government program designed to ensure obedience among the youth. Despite the brutality, Shuya refuses to give in to the “game,” instead focusing on fighting the government, though reality often works against him. While some cling to survival at any cost, the novel masterfully explores the raw and primal aspects of human nature when pushed to the brink.
Everything about this novel is perfect in my eyes, except for the romance. The love triangles and crushes annoyed me a bit, though I understand the desperation to form connections when tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
Gritty, raw, and unapologetically violent, Battle Royale is pulp fiction at its finest. The author, Koushun Takami, shows incredible boldness in his writing, as reflected in the afterword. I’m excited about the possibility of him creating another work that could surpass this cult classic—if he ever decides to write again.
Lastly, I’m proud of myself for finishing this 600-page epic. It’s a personal achievement I’ll cherish, especially for a novel that deserves every bit of its legendary status.
June 24, 2024
Fin dall'inizio di questo libro è chiaro che la violenza, bruta e ingiustificata, fosse la base di tutta la narrazione. Due pagine prima si parlava di biscotti e di cotte e due pagine dopo ragazzini rapiti e genitori uccisi.
Durante il corso della narrazione passiamo nella mente di tutti e 42 i ragazzini ed è traumatico perché ci si affeziona a molti di loro che poi poche pagine dopo muoiono in modi violentissimi.
Il paragone tra questo libro e la saga di Hunger Games nasce spontaneo, ma oltre all'uso dello stesso trope, ossia il torneo mortale, le somiglianze sono poche. In questo libro, a doversi ammazzare fra di loro, sono i membri di una classe, amici e compagni da molti anni, addirittura alcuni fidanzati tra loro; inoltre, come ho già anticipato, passiamo attraverso i punti di vista di tutti e non solo del protagonista quindi le loro morti colpiscono molto di più. Il finale mi ha sorpresa, in modo positivo. Mi aspettavo qualche colpo di scena, ma non mi è sembrato troppo chiamato.
Sicuramente è un libro su cui rifletterò molto e che tornerò a rivisitare di tanto in tanto.
Durante il corso della narrazione passiamo nella mente di tutti e 42 i ragazzini ed è traumatico perché ci si affeziona a molti di loro che poi poche pagine dopo muoiono in modi violentissimi.
Il paragone tra questo libro e la saga di Hunger Games nasce spontaneo, ma oltre all'uso dello stesso trope, ossia il torneo mortale, le somiglianze sono poche. In questo libro, a doversi ammazzare fra di loro, sono i membri di una classe, amici e compagni da molti anni, addirittura alcuni fidanzati tra loro; inoltre, come ho già anticipato, passiamo attraverso i punti di vista di tutti e non solo del protagonista quindi le loro morti colpiscono molto di più. Il finale mi ha sorpresa, in modo positivo. Mi aspettavo qualche colpo di scena, ma non mi è sembrato troppo chiamato.
Sicuramente è un libro su cui rifletterò molto e che tornerò a rivisitare di tanto in tanto.
April 2, 2025
Absolutely phenomenal. Many details are missing in the movie adaption so reading this really built up to the big moments in the story. It also filled some holes the movie had as well as how some students met their end. The book was a bit too long for my taste but it was still an incredible read. Each chapter felt like it ended with a bang! I lost count of how many times I gasped despite seeing the movie over 10 times and knowing what was coming. The author keeps you on the edge, introducing each student’s perspective temporarily which I enjoyed as it made the whole event of Battle Royale feel so much more real knowing the intense feelings of fear, dread, loneliness each of them went through.
February 27, 2024
First things first: it’s entertaining. The “Lord of The Flies”/“Hunger Games” style is super entertaining and has a lot of moving points and plots that keep you hooked. Warning, it is gorey, and there are some points where you’ll learn NEW ways to kill people that haven’t been all that common before. Regardless, it’s worth the read! As for downfalls, it is sexist (the women “can’t do anything” and are just “scared” for most of the book) and there’s some light homophobia at one point. It’s hard to look past and frustrating, to be honest. If you can find a way to overlook it, though, it’s worth the action!
January 14, 2025
Si les gusta el suspenso -y me refiero al VERDADERO suspenso-, entonces deben leer este libro.
CTM NO HAY DESCANSO!!! Sí tiene vaivenes de más o menos tensión a ratos, ¡¡¡pero no hay descanso para respirar!!!
Al principio es bastante gráfico, quizás rayando lo gore, pero después se suaviza y es menos desceiptivos respecto, sobre todo, el estado en el que quedan los cuerpos.
Buen libro. BUEN LIBRO.
Eso sí, se van a comer una propaganda pro yankee de casi 600 páginas, pero bueeeeeh, el libro fie escrito en los 90, así que entendible en el contexto 🤷🏻♀️
CTM NO HAY DESCANSO!!! Sí tiene vaivenes de más o menos tensión a ratos, ¡¡¡pero no hay descanso para respirar!!!
Al principio es bastante gráfico, quizás rayando lo gore, pero después se suaviza y es menos desceiptivos respecto, sobre todo, el estado en el que quedan los cuerpos.
Buen libro. BUEN LIBRO.
Eso sí, se van a comer una propaganda pro yankee de casi 600 páginas, pero bueeeeeh, el libro fie escrito en los 90, así que entendible en el contexto 🤷🏻♀️
August 11, 2024
This book for me personally is an exquisite masterpiece, it perfectly demonstrates the underlying issues of trust and how no matter how long you have known someone, when even a hint of mistrust is created then it has the ability to topple even the most sound and structured friendships
Not only that but the way it portrays the need to survive no matter the cost is shown brilliantly, especially the chapters that highlighted how even those who appear to be perfectly normal can commit atrocities that even they didn’t know they were capable of
All in all I Would highly recommend this book to anyone and I wouldn’t be surprised if I read this again, and Probaly again
Not only that but the way it portrays the need to survive no matter the cost is shown brilliantly, especially the chapters that highlighted how even those who appear to be perfectly normal can commit atrocities that even they didn’t know they were capable of
All in all I Would highly recommend this book to anyone and I wouldn’t be surprised if I read this again, and Probaly again
October 22, 2024
This book made me feel all the emotions it was possible to ever feel. I’m normally a fantasy/romance kind of girly so this was definitely out of my comfort zone and I think it might of become one of my favourite reads… ever!! I’m obsessed with it so much that I watched the movie in subtitles AND I’m hunting down the manga for my anime obsessed boyfriend so he can experience the amazement that is Battle Royale.
July 16, 2024
another VRT2 recommendation. Set in Japan, it’s a modern take on Lord of the Flies. This book was captivating from start to finish & was so hard to put down. I was so invested in the characters & what would happened next, who would survive. Naturally, the book broke my heart and I cried. This is a must read. One of my most favorite books so far.
October 10, 2024
This book is incredible. A must read.
November 23, 2024
I know he was dead when this was written but I believe this was ghost written by Truman Capote.
January 5, 2025
I really loved it. I thought it was written and translated amazingly. I loved the story and thought the ending was good. I liked the messages and themes in the story. I would highly recommend it.
February 21, 2025
originator of battle royales is kinda awesome
June 11, 2025
so good!
October 19, 2025
I enjoyed this book! Kawada is HIM!
December 4, 2025
Loved loved loved from the very beginning
February 23, 2025
4.25⭐️
‘Today, you’re all going kill each other.’
‘Don’t be too trustful of others. Not in this game’
‘We are in this together until the very end. No matter what. That’s final.’
‘What’s the point of this game? Is there a point to all this?’
‘Of course there isn’t.’
‘Are you prepared to be merciless?’
‘I am.’
‘The good people aren’t always the ones who get saved. The same goes for everywhere, not just here. It’s the capable ones who make it.’
‘Today, you’re all going kill each other.’
‘Don’t be too trustful of others. Not in this game’
‘We are in this together until the very end. No matter what. That’s final.’
‘What’s the point of this game? Is there a point to all this?’
‘Of course there isn’t.’
‘Are you prepared to be merciless?’
‘I am.’
‘The good people aren’t always the ones who get saved. The same goes for everywhere, not just here. It’s the capable ones who make it.’
February 19, 2024
I read this book back in high school and my emo teen self was obsessed with it. I saw the movie and loved that too, even got my brothers to watch it. When I saw the novel had a new translation and cover, I figured it was time for a reread. Let’s see if this book is as mind-blowing now as it was 10+ years ago.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews