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Battle Royale #1
Battle Royale, tom 1
Akcja Battle Royale rozgrywa się w przyszłości. Piętnaście procent ludności Japonii jest bez pracy, wśród młodzieży szerzy się anarchia i ogólny brak poszanowania dla starszych. Rząd, obawiając się całkowitego osłabienia swoich wpływów, postanawia wdrożyć w życie projekt BR (Battle Royale). Raz do roku, drogą losowania, wybrani zostają uczniowie jednego z liceów, którzy trafiają na bezludną wyspę, aby rozegrać makabryczną grę. Jej zasady są proste: przez trzy dni, uczestnicy gry będą przemierzać wyspę w celu wyeliminowania pozostałych zawodników, swoich szkolnych kolegów. Jeżeli po trzech dniach przy życiu pozostanie więcej niż jeden zawodnik, wszyscy ocaleni zginą.
Żaden z 42 uczniów klasy 3B liceum Shiroiwa nie podejrzewa nawet, że to właśnie im przypadło w udziale krwawe przeznaczenie...
Żaden z 42 uczniów klasy 3B liceum Shiroiwa nie podejrzewa nawet, że to właśnie im przypadło w udziale krwawe przeznaczenie...
210 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
61 people are currently reading
4317 people want to read
About the author
Koushun Takami
97 books1,595 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 - 30 of 354 reviews
November 8, 2025
I ain't never ran from nothing but the police (Norf Norf – Vince Staples).
If you’ve ever had the displeasure of speaking to a pretentious manga fan (so, all of them... me included), there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve heard something along the lines of “Pshh, everyone knows that The Hunger Games is a blatant rip off of Battle Royale, Suzanne Collins literally just copied the whole thing, only distilled and simplified it to be more easily digestible to a younger audience!” and personally, I could never dispute that fact because I’ve only read the first three Hunger Games books and nothing else. And when I say “nothing else,” I really mean nothing else! I haven’t even watched the very popular movies specifically because of that story Jennifer Lawrence told on Jimmy Fallon and/or Kimmel where she was bragging about itching her butt on a sacred indigenous landmark (that's a real anecdote that she told on television in an attempt to be quirky and adorable). So yeah, I never knew if the whole Hunger Games vs. Battle Royale thing was just a simple coincidence or something more akin to Emerald Fennell making a worse version of Talented Mr. Ripley with Saltburn and then pretending like she had never heard of the former. I can't lie, while I love the Hunger Games books, if they had stolen a lot of their juice from something else, then it would definitely diminish my adoration quite a bit. Solving this mystery could have easily put me in a Talented Mr. Ripley and Saltburn situation! Nonetheless, I had to put this to rest by finally reading Battle Royale... and now I’ve read both, I can safely say that I’m of the opinion that there are enough differences between both works for me to believe that any similarities are superficial at best, and that they both stand tall in their own respects. Sure, they both feature a cast of young people being forced by corrupt governments to fight to the death in order to entertain, but whereas Hunger Games focuses more on rebellion and the false nature of superstardom, Battle Royale seems more interested in shock value and how even the most civilized people can become desensitized onto committing the worst acts of horror against each other. And in that regard, while both are highly sensationalized, I have to say that Battle Royale might have understood its assignment a little too well, because only a few chapters into the story and already I found myself tuning out due to its hyper focus on excessive monologues of madness and senseless violence. I know that the diehard fans will have stopped me right there and told me, “dude, that’s literally the point!” and to that I have to say… yes, I understand the point, but if Battle Royale has already made its point two chapters in, over and over again, then I don’t see how this story could go on any longer without the over-the-top violence becoming tiring rather than horrific. To me, a good horror knows how to show a healthy amount of restraint.
With this manga, the gross looking teacher pretty much just shows up and does the most evil things a person could do within a time span of a few pages, and because of that, I think the series plays its hand a little too early. Like, where else can this go? Is it going to be like the Terrifier movies where they’ve already exhausted every depraved act that Art, the evil mime, could partake in by the end of the first movie that the sequels turned into a cartoon parody of what came before? Take Midnight Mass for example, because it isn’t just a jump-scare fest, but takes its time with the overlong monologues that lull us into a sense of ease, thus making the scares all the more effective when we suddenly notice a creature watching the characters through the window. Because every chapter of this manga starts with an introduction to one of the classmates and ends with them either becoming a killer or being killed instead, Battle Royale turns into the worst kind of thing a story like this could possibly be; predictable! I mean, that’s not to say there’s nothing to like here, as I enjoyed 90's art style, and its deceptively realistic tone helps to highlight the horrific gore even more due to its sudden nature. And because a lot of modern manga are much more stylized, horror manga with contemporary art styles have less of an impact and are hard to take seriously because the characters are all drawn with the same face and are supplied with the same expressions. But I will say that after a while, this manga's constant zooming in close-ups of the characters in a state of madness, tears all blazing in their eyes, became more comical rather than anything resembling a big emotional moment, and because every character had the same heightened response to the terrible circumstances they’re in, I had to wonder what was the point in even featuring a different point-of-view character in every chapter!? If you’re wondering, I think I still much prefer Hunger Games to this, and it’s not just because I read them first, but rather because there’s more of a survival element to the Hunger Games that allows for more room for the story to expand beyond the original premise. There’s got to be something a little more than just excess violence, right? So yeah, I know it sounds like I hated this, but as far as manga go, I’d say that this was a pretty okay introduction. It has that pulpy addictive nature that you only ever get from a great thriller, and there’s more than enough head-turning violence to make any hardcore horror fan gasp in fright. And for most people, that’s more than enough! I mean, it's more than enough for me to keep reading, so that's got to count for something, right? That being said, maybe I'll just go and read the book instead.
If you’ve ever had the displeasure of speaking to a pretentious manga fan (so, all of them... me included), there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve heard something along the lines of “Pshh, everyone knows that The Hunger Games is a blatant rip off of Battle Royale, Suzanne Collins literally just copied the whole thing, only distilled and simplified it to be more easily digestible to a younger audience!” and personally, I could never dispute that fact because I’ve only read the first three Hunger Games books and nothing else. And when I say “nothing else,” I really mean nothing else! I haven’t even watched the very popular movies specifically because of that story Jennifer Lawrence told on Jimmy Fallon and/or Kimmel where she was bragging about itching her butt on a sacred indigenous landmark (that's a real anecdote that she told on television in an attempt to be quirky and adorable). So yeah, I never knew if the whole Hunger Games vs. Battle Royale thing was just a simple coincidence or something more akin to Emerald Fennell making a worse version of Talented Mr. Ripley with Saltburn and then pretending like she had never heard of the former. I can't lie, while I love the Hunger Games books, if they had stolen a lot of their juice from something else, then it would definitely diminish my adoration quite a bit. Solving this mystery could have easily put me in a Talented Mr. Ripley and Saltburn situation! Nonetheless, I had to put this to rest by finally reading Battle Royale... and now I’ve read both, I can safely say that I’m of the opinion that there are enough differences between both works for me to believe that any similarities are superficial at best, and that they both stand tall in their own respects. Sure, they both feature a cast of young people being forced by corrupt governments to fight to the death in order to entertain, but whereas Hunger Games focuses more on rebellion and the false nature of superstardom, Battle Royale seems more interested in shock value and how even the most civilized people can become desensitized onto committing the worst acts of horror against each other. And in that regard, while both are highly sensationalized, I have to say that Battle Royale might have understood its assignment a little too well, because only a few chapters into the story and already I found myself tuning out due to its hyper focus on excessive monologues of madness and senseless violence. I know that the diehard fans will have stopped me right there and told me, “dude, that’s literally the point!” and to that I have to say… yes, I understand the point, but if Battle Royale has already made its point two chapters in, over and over again, then I don’t see how this story could go on any longer without the over-the-top violence becoming tiring rather than horrific. To me, a good horror knows how to show a healthy amount of restraint.
With this manga, the gross looking teacher pretty much just shows up and does the most evil things a person could do within a time span of a few pages, and because of that, I think the series plays its hand a little too early. Like, where else can this go? Is it going to be like the Terrifier movies where they’ve already exhausted every depraved act that Art, the evil mime, could partake in by the end of the first movie that the sequels turned into a cartoon parody of what came before? Take Midnight Mass for example, because it isn’t just a jump-scare fest, but takes its time with the overlong monologues that lull us into a sense of ease, thus making the scares all the more effective when we suddenly notice a creature watching the characters through the window. Because every chapter of this manga starts with an introduction to one of the classmates and ends with them either becoming a killer or being killed instead, Battle Royale turns into the worst kind of thing a story like this could possibly be; predictable! I mean, that’s not to say there’s nothing to like here, as I enjoyed 90's art style, and its deceptively realistic tone helps to highlight the horrific gore even more due to its sudden nature. And because a lot of modern manga are much more stylized, horror manga with contemporary art styles have less of an impact and are hard to take seriously because the characters are all drawn with the same face and are supplied with the same expressions. But I will say that after a while, this manga's constant zooming in close-ups of the characters in a state of madness, tears all blazing in their eyes, became more comical rather than anything resembling a big emotional moment, and because every character had the same heightened response to the terrible circumstances they’re in, I had to wonder what was the point in even featuring a different point-of-view character in every chapter!? If you’re wondering, I think I still much prefer Hunger Games to this, and it’s not just because I read them first, but rather because there’s more of a survival element to the Hunger Games that allows for more room for the story to expand beyond the original premise. There’s got to be something a little more than just excess violence, right? So yeah, I know it sounds like I hated this, but as far as manga go, I’d say that this was a pretty okay introduction. It has that pulpy addictive nature that you only ever get from a great thriller, and there’s more than enough head-turning violence to make any hardcore horror fan gasp in fright. And for most people, that’s more than enough! I mean, it's more than enough for me to keep reading, so that's got to count for something, right? That being said, maybe I'll just go and read the book instead.
December 7, 2022
One of the very few stories that had me reading non-stop until the end, and one of the even fewer stories I've never been able to predict or guess the finale for. I had previously failed with the novel this is based on, so I wasn't expecting the manga adaptation to be any better. It was! Probably because the story suits this medium much better, in my humble opinion.
For a succinct review, I'd say that the pros are: excellent characterisation, all the main characters (and a few of the secondary) have a backstory that explains their personality and views, even if sometimes it arrives a little late; it has an unpredictable storytline that keeps you trying to guess what might come next, and fail at it; and, although extremely violent and gory (so not for delicate stomachs), it is ultimately about growing up and maturing as an adolescent, because all the struggles the characters go through are quite relatable, things like falling in love, finding acceptance, finding your place in life and society, loyalty and sacrifice for your friends and family, dealing with trauma, abuse, familial dysfunction, abandonment, being the bullied nerd at school and being the popular wunderkind, etc. All the characters are very varied, from all walks of society, the noble and the vile, the well-adjusted and the insane, the lovable and the psychotic, the rich and the poor; every one of them has a story and a reason to be.
Of course, there's also contras, and for me it was that the worldbuilding isn't very expansive, it's a very narrow world, which I suppose makes sense for this story is about people in specific circumstances and not the world they inhabit, which is ultimately irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Another niggling aspect for me was that Kiriyama was too Terminatoresque, too roboty, and a bit overpowered for a kid his age; it does make more sense by the end, even though the humanising of his character could've started earlier to look more believable.
Otherwise, it's an entertaining read. Do be warned, though, that the level of violence isn't going to be apt for all sensibilities.
For a succinct review, I'd say that the pros are: excellent characterisation, all the main characters (and a few of the secondary) have a backstory that explains their personality and views, even if sometimes it arrives a little late; it has an unpredictable storytline that keeps you trying to guess what might come next, and fail at it; and, although extremely violent and gory (so not for delicate stomachs), it is ultimately about growing up and maturing as an adolescent, because all the struggles the characters go through are quite relatable, things like falling in love, finding acceptance, finding your place in life and society, loyalty and sacrifice for your friends and family, dealing with trauma, abuse, familial dysfunction, abandonment, being the bullied nerd at school and being the popular wunderkind, etc. All the characters are very varied, from all walks of society, the noble and the vile, the well-adjusted and the insane, the lovable and the psychotic, the rich and the poor; every one of them has a story and a reason to be.
Of course, there's also contras, and for me it was that the worldbuilding isn't very expansive, it's a very narrow world, which I suppose makes sense for this story is about people in specific circumstances and not the world they inhabit, which is ultimately irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Another niggling aspect for me was that Kiriyama was too Terminatoresque, too roboty, and a bit overpowered for a kid his age; it does make more sense by the end, even though the humanising of his character could've started earlier to look more believable.
Otherwise, it's an entertaining read. Do be warned, though, that the level of violence isn't going to be apt for all sensibilities.
November 19, 2025
One time small-town journalist Koushun Takami's monster-hit in manga format. A dystopian Asian society helps focus and distract the masses by sending a random lottery chosen class of mid to late teens on an 'only one of you can survive' televised 'Lord of the Flies' kill or be killed event. 42 students, only one can survive. Best pals Shuuya and Yoki are horrified to find their class, bur it's only after the first callous murder, during induction that the true stark reality of their future, or likely lack of a future sets in!
Controversial in all it's formats and yet also a global best selling franchise, this was my second visit after watching a film adaptation decades ago. Having read Btooom! a copy cat but very good similar manga, my interpretation and view of Battle Royale has been coloured by already later work inspired by it. The manga is punch and fast flowing, rushing the reader into the battle field just as the classmates are - which works well. As everyone is most likely aware this is on the face of it about multiple gruesome deaths in most cases perpetrated by their fellow classmates, the problem with this first volume is that the reader has almost zero connection with the students before the murders begin. Overall, still an interesting and challenging 7 out of 12, Three Star read.
2025 read
Controversial in all it's formats and yet also a global best selling franchise, this was my second visit after watching a film adaptation decades ago. Having read Btooom! a copy cat but very good similar manga, my interpretation and view of Battle Royale has been coloured by already later work inspired by it. The manga is punch and fast flowing, rushing the reader into the battle field just as the classmates are - which works well. As everyone is most likely aware this is on the face of it about multiple gruesome deaths in most cases perpetrated by their fellow classmates, the problem with this first volume is that the reader has almost zero connection with the students before the murders begin. Overall, still an interesting and challenging 7 out of 12, Three Star read.
2025 read
July 8, 2017
Let me start off by giving a tip for people who are looking into the Battle Royale franchise and doesn't know what media to go into first: Start with the novel, then watch the movie and then indulge yourself in the manga. My reasons? When you start with the novel, you'll begin with no visual aid. You don't have the characters in the movie and/or manga in your mind. It's only you and your imagination which makes things very fun. The story can be as tame or as graphic as you want it to be! Next, the movie. For me, I found the movie to be disappointing, but only because I read the novel first. But it was all good since I got to start the franchise with a clean mind. Lastly, you should read the manga. The drawings were very well done and added a lot to the story. Plus, the manga had its own little changes, which made things a little bit more exciting.
Now for my review:
If I had to choose between Battle Royale's novel, movie or manga, I would have to choose the manga. First off, the movie was bad. It had no theme and it was very messy. Then again, it would have been rather difficult to compress a 600-paged book into a feature length film. Next, we have the novel. The book was long, but length means more details. The book gave much emotional impact. Almost everyone their own back story- not just the main character. But I have to say that my favorite form of media for Battle Royale was the manga by Koushun Takami.
The drawings were flawless. They were haunting, gory, creepy- everything that Battle Royale is. The drawings made the story come to life and made me feel like I was actually witnessing the events that took place. Takami added his own ideas into the manga that wasn't in the book. They worked PERFECTLY. I loved all additions that he did. Aside from changing the ending, though. The novel's ending was my favorite and I'm kind of sad to see that the movie and the manga did not follow through with it.
I gave this manga 4 stars, which is higher than what I rated the book version of Battle Royale. You see, I think that the drawings really did work well for a long story such as this. While I was reading the book, there were times when I felt like it was too long and wanted to put the book on hold. It was different while reading the manga version. Sure, I still felt like the story was too long, but sooner or later, the next gory drawing would snap me out of my tiredness and I would want to continue reading. That was what worked. If they could remake Battle Royale's movie, they should follow this manga exactly the way that it is.
First read: June 18 to 19, 2011
Review written on: June 19, 2011
Re-reread: May 5-7, 2013
Re-read: July 7-8, 2017
Now for my review:
If I had to choose between Battle Royale's novel, movie or manga, I would have to choose the manga. First off, the movie was bad. It had no theme and it was very messy. Then again, it would have been rather difficult to compress a 600-paged book into a feature length film. Next, we have the novel. The book was long, but length means more details. The book gave much emotional impact. Almost everyone their own back story- not just the main character. But I have to say that my favorite form of media for Battle Royale was the manga by Koushun Takami.
The drawings were flawless. They were haunting, gory, creepy- everything that Battle Royale is. The drawings made the story come to life and made me feel like I was actually witnessing the events that took place. Takami added his own ideas into the manga that wasn't in the book. They worked PERFECTLY. I loved all additions that he did. Aside from changing the ending, though. The novel's ending was my favorite and I'm kind of sad to see that the movie and the manga did not follow through with it.
I gave this manga 4 stars, which is higher than what I rated the book version of Battle Royale. You see, I think that the drawings really did work well for a long story such as this. While I was reading the book, there were times when I felt like it was too long and wanted to put the book on hold. It was different while reading the manga version. Sure, I still felt like the story was too long, but sooner or later, the next gory drawing would snap me out of my tiredness and I would want to continue reading. That was what worked. If they could remake Battle Royale's movie, they should follow this manga exactly the way that it is.
First read: June 18 to 19, 2011
Review written on: June 19, 2011
Re-reread: May 5-7, 2013
Re-read: July 7-8, 2017
May 17, 2015
Ok, I'm not a massive manga fan and I bought this on a really random whim to find out what the fuss was about... and wow. Seriously, this is not a nice book by any means but it is incredible in a must-know-what-happens-next way. It's full of very graphic (well, it is manga) sex and violence, disturbing scenes of mental illness and a horrifying look at the depths of human depravity. But it also has hope against the odds, and friendship, and love.
This is a series that spans many issues and will take the reader on a journey both around the island, but also deep inside the human mind. I can understand why some people wouldn't like this book, I find it hard to apply the word 'like' to it myself without sounding like a psychopath, but it's gripping and intriguing... you are never bored. Trust me, you should read it. But make sure you come prepared with a strong stomach.
This is a series that spans many issues and will take the reader on a journey both around the island, but also deep inside the human mind. I can understand why some people wouldn't like this book, I find it hard to apply the word 'like' to it myself without sounding like a psychopath, but it's gripping and intriguing... you are never bored. Trust me, you should read it. But make sure you come prepared with a strong stomach.
September 6, 2025
I've heard that this Manga was the inspiration behind The Hunger Games and the video game PUBG. I can totally see why.
THIS WAS BRUTAL. I can see why this was banned in schools in Japan💀 Making NINTH GRADERS do these things is diabolical. My heart was POUNDING. Watch me binge the remaining 14 volumes and neglect my responsibilities🤷♂️
THIS WAS BRUTAL. I can see why this was banned in schools in Japan💀 Making NINTH GRADERS do these things is diabolical. My heart was POUNDING. Watch me binge the remaining 14 volumes and neglect my responsibilities🤷♂️
May 4, 2016
I read this manga and the novelization at the same time and I really liked this first volume of the Manga. It's quite amazing for a Manga. It's very graphic and gory, but you probably know what you are getting into when you decide to read a Manga like "Battle Royale". Comparing manga to the novel, some parts are different. Certain scenes and events are more dramatic or more romantic. I usually think nothing can come close to the original novel, whether it's a movie or a Manga, but this Manga is really quite good, builds the right atmosphere, the drawings are well-done and is as captivating as the actual novel with (so far) very few differences. It also helps with the visualization of events and characters.
Considering the number of characters and their similar names, it made reading the novel easier for me. I haven't read the second volume yet and apparently the end of the manga is different than that of the novel. I am not sure how I feel about that since I have finished neither of them but so far, I like the little differences and extra scenes. After all, a Manga can't exactly be like a novel and mangaka has no choice but to improvise for character's inner thoughts, backgrounds and such.
This is a deeply psychological, very gory and violent story that explores human's mind. The story concentrates on both ugliness of human world and the beauty of it. If there is darkness, blood and violence, there is also light, hope and humanity. This is a great Manga but make sure you get into it very prepared for what is going to hit you.
Considering the number of characters and their similar names, it made reading the novel easier for me. I haven't read the second volume yet and apparently the end of the manga is different than that of the novel. I am not sure how I feel about that since I have finished neither of them but so far, I like the little differences and extra scenes. After all, a Manga can't exactly be like a novel and mangaka has no choice but to improvise for character's inner thoughts, backgrounds and such.
This is a deeply psychological, very gory and violent story that explores human's mind. The story concentrates on both ugliness of human world and the beauty of it. If there is darkness, blood and violence, there is also light, hope and humanity. This is a great Manga but make sure you get into it very prepared for what is going to hit you.
May 12, 2016
Ever since I heard that some of the Eastern world (or manga-reading world) had accused Suzanne Collins of ripping off the immensely popular Battle Royale, I had it in my (long) list of books I wanted to read. Then, after years of languishing on that list... well, I never could quite get up the commitment to read it, since it is long, and well, I kind of felt I knew the point: Adults force kids to kill kids. And they do. But Takami also wrote the manga series based on his own book, so I felt a little justified in at least acquainting myself with the series in this way. And I did like it. It's set in a school and I am trying to read a lot of school-based manga for a class with a bunch of future teachers in it.
The idea is that a mean teacher (and a representative of a totalitarian state) takes his ninth-grade students to an isolated island and gives them a map, food, and weapons. Forty-two of them. And they are to fight to the death until only one remains. The problem is that you get these lists of kids and descriptions of them you don't care about at the beginning, most of whom will die before you can actually care about them. A data dump. And it is not clear why they are doing this child killing. In Hunger Games you get to know Katniss and Peeta and a few others early on, you build the world a bit, before you are fully introduced to the cruel game. There's little or no world-building in the first volume of Battle Royale at all.
It may come out in later volumes, but the point of it all isn't clear. I can imagine it is about a totalitarian state and its effects particularly on children, or teens. Or it's about how some capitalistic or otherwise cut-throat educational system (like Japan in fact has!) that can make students turn against each other. Winner take all world, surely. Kids raised on competition. But so far it's just a brutal dystopian killing story. But I give it three stars because I suspect my interpretation above drives it all, it's social commentary and not just {mere) horror.
The idea is that a mean teacher (and a representative of a totalitarian state) takes his ninth-grade students to an isolated island and gives them a map, food, and weapons. Forty-two of them. And they are to fight to the death until only one remains. The problem is that you get these lists of kids and descriptions of them you don't care about at the beginning, most of whom will die before you can actually care about them. A data dump. And it is not clear why they are doing this child killing. In Hunger Games you get to know Katniss and Peeta and a few others early on, you build the world a bit, before you are fully introduced to the cruel game. There's little or no world-building in the first volume of Battle Royale at all.
It may come out in later volumes, but the point of it all isn't clear. I can imagine it is about a totalitarian state and its effects particularly on children, or teens. Or it's about how some capitalistic or otherwise cut-throat educational system (like Japan in fact has!) that can make students turn against each other. Winner take all world, surely. Kids raised on competition. But so far it's just a brutal dystopian killing story. But I give it three stars because I suspect my interpretation above drives it all, it's social commentary and not just {mere) horror.
September 24, 2023
Titulo: Battle Royale Volumen 1
Autor: Koushun Takami, Masayuki Taguchi
Motivo de lectura: -
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Mi edicion: Tapa blanda, 224 paginas, Ivrea
Puntuacion: 4/5
Tiene ciertas similitudes con el libro, el unico problemita que le encuentro es que condensaron mucho el libro en este primer volumen..que plantearan en los proximos 14 volumenes? Ciertas partes las senti muy aceleradas.
Las ilustraciones son brutales, y con un nivel de violencia realmente muy marcado. Siento que la violencia impacta mas porque la vemos graficada, a diferencia del libro donde nuestra imaginacion intenta mostrarnos que ocurre.
Ya no puedo esperar para ver que sorpresas trae mi baby Shogo!
Autor: Koushun Takami, Masayuki Taguchi
Motivo de lectura: -
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Mi edicion: Tapa blanda, 224 paginas, Ivrea
Puntuacion: 4/5
Tiene ciertas similitudes con el libro, el unico problemita que le encuentro es que condensaron mucho el libro en este primer volumen..que plantearan en los proximos 14 volumenes? Ciertas partes las senti muy aceleradas.
Las ilustraciones son brutales, y con un nivel de violencia realmente muy marcado. Siento que la violencia impacta mas porque la vemos graficada, a diferencia del libro donde nuestra imaginacion intenta mostrarnos que ocurre.
Ya no puedo esperar para ver que sorpresas trae mi baby Shogo!
September 5, 2019
i really liked this, the story is dark and brutal. there were parts that made me laugh, surprisingly.i liked the flashbacks some of the characters had. i hope the characters get more fleshed out in the next volumes. so far i like Mitsuko Souma, she looks like a badass and has the mind set to win this game.
i love the art, it's very graphic and gory ,a bit disturbing if you're not expecting it, but it makes the story feel more realistic.
i love the art, it's very graphic and gory ,a bit disturbing if you're not expecting it, but it makes the story feel more realistic.
May 18, 2020
actual rating: 2.5
Not really sure how I feel about this manga adaptation. I have not read the book yet and it has been probably over a decade since I watched the movie so I can't really say how this compares but there was a lot of rapey stuff in this first volume that, from some other reviews I read, seem to be additions rather than things that were in the original book. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they feel the need to put creepy old men and panty shots and other stuff in a manga adaptation because that is sadly pretty par for the course, but I still really don't want to deal with it. The rest of it was okay but I'm not sure if I really care enough to keep on with the manga. Maybe I'll just wait and try the book when I have more brainpower for prose reading, although I have the feelings I will not be able to keep all the names straight without pictures to go with them ...
Not really sure how I feel about this manga adaptation. I have not read the book yet and it has been probably over a decade since I watched the movie so I can't really say how this compares but there was a lot of rapey stuff in this first volume that, from some other reviews I read, seem to be additions rather than things that were in the original book. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they feel the need to put creepy old men and panty shots and other stuff in a manga adaptation because that is sadly pretty par for the course, but I still really don't want to deal with it. The rest of it was okay but I'm not sure if I really care enough to keep on with the manga. Maybe I'll just wait and try the book when I have more brainpower for prose reading, although I have the feelings I will not be able to keep all the names straight without pictures to go with them ...
March 14, 2013
I thought I would like this more than I did. I've seen the movie, I just finished reading the novel yesterday, and so far the manga leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe I'd like it better in the original Japanese (time to start practicing my kanji again?).
I don't like the way a lot of the characters are introduced (Shinji, for instance, doesn't come off very likeable). Shuya's flashbacks are annoying and detract from the story. I also don't like the changes they made to the Program Instructor. For one, they made him an over-the-top pervert. And they changed his infamous "No whispering!" line.
Some of the changes not only seem unnecessary but also don't make much sense. In the manga, Yoshitoki didn't have a crush on Noriko, and even though Shuya now knows Yoshitoki didn't have a crush on her Shuya is going to protect Noriko with his life just because he used to think Yoshitoki had a crush on her. Wait, what? Yeah, don't bother trying to make sense of that; it's just stupid.
And I love it when the Program Instructor
Some of the character designs are great (Mitsuko, for instance), but some of them... aren't. However, the graphic violence is perfect; exactly what you'd expect of the Battle Royale manga.
Okay, okay, I'm going to try to share my thoughts on the manga as a standalone story without comparing it to anything else. The pacing is poor, hindered a lot by the flashbacks. Most of the male character designs are ugly. The Program Instructor is a stupid pervert and not interesting at all. The reasons behind some of Shuya's actions make no sense. Much of the dialogue is awful, made worse by the poor inclusion of slang. I also don't like that the English adaptation turns the Program into a reality TV show.
Oh, and Tokyopop's typography is terrible. Just terrible.
I don't like the way a lot of the characters are introduced (Shinji, for instance, doesn't come off very likeable). Shuya's flashbacks are annoying and detract from the story. I also don't like the changes they made to the Program Instructor. For one, they made him an over-the-top pervert. And they changed his infamous "No whispering!" line.
Some of the changes not only seem unnecessary but also don't make much sense. In the manga, Yoshitoki didn't have a crush on Noriko, and even though Shuya now knows Yoshitoki didn't have a crush on her Shuya is going to protect Noriko with his life just because he used to think Yoshitoki had a crush on her. Wait, what? Yeah, don't bother trying to make sense of that; it's just stupid.
And I love it when the Program Instructor
Some of the character designs are great (Mitsuko, for instance), but some of them... aren't. However, the graphic violence is perfect; exactly what you'd expect of the Battle Royale manga.
Okay, okay, I'm going to try to share my thoughts on the manga as a standalone story without comparing it to anything else. The pacing is poor, hindered a lot by the flashbacks. Most of the male character designs are ugly. The Program Instructor is a stupid pervert and not interesting at all. The reasons behind some of Shuya's actions make no sense. Much of the dialogue is awful, made worse by the poor inclusion of slang. I also don't like that the English adaptation turns the Program into a reality TV show.
Oh, and Tokyopop's typography is terrible. Just terrible.
June 17, 2023
this was so fucked up omg. but i will be SEATED because i have a distinct feeling i’m going to be entertained, shocked, confused, in despair, and so much more and that’s exactly what i signed up for. i will definitely be continuing the series!!!
January 12, 2017
This is not as special as I'd expected, I'm sorry but the comparison is inevitable and its successor (THG trilogy) is actually much better.
March 10, 2022
Rereading because, why not?
November 15, 2012
Review ini adalah sekaligus untuk keseluruhan seri-nya yang kelar saya baca versi online manga-nya dalam waktu kurang dari 1 minggu. *lap keringet* :D
Pertama-tama, tentang buku ini:
Setelah selesai membaca versi manga Battle Royale ini (saya belum baca novelnya, eniwei), harus saya akui kalau saya GAK PERCAYA Suzanne Collins SAMA SEKALI GAK PERNAH membaca/menonton novel/manga/film Battle Royale.
Dude, terlalu banyak kemiripan secara konsep antara The Program (nama "game" yang ada di Battle Royale) dengan The Hunger Games (THG) itu sendiri.
Bahkan, imo, gak hanya berakhir di buku pertama, melainkan sampai ke Catching Fire juga yang masih berkisah tentang permainan yang sama.
Memang Tante Collins pastinya gak menulis sesuatu yang sama persis sih, berhubung ada hal-hal yangdisamarkan. Namun kemiripan konsep itu jelas sekali keliatan.
Opresi penguasa.
Permainan bunuh-bunuhan.
Peserta yang terpilih secara random.
Jumlah kontestan yang seimbang untuk kedua gender.
Pesertanya remaja.
Reality TV show.
Area permainan yang terisolasi.
Bekal senjata.
Zona-zona yang secara berkala menjadi berbahaya.
Momen pengumuman peserta yang tewas.
Satu pemenang.
Harus ada pemenang yang selamat.
Mantan pemenang yang harus bermain lagi untuk kedua kalinya.
Err...
Apa saya melupakan sesuatu?
Intinya, konsep "game" dalam THG terlalu sulit untuk dibilang "kebetulan mirip" dengan "game" di Battle Royale (BR).
Syukurlah Tante Collins adalah penulis yang bijak karena dia gak hanya sekedar menulis Battle Royale, namun dia memperkaya ceritanya dengan hal-hal lain di luar "game" yang sejujurnya gak banyak saya dapatkan dari hasil membaca Battle Royale saya (setidaknya yang versi manga).
THG menyajikan latar belakang dunia yang lebih kaya dan keberadaan "game" yang lebih solid dalam kondisi setting-nya, meski THG lalu gak banyak menyelami karakter-karakter sampingan yang ada dalam "game".
Namun kalau meniadakan semua itu, ditambah kemungkinan konsep "game" yang rip-off dari BR, sebenarnya THG ujung-ujungnya hanyalah novel YA standar yang menyajikan kisah cinta antara tokoh-tokoh utamanya...
Well, untunglah kisah cintanya tergolong bagus banget buat standar YA. :)
Balik lagi ke BR versi manga ini,
seperti yang saya sebut di atas, kisah dalam Battle Royale semuanya hanya berpusat pada The Program atau "game" dan bagaimana para kontestannya berupaya menang atau sekedar selamat dengan mengandalkan berbagai cara.
Aksi. Aksi. Gore. Seks. Drama. Aksi. Aksi. Gore. Seks.
Yaaa... mungkin karena memang dalam media manga yang mementingkan aspek visual, maka penggambaran adegan adalah hal yang terpenting di sini (bukan pembangunan plot-nya, misalnya) sehingga manga BR dipenuhi dengan adegan gore super sadis tingkat tinggi, semacam otak berceceran ke mana-mana di tiap volume-nya, serta mengumbar seks dalam wujud payudara dan organ vital (yang disamarkan setara penerapan pixel pada film porno, xP) yang kerap muncul di sejumlah volume.
Gak banyak pemikiran tentang hal-hal di luar atau selepas "game" bagi karakter-karakternya.
Semua hanya berpusat pada "game" dan aksi-aksi bunuh-bunuhannya.
Salah satu kelemahan manga ini juga adalah penggambaran banyak adegannya yang terlampau lebay.
Misalnya, ilustrasi karakter-karakter yang super labil dan senantiasa menangis dalam taraf abnormal.
Btw, rasanya hanya Kiriyama-lah satu-satunya kontestan yang gak pernah menitikkan air mata selama "game" @__@'.
Juga karakterisasi yang terlalu sinetroniyah dalam wujud kedua tokoh utama yang bagai malaikat tanpa cela, gemar didera tanpa banyak melawan, dan hanya melampiaskan kesedihan dengan menangis, sedangkan para tokoh antagonisnya kerap muncul secara mendadak di waktu dan lokasi yang tepat untukmenguping/mengintip ala sinetron membuat tokoh-tokoh "baik" menderita, serta kenyataan kalau para "penjahat" ini sulit sekali mati atau jarang mendapatkan ganjaran atas perbuatannya, padahal hal yang sama gak berlaku buat para protagonis yang selalu jadi bulan-bulanan dari konsep sebab-akibat.
Yeah, rite. -__-"
Menjelang akhir, sepertinya juga ada kesan sengaja mau memanjang-manjangkan volume manga yang kelihatan cukup jelas dilakukan oleh sang mangaka dengan cara meng-copy-paste adegan-adegan yang sudah pernah muncul sampai berulang-ulang kali.
Ini ngeselin banget.
Namuuun... manga BR ini harus saya akui benar-benar sangat adiktif dan intens (seperti layaknya manga-manga bagus nan keren) yang pada akhirnya memang bikin gregetan sehingga kalau kita termasuk orang yang toleran, bisa menerima segala konsekuensi "negatif" di atas, akan sulit sekali menahan diri untuk gak membaca lanjutannya begitu satu volume selesai! xD
Aah... ada banyak hal keren dari serial manga BR ini!
Sebut saja episode-episode yang menceritakan tentang "hardcore" Souma (apalagi ilustrasi dirinya yang diibaratkan boneka itu! wah, dua jempol!), lalu pastinya adegan "jleb" tingkat global yang terjadi di Volume 07 (TT___TT), dan tentang tokoh terfavorit, Shogo Kawada, yang latar belakangnya diceritakan dengan apik dalam plot twist yang mantap banget di Volume 13. ^^
Jadi overall, ini adalah serial manga yang keren terlepas dari ke-lebay-annya. :D
Pujian untuk konsep ceritanya mungkin harus diberikan ke penulis novelnya sendiri, Koushun Takami, yang mudah-mudahan saya berkesempatan membaca versi novelnya nanti.
Pokoke keren dah!
;)
Pertama-tama, tentang buku ini:
Setelah selesai membaca versi manga Battle Royale ini (saya belum baca novelnya, eniwei), harus saya akui kalau saya GAK PERCAYA Suzanne Collins SAMA SEKALI GAK PERNAH membaca/menonton novel/manga/film Battle Royale.
Dude, terlalu banyak kemiripan secara konsep antara The Program (nama "game" yang ada di Battle Royale) dengan The Hunger Games (THG) itu sendiri.
Bahkan, imo, gak hanya berakhir di buku pertama, melainkan sampai ke Catching Fire juga yang masih berkisah tentang permainan yang sama.
Memang Tante Collins pastinya gak menulis sesuatu yang sama persis sih, berhubung ada hal-hal yang
Opresi penguasa.
Permainan bunuh-bunuhan.
Peserta yang terpilih secara random.
Jumlah kontestan yang seimbang untuk kedua gender.
Pesertanya remaja.
Reality TV show.
Area permainan yang terisolasi.
Bekal senjata.
Zona-zona yang secara berkala menjadi berbahaya.
Momen pengumuman peserta yang tewas.
Satu pemenang.
Harus ada pemenang yang selamat.
Mantan pemenang yang harus bermain lagi untuk kedua kalinya.
Err...
Apa saya melupakan sesuatu?
Intinya, konsep "game" dalam THG terlalu sulit untuk dibilang "kebetulan mirip" dengan "game" di Battle Royale (BR).
Syukurlah Tante Collins adalah penulis yang bijak karena dia gak hanya sekedar menulis Battle Royale, namun dia memperkaya ceritanya dengan hal-hal lain di luar "game" yang sejujurnya gak banyak saya dapatkan dari hasil membaca Battle Royale saya (setidaknya yang versi manga).
THG menyajikan latar belakang dunia yang lebih kaya dan keberadaan "game" yang lebih solid dalam kondisi setting-nya, meski THG lalu gak banyak menyelami karakter-karakter sampingan yang ada dalam "game".
Namun kalau meniadakan semua itu, ditambah kemungkinan konsep "game" yang rip-off dari BR, sebenarnya THG ujung-ujungnya hanyalah novel YA standar yang menyajikan kisah cinta antara tokoh-tokoh utamanya...
Well, untunglah kisah cintanya tergolong bagus banget buat standar YA. :)
Balik lagi ke BR versi manga ini,
seperti yang saya sebut di atas, kisah dalam Battle Royale semuanya hanya berpusat pada The Program atau "game" dan bagaimana para kontestannya berupaya menang atau sekedar selamat dengan mengandalkan berbagai cara.
Aksi. Aksi. Gore. Seks. Drama. Aksi. Aksi. Gore. Seks.
Yaaa... mungkin karena memang dalam media manga yang mementingkan aspek visual, maka penggambaran adegan adalah hal yang terpenting di sini (bukan pembangunan plot-nya, misalnya) sehingga manga BR dipenuhi dengan adegan gore super sadis tingkat tinggi, semacam otak berceceran ke mana-mana di tiap volume-nya, serta mengumbar seks dalam wujud payudara dan organ vital (yang disamarkan setara penerapan pixel pada film porno, xP) yang kerap muncul di sejumlah volume.
Gak banyak pemikiran tentang hal-hal di luar atau selepas "game" bagi karakter-karakternya.
Semua hanya berpusat pada "game" dan aksi-aksi bunuh-bunuhannya.
Salah satu kelemahan manga ini juga adalah penggambaran banyak adegannya yang terlampau lebay.
Misalnya, ilustrasi karakter-karakter yang super labil dan senantiasa menangis dalam taraf abnormal.
Btw, rasanya hanya Kiriyama-lah satu-satunya kontestan yang gak pernah menitikkan air mata selama "game" @__@'.
Juga karakterisasi yang terlalu sinetroniyah dalam wujud kedua tokoh utama yang bagai malaikat tanpa cela, gemar didera tanpa banyak melawan, dan hanya melampiaskan kesedihan dengan menangis, sedangkan para tokoh antagonisnya kerap muncul secara mendadak di waktu dan lokasi yang tepat untuk
Yeah, rite. -__-"
Menjelang akhir, sepertinya juga ada kesan sengaja mau memanjang-manjangkan volume manga yang kelihatan cukup jelas dilakukan oleh sang mangaka dengan cara meng-copy-paste adegan-adegan yang sudah pernah muncul sampai berulang-ulang kali.
Ini ngeselin banget.
Namuuun... manga BR ini harus saya akui benar-benar sangat adiktif dan intens (seperti layaknya manga-manga bagus nan keren) yang pada akhirnya memang bikin gregetan sehingga kalau kita termasuk orang yang toleran, bisa menerima segala konsekuensi "negatif" di atas, akan sulit sekali menahan diri untuk gak membaca lanjutannya begitu satu volume selesai! xD
Aah... ada banyak hal keren dari serial manga BR ini!
Sebut saja episode-episode yang menceritakan tentang "hardcore" Souma (apalagi ilustrasi dirinya yang diibaratkan boneka itu! wah, dua jempol!), lalu pastinya adegan "jleb" tingkat global yang terjadi di Volume 07 (TT___TT), dan tentang tokoh terfavorit, Shogo Kawada, yang latar belakangnya diceritakan dengan apik dalam plot twist yang mantap banget di Volume 13. ^^
Jadi overall, ini adalah serial manga yang keren terlepas dari ke-lebay-annya. :D
Pujian untuk konsep ceritanya mungkin harus diberikan ke penulis novelnya sendiri, Koushun Takami, yang mudah-mudahan saya berkesempatan membaca versi novelnya nanti.
Pokoke keren dah!
;)
October 28, 2012
Would have rated it higher, but it was very violent and graphic (didn't like those bits).
Everyone says this is the orginal Hunger Games, but I sort of disagree. Yes, both books have a TV game show where the contestants fight to the death, but other than this there couldn't be more different. The Hunger Games were created to show that no one is safe from the governemnt, and to give the people in the Capitol some entertainment. However, there seems to be little glory in winning, losing or competeting at all in The Programme, and no pre-Games parades or interviews. And what's with the guy giving all the creepy sexual references? Why did he try to kill everyone in horrible ways before they had even begun the show? None of this happened in The Hunger Games, but I guess Suzanne Collins wanted to be able to rate her book Teen, or YA, or even Children's, not 18+ (I probably shouldn't even be reading it, lol).
I've read a few other eviews, and everyone complains that it is too violent compared to the Hunger Games. That's because it's 10 times more realistic.
I think that if a Programme/Hunger Games sort of show really happened, it would be more like Battle Royale. They wouldn't have a special ceromony to choose the candidates, they wouldn't get each of them to show off their talents (and otherwise) beforehand, they wouldn't have an arena made specially each year with its own unique parts. They would pick a school group at random, stick them in a classroom on an island that they'd kicked off all the residents of and shoot whoever tried to stop them.
I'm kind of scared to read the next one, I've had to read this staggered over about two weeks to "recover" from every picture of a decomposing body or half dead guy shot in the face.
Everyone says this is the orginal Hunger Games, but I sort of disagree. Yes, both books have a TV game show where the contestants fight to the death, but other than this there couldn't be more different. The Hunger Games were created to show that no one is safe from the governemnt, and to give the people in the Capitol some entertainment. However, there seems to be little glory in winning, losing or competeting at all in The Programme, and no pre-Games parades or interviews. And what's with the guy giving all the creepy sexual references? Why did he try to kill everyone in horrible ways before they had even begun the show? None of this happened in The Hunger Games, but I guess Suzanne Collins wanted to be able to rate her book Teen, or YA, or even Children's, not 18+ (I probably shouldn't even be reading it, lol).
I've read a few other eviews, and everyone complains that it is too violent compared to the Hunger Games. That's because it's 10 times more realistic.
I think that if a Programme/Hunger Games sort of show really happened, it would be more like Battle Royale. They wouldn't have a special ceromony to choose the candidates, they wouldn't get each of them to show off their talents (and otherwise) beforehand, they wouldn't have an arena made specially each year with its own unique parts. They would pick a school group at random, stick them in a classroom on an island that they'd kicked off all the residents of and shoot whoever tried to stop them.
I'm kind of scared to read the next one, I've had to read this staggered over about two weeks to "recover" from every picture of a decomposing body or half dead guy shot in the face.
May 28, 2015
Whoa... okay, this is certainly a promising start for something that can be truly awesome.
This, from what I gather, is essentially like The Hunger Games, which I admittedly have zero interest in reading... but this first volume of Battle Royale was pretty awesome. I think the reason why I can dig it is because it IS in graphic format... so I can see all the blood, guts, gore, and all manner of other horrible, terrible things. Call me strange, but I love seeing horrific things.
And friends, there is no lack of any of that in this first volume - murder, rape, blood, gore... you name it, it was probably present.
The other thing that really intrigues about me this series is just seeing what the characters are going to do. In this sort of high stress situations, it is always so interest to see how people handle it. I find that in real life, we as humans often say "If I was in that situation, I'd NEVER do that" but the honest to gods truth about that is that you have no idea what you'd truly do. When your flight or fight responses are in high gear, you have no clue if you'd start murdering people blindly or not. No one knows until they've been put through it.
So, in line with this, I am really curious to see how our main character Shuuya handles all this... will he stay strong, or will he break? CAN he defeat the system or will he come out victorious when he decides to play the systems game? I am really excited to read the rest of this series. I cannot wait to see what crazy stuff is going to go down!
This, from what I gather, is essentially like The Hunger Games, which I admittedly have zero interest in reading... but this first volume of Battle Royale was pretty awesome. I think the reason why I can dig it is because it IS in graphic format... so I can see all the blood, guts, gore, and all manner of other horrible, terrible things. Call me strange, but I love seeing horrific things.
And friends, there is no lack of any of that in this first volume - murder, rape, blood, gore... you name it, it was probably present.
The other thing that really intrigues about me this series is just seeing what the characters are going to do. In this sort of high stress situations, it is always so interest to see how people handle it. I find that in real life, we as humans often say "If I was in that situation, I'd NEVER do that" but the honest to gods truth about that is that you have no idea what you'd truly do. When your flight or fight responses are in high gear, you have no clue if you'd start murdering people blindly or not. No one knows until they've been put through it.
So, in line with this, I am really curious to see how our main character Shuuya handles all this... will he stay strong, or will he break? CAN he defeat the system or will he come out victorious when he decides to play the systems game? I am really excited to read the rest of this series. I cannot wait to see what crazy stuff is going to go down!
November 24, 2019
Hace un montón de tiempo cuando vi la película de battle royale no tenía ni idea de que estuviera basado en una novela ni mucho menos que también hubiera una adaptación a manga, hace poco me enteré no sólo de que había manga sino de que a día de hoy se le considera uno de los seinen más importantes del siglo XXI.
El problema es que la temática ya incluso suena a cliché gracias a los juegos del hambre, pero esta dinámica del grupo de estudiantes que tienen que participar en una especie de reality show homicida da mucho juego, en este caso parece que el medio del manga da para más que la película, ya que profundiza más en la vida anterior de los protagonistas, lo cual para mi es un plus importante, porque además el grupo de protagonistas parece ser bastante amplio, vamos, que no es simplemente un festival de muertes estrambóticas y sangrientas que es lo que termina siendo la película.
Con esto no quiero decir que no haya violencia, todo lo contrario, pero en comparación las escenas violentas están más espaciadas que en la película, aquí se pasa más tiempo mostrando el trasfondo de los personajes mediante flashbacks, da tiempo a encariñarse de los personajes antes de que mueran.
El dibujo está bastante conseguido y la violencia a veces es casi demasiado gráfica, los personajes están muy bien diseñados y la acción se narra bastante bien, no es de esos mangas que a veces cuesta saber lo que está pasando. En resumen es un manga muy entretenido para todo aquel que no tenga problemas con la violencia gratuita y los futuros distópicos pasados de vueltas.
El problema es que la temática ya incluso suena a cliché gracias a los juegos del hambre, pero esta dinámica del grupo de estudiantes que tienen que participar en una especie de reality show homicida da mucho juego, en este caso parece que el medio del manga da para más que la película, ya que profundiza más en la vida anterior de los protagonistas, lo cual para mi es un plus importante, porque además el grupo de protagonistas parece ser bastante amplio, vamos, que no es simplemente un festival de muertes estrambóticas y sangrientas que es lo que termina siendo la película.
Con esto no quiero decir que no haya violencia, todo lo contrario, pero en comparación las escenas violentas están más espaciadas que en la película, aquí se pasa más tiempo mostrando el trasfondo de los personajes mediante flashbacks, da tiempo a encariñarse de los personajes antes de que mueran.
El dibujo está bastante conseguido y la violencia a veces es casi demasiado gráfica, los personajes están muy bien diseñados y la acción se narra bastante bien, no es de esos mangas que a veces cuesta saber lo que está pasando. En resumen es un manga muy entretenido para todo aquel que no tenga problemas con la violencia gratuita y los futuros distópicos pasados de vueltas.
April 23, 2012
Starting to read Battle Royale by Koshun Takami, there is a sense that you are approaching something more than a book and closer to an institution. Battle Royale has it's roots in a novel, which birthed two movies and two manga series, not to mention its obvious thematic successor, the very susccessful Hunger Game trilogy. There's obviously something very compelling about the story or themes that Battle Royale has brought to light.
The quick plot overview is that 40 teenagers are gassed and sent to an island where they are contestants in the 'program,' a yearly game where the children are forced to battle each other until there is only one left alive. It's not an easy subject to handle, but Battle Royale deals with these life and death issues quite well.
The book stumbles a bit at the start. There are a lot of characters that get introduced in a very short time. This is potentially harder for an English readers as they all have names that one is not used to seeing. Once the 'game' starts the story shifts gears, focuses on just a few characters and starts to flow. The images are incredibly graphic and convey a great deal of weight and tension. This is not violence for shock value, but rather a cold brutality that frightens both characters and the reader. Coupled with the inherent horror provided by the plot of the book, while quite good, is an uncomfortable experience.
The quick plot overview is that 40 teenagers are gassed and sent to an island where they are contestants in the 'program,' a yearly game where the children are forced to battle each other until there is only one left alive. It's not an easy subject to handle, but Battle Royale deals with these life and death issues quite well.
The book stumbles a bit at the start. There are a lot of characters that get introduced in a very short time. This is potentially harder for an English readers as they all have names that one is not used to seeing. Once the 'game' starts the story shifts gears, focuses on just a few characters and starts to flow. The images are incredibly graphic and convey a great deal of weight and tension. This is not violence for shock value, but rather a cold brutality that frightens both characters and the reader. Coupled with the inherent horror provided by the plot of the book, while quite good, is an uncomfortable experience.
May 24, 2012
It's 82° Fahrenheit outside, yet I have chills down my spine. This is definitely NOT for the faint hearted!!
I've seen it compared to the likes of Hunger Games and although there are some similarities, do not be fooled! Hunger Games is PG rated compared to this. That ends with pretty flowers and rainbows. This...THIS is full on gore galore. It's shockingly frightening and awful...yet (I hate to admit) awesome. The story is disturbing but in a good way (if a disturbing story can ever be said to be good in any way). It's thought provoking. In the first Hunger Games, not one of the tributes ever considered banding together and fighting against the system. Here, there are some who are willing to do this but then it gets you to consider can you really trust anyone with your life in such a situation. Lot of it you just have to take on faith and hope it works out for the best but the question is would you be willing when the stakes are so high?
I think the reason why Battle Royale is a compelling read is because you have absolute no idea who will win. In HG, it was sort of given that Katniss would survive and as a result you knew what to expect.
A must read if you can handle all the graphic details.
I've seen it compared to the likes of Hunger Games and although there are some similarities, do not be fooled! Hunger Games is PG rated compared to this. That ends with pretty flowers and rainbows. This...THIS is full on gore galore. It's shockingly frightening and awful...yet (I hate to admit) awesome. The story is disturbing but in a good way (if a disturbing story can ever be said to be good in any way). It's thought provoking. In the first Hunger Games, not one of the tributes ever considered banding together and fighting against the system. Here, there are some who are willing to do this but then it gets you to consider can you really trust anyone with your life in such a situation. Lot of it you just have to take on faith and hope it works out for the best but the question is would you be willing when the stakes are so high?
I think the reason why Battle Royale is a compelling read is because you have absolute no idea who will win. In HG, it was sort of given that Katniss would survive and as a result you knew what to expect.
A must read if you can handle all the graphic details.
September 17, 2018
Holy hell, I wasn’t expecting this. I’ve read my fair share of death-game novels and comics, but this is on a whole new level of brutal. This makes the Hunger Games look like paradise.
In the very short amount of time the villain has had to shine so far, he has managed to make himself incredibly disgusting and killable. He’s so extremely vile and offensive that you almost want to like him just for how insanely unpredictable he is. His love for death and psychological torture is like a child’s love for candy.
The characters also feel very strong and likable, every single character introduced so far has had a sympathetic backstory told in very reasonable intervals without feeling forced or dragging on.
This is the first manga I have read that has legitimately scared me and grossed me out since Junji Ito’s Uzumaki. Looking forward to more.
In the very short amount of time the villain has had to shine so far, he has managed to make himself incredibly disgusting and killable. He’s so extremely vile and offensive that you almost want to like him just for how insanely unpredictable he is. His love for death and psychological torture is like a child’s love for candy.
The characters also feel very strong and likable, every single character introduced so far has had a sympathetic backstory told in very reasonable intervals without feeling forced or dragging on.
This is the first manga I have read that has legitimately scared me and grossed me out since Junji Ito’s Uzumaki. Looking forward to more.
May 4, 2016
Death Note dan sonra iyi bir manga okumamıştım. Okuyacağımı da zannetmiyordum. Taki Battle Royale a kadar. Çizimler, konu ve gerilim muazzam.
February 7, 2022
Battle Royale vol1
مانجا دموية و عنيفة و كل دة فى أول مجلد من القصة ، الرسومات كانت كويسة و شكل السلسلة دى هتبقى مليانة دموية و احداث كثيرة
السلسلة ١٥ مجلد و فية فيلم أسيوى بنفس الاسم و القصة بس متفرجتش علية ، ألفليم متاخد من رواية و اللى بعد كدة اتعملت مانجا و فيلم
القصة بتتكلم عن ٤٢ طالب و طالبة بيجبروا أنهم يخوضوا مسابقة يقتلوا فيها بعضهم البعض و ناجى واحد بس هو اللى هيفوز بس بالمسابقة دى و خلال الاحداث بتبان التطورات اللى بتحصل للأبطال و المواقف اللى بيتعرضوا ليها و تخبرهم أنهم يتصرفوا تصرفات عنيفة و أوقات بعضهم بيستمتع باللعبة
4/5
مانجا دموية و عنيفة و كل دة فى أول مجلد من القصة ، الرسومات كانت كويسة و شكل السلسلة دى هتبقى مليانة دموية و احداث كثيرة
السلسلة ١٥ مجلد و فية فيلم أسيوى بنفس الاسم و القصة بس متفرجتش علية ، ألفليم متاخد من رواية و اللى بعد كدة اتعملت مانجا و فيلم
القصة بتتكلم عن ٤٢ طالب و طالبة بيجبروا أنهم يخوضوا مسابقة يقتلوا فيها بعضهم البعض و ناجى واحد بس هو اللى هيفوز بس بالمسابقة دى و خلال الاحداث بتبان التطورات اللى بتحصل للأبطال و المواقف اللى بيتعرضوا ليها و تخبرهم أنهم يتصرفوا تصرفات عنيفة و أوقات بعضهم بيستمتع باللعبة
4/5
September 19, 2013
Still super disturbing to me eventhough this is my 2nd attempt at tackling this story. The story makes me angry and I am not sure if I'll continue reading the rest of the volumes.
I just can't stomach unrestrained violence and too much gore. Just too much senseless killings for me. *shudder*
The art isn't working for me too. I find the characters fugly. Eeks! >_<
Story wise, it was pretty intense and original. So I would say, it's not the fault of the story that I dislike this, therefore I am not going to give it a low rating. I have to be fair.
I am now wondering if I should have read the original novel instead of reading the manga first. I might read the novel someday I think. Just not now.
2nd September 2013:
Reading this for She-Geeks Group Reading for month of September 2013 (Starts 1st Sept, ends 30th Sept 2013)
May 14, 2021
4.5 estrellas, joyita que acabo de descubrir pordios.
Pero 0 apto para personas sensibles
Pero 0 apto para personas sensibles
June 12, 2024
For those of you who are wondering how to begin with Battle Royale, I would suggest to watch the movie first, then the book (the book goes a lot into detail of each character and since the movie lacks that, it would be frustrating to watch first and would mess up your watching experience), and if you really, really insist, the manga.
The story of Battle Royale sets in a dystopian Japan. Censorship and authoritarian violence are common, and not protested - at least not knowingly so. However, unemployment rates soar high and the youth becomes desperate; as they do so, they refuse to attend school, or overall participate in society. This causes the nation to fear collapse. In order to fix this issue, the Japanese government comes up with a dramatic measure called "The Program" (keep in mind that the name 'Battle Royale', besides in the intro of the book, are never used, neither by the author nor the characters), that randomly selects a class of 9th graders and sends them to a remote island where they are encouraged to kill each other. "Encouraged" not "forced". However, if after three days, there is more than one survivor remaining, the collars the students are obligated to wear explode, leaving no survivors at all. In short, it's "to kill or be killed".
IIn my humble opinion, Battle Royale's quality is 50% storytelling. I adored the movie as well as the book, they are my new favorites in each category, and as a big manga fan, I naturally believed the manga would be the same. But the manga took everything that made the book go from "good book" to "cult classic masterpiece that still inspires its genre 2 decades later" and butchered it.
1) The art style contradicts the story
I don't mean that the art style is bad, or that I dislike it. But the main reason why Battle Royale shocked the whole world; the reason why the book was removed from Literary award ceremonies, the movies blacklisted from cinemas overseas, and the Japanese government intervened and imposed an age restriction on the movie against the will of the movie Director, is because of the age of the main characters. Canonically all 14-15, however even the age of the actors cast for the movie are in 14-17 age range for most of them. It's what makes Battle Royale so brutal, besides the violence: it's seeing teenagers who knew each other well and cared for each other at times too, be forced to turn against each other. I read somewhere that in Hunger Games, the children were the victims of the oppressive government: in Battle Royale, they are the targets. I thought it was so fitting. So why in the world do all these characters look 25 at best and 39 at worst? Let's not talk about the oversexualised underage female characters in a book targeted toward an adult, male audience (as most violent mangas are). It breaks the immersion, and more importantly it doesn't make you feel bad for the characters. When you see a 14 year old child being handed a gun and told to kill his classmates, panic and make terrible decisions you feel pity and angst. When that "child" looks like they just graduated medical school your perception changes and you feel like even under such pressuring conditions some of them should've known better. Whether that is true in reality or not, doesn't matter: some of the empathy bonds carefully crafted in the original novel are broken and nothing is done to fix them.
2) The writing becomes "corny" and the original wholesomeness is lost
I have read a lot of mangas. And this sort of corny writing, two characters oblivious to their feelings making weirdly sexual jokes for no reason is no surprise. But really, in B.R, it just kills the mood.
I'll give you a non-spoiler example. In B.R, it is made clear that the Female lead, Noriko Nakagawa, has a crush on the male lead, Shuya Nanahara. We don't have Noriko's point of view, however, so we only see things through Shuya's lense. He is oblivious to Noriko's feelings, as she's never actually tried to flirt with him, or throw "hints". But some small actions she does, caring for him, or blindly trusting him for no reason make the reader understand this from page 2. As Noriko and Shuya navigate together, they feel a sense of care and protection of each other that grows subtly, without ever notifying the reader. I think one of the main reasons why I liked B.R so much, was because the romance was not overbearing. It was not slow either. It just didn't appear under the form of "lust", or infatuation: their love (and that, ironically sounds corny) came under the form of trust in a game specifically designed to make you distrust everyone including yourself. It's what's so amazing about their romance: and not that they just put the two good-looking characters together because they happened to look. Shuya even mentions several times in the book that he never noticed Noriko because while she's not ugly, there's many pretty girls in the class and in comparison she's average. He even describes his type at some point; which is the direct opposite of a girl like Noriko. You get what I'm trying to say?
Now what did the manga did with this? Like in the movie and book, Shuya asks at the beginning how come Noriko trusts Shuya. And she replies "because you didn't look at my panties." Then indirectly confesses to him, and Shuya says "wow... one of the prettiest girls in the school watches me." And so they become this power couple where Shuya promises himself to protect her, and she, the useless damsel in distress who follows along. As I said, Battle Royale is in many aspects quite predictable and cliché (including the dynamics of the main characters), but the reason why it's amazing is the storytelling!
3) Mitsuko Souma
Mitsuko Souma was and still is my favorite character of the story because of her complex persona that is brought up several times by other characters in the book. The justification of her actions different characters find is interesting, and its opposition to the "one who is like her", despite having similar actions, is in my opinion what makes the book eventually reach its climax.
Mitsuko Souma says "I was just tired of losing" and her entire character, that varies from a strong, unstoppable wave to a vulnerable child makes everyone uneasy, including the reader, because she is so unpredictable.
So I am absolutely appalled and disgusted, and it's why I'm giving this manga a 1-star, about what the manga did to her. A 14 year old victim of the adults and the horrible system who failed to protect her, painted in a clever way, only to get turned into a hypersexualised shell of a woman (and i mean 'woman' not girl) whose backstory and identity have been only used to further her sexualization (which is oddly, exactly what fictional Mitsuko fell victim too.)
I'm not sure whose idea was it, to turn every kid into a raging sex maniac with complete disregard to other people's lives turning them into these cruel killing machines, but it made the reader lose one important thing: empathy. Who cares if that boy died? He killed all those people and enjoyed it. Who cares if this girl was killed? She was trying to kill others first and that's well deserved. The thing with battle royale, is that whether human beings do good or bad things (because in B.R, they WILL do both) they are STILL human beings and the entire point of the story is to put an emphasis on that. But in the manga, they are mere meatbags dying for the sake of the characters who "matter" to progress throughout the story.
The story is amazing, it's just the quality of the writing and pacing in the manga is poor. Think I'm being dramatic? Here is the line of one character from the book, and notice how the manga changed it. Ask again if I'm dramatic after reading.
Book: "Hey it's (Character1). I just wanted to remind you (Character2), to turn off your cell phone. Otherwise, if I call you like this, everyone will know where you are, right? So..."
Manga: "MMM... What are you wearing, young muffin? Daddy misses his peak of pink... Yes, he does. Your turn, young missy. Tell me something I can masturbate to, hmmmm? Izzum's daddy's widdle girl?"
The character is completely changed into this for NO reason: he is NEVER like this in the original story, nobody is. Yes, it's okay to change things during adaptation, but to change the story into some weird sex-gore novel is weird. I see many people recommending the manga instead of the book/movie and I just felt the need to write this. You can read the manga, enjoy it, but my recommendation is to try the others first.
The story of Battle Royale sets in a dystopian Japan. Censorship and authoritarian violence are common, and not protested - at least not knowingly so. However, unemployment rates soar high and the youth becomes desperate; as they do so, they refuse to attend school, or overall participate in society. This causes the nation to fear collapse. In order to fix this issue, the Japanese government comes up with a dramatic measure called "The Program" (keep in mind that the name 'Battle Royale', besides in the intro of the book, are never used, neither by the author nor the characters), that randomly selects a class of 9th graders and sends them to a remote island where they are encouraged to kill each other. "Encouraged" not "forced". However, if after three days, there is more than one survivor remaining, the collars the students are obligated to wear explode, leaving no survivors at all. In short, it's "to kill or be killed".
IIn my humble opinion, Battle Royale's quality is 50% storytelling. I adored the movie as well as the book, they are my new favorites in each category, and as a big manga fan, I naturally believed the manga would be the same. But the manga took everything that made the book go from "good book" to "cult classic masterpiece that still inspires its genre 2 decades later" and butchered it.
1) The art style contradicts the story
I don't mean that the art style is bad, or that I dislike it. But the main reason why Battle Royale shocked the whole world; the reason why the book was removed from Literary award ceremonies, the movies blacklisted from cinemas overseas, and the Japanese government intervened and imposed an age restriction on the movie against the will of the movie Director, is because of the age of the main characters. Canonically all 14-15, however even the age of the actors cast for the movie are in 14-17 age range for most of them. It's what makes Battle Royale so brutal, besides the violence: it's seeing teenagers who knew each other well and cared for each other at times too, be forced to turn against each other. I read somewhere that in Hunger Games, the children were the victims of the oppressive government: in Battle Royale, they are the targets. I thought it was so fitting. So why in the world do all these characters look 25 at best and 39 at worst? Let's not talk about the oversexualised underage female characters in a book targeted toward an adult, male audience (as most violent mangas are). It breaks the immersion, and more importantly it doesn't make you feel bad for the characters. When you see a 14 year old child being handed a gun and told to kill his classmates, panic and make terrible decisions you feel pity and angst. When that "child" looks like they just graduated medical school your perception changes and you feel like even under such pressuring conditions some of them should've known better. Whether that is true in reality or not, doesn't matter: some of the empathy bonds carefully crafted in the original novel are broken and nothing is done to fix them.
2) The writing becomes "corny" and the original wholesomeness is lost
I have read a lot of mangas. And this sort of corny writing, two characters oblivious to their feelings making weirdly sexual jokes for no reason is no surprise. But really, in B.R, it just kills the mood.
I'll give you a non-spoiler example. In B.R, it is made clear that the Female lead, Noriko Nakagawa, has a crush on the male lead, Shuya Nanahara. We don't have Noriko's point of view, however, so we only see things through Shuya's lense. He is oblivious to Noriko's feelings, as she's never actually tried to flirt with him, or throw "hints". But some small actions she does, caring for him, or blindly trusting him for no reason make the reader understand this from page 2. As Noriko and Shuya navigate together, they feel a sense of care and protection of each other that grows subtly, without ever notifying the reader. I think one of the main reasons why I liked B.R so much, was because the romance was not overbearing. It was not slow either. It just didn't appear under the form of "lust", or infatuation: their love (and that, ironically sounds corny) came under the form of trust in a game specifically designed to make you distrust everyone including yourself. It's what's so amazing about their romance: and not that they just put the two good-looking characters together because they happened to look. Shuya even mentions several times in the book that he never noticed Noriko because while she's not ugly, there's many pretty girls in the class and in comparison she's average. He even describes his type at some point; which is the direct opposite of a girl like Noriko. You get what I'm trying to say?
Now what did the manga did with this? Like in the movie and book, Shuya asks at the beginning how come Noriko trusts Shuya. And she replies "because you didn't look at my panties." Then indirectly confesses to him, and Shuya says "wow... one of the prettiest girls in the school watches me." And so they become this power couple where Shuya promises himself to protect her, and she, the useless damsel in distress who follows along. As I said, Battle Royale is in many aspects quite predictable and cliché (including the dynamics of the main characters), but the reason why it's amazing is the storytelling!
3) Mitsuko Souma
Mitsuko Souma was and still is my favorite character of the story because of her complex persona that is brought up several times by other characters in the book. The justification of her actions different characters find is interesting, and its opposition to the "one who is like her", despite having similar actions, is in my opinion what makes the book eventually reach its climax.
Mitsuko Souma says "I was just tired of losing" and her entire character, that varies from a strong, unstoppable wave to a vulnerable child makes everyone uneasy, including the reader, because she is so unpredictable.
So I am absolutely appalled and disgusted, and it's why I'm giving this manga a 1-star, about what the manga did to her. A 14 year old victim of the adults and the horrible system who failed to protect her, painted in a clever way, only to get turned into a hypersexualised shell of a woman (and i mean 'woman' not girl) whose backstory and identity have been only used to further her sexualization (which is oddly, exactly what fictional Mitsuko fell victim too.)
I'm not sure whose idea was it, to turn every kid into a raging sex maniac with complete disregard to other people's lives turning them into these cruel killing machines, but it made the reader lose one important thing: empathy. Who cares if that boy died? He killed all those people and enjoyed it. Who cares if this girl was killed? She was trying to kill others first and that's well deserved. The thing with battle royale, is that whether human beings do good or bad things (because in B.R, they WILL do both) they are STILL human beings and the entire point of the story is to put an emphasis on that. But in the manga, they are mere meatbags dying for the sake of the characters who "matter" to progress throughout the story.
The story is amazing, it's just the quality of the writing and pacing in the manga is poor. Think I'm being dramatic? Here is the line of one character from the book, and notice how the manga changed it. Ask again if I'm dramatic after reading.
Book: "Hey it's (Character1). I just wanted to remind you (Character2), to turn off your cell phone. Otherwise, if I call you like this, everyone will know where you are, right? So..."
Manga: "MMM... What are you wearing, young muffin? Daddy misses his peak of pink... Yes, he does. Your turn, young missy. Tell me something I can masturbate to, hmmmm? Izzum's daddy's widdle girl?"
The character is completely changed into this for NO reason: he is NEVER like this in the original story, nobody is. Yes, it's okay to change things during adaptation, but to change the story into some weird sex-gore novel is weird. I see many people recommending the manga instead of the book/movie and I just felt the need to write this. You can read the manga, enjoy it, but my recommendation is to try the others first.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2021
Battle Royale and The Hunger Games share the same idea, but are executed very differently. The Hunger Games seeks to tell a coming-of-age story with a romantic twist that focuses on mostly singular character development, which works, but ultimately the very interesting philosophical question of the actual game takes a backseat to this. Battle Royale approaches the same concept from the opposite angle. No character is safe. Each student is met with unflinching cruelty in a VERY quick amount of time. Battle Royale focuses more on the horror of corrupt power and unwilling participation in violence, rather than telling a neat resistance story with lovable, edgy teens.
I’ve seen the film for Battle Royale and was still absolutely gutted and felt sick throughout this read. The Program is way more demented than the Hunger Games. Here, one high school class is dumped on an island and forced to kill one another. This means best friends, bullies, crushes, boyfriends and girlfriends. In the Hunger Games, each tribute only knew one other person really, so the mental act of killing could be more easily separate than the act of killing the person who sat to the right of your desk for four years. Honestly, both this and The Hunger Games have an incredible concept, but I think that this delves into the actual nitty gritty of that idea so much better.
Got this from the library and I’m really hoping they’ll have the whole series, because I need answers.
Excellent, but downright disturbing read.
I’ve seen the film for Battle Royale and was still absolutely gutted and felt sick throughout this read. The Program is way more demented than the Hunger Games. Here, one high school class is dumped on an island and forced to kill one another. This means best friends, bullies, crushes, boyfriends and girlfriends. In the Hunger Games, each tribute only knew one other person really, so the mental act of killing could be more easily separate than the act of killing the person who sat to the right of your desk for four years. Honestly, both this and The Hunger Games have an incredible concept, but I think that this delves into the actual nitty gritty of that idea so much better.
Got this from the library and I’m really hoping they’ll have the whole series, because I need answers.
Excellent, but downright disturbing read.
January 12, 2026
Another manga I read nearly twenty years ago - I read the whole series - or maybe just the first series - long before I saw or even heard of the film. Like all the manga I read I thought it was good - but ultimately I am a man of words not pictures. Also if you want to read something really horrifying the read 'Nip The Buds, Shoot The Kids' by Kenzaburō Ōe.
September 18, 2018
Chi non conosce anche solo di nome Battle Royale? Romanzo omonimo di Takami Koushun dal quale è stato tratto un film di culto diretto da Kinji Fukasaku e un manga uscito in Italia per la prima volta nel 2003, ma da giugno 2018 è iniziata la pubblicazione di una nuova edizione da parte di Panini Comics e mi sono ripromessa di prenderla assolutamente perché tutti mi dicevano che questo manga spacca. E volevo vederlo con i miei occhi.
La storia parla di 42 ragazzi di terza media che vengono scelti per il cosiddetto Program da parte del governo della Repubblica della Grande Asia. I ragazzi si trovano su un’isola abbandonata, con dei collari al collo che controllano continuamente la loro posizione e sono costretti ad uccidersi a vicenda in una battle royale, una sfida uno contro tutti. Solo uno sarà il vincitore e potrà tornare a casa vivo.
Pur essendo una storia corale con molti protagonisti, i personaggi principali (da tenere d’occhio) sono presentati nella loro vita spensierata prima del programma: Shuya, il ribelle che non sopporta le regole, frenato dal timido Yoshitoki, amico d’infanzia e suo confidente; l’idolo della squadra di basket, il donnaiolo Mimura e il misterioso nuovo studente, Shogo; l’esperto di arti marziali Hiroki e il leader di una banda di teppisti, il pericoloso Kazuo. E non dimentichiamoci delle ragazze con la bella e spericolata Mitsuko e la timida e gentile Noriko. Una grande varietà di personaggi che si trovano nelle mani del pericoloso Kamon, l’agente del governo che spiegherà loro le regole del Program. Si fa come si dice lui oppure si rischia la vita.
La prospettiva di combattere i propri amici non piace, ma si deve farlo per la propria sopravvivenza. Ma, forse, c’è un’altra soluzione. Shuya che vuole trovare il modo di allearsi con i suoi compagni senza sacrificare nessuno, fuggendo ai piani del governo. Qualcuno però ha già deciso di combattere e di diventare il vincitore e l’unico in vita…
Adrenalina, tensione, mistero: si può volere altro da una serie? Anche se avete letto o visto il libro o il film, la versione manga di Battle Royale è altrettanto appassionante e intrigante. I disegni hanno uno stile chiaramente anni ’90, ma sono molto belli e rappresentano bene le scene di azione e le parti più crude della storia. Non si nasconde nulla, e non c’è alcun filtro per l’orrore e la violenza per i quali sono famosi il romanzo e il film omonimo.
I personaggi sono ben caratterizzati graficamente e psicologicamente. Ci sono fin da subito simpatie e antipatie verso alcuni di loro, ma sopratutto si conosce e apprezza Shuya. Lui è il protagonista, lo si capisce ben presto ma, come ho detto prima, rimane un manga corale, con tanti personaggi ben gestiti. Ad ognuno viene dato il giusto spazio, mostrando il suo carattere, la sua storia, ma anche il suo rapporto all’interno della classe e con i diversi compagni. Un contrasto azzeccato tra il passato tranquillo e spensierato di questi ragazzi, e il presente con la lotta, il sangue e la violenza che devono affrontare per via del Program.
Una storia imperdibile, a mio parere, che deve essere letta per vedere chi sopravvivrà al Program e se per farlo dovrà ammazzare tutti i suoi compagni…
La storia parla di 42 ragazzi di terza media che vengono scelti per il cosiddetto Program da parte del governo della Repubblica della Grande Asia. I ragazzi si trovano su un’isola abbandonata, con dei collari al collo che controllano continuamente la loro posizione e sono costretti ad uccidersi a vicenda in una battle royale, una sfida uno contro tutti. Solo uno sarà il vincitore e potrà tornare a casa vivo.
Pur essendo una storia corale con molti protagonisti, i personaggi principali (da tenere d’occhio) sono presentati nella loro vita spensierata prima del programma: Shuya, il ribelle che non sopporta le regole, frenato dal timido Yoshitoki, amico d’infanzia e suo confidente; l’idolo della squadra di basket, il donnaiolo Mimura e il misterioso nuovo studente, Shogo; l’esperto di arti marziali Hiroki e il leader di una banda di teppisti, il pericoloso Kazuo. E non dimentichiamoci delle ragazze con la bella e spericolata Mitsuko e la timida e gentile Noriko. Una grande varietà di personaggi che si trovano nelle mani del pericoloso Kamon, l’agente del governo che spiegherà loro le regole del Program. Si fa come si dice lui oppure si rischia la vita.
La prospettiva di combattere i propri amici non piace, ma si deve farlo per la propria sopravvivenza. Ma, forse, c’è un’altra soluzione. Shuya che vuole trovare il modo di allearsi con i suoi compagni senza sacrificare nessuno, fuggendo ai piani del governo. Qualcuno però ha già deciso di combattere e di diventare il vincitore e l’unico in vita…
Adrenalina, tensione, mistero: si può volere altro da una serie? Anche se avete letto o visto il libro o il film, la versione manga di Battle Royale è altrettanto appassionante e intrigante. I disegni hanno uno stile chiaramente anni ’90, ma sono molto belli e rappresentano bene le scene di azione e le parti più crude della storia. Non si nasconde nulla, e non c’è alcun filtro per l’orrore e la violenza per i quali sono famosi il romanzo e il film omonimo.
I personaggi sono ben caratterizzati graficamente e psicologicamente. Ci sono fin da subito simpatie e antipatie verso alcuni di loro, ma sopratutto si conosce e apprezza Shuya. Lui è il protagonista, lo si capisce ben presto ma, come ho detto prima, rimane un manga corale, con tanti personaggi ben gestiti. Ad ognuno viene dato il giusto spazio, mostrando il suo carattere, la sua storia, ma anche il suo rapporto all’interno della classe e con i diversi compagni. Un contrasto azzeccato tra il passato tranquillo e spensierato di questi ragazzi, e il presente con la lotta, il sangue e la violenza che devono affrontare per via del Program.
Una storia imperdibile, a mio parere, che deve essere letta per vedere chi sopravvivrà al Program e se per farlo dovrà ammazzare tutti i suoi compagni…
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