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Battle Royal




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DeadheadFred



Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:47 pm Reply with quote
I read the battle royal novel a few years ago. I absouletly love that book. Although I could never discuss it with anyone simply because no one has read it. I tried to get all my friends to read it though some tried only about 3 actually did and they liked it. I just wondering if anyone would geek out with me about it.
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Steroid



Joined: 08 Oct 2005
Posts: 329
Location: At home, where all good hikikomori should be
PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:39 pm Reply with quote
I liked it too, even though it was so dark. My favorite was Inada Mizuho (Girls #1). Even though her part was short, her fantasy life was so beautifully detailed.

I also like how it got nearly every junior high school personality into the one class.

And poor Nakagawa Yuko. If her parents had just named her Ai or Kaori or Tomoe, she would have been the one to leave after Shuya.

What else? Well, even though the plot demanded otherwise, I kind of wanted spoiler[Shinji to survive. The Third Man was too cool to die.]
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Monumension



Joined: 03 Jul 2005
Posts: 268
Location: Norway
PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:58 pm Reply with quote
Someday I think I'll write a book called "Battle Royale & Me". I got into the hype six years ago and since then I've never really had a day without getting back into this story through one of it's incarnations.

The book was pretty good, but it was the last of the BR-related mediums I got into so it never had the same impact on me as it had on those who read it before they saw the movie or read the manga. It's a little overrated imo, but still an enthralling read.


Steroid wrote:
My favorite was Inada Mizuho (Girls #1). Even though her part was short, her fantasy life was so beautifully detailed.
Good character, but the way she was introduced (at the end of the novel) was one of the weaker parts. It felt like the author had forgotten to kill her off earlier!

In case you're wondering: Yumiko and Yukiko - the two girls with the megaphone - are my favorites in the book.

Quote:
I also like how it got nearly every junior high school personality into the one class.
I agree. One of the most frequent criticisms that is raised against BR is that the characters are too stereotypical. Personally I think this is one of its greatest strenghts. All these charicatures just makes it easier to empathise, and to imagine how the game would have preceded if your own class were selected for the program. You've got the jocks, the nerds, the bad boys (and girls), the class looser, the snob, the gay guy, the class couple, the perverted moron, the popular boys, the pretty girl etc. We all knew some of these back in 9th grade, and in Battle Royale you see them all die.
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Berserkfury819



Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 229
Location: Detroit Mi. Spider-Man is dead. R.I.P.
PostPosted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:14 pm Reply with quote
Absolutely loved Battle Royale, it's like Lord of the Flies on crack. Plus I read it when I was in 9th grade, which made it that much freakier. My favorite character was Shogo Kawada. I've heard that an American film studio is going to make an American remake of the movie. I hope it doesn't suck. Don't get me wrong, it has the potential to be good. But it seems like most Western remakes of Japanese films tend to suck.
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commsky



Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 40
Location: Riverside, CA
PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:50 pm Reply with quote
Loved the book, kind of got attached and once I was done reading wondered what it would be like if it were me and my classmates.

The book played on my emotions a bit though because throughout the book I found myself just wanting Mitsuko to die
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KobitoMatsu



Joined: 15 Feb 2009
Posts: 2
Location: New Jersey
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 4:26 pm Reply with quote
Now I have always wanted to read the novel, but was wondering if the novel has any differences from the movie(s) and manga? (Yes I am that person who watched the movies before reading the book... I stink) but was just curious if I should pick it up and if there is more to be said in the novel then the manga and mobies?
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dalbkino



Joined: 23 Apr 2008
Posts: 47
Location: Wyoming
PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 10:10 pm Reply with quote
KobitoMatsu wrote:
Now I have always wanted to read the novel, but was wondering if the novel has any differences from the movie(s) and manga? (Yes I am that person who watched the movies before reading the book... I stink) but was just curious if I should pick it up and if there is more to be said in the novel then the manga and mobies?


I also saw the movie first, but reading the book just made the movie that much better in my opinion. It's been a while since I've read/watched BR. If I remember correctly there were a couple of differences, but nothing extreme.

So yes you should pick up the novel! It is an awesome read!! Smile
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 1:29 am Reply with quote
KobitoMatsu wrote:
Now I have always wanted to read the novel, but was wondering if the novel has any differences from the movie(s) and manga? (Yes I am that person who watched the movies before reading the book... I stink) but was just curious if I should pick it up and if there is more to be said in the novel then the manga and mobies?

I have not read the manga, so I can't really comment on that, but I can say that the novel is a good deal different than the movie. For one, you actually get a much better look at the Imperial power that enforces the Battle Royale, which gives a much better background than the movie did (though the instruction video with the perky girl was awesome).

There are a few changed scenes. I can recall that the Lighthouse scenario was cut shorter in the movie than it was in the book, and in the book you just generally get a better feel for all the characters.
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HYAZU



Joined: 19 May 2009
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2009 2:27 am Reply with quote
Ask them to see the movie, maybe it's easier, not everyone likes to read novels Smile
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Tarja Azami



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 3:21 am Reply with quote
I absolutely love Battle Royale, I think it's brilliant. When I was reading it I couldn't take my eyes off the page. It's a dark book, but the meaning behind it is really powerful. I also loved the film, and the manga. My favourite character was Shinji because he wasn't a quitter. I think in that book there's definately a character we can all relate to ... that and there's tonnes of people to pick from. The characters are all so believable even though their personalities have been heightened to a small extent.
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Esspweb



Joined: 24 Nov 2010
Posts: 2
Location: Chicago
PostPosted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 6:23 am Reply with quote
Well i like to read books. And when i read Battle Royal Novel it has become one of my favorite Novel Book.
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E.O Bane



Joined: 27 Nov 2010
Posts: 15
PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 3:50 pm Reply with quote
It was really good. Shogo was my favorite although I like shinji mimura too. If he got a proper chance he would have stopped the game from continuing.
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Shenl742



Joined: 11 Feb 2010
Posts: 1524
PostPosted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 3:25 pm Reply with quote
Been a few years since I read this book...and I didn't really like it at all. Felt like a real slog and the quality of the translation was much to be desired.

Probably my biggest gripe though: It doesn't matter how much character developement you have, or how many pages are devoted to you, eventually spoiler[Kazuo will just come and shoot you in the back] That just got really annoying after awhile
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pollysab



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 8
PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:29 am Reply with quote
I loved the book, the film and the manga series! That book was how I first got into japanese novels! Such a shame the second film didn't turn out as well as the first.
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RespectTheOtaku



Joined: 04 Apr 2012
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:33 am Reply with quote
This was one of my favorite books of all time! I couldn't stop reading it!

And since everyone seems to be saying his/her favorite character, I'll admit that I loved Kiriyama Kazuo (and his machine gun Wink ). spoiler[ The end fight was epic (the first time 3-on-1 could be a fair fight).]
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