Battle Royale

My wife suggested that I read the Hunger Games books. After reading that horrid excuse for a trilogy, I went online to see why everyone was making a big deal about it. During this search I discovered that Suzanne Collins had been accused of stealing her ideas from this book, Battle Royale. I read a brief synopsis of this book and read some of the reviews and decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did, the story in Battle Royale is much much better. Each character is well written and the scenes are so detailed. At times the details can become a little over-whelming, but compared to the lack-luster writing style of Collins, this was an appreciated change. The book is an intimidating 575 pages, but the writing is so good, I just flew right through it. Don't read Hunger Games, read Battle Royale.

This book had an amazing beginning and end and was overall entertaining, But all the claims by previous owners that it's a perfect book have to be biased. Also it's no where near as graphic as the hype proclaims it to be. None the less it was extremely entertaining and surprisingly easy to follow even though it had some 40 odd number characters.

The big down fall is once you learn about the main characters you never really feel the threat of them dieing. The way the book is written the reader can tell that about 30 of the children are just filler characters and that they will all die before the main character does. I hate to say it but Stephen King's The Long Walk does a better job of maintaining the suspense of possible death than this book does. I always felt that everything will be ok at the end.

The higlights of this book include the beginning which wastes no time in pulling the reader into the horror, the tense and violent altercation between 6 girls within a house and of course the semi-surprise ending.

This book is so much fun!
It's enthralling, suspenseful, and gory! The perfect combination in my book.
Definitely worth buying-you will probably want to read it again.
Though this book came out several years before Collin's Hunger Games, I think the two should be associated together. If you like the Hunger Games, this is better. Will definitely appeal to the same crowd.
Additionally, this issue is laid out quite nicely, with appropriate size margins and font-size. Very important, in my opinion!
Unfortunately, this book seems to be a rare-find in public libraries, so I would suggest buying it.
I highly doubt you will be disappointed.

I initially started reading Battle Royale because after reading The Hunger Games trilogy I read a lot of people on the internet claiming it to be little more than a Battle Royale rip-off. Because I enjoyed the Hunger Games a lot, I wanted to see for myself. After reading the entire book, I can honestly say that I couldn't disagree with those people more. If you look beyond the gladiator-type event that is in both books, nothing else about the books is even remotely similar. They don't have the same feel, pace, style, characters, etc. There is truly nothing similar about these books beyond the obvious gladiator aspect which, NEWSFLASH, Battle Royale did not create to begin with. That is an idea that has been prevalent in books, television, and movies for ages. Anyways, the setting of the Hunger Games, in my opinion, goes far beyond the games and is more about Panem, the country that promotes it, and the society in it. Nonetheless, I am glad I took the time to read Battle Royale because it ended up being a really good book. I don't think it was as good as the Hunger Games but it was still a good read. It had an interesting plot, diverse characters, strong plot and character development, a nice pace, and a realistic and descriptive approach to the events that occurred on the island. Ultimately, I think it would've been every bit as good as the Hunger Games, albeit in a completely different way, if it wasn't for one thing that bugged me. I'll explain now but it's a SPOILER so don't keep reading my review if you plan on reading the book. As I was saying, that one thing that bugged me was how unrealistic the "villain(s)" of the book were. Kazuo and Mitsuko, but mainly Kazuo, were essentially made into these nearly invincible super-villains and it started to really take away from the events that were unfolding because the book went from being an interesting and realistic fight to the death to having almost a Michael Myers/Jason Voorhees type villain that just felt ridiculous. With some more creative writing, this could've been avoided. Nonetheless, this was an outstanding book that I think most people would probably enjoy.

After describing The Hunger Games to a friend, he said that sounded almost exactly like what he read with Battle Royale... only with Japanese kids instead. I enjoyed The Hunger Games (and look forward to catching up with the rest of the series), so I gave this book a shot. I was definitely glad I did.

The plot by now is well-known to most reading this review. Every year, 21 male and 21 female Japanese junior high school students are taken to a remote and deserted island where they are forced to compete in a free for all contest where the lucky winner gets to live out the rest of their life as a surviving pawn of the Japanese government's games. The number of characters at first can seem pretty intimidating as there are 42 students at the beginning coupled with a few other characters in the Japanese government. However, the important characters are Shuya, Shinji, Shogo and Noriko. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of every character but Koushun Takami does a nice job of clearly labeling/distinguishing the characters throughout the novel.

The book does what The Hunger Games did for me. It made me mad, but it made me think also. Battle Royale is packed with action sequences and there is never a dull moment for very long as someone must die at least every 24 hours. If not? They all die via their collars which are rigged to explode if the entire group decided to band together against the government. The overriding theme in Battle Royale is one of human survival and a look into just how the human psyche can be twisted. How do you really justify not killing someone in a game like this? It's either kill/be killed or sit-by/be killed. Takami does an excellent job of showing the dark side of the human race that can be brought out in even the most innocent of people. In addition, Takami poses moral/ethical dilemmas that get the reader wondering what they would do in the same situation. It seems barbaric and it seems like most of us would never do such a thing, but you never know when a scenario like Battle Royale takes place. Human beings at the base level simply want to survive at almost any cost and that's prominently displayed in this novel.

As far as back to the novel, I'll say this much. The novel really shines towards the end. The final 20-30 pages are an absolute thrill to read. Just when you think you're right about a character, Takami does a complete 180 and surprises you with an excellent plot twist :). On a side note, I almost wish Takami would do a Battle Royale series like The Hunger Games turned out to be. I think he could have done very well with a three book series in exploring taking down the fascist/corrupt Japanese government. But as this edition tells us (with an interview with the author), Takami isn't very interested in carrying on the Battle Royale line, which I thought was a shame but that's his choice in the end. That being said, stand alone or series... this is a very worthwhile read regardless!

-Travis S.

I bought this book because of the interesting premise: in a dystopian Japanese society, the totalitarian, repressive government forces classes of middle-school students into a bloody, brutal winner-take-all tournament where losing means death, and society accepts this violent ritual as a twisted rite of teenage passage. Originally written in Japanese by Koushun Takami, this book has elements of other well-known books such as The Most Dangerous Game and The Lord of the Flies, but weaves those elements in a unique way, resulting in a bloody, violent, but entertaining work of fiction.

So why the two stars? If you are a fan of writing, particularly good writing, the English translation of this edition is marginally better than a babelfish-translated technical manual (if you've never had to rely on a machine-translated version of foreign material, consider yourself lucky). The writing is formulaic and prosaic; in short, the book seems to have been translated by someone without a firm grasp of the English language, with colloquialisms and subtlety seemingly given a literal translation -- those elements (and others) made the book extremely (and painfully) difficult to read.

While the style of writing may work and be acceptable in the original Japanese language form, or in manga format (and Battle Royale does have a multi-volume manga version), it is extremely disappointing that the publisher did not see how poorly such a style of writing translated into English. Thus, while I give credit to the originality and creativity of the story, I found the poor execution of the novel to be unforgivable. If you can put up with the writing (and I think most well-read readers will have a difficult time doing so), then you are in for an moderately enjoyable, bloody read -- if not, get ready for a painful ride.

In all honesty, I read this with the intention to compare it to The Hunger Games. While the premise is similar, they are both completely different experiences. The uproar about "copying" seems to be a product of immaturity and misinformed ideas about "originality".

There are a lot of things about this book that I didn't particularly like. It seems more interested in shock value than character development-- that's not to say the characters aren't sympathetic, just that I don't remember very many of them. There are some pretty awful sexist/homophobic tropes: the rape of an unseen female character is used as anger fodder for the male main character, and the only gay character in the book is a villainized stereotype whose entire characterization is his sexuality. The translation is awkward and often unintentionally hilarious, which I think made it feel campier than it's actually supposed to be.

I feel like all I can say about this book is negative things, even though I did actually enjoy it. I blazed through it in two days. I knew what was going to happen, but it was worth finding out how. You'd think a story that follows no less than 49 different characters around at once would be really confusing, but the book is well-structured, and definitely a page-turner. It is an interesting story about how people deal with being pushed to their limits. If the premise interests you, go ahead, read it, and see what you think. This one's staying on my shelf.

This book, written a decade before "The Hunger Games," was not a copy of Ms. Collins' novel. However, there are so many characters in the story that the reader finds it difficult to internalize any character enough to really care about their fate. There is plenty of action and the story moves along at a reasonable pace. The reader will be entertained by the story, but the violence is rather graphic. Not recommended for anyone under the age of fifteen.

Dont get me wrong. Battle Royale was an entertaining read, filled with violence and an underlying love story, it certainly kept me reading. I thought that the idea of the story was brilliant, an extremely original premise that really makes you think about what you would do in that situation. The only problem I had with this book was the writing. Everything else about the book is amazing, but the writing is just so elementary it just really began to bother me as the book went on. With the books complex plot, the below average writing just makes the book seem....not up to par. Also, one last small critque, the book revolves around the 42 students required to kill each other in "the Program." Unfortunately, that is really all the book is. I feel that redundancy is a major problem with the book. The story is the same throughout the book up until the end. Almost every chapter, someone dies and thats it. No real in- depth development of character, or much of anything else. My advice, if your a teenage high school student like me, the violence and the overriding concept of the plot will really get you thinking, but if your anyone else.....dont buy the book!

While some may argue that this is the original Hunger Games (which it is), it isn't necessarily better. I mainly bought this book because it was unavailable anywhere near me and I was Intrigued. The plot itself was decent enough, and it certainly was more gory than HG, but what bothered me was the writing itself. It was bland and only delved an inch or so into the actual characters; I never felt as if I knew them. Maybe the better parts of writing were lost in translation, but most likely Battle Royale has always been this lack-luster. Anyway, I'd recommend to those who don't mind reading about extreme violence, but don't get your hopes up for a Pulitzer.

Forty-two 15-year-old classmates, armed with various weapons, are dropped off on an island, where they must kill each other until only one survivor remains. The premise is irresistible, the plot full of interesting twists, but the story is told in such an implausible, over-the-top kind of way, that you find yourself getting embarrassed to be reading this even though you keep turning the pages. Consider, for example, this scene from page 508: Kazuo, the psychopath in the group, is crouched on the ground trying to build a fire, when a girl runs towards him from behind, intending to stab him. Without even turning around, Kazuo grabs his Beretta, reaches around himself, and pulls the trigger twice. The first shot hits the running girl in the chest; the second hits her in the head. She dies. All this is ridiculous enough (he shoots without looking while reaching behind himself and hits a running target in two vital areas? Really?), but the best bit is yet to come: Kazuo is so certain he has killed the girl, THAT HE DOESN'T EVEN TURN AROUND TO MAKE SURE!!!! He simply puts away his gun and continues making his fire.

Nor is Kazuo the only crack shot in the bunch. These 15-year-olds are all supernatural marksmen. Almost every bullet fired in this book finds its mark, unless the mark is Shuya (the hero)in which case even point-blank shots are not enough to injure him so badly that a quick nap won't restore him to almost full strength. As for the demise of the very last student to die -- I can't discuss it without giving too much of the ending away, but let's just say that in a book full of implausibilities, this one death rules supreme.

I am amazed to read reviews here praising the book for its fully-drawn characters. The story is actually peopled with the usual assortment of stereotypes (the psychopath, the world-class computer hacker, the "bad" girls, the "good" girls one of whom is of course injured early on and must be cared for by the others in the rest of the story, the gay guy, the spoiled scion of the local elite, the heartless bureaucrat, the star athlete.

Finally, I understand that this is a new translation that is much better than the previous one. The truth is that this translation is pretty poor, so the previous one must have been truly awful. Furthermore, the editing fell short, too, so mistakes are plentiful and quite glaring.

Bottom Line: Plot and premise are certainly worth your time, but if you can't tolerate bad writing and bad editing this one will exasperate you.

While it may be unfair, this book just feels unoriginal, drawn out, and boring. This book was written before Hunger Games so it deserves credit for being original, but fair or not, I couldn't finish the book and I usually finish books unless they are are horrible. I did download the movie though so I plan to watch that instead and will hopefully be more fast paced.

This fairly short manga covers some additional ground for some of the characters in the Battle Royale novel. For those who are skeptical: Takami wrote the script for this manga and Nathan Collins translated it. Nathan translated the Remastered edition of the Battle Royale novel, so this is about as close to the "original creative team" as one gets.

About the stories... one is back story and one is a side story. The back story involves the relationship of two characters before the island. The side story centers on two girls from the lighthouse scene. Both stories are essentially bittersweet romances that openly defy the fates of these characters. Hope, love, friendship, are all the central themes.

If you read the novel first, these stories take you back to these characters and make them a little more human, all while you have the constant reminder that these people you are watching are doomed.

Now, if you read this manga first, and then the novel, you get an "in the know" kind of feeling from the book, like you can see what is happening in this manga in between the lines of the story.

I sort of took both approaches. I read the book years ago, so when I read the manga I already had a good idea of what fate was in store for these characters. Then I read the book again and found that this manga heightened my interest in the characters. So, while I wasn't hugely fond of this book in and of itself, it pairs well with the novel and doesn't feel like it has been artificially tacked on.

By itself I don't think this manga gets anything more than three stars, tops, but when paired with the novel it accentuates the double sucker-punch of violence and doomed relationships. And for this reason I feel it is highly worthwhile for any die-hard Battle Royale fan or for anyone who wants to really jump into this story and see it from every possible angle.

_Battle Royale_ is ostensibly the precursor to _The Hunger Games_, and the two stories share much in common: in a dystopian future, teen-aged boys and girls are pitted against one another in a battle to the death by an authoritarian regime. Takami's story is much more graphic, brutal and bloody than Collins' book - and (in spite of this), a better story.

_Battle Royale_ was a bit difficult to get into - the names of the characters were similar enough to this Westerner be confusing (Yukie, Yukio, Yoshio, Yoshimi), and the brief description of each in the opening chapter made discerning one from the other (of 42 "contestants") initially concerning - I was worried how I would keep each straight from another. Takami, however, is such a clever and brilliant writer it quickly became a non-issue.

The story line between the two is similar, but there are enough significant differences to make any more than a cursory comparison meaningless. In Takami's story the characters run a wide gamut of reactions to the brutal situation they find themselves in: some commit suicide, some hide, others embrace the game and actively seek to hunt and kill their classmates. Among the many things I found compelling was the variety of perspectives, attitudes and reactions the students had - each was a unique individual whose actions, thoughts and decisions were based not only on who they were as young boys and girls entering the game, but how what they saw (or thought they saw) changed them in profound ways.

The pace of the story is fast - every few pages the story of another student is given, at the end of each chapter the grisly count-down of how many students remain is cited. It quickly became difficult for me not to skip to the end of a chapter to see if the number of survivors was reduced by one - or more. This simple device served to raise the tension of the story. It also made it extremely difficult to put down as I was so drawn into the story.

Beyond good storytelling, Takami also raises some disturbing questions about who we are: the "battle royale" is a metaphor for the human condition. Should we try to trust our fellow human beings? Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all cooperated and supported one another? On the other hand there is always that nagging sense that someone is out to get you or take advantage of your kindness ... and some people (as with some of the characters in the story) are just not wired right, either the result of childhood trauma or because they physiologically are incapable of empathy.

The conclusion to the story is breathtaking. The issue of trust, of a person's relationship with authority (and by extension government), and of how one survives in a dog-eat-dog world are powerfully reinforced. While the story is gut-wrenching and oftentimes tragic, I strongly recommend it.

The first time I heard about this book was actually in relation to another series -- "The Hunger Games." There had been a lot of controversy surrounding the release of that series, namely that people accused the author of plagiarizing "Battle Royale," and fans of the latter and its spinoff film and manga declared war on "Hunger Games" and its sequels. After reading "The Hunger Games" trilogy for myself -- and finding it decent but not the most wonderful series I'd ever read -- I decided I owed it to myself to check out "Battle Royale" and see just how similar these two books were. And I'd been lucky enough to find a cheap copy of "Battle Royale" in a library book sale, so I didn't have to go digging too far to find it.

"Battle Royale" is actually quite different from "Hunger Games" despite the similar premise -- and I'd dare say it's a better book. It's far more intense, with far more likable characters and an engaging plot.

"Battle Royale" takes place in an alternate Japan -- still in the modern day, but in a Japan that's ruled by a Dictator and with a government that controls its people nearly absolutely, offering them just enough freedom to be content and not rebel. Junior-high student Shuya has never thought much of it, his only real form of rebellion being his love of illegal American and British rock music... until his entire junior high class is abducted by the government and dropped on an island. His class has been chosen for The Program, an event where forty-two junior high kids -- half boys, half girls -- are each given a weapon and supply pack before being forced to kill each other until only one student remains. Some students go into hiding, others form uneasy alliances, and still others decide to play the game wholeheartedly. Shuya, meanwhile, unites with fellow classmate Noriko, who was injured before the games could truly begin. With the help of Shogo, a transfer student who managed to survive a previous Program, they set out to not only survive the event, but escape entirely... if they can survive their fellow students first.

For the curious -- while the central premise of "kids killing each other until one's left standing" is similar to "Hunger Games," both books are actually quite different in content. While "Hunger Games" is definitely sci-fi in flavor and focuses primarily on Katniss, "Battle Royale" is shockingly close to the modern day and far more realistic, and takes the time to show us the viewpoints of many players instead of just the main characters. And "Battle Royale" is far more intense than "Hunger Games," taking the bloody premise and cranking it up to eleven. The realism and tension make this book a far more terrifying and thrilling read than "Hunger Games," and while it's definitely not for kids, it's a roller-coaster ride that you won't soon forget.

The characters in this book are far more likable than Katniss, Peeta, and the rest of the "Hunger Games" crew as well. Shuya and Noriko are just everyday kids thrown into a terrible situation, and while they have moments of angst and worry, they don't wallow in it either. Both are good kids in a bad situation, wanting to honestly do their best to help people despite knowing that the odds are against them and others are probably out to kill them. Shogo is more cynical and driven, but given his circumstances, anyone would be, and he's not overly dark and fatalistic to the point where you hate him either.

In fact, many of the students portrayed in this book are sympathetic characters, and make a variety of decisions on how to deal with their sudden turn of fortune. Some band together in an attempt to survive or even bring a peaceful end to the game; others take the opportunity to settle personal grudges; still others would rather kill themselves than play the game or be killed by another. There are a few unlikable students, such as the sociopath who sets out to kill others just to see what it's like or the egocentric who considers the rest of his class unfit to live, but for the most part many of the students are sympathetic, flawed but relatable to some degree. The government and military officials running the game are pretty much undeveloped monsters, but then, it takes a monster to put this kind of program into effect.

It's hard to judge the writing style of this book, as it's a translation from Japanese to English. Translations often eliminate some of the charm of the original author's work, and this translation in particular feels wooden and clunky (I'm told there's a far better translation out there, however). Still, the writing is quite gripping, speeding the reader along at a rapid, steady pace and rarely getting bogged down in details. The book is 600 pages long, but I never felt like I was slogging through tedious passages or unnecessary fluff -- every scene adds to the story and maintains a sense of excitement and suspense as it goes.

It's also obvious that the writer is a) a gun buff, getting most of his facts regarding firearms right (even if he overestimates the value of a bulletproof vest), and b) a fan of classic rock, as song lyrics crop up on a regular basis. The most noteworthy example is Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run," which is a recurring theme in the book and whose lyrics are given a rather sinister twist by the nature of the story. It fits, however, and actually added to the reading experience in my opinion.

I'm sure the controversy regarding this book and "Hunger Games" has boosted this book's popularity in the United States -- it's certainly how it got my attention. The publicity certainly hasn't done the book harm, and I for one actually enjoyed this novel more than "Hunger Games." While certainly not for younger readers, it's an intense and exciting ride that will stay with me for a long time. I don't know if I'll ever work up the guts to watch the movie or read the manga, but I still highly recommend this book to someone looking for an unconventional thriller, or an older "Hunger Games" fan who wants something a little similar but more intense.

Like many others, I learned of Battle Royale from The Hunger Games reviews. It took me a long while to actually find a digital copy and read the book and I'm so glad I finally did. While the general premise of teens fighting to the death is similar, this book is definitely not The Hunger Games.

First off, the "battle" here (called the Program) is so much more haunting and gory than the one in The Hunger Games for several reasons:

1) The participants are 42 classmates who know each other, so much of the killing is not strangers against strangers (and with 42 participants, there is a lot more killing). In fact, the distrust among the classmates is one of the things that makes this book so compelling. This is a real group of teenagers who go from being classmates to mortal enemies in the course of a few days.

2) With the exception of two characters (and the Program administrators, of course) there are no real "villians" like the career tributes. Most of the murders are committed by scared kids making quick decisions in life or death situations because they don't know who to trust.

3) The Program doesn't seem to serve any real purpose. We are told that the government uses the data for military purposes, but there are 50 programs a year, so it seems like a lot of needless killing for data. The Program isn't televised so the average population doesn't know much about it at all. Most people only see the "winners" televised after the Program is over.

4) Unlike The Hunger Games where a lot of the deaths occur outside Katniss's POV, this story is told from an omniscient POV so the reader experiences all the murders. In addition, not a single death is as benign as "accidentally eating poisonous berries." Each death is bloody, gory and disturbing.

The only reason that I give this book 4 instead of 5 stars is that at times I had to reread sections to understand what was going on. This may have been due to the translation or the fact that I'm less familiar with Japanese names, but it could have also been due to the writing - it is impossible for me to say, I just know there were times I was taken out of the story momentarily while I tried to figure out what just happened.

Overall, anyone who has thought about reading this book should definitely do so. It will haunt you in a way that The Hunger Games never could.

42 Japanese students hijacked and taken to a remote island for a government sanctioned contest to kill each other off. Only one can survive. The winner, not only gets to live, but also gets some dough and a signed picture of a dictator dude. Sweet.

An excellent survival tale of murder, betrayal, manipulation and violence. For a bunch of 15 year-old-ish kids, some of them were very smart and surprisingly “game minded.” Some not so much.

Even though this clocks in at over 600 pages, it reads quick. There were lots of characters to get backstory on and lots of kills to be had. There may have been a few brief moments of lag here and there, but never long enough to knock me out of the story. Overall a very well done and well written (translated) story.

You may be wondering, "What is a Battle Royale exactly?" If you are asking yourself that, then you are asking a great question. A Battle Royale is a mess. In it's simplest form, it's a whole bunch of people duking it out at the same time in some sort of cage match type thing in wrestling. It's not a tag team event, or a 2-on-1-- instead, it's survival of the fittest. Only one fighter will remain standing.

So, now you have an idea of what the book Battle Royale is going to be about. In this book, randomly selected classes of students are chosen to participate in the government's special "program." They are shipped off to a remote island, tagged with explosive collars, and told only one of them can remain alive. To survive, you have to kill your classmates.

Sound familiar? You bet it does. Can we say Hunger Games?

I'm about to piss a lot of people off, so if you are a die hard Hunger Games fan-- stop reading.

Now, don't get me wrong-- I really liked the Hunger Games books. I saw the movie and plan to see Catching Fire. But I am disgruntled now. When I read The Hunger Games, I was blown away by how original I thought the books were. I just ranted and raved to everyone I saw about it. Now I feel foolish, because Battle Royale first hit the scenes in 1999. That's an entire decade before HG! So, was HG really that innovative? Nope. Not at all. It was a complete rip off of Battle Royale.

Don't believe me? Still hung up on Peeta? Fine. But take a gander at this:

In Battle Royale, the government heads up the program and no one really understands its purpose. There is also an evil dictator running the show behind the scenes while over paid government officials place bets on who will survive. Kids are being supplied with mystery packs to help or hinder their survival. But some kids are brutal and more willing to kill, while others just want to survive. There are also kids stuck on an island that has forbiddon zones that change by the hour. The officials monitor every conversation and location throughout the event, while multiple survivors in the end are ready to stick it to the government. Oh, and don't forget the relationship between the male and female protagonists. That's important too. (This relationship also wouldn't be nearly as potent if there weren't a few near death experiences added in.)

So, which book did I just describe? Hard to tell, right?

So now you see why I feel a bit cheated by the shinyness of The Hunger Games. It really wasn't all that original. Yes, the writing style was different and seemed to focus on different elements with a great intensity, but it was not as unique as I thought. Battle Royale was more about survival and the inner darkness we all have, and less about the political overthrow we saw in Mockingjay. Also, I really liked how the author of Battle Royale gave multiple perspectives. You got a true understanding of why so many of the kids were willing to kill (or not). The irony of some of the situations were not lost on me, either.

If you are a fan of The Hunger Games-- and you actually read all of this knowing I was going to make you upset-- then you should read Battle Royale. You may end up feeling the same way I do. Either way, you owe it to yourself to at least compare the two stories.

My friend Derek recommended Battle Royale to me and we typically like the same type of dystopian/sci-fi/apocalyptic fiction so I knew I should check this book out. Also I kept seeing Battle Royale mentioned on different message boards about Hunger Games, usually with the tag of "Hunger Games is just a rip off of Battle Royale." Was it? I wanted to find out for myself. . .

Battle Royale is set in "present day" Japan (it was written in the late 1990's). I would call it an alternate universe Japan, in which a fascist government rules Asia as if Japan had won WWII, but did not conquer America (it is not said how the government came into power). Every year, in each region, a class is chosen to have a fight to the death with only one survivor. The stats and winner of the game are televised, but the entire event is not. This book focuses on the Third Year Class B, Shiroiwa Junior High School class that consists of 21 females and 21 males.

The class believes they are on a school trip until a gas is released into the bus, knocking them out. They awake in a classroom with collars on their necks and a sadistic man, Sakamochi, in charge. He lays out the rules for the game, that there can only be one winner, that certain zones will be forbidden at different times (if you are in the forbidden zone the collar will kill you), and that if there is too long a period between killings, they will all be killed. Each student is released one at a time and has to take a bag of survival gear from the top of the pile. Each student gets a different weapon from a machine gun to a knife. The story explores the game and each member of the class has their own story.

I loved this book. I literally couldn't put it down last month while I was reading it. I enjoyed it so much; I was daunted by the thought of creating a review for it. Would I give it justice? How do I begin to review a book where so much is going on?

First of all, Battle Royale is a book with non-stop action. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Although the book was very violent, the deaths were not gratuitous. There was a back story given for all of the characters, some more in depth than others. Each one of their deaths meant something to the reader, and really made one realize how morally corrupt their government was for putting them in such a situation. Battle Royale is also a book about acceptance and for not judging people by their outward appearances.The friendships were wonderful in this book, which made it all the more terrible when friends were killed.

How did this book compare to The Hunger Games? I liked them both, but for different reasons. Do I think Suzanne Collins blatantly ripped off Koushun Takami as message boards suggest? No. The stories are similar, but also very different. The overall themes are as old as the Roman gladiators and public punishment (beheadings, drawn and quartering, etc. were all ways for monarchs to control their society). Other authors have explored many of these themes in works such as "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, 1984 by George Orwell, etc. The Hunger Games focuses on one main competition a year with two teenage representatives from 12 districts. These games are televised and there can be only one winner. There is one main character, Katniss Everdeen. The government uses the games to keep the Districts under control. In Battle Royale, there is a main character, but all of the games participants are given a story and their deaths are more meaningful. There are many games (one in each district) per year and while the results are televised, the games themselves are not. There is only one winner and the government uses it to control the society.

I think the evil government of The Hunger Games works better, especially more into the series. The purpose of the games seemed much clearer in The Hunger Games. In Battle Royale, having so many different games going on at one time, made the deaths seem not as meaningful for keeping the country under control. In Battle Royale, they talked about not having enough kids and I thought, well, when you kill off a few thousand every year, it will make a difference in your population dynamics.

I liked Katniss Everdeen as the tough heroine that does what she can to survive, yet keeps her humanity. Telling the story from her perspective really makes one want to cheer for her and gives it a unique take for the viewer. On the other hand, I liked how Battle Royale made each character important and each death meaningful by telling the stories of all of the participants. The actual day-to-day stories of both books are very different from each other.

Overall, I loved Battle Royale. It was a great action dystopian novel that also had some wonderful themes to think about. Do I think that The Hunger Games or Battle Royale are the same book? No. They are both unique and worth a read.

An even longer and more in depth review is on my blog, Laura's Reviews.

Wow. I went into this book knowing the premise and expecting an ultraviolent action story featuring characters that I didn't really like getting killed at every turn like some kind of slasher flick. The violence did not disappoint, but I also got a strong, bittersweet story with an ensemble cast of really great characters, many of whom I ended up actually caring for.

If you haven't read the book, the story centers on a class of Japanese teenagers who are taken to a deserted island by agents of their fascist government and told that they have to kill each other until only one of them is left alive. This is not a story about kids being left without authority figures, it is a story about how kids respond when authority tells them to do something horrible. Some of them try to resist and escape. Some try to hide. Some of them throw themselves into the game and viciously hunt down people who were their friends just a couple of days ago.

The characters are the highlight of the book. Some of them are realistic enough to be your friends in high school. Some are so outrageous that they seem to have walked off the pages of a Japanese comic. But all of them are interesting. They get to you, which makes you care about their plight. I found myself cheering for some of them. I was thinking, "No! Don't trust her! She's got a knife and she's going to kill you! Run away!" Or, "Don't freak out! He's a good guy, you can trust him!" But fear and suspicion drives the characters in the story, and they don't make the right choices all the time. They are killed off by the dozens, and every single death is shown to the reader. And they all matter. Some of them you feel so sad for. I was touched when a couple innocent young lovers found a sad way to escape the game, or when a cool guy went through hell trying to reach the girl he loved and she had no idea that he felt that way so she didn't know if she could trust him. And then you find out the whole awful past of a really bad character all at once and suddenly you understand exactly why someone could do the terrible things she did. One of my favorite characters only shows up for a few pages, but you get a glimpse into a mind that has totally checked out and retreated into fantasy to deal with this impossible situation. And you ask yourself, is it just the fact that she's thrown into this, or was she detached from reality all along? You will be asking yourself that a lot about the characters. Was this person always this way, or did the game change them? And the characters are asking themselves the same questions all along. Can I trust this person? She was never a good person in school. Or, he's my friend, of course I can trust him! And sometimes they are right and sometimes they are very wrong.

I read through this book in practically one sitting, I was so enthralled. It will touch your heart, but it's not for the faint of heart. It is gory and unrelenting, but also romantic and beautiful. It is also darkly funny in places, so if you like your humor black you will appreciate some of the situations in the story, as well as the satirical aspects of the work. If you can handle it, there's something for everyone here. Humor, thrills, a lot of sadness, as well as happiness, hope, and something very touching and bittersweet.

Highly recommended.

To anyone who reads the basic plot summary of Koushun Takami's Battle Royale - teenagers battle to the death in an isolated part of a dictatorship - it might seem like a knockoff of the very popular Hunger Games. Actually, however, Battle Royale is around a decade older than the adventures of Katniss Everdeen.

This in no way means that The Hunger Games is a ripoff of Battle Royale, just that they have some similarities in plot, just as both are similar to other stories (for example, Stephen King's The Long Walk, which Takami even cites in the afterword as an influence).

The Hunger Games is particularly an indictment of reality TV (particularly the cutthroat ones like Survivor); the "game" of Battle Royale, however, takes place out of the public eye. A class of fifteen year old students - misled to believe that they are on a field trip - are knocked out and find themselves on a remote island where they're briefly informed of the rules of the game and sent off into the wild.

It's this aspect that adds a particular brutality to this competition: these 42 teenagers (21 boys, 21 girls) know each other. Some are friends and some are even lovers. Each are armed with different weapons, from Uzis to icepicks, randomly assigned. The protagonists of the story are Shuya and Noriko, a boy and girl, respectively, who team up early. There will be many adversaries, but none as chilling as the sociopathic and highly skilled Kazuo.

This is an excellent, exciting novel that never relents in its tension. With little in the way of respite, it is almost too intense and you can feel a bit drained after reading parts of it. When a book can make you feel that way, you know it's succeeding.

Adrenalin pumping, gun toting, emotional roller-coaster and an all out brilliant story. Now the gushing is over let gets to the rest of my review.

If you don't like reading about death and killing, this isn't the book for you, but if can handle extremely edgy content, then buy it now because you'll love the story. Yes, there were some bits where I cringed and thought, "Nooooo ... I like that character, bring him back, you big meanie!" but by and large I was completely wrapped up in the story.

Okay, a one line synopsis: A class of 42 students have to fight until there is only one left alive.

And this was the main reason why I held back a bit before buying this book, because I knew the majority of the characters were going to die and I didn't want to invest emotionally into them. By the way, The Hunger Games author must've read this book, because the ideas are too similar. Yes, she'd put a spin on her own story, but there are definite similarities, although Battle Royale is soooooo much better. And the reason why, besides the full on action and nail biting sequences,the characters were fantastic. I eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn't just about how the characters were going to leave this world, and in many of their cases biting the bullet, but it was also largely about getting to know these 15-year-olds and learning what made them unique and interesting. By the way, some of my favourites were Shinji, Shogo and Horoki. I also felt like protecting that poor boy who got shot trying to save that nasty girl's life. He was such a sweetheart and really put across how young these characters were.

And this brings me to the major theme of this story: TRUST. Some of the students trusted their classmates when they shouldn't have while others didn't trust when they needed to. This theme was all the way through the book and was a main reason behind why many of the characters died.

HEROES: Yes, there were a number of heroes in here, like Shuya, Shogo, Hiroki, Yukie, and some more.

VILLAINS: I HATED Mitsuko (although the author gives you good reasons behind why she was like this), Kazuo (the most stone-cold villain with literally no feelings due to an accident when he was a baby) and of course the despicable and deplorable Sakamochi.

Now, you've noticed all the names above are Japanese. Well, this is because this is a Japanese book that has been translated into English. I've read about some people complaining about the translation (luckily not too many). I personally didn't have a problem with it. Of course there were going to be some blips, but then again there are English books that have these too. Plus, I was so wrapped up in the story that I didn't care about a few not so smooth sentences. Remember, this also puts you in the mind-frame that you are reading a Japanese book, so just think of it as an accent.

By the way, Japanese names that start off with a Y must be incredibly popular, because there were a number of characters with Y names. Sometimes it was slightly hard to follow all the names, but the really distinctive characters, and the major ones that you were following the most, stuck out with no problems. As you can see I've mentioned some names above and I didn't need to look them up again, which is a sign of how much I got into this story, because foreign names are after all harder to remember. Anyway, if you have trouble remembering the names there is a list of all the students before the Introduction.

I'll stop here. Definitely a 5 star story, which is now classed as one of my all time favourite books (of which I have 4). I am now looking for the book's movie, which came out in 2000 (made in Japan).

There is certainly a strong possibility that Suzanne Collins based at least some of The Hunger Games on this novel. Although she denies she knew of the book before she published the first book of her trilogy. I'm about as convinced as I am that Huxley didn't know of "We" before writing "Brave New World"; which means that I am on board with Orwell in the "I'm not buying that" school of thought.

Regardless, this is quite an original novel. This was published in 1999 in Japan to widespread controversy. We won't get into too many details, but let's just say that many countries banned it's release and most Western publishers wouldn't touch it after the whole Columbine shooting. Something about kids butchering kids in gruesome ways that people find squeamish. I don't really blame some of the major publishers for fearing the backlash. But now, with the popularity of Hunger Games, we have a brand new edition of the book and a new Blu-Ray release of the subsequent films. Go figure.

Reading this story, you realize it is violent. Very, very, VERY violent. But it is not a book written just to exploit teenage violence. It is a response to the increasing amount of shocking scenery on television, reality TV most of all. Takami was likely influenced by Golding's Lord of the Flies. But this is taken to the 21st century. What the book does well that the films don't is to really highlight the background of 'The Program' and it includes a list of the 42 students. At the end of each chapter is a line saying X students remaining. Sometimes when I flipped to the last page of a chapter, my eyes were drawn to the number and I became anxious if I knew somebody was going to 'get it' in that last page. And for the record, The Program collects 50 Junior High classes at random from around Japan and pits the students against each other with a last man standing wins set of rules. The students all wear explosive collars and at times can only enter into certain areas on the island or the collars will explode. Attempt escape and the collar explodes.

There is quite a bit of written gore. You can't really call it 'graphic' (since it's written not photographed or drawn), but it does conjure up some pretty gritty images. I would say that nothing Takami wrote is as horrifying as the prisoner skinning chapter in Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicle though. It's just the constant blood bath is violent, but there is not the poetic description of slow and torturous death as in Wind Up. Instead most of the graphically written depictions are made after the character has met their grisly end. And more than once the protagonist calls the dead students "corpses" or "meat", further distancing himself and the reader from the emotional attachment to a character once they're dead.

This is meant to shock and disturb. Takami is saying "Look how far I have to go to shock people", and even then, many people are still desensitized. I find it horrifying but strangely addictive. The writing is so simple and fluid in that modern Japanese style (translated to English very well); I found myself unable to put the book down at times.

Just be prepared for what is to come, and enjoy a shocking, and weirdly engaging story about forty-two fifteen to sixteen year olds violently trying to kill each other. Last one standing wins (or just goes crazy).

Truly a fantastic novel. I loved every second of it. Loaded with action, though provoking moments, and TONS of surprises.

There are 40 some students and you pretty much get to see all of their point of views. For example: Point of view from Sally; Sally wakes up and gets killed by Jerry. Point of view from Jerry; sees Sally wake up and gets scared and kills her. That way you get to see all of the thought processes.

Every character is unique and well built, offering something new. A few jokes here and there are also added into the mix. At first, I thought one of the main characters, Shuya, was a bit annoying and lacked common sense. But as the book went on, I began to like him. I ended up liking most of the characters. Some were deeply disturbed and highly interesting.

The ending will blow your mind, in my opinion. When I got down to the last part, I thought, "Oh wow, did that really just happen!?" and I thought I figured it out. Well... BAM. Another twist. Trust me, you won't see the ending coming in any way. Once you think you've got it figured out, you realize you're wrong.

Only downside were the Japanese names. Got a little confusing, especially since some are very similar. But you get familiar with them, so no worries. It is a tad gory, but I like that stuff, keeps it interesting and realistic with no sugar coating it for you. He gives it to you straight. Lastly, I think he should have made them high school students. Some of the stuff I was reading, I thought was fairly unrealistic for a middle schooler to be doing, so I just pictured them as high school students the whole time. To each is own though.

Read this book! It is now my favorite.

Imagine this: Japan is run by a totalitarian government, which occasionally selects groups of ninth graders to methodically destroy each other. On TV.

There now, isn't that chilling? It's the creepy, all-too-real premise of Koushun Takami's "Battle Royale," an intricate novel about a parallel universe, where Japan is part of a brutal, coldhearted empire. Takami's writing style is a bit too spare at times, but he's still able to inspire a sense of haunting terror in his readers.

A group of third-year high-schoolers are being transported on a bus, when they are gassed to unconsciousness, and taken to a distant island. When they awake, they have silver collars around their necks, and a man explains that they have been chosen for the Program: a military training exercise where you must kill or be killed. If you don't play, or stay in one place too long, the collars explode.

The teenagers slowly weed one another out, armed with weapons and random household tools, and monitored by the authorities to make sure they don't plot. Finally the entire class is weeded down to three young adults, including Shuya Nanahara and his girlfriend Noriko. But if they refuse to kill, then they must escape the fascist nightmare... which no one has done before.

"Battle Royale" was condemned in Japan for being so violent, and having a bunch of normal high schoolers killing each other off. So of course, it became a massive bestseller. But "Battle Royale" would have been striking even if it hadn't been publicized like that -- not only is it well-written, but it asks the question straight-out: how much will people do to survive?

Maybe it's also a parable about high-school life, and the struggle to succeed at all costs in Japan. However, Koushun Takami avoids any outright preaching or pondering. Instead he uncoils the tense plot, all about the kids fighting (they're told to "show no mercy") as they try to find a way out of their dilemma alive. Will any of them make it? There's a little glimmer of hope, since Shuya is trying to think his way out.

The pacing is pretty slow and intricate -- considering the large cast, it's not surprising. But the careful plot is punctuated with bursts of nasty action. And Takami writes in a spare, taut style, full of little details to add atmosphere and keep it from being TOO stark ("Under the moonlight, the bluish-white concrete pier gleamed like bone").

Shuya and Noriko are the main characters, and most of the novel's action is through their eyes. These are nice, normal, everyday kids like the ones who live down the street, but suddenly they're faced with their friends and classmates... wanting to kill them. Takami does a great job exploring their emotions as they struggle to keep their sanity and lives.

Violent, creepy and wonderfully atmospheric, "Battle Royale" is a brilliant cult novel that takes an exaggerated look at what it takes to stay ahead. Excellent piece of work.

'Battle Royale' is an excellent Japanese novel that is both gripping and original. I won't describe the storyline as the the store page has a pretty good synopsis. I will say that from the first page you will be hooked and you will find yourself returning to this book at every free moment to see how the story develops. It is a simple premise, superbly executed (excuse the pun!) and you will become completely immersed in the mindsets of the various characters and how they behave. This book, like the film, is deemed controversial and yet I can't see any real reason why. It is a violent novel, but no more so than others out there, and it has a great many redeeming qualities compared to those other pulp fiction horror books. The translation is very good, so much so that you barely realise you are reading a translation at all, the ultimate goal I would have thought. This book is so easy to read that the 613 pages will fly by in no time at all. The ending, considering the subject matter, manages to leave you satisfied and with an adrenaline rush as well. One of the better modern fiction books i've read in a while and well worth a read.

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Every year, one class of junior high students is selected to participate in a game: isolated on a deserted island, provided with weapons, they must kill each other until just one student survives. When Shuya's class is picked, he must discover who to trust, how to fight, and if it is possible to survive--and perhaps even fight back against the system. A tense and grotesquely violent book, Battle Royale is addictive and boldly confrontational. Some characterization and psychological insight give depth to the violence, making it more than a cheap thrill. Despite a sometimes-awkward writing style, this is an engrossing read and which packs a wallop. Moderately recommended.

With more than 40 students to kill off, Battle Royale is by necessity long and densely packed with brutal violence. The slaughter is often unrelenting; when it does pause, it builds tension that makes subsequent violence all the more intense. A story like that isn't for all readers, but those that come anticipating a thrill will find it: this is a dense, high-adrenaline, violent novel which--despite its length--reads quickly. But the thrill doesn't come cheap: 600 pages also provides time to build characterization, examine psychological motivation, and even do a bit of world building. These aspects occur in moderation, but they give depth and meaning to all the violence and make the book worth reading even for those already familiar with the film.

Unfortunately, Battle Royale's writing style is a little awkward--character thoughts intermix with narration, punctuation is sometimes shady, and it's all stiff and stunted yet at the same time too informal. My problems with this style may be personal; furthermore I'm uncomfortable reviewing translated works because I never know what factors--be they regional differences, poor translation, or the nature of translation itself--may create weaknesses such as this one. But whatever the contributing or mitigating factors, even after 600 pages Battle Royale's writing style felt awkward to the point of distraction. That's my only major complaint, however. Battle Royale may be exceptional only in its premise, but that premise is fascinating and it makes for a dense, tense, quick read; other aspects balanced against the action give the the book enough purpose and depth to be fulfilling and thought-provoking. It's not must-read, but it's an intriguing book and to an interested audience, I recommend it.

This book belongs squarely in the "un-put-down-able" camp. This book deals with a question that Hunger Games ignores: What really happens if you take a bunch of teenagers, isolate them, and force them to kill each other? It ups the ante from Hunger Games, though, by refining the question and asking-- And what if they've known each other since they were small children? Some hide. Some team up. Many fight out of fear. But many still display goodness. Goodness sometimes undone by skittishness. But there are still great moments of heroism in this book. And villainy-- of course, Takami throws in a psychopath, just to mix things up a bit. And they do other things not touched in the Hunger Games (likely due to length differences, different audiences aimed for-- this is definitely a book for adults, and different focuses) which I found realistic and interesting. Several characters with compelling plot lines died before I wanted them to, but I guess I was told that would happen up front.

Definitely not a book that I would recommend to everyone, because we are still talking about kids killing kids (and sometimes worse). But these deaths are mourned and not treated lightly. Still-- I'd give some thought before just diving in to this book. Also, though I loved the plot and characters, the writing style itself was sometimes awful, which was likely due to the translation.

"Battle Royale" was first published in 1999, has since been made into a movie and manga series and has had sequels, though it still has not gathered a huge following in the United States. It should. It deserves to.

Koushun Takami's novel takes place in the not-too-distant future where a totalitarian government holds a special game every so often. The rules of the game are simple. Kidnapped junior high students are placed on an island. They're given some weapons, chosen randomly. The last one standing is the winner. What do you win? The opportunity to go on with your life. And to make it more challenging, a small explosive has been placed on a circlet around your neck; if so much times passes without any of the students being killed, then all the explosives go off and everyone dies.

This particular novel focuses on one class of students and they're handful of days on an island where the game occurs. There's lots of action here, and a plenty of graphic violence, so stay away if this isn't your type of story. Keep in mind these are young people, barely older than children, doing some very bad things to one another. Imagine "Lord of the Flies" with guns and worse. But fans of hard-hitting adventure tales will love this novel.

There are twists and turns and students die page by page. Eventually it gets down to just four students. Who will die? Who will live? The answer is not an easy one to come to, and I won't give away the ending here. Let's just say you'll be happy with the ending.