Battle Royale: Remastered (Battle Royale (Novel))

After being a big fan of the film for around 15 years I was extremely apprehensive about buying the book. Not that I hadn't heard good things because I've heard nothing but praise. I was worried after being such a big fan of the film that I wouldn't enjoy the differences between the film and the book. I was worried I wouldn't enjoy the story and especially the characters as much, or that in the end I would end up no longer enjoying the film so much.I had nothing to worry about.I was hooked from the first page and blew through the final 400 pages in two days. Beautifully written in an easy to read and uncomplicated and littered with dark humour that appears to break the forth wall on numerous occasions this book made me feel afraid, physically sick and utterly heartbroken.The character development and the insight into their lives in their final hours makes this book deeply tragic and truly heartbreaking and I found I connected with these characters on a deep level that I doubt will ever leave me. Takami weaves a fantastically tragic tale about loyalty, love, survival and murder that centers around the breakdown of relationships during times of war. Of course there is the social and political commentary but at it's heart Battle Royale is about friendships torn apart by violence.Yes, the violence is graphic but that only adds to the tragedy of the tale. This is an outstanding and riveting read that's as compelling and in its own way beautiful as it is tragic and vulgar.

Fantastic book the OG hunger games but more graphic and shocking. Thoroughly enjoying the read so far. Came perfectly packaged and in excellent condition

Great read, thoroughly enjoyed it

I first heard of Battle Royale when reading reviews of The Hunger Games, when it was suggested that Ms. Collins' inspiration must have come from this book. It took me a while, but after seeing a few more recommendations, I purchased a copy and sat it on my shelf. Where it sat for several months until last Saturday I decided I felt like reading a paperback book and it was the first one I picked up.To be honest, at first I was a little wary - sure the storyline sounds amazing, but how could I possibly keep 42 (!) characters (with Japanese names which also confuse me) straight in my head? I have trouble with half a dozen sometimes....so it was with a little trepidation that I opened the book to the first page.......I was immediately hooked - keeping the characters straight was made easier by a list of names in the front of the book, and when characters that had been previously mentioned reappeared, the link back through the writing was strong enough that I was fully aware of who was who, their story, their actions and their fates.This is not a book for the faint hearted - Takami holds nothing back in his imagination, and some scenes are jaw-dropping in their intensity and detail, but the story itself stops Battle Royale from spiraling into a mindless bloodbath. There are twists and turns I never saw coming and the ending is breathtaking (and unexpected!).Three days and more than 600 pages later I finished reading (I put off the final 20-odd pages off because I didn't want it to end!), put down the book, turned to my boyfriend and said just one word "Wow!".I wish I could tell you more about this book, but it is a difficult book to review without giving away key parts of the story. If you can get a copy, you should definitely invest in this book - I'll definitely be going back to this one again!

Whether or not Battle Royale was the inspiration for The Hunger Games is a debate that continues to rage. For what it's worth I believe Suzanne Collins when she says she had never heard of the book or film, after all it was "banned" in the states until AFTER the first Hunger Games book had been written.... so, it is believable enough.The films are where I jump in. I watched them repeatedly - despite this I didn't realise they had been based on a book. I then tried to find copies of it to no real avail, trying every now and again over the years. It turned out this was a blessing in disguise as the better version of the book (it says Remastered on it) came out later - and this is the version I read. I highly recommend that this is the version you seek out. I have been told on a couple of occasions (and read online) that the original English version of the book is a more difficult read due to bad translation and formatting - probably because it was a rush job after the movie had been so successful internationally.Anyway, Battle Royale is like The Hunger Games in some respects except the violence is ramped ALL THE WAY TO 11! There are several differences throughout between the book and the film but nothing too out of the ordinary. The premise remains the same. The book is set in an alternate Japan of 1997. In this world Japan won World War Two. The country is strongly controlled by the government and anything "immoral" is banned (immoral things include rock music, and mostly anything American). 50 classes of students around Japan are selected to battle their classmates with only one survivor emerging from each group. To be clear, they are not battling students from other places, they only fight the other kids they have been going to school with. That's right - they get to kill their friends, boyfriends, girlfriends and..... enemies. All in the name of battle preparedness.Reading it, it is easy to see why it took three years to go from completion to publication. It is overly violent, and highly critical of certain government ideals. I guess that is why I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend you check it out.