Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
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Book Reviews of Battle Royale
Book Review: brilliant.
Summary: 5 Stars
Honestly, you assume with a movie like Battle Royale that the book will pale in comparison. And maybe, for the first 100 pages it does: you have -seen- this happen, and a dully translated description of it feels like nothing.However, the backstories encorporated in the novel Battle Royale really serve to strengthen your empathy with the overall plot and characters. Characters that seemed to have no real emphasis in the movie become three dimensional and not merely gore devices.
The background story of the Republic also serves crucially to explain a parable that, while close to a Japanese view of world and government, should serve closer to an American one. While Battle Royale seems to be an unthinkable act of violence to put 15 year olds through for wagers, perhaps this parable is something that in the 21st century we should be considering. How far is too far?
Kiriyama in the book, however, I just don't find dreadfully evil and delicious as in the movie, but I supposes sacrifices must be made for a well rounded piece of fiction. Definately worth the read, and the movie is brilliant as well. Perhaps after this encounter with the original book I can justify the ugliness of Battle Royale II.
Book Review: "A student is not a tangerine..."
Summary: 5 Stars
Takami Koushun is, simply put, a freakin' genius. Battle Royale is a twisted, frightening and totally honest look at the result of "successful facism" and a metaphor for modern life. The characters are all incredibly realistic and disturbingly familiar. It's a thought provoking and brutally violent story that begs the question: "Would I [destroy] my friends to survive?"Although the characters are young, this book really isn't for Junior High students. The incredible level of violence plus some disturbing character histories (if you've seen the movie, you know who I'm talking about...) are almost certainly more many young people can handle. Blowing someone up in Quake is one thing but reading a graphic account of a teenaged boy being blown up for trying to protect the girl he loves is quite another thing.
It's a shame too, though, because young people would benefit most from reading this. In a way, it voices the thoughts of the current generation: Can I trust my friends? Can I trust anyone? Why are adults always trying to [foul things up]?
All in all, Battle Royale is an excellent book. If you can handle extreme violence then, by all means, look into it.
Book Review: Well Worth the read
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm currently using this book in my Honors English Course and I have to say the story is flawless, a perfect additon. The story is defenitely not for the faint of stomach or heart and the plot truly relates the paraells of life and the allegory of "a dog eat dog" world. No Japanese understanding is necessary and the translation was very well done, the transisitions I must say also make the novel worth reading it ceartainly offers a broad scope of the human psyche. The style of reading is defenitely a new one for me as well, the text can change which ceartainly helps pull in the reader and the map, list of students, and how many are left leave the reader with an immerse feeling of "being in the game." The overall written quality and depth of this book made it well worth the investment. The movie is also interesting but the book is a great way to get an understanding of this novel's message. It's kind of "The Lord of the Flies" meets "Reservoir Dogs" (Quinten Torientino's 1992 High Octane thriller). Prepare yourself for a bloody battle and suprises around every corner as "Battle Royale" takes the reader to a meaning of "hell on earth" and back.Book Review: Battle Royale - High Octane Thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you set a bunch of teenagers on a island and put them in a game to kill each other, me neither but in this exciting book you get to find out.
Battle Royale tells the story of a boy named Shuya Nanahara and his classmates in a ridiculous game created by their sick government. The game is simple yet sick and twisted because the once friendly classmates now are pitted against one another and must kill to win. Shuya and a girl who was injured in the beginning must out think and out kill their once friendly classmates.
This is probably one of the greatest books I have ever read. The way Koushun Takami writes and the way he depicts everything makes it feel
like I was there. I would only recommend the book for an older audience
because of mature content of what happens in the story. There are some questionable things in this book that i didn't see the point of but it worked for Koushun. All in all this is an amazing book and i would recommend it to anyone that wants an exciting read and who isn't afraid of blood or gore. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Book Review: You know you want to read it.
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first picked up this book, I had high expectations for it. It was recomended to me many times, but I thought that it couldn't be that great. Or could it? It was.The story is relativly simple. In the future, Japan, or "The Republic of Greater East Asia", is owned by a megalomaniac who delights in kidnapping classes of junior-high students, placing them in secluded locations, strapping bombs around their necks, loading them full of high-powered weaponry, and forcing them to kill their mates that they have known for years. Sounds like fun.
The book itself, of course, quickly focuses on a protagonist, so you will have a fairly good idea of who will 'win' early on. However, Koushun Takami gets into the minds of most of the kids on the island. You will get to know a good number of them fairly well, then watch as their brains get torn out, blown out, or crushed out. Oh, yeah, another thing Takami does well is think of nice, creative deaths.
I recommend this book to anyone willing to stop saying "That's so horrible" and realize it for what it is - a work of fiction.