Battle Royale Volume 1

by Masayuki Taguchi and Koushun Takami

In the near future, a random class of 9th graders has been chosen to compete on The Program, a popular game show that requires its contestants to battle to the death on a top-secret island. Five students that couldn't be more different, now find themselves sharing a common plight. Abandoned, and with no hope of escape, they must kill each other.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591823145
• ISBN13: 9781591823148
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: TokyoPop
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Do the research, ignore the hype.

First of all, it goes without saying that Battle Royale is not a story for anyone who detests violence. Regardless of what format you came to it in, the story is sound and was, at the time, an excellent commentary on where Japan could have been in an alternate timeline. It was originally written as a novel by Koushun Takami and has been adapted into both a film (with sequel) and this manga. The manga was then adapted into English by Keith Giffen -for- Tokyopop. What people reviewing this book fail to realize, at times, is that Takami wrote the manga as well as the book. He had his hands on both. Giffen just translated things into English and, as often is true, not -everything- in Japanese manga has a suitable equivalent in English. There are cultural points that we just don't have an equal for. So things have to be substituted for those readers who don't have some omniscient insight into Japanese society and culture. Yes, the violence, gore, and sex in the manga is over the top. What comic -doesn't- go over the top, though? What better way to drive home the insanity of The Program than to detail, visually, the horrors it causes? Everything in The Program is filmed and broadcast for the public to view. This is what they would be seeing, so how could the manga leave that out? While it can, at times, be sickening I find the detail level to be a wonderful injection of realism to the story. The drawings of the characters elucidate psychological flaws, character defects, egos, strengths, weaknesses, and things that caused them to be who and what they are. All in all, I find this well done. If you can't tolerate a visual splatterfest, though, I would not recommend this series to you.

Is the death of forty-one kids really that entertaining?

Forty-two kids killing each other in the name of survival. That's the basic premise of Koushun Takami's cult-novel Battle Royale that has been adapted into the hit manga series by Masayuki Taguchi. The plot sounds beyond insane, the mere mention of the idea almost offensive, so how on Earth could reading a comic about school children murdering each other be interesting let alone entertaining? But it is interesting, and furthermore, Battle Royale has a way of engrossing the reader into its bloody storyline to a point where it becomes a simple decision to invest in the rest of the series. Ultimately, Battle Royale is a manga series that works on many different levels. It's a gripping story, full of romance, lots and lots of brutal action, some incredibly detailed artwork, and also disturbing portrayal of human nature. In an alternative universe where Japan has become apart of the Greater East Asia Republic with an oppressive Big-Brother government, a ninth grade high school class is randomly selected to participate in The Program, a nationally televised reality game show where students are released on an uninhabited island, given a random weapon and rations, and then let loose with one objective: to be the only one alive. Each student is equipped with an explosive collar which will detonate if no one dies within twenty-four hours, forcing them to fight if they wish to survive. A young boy, Nanahara Shuya, the class' resident rebel-rocker, finds himself in the middle of it, refusing to kill but also bearing the responsibility of protecting Nakagawa Noriko, a female classmate. His vow not to play the game, however, becomes tested when it becomes apparent that many of his classmates are more than willing to kill in order to win. Among them are the emotionless Kiriyama and the scarred Mitsuko, both natural born killers who will go to any extent to win, along with a host of other students who give in to their unbridled savage nature when forced to. The characters of Battle Royale are one of the series' strongest points. Great pains are taken to flesh each one out, so that when each one dies, you feel some sort of emotion. It could be satisfaction or glee when a rapist meets his gruesome end or sadness when one of your favorite characters finally meets their match. No character is really invincible, and as a result the story always remains intense. From the charismatic hacker Mimura Shinji to the Kung-Fu master Sugimara to the terrified Noriko, Battle Royale presents a variety of characters that do a good job of reflecting the different personalities found in an average high school. It lends a certain amount of realism is an otherwise borderline ridiculous setting. At times, it is almost painful to watch the story progress as you become attached to more than one character, because despite all the nurtured hopes that the students share of escaping, the rules of the Program are that only one student lives. The characters are really what bring out the

Reminds me of driving past a car wreck . . .you have to look

If you know anything about this series, you know it's not for the faint of heart. The story takes place in the not-too-distant future, in Tokyo, Japan. For reasons unexpalined in this volume, a "game show" has been introduced into society as a sick sort of entertainment. 42 teens, 21 girls and 21 boys, are pitted against one another, and the sole survivor (the one who isn't killed by his peers) is the winner.In a world that is now besieged with numerous reality shows, this extreme game doesn't feel as far off as it should. The graphic content doesn not horrify me as much as the probability of this apocalyptic future.The artwork is graphic and disturbing, yet the characters are still beautiful. The main character's, Shuuya's, childhood flashbacks add to the depressing overtones of the "program." We see Shuuya laughing and playing as a child, and we wonder if the next page will spell doom for that said friend.The story is compelling and you read on as if you're passing by a highway accident; you just have to look. This volume is very gory and deptressing (but thought provoking.) Is it something we have to dread in our future?!?As for the previous reviews, this is definitely NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN. But then again, it's written for adults. It comes shrinkwrapped for a reason.Oh, and typing in all caps doesn't validate your opinion. But then again, I'd like to say: THANKS TOKYOPOP!

Wonderful.

The story is unique. I must admit, I have not read the book, but I have seen the movie. It felt as though the movie moved by far way too fast, and you never really had a chance to get in touch with the characters. This allows you to do so, as well as understand so much more. I find myself growing attached to certain characters, and hating others. Seeing it in pictures dramtizes the actual event and makes you understand it. It is like a mixture of a book and a movie. It has the suspense a movie does, and the feelings a movie does, as well as the slow pace and the character/personality detail that a book contains. That is why this is absolutely wonderful. It entrances your mind and you find yourself reading it over again and again, I must say though, not for the young/innocent of mind. It can traumatize.

You'll forget your reading backwards

This graphic novel has a simple but brilliant premise, a game show where the students of one school must kill one another until the last survivor stands. This is my first venture into manga and my curiousity was only peaked because the translator is my favorite comics writer, Keith Giffen. I was pleasantly suprised at the level of sophistication the story leads into. The gore is heavy but neccesary to make the story work.