Product Description

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. Included in this class are Shuuya Nanahara, Noriko Nakagawa, Shogo Kawada, Kazuo Kiriyama, and Mitsuko Souma. Five students that couldn't be more different, yet now find themselves sharing a common plight. Abandoned, and with no hope of escape, they must kill each other and the rest of their class, until only one of them is left living. Unwilling to slaughter his fellow classmates for the amusement of others, Shuuya forms an alliance to fight back and deliver a counter-punch to the government that ruined their lives. However, he must be careful, for there are some students who are determined to "win" this cruel game.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70567 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 8
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellente
When I first bought the first five Battle Royale's I didn't realise they were graphic novels, which I suppose was consequently my own fault for not reading, but it suddenly got me into a wealth of graphic novels and Battle Royale is the manga that has me most hooked.

If you want a little insight: lots blood, lots killing, lots nakedness, lots swearing, got that? Good.

I'm sure the majority of you know the Battle Royale storyline by now, Japan have won the second world war, laws have been introduced, yadda yadda. I'd warn watching the film before this, some people say it the other way round, but because of this manga I now hate the film, I just don't enjoy it now compared to this masterpiece and thats why you should watch the film whilst you may enjoy it rather than being put down.

Book three, as many have said, went over the top with it's side story Fallen Angel, amongst all the sex (which was pretty much all the thrid book seemed to try and consist of) there was my favorite piece of art ever, the Mitsuko angel thingy, I won't go into that, it's not important.

The drawings are excellent, I have rarely seen quality this good, every box is a piece of art, they should cut out the boxes and put them in an art gallery. Some of my friends complained about some of the characters looking too cartoonish, well, thats their problem.

All in all, should this be your thing, you won't be let down, if it isn't but you're still interested, I'm sure just peeking at the first one to find out won't do you any harm.

Actually, I take that back...

Disturbing -- but heart-rending
I first heard about Battle Royale when the film was banned from America following the spate of school shootings in the late '90s. When I saw the first volumes of the manga had been released -- and worked on by Keith Giffen, no less! -- I bought them out of curiosity.

They were at once the most disturbing, but also some of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful, manga I ever found. The level of violence and the gruesome imagery only added poignancy to the deaths of characters you were only just beginning to know when they died. The speed at which characters you'd only just met disappeared forever gave the story the feel of a really good film, dragging you along at breakneck speed, unable to look away for even a second. (The long waits between volumes were harrowing, let me tell you!)

Shuuya, in particular, while fulfilling the perfect cliche of the pretty-boy-rebel-with-a-heart-of-gold, had my heartstrings from the get-go; I wanted so desperately for him to survive. Same for Shinji, and Shogo, and so many others... and the best, and worst, part was, *you really never knew if they would*.

This is 100% FOR ADULTS ONLY. I was suprised to find it sold in regular bookstores in the American Deep South, where I'm from. It's mature in tone but in imagery as well; this is the stuff of real nightmares. But for those who can see beyond the brutality, there's a lot of hope buried in there -- it's definitely worth a look. Highly recommended.

Trust? it's gone down the drain...
Unbelievable. This is simply one of the best Manga i have ever seen. This title first caught my eye as it had the same title as the infamous film. with comparison, it is easily seen that the manga follows the movie to a suitable extent, but diverts from the stroyline to a sufficiant degree as to prevent it from being dull for those who had already seen the movie. The story itself, though being heavily influenced by the classical "Lord of the Flies" brings a heavy sense of reality the novel by William Golding couldnot capture (this fact is obviously helped by the fact that it's illustrated). The story opens with an introduction (with smooth transaction to each one) to several characters, all of whom are obviously going to be the main focus of the book. The first impressions felt is the perfection in which the whole thing is assembled, as the artwork is smooth and at times very gory

Most striking about this book is the brutality of the treatment towards the children of Class B, wheter from the insane government official, Mr. Kamon, or from the people they once called friends. The reactions of the children to the fact that they have a near certain death sentance is very well portrayed, bieng realistic and unpredictable.

Unlike the series, Love Hina (which i do enjoy despite its certain downfalls) the english translation which doesn't follow the japanese script, works. And it works superbly (a nice suprise for a devoted Manga reader). The atmosphere of insanity and fear is very much amplified by the dialouge, and the script is in conjunction with the frames.

Simply reading this book leaves one with a rush of adrenalaine, and it is easily said that this is a must-read for shonen fans everywhere