Battle Royale (Battle Royale)

Submitted by Reviewer (not verified) on Saturday, November 12, 2005 - 23:38

Short Stories

Koushun Takami: Battle Royale

Author	Koushun Takami
Made	VIZ Media LLC
Date	2003-02-26
Media	Paperback
Catalog	Book
Sales Rank	17758
Availability	Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price	US$15.95
Our Price*	US$10.85

*Price subject to change

Amazon.com US$10.85

Amazon Canada CDN$18.00

Amazon UK £8.24

Reviews:

Rating 4.5/5 from 140 reviews

A pretty good book if you know what you're getting into...

Rating: 3/5 2008-07-02

If I could, I'd give the book 3 and a half stars. The only real knock I have against this book is the rough translation. It's about as rough as translations get. I know it must be hard translating Japanese into English but man...I really feel it took away from the book. Other than that, like I said, if you know what to expect it's an enjoyable read.

Im already on my third copy of this book

Rating: 5/5 2008-07-01

Yes you heard me right, Ive read this book so many times that im on my third new copy, thr other two having fallen apart to peiced from being read too many times.

This book is a Gory, violent, bloody, paranois, vicious, nail-biting, revenge seeking, MASTERPEICE. I wont give away ANY details in this review, because this is one of those books that if you jump into it completely unprepared, you will be blown off the edge of your seat. I have rarely been so taken away into a book like this one did. You feel the absoloute terror of all of the characters and you wonder; will anyone survive? When will which friends turn on each other? If anyone lives, will they be able to get revenge?
If your squeamish, do NOT, i repeat, do not read this book. But if your an action, horror, and mystery fan, you MUST read this book.

Rating: 5/5 2008-06-26

It is truly an amazing pageturner.
This is a perfect novel for those who loves cruel, mysterious, and blood scene of battle, and has a little knowledge of the Japanese culture.
Although this book had been a controversial topic in Japan, still it won't stop the lovers of this kind of books.
It exhibits much more detail than the movie does.
If you haven't watched the movie yet, then go and watch it.
You will understand the plot better after watching the movie.

INCREDIBLE

Rating: 5/5 2008-06-04

One of the BEST books I've ever read. Couldn't put it down. Takami does an amazing job with the characterization of over 40 characters. A lot more than just a violent and gory story. It is about trust, human nature, and how people you think you know change when put in desperate situations. The friendship among the trio of Shuya, Noriko, and Shogo was developed beautifully. I had see the film before reading the book and I just watched it after reading the book, and it made watching the film a more fulfilling experience (even though, like all film adaptations, it did leave out certain parts). If you read one book this year, make it Battle Royale.

Fascinating concept---could have been translated better

Rating: 4/5 2008-04-04

I'd heard of _Battle Royale_ for a long time before finding out that yes, it was available in English. I promptly obtained the novel, the manga and the movie, and scuttled off to devour and compare.

The novel (whence the whole thing originated) has an intriguing premise, and the story is told fairly well---but I noticed in quite a few places that the translation wasn't as smoothly written as I'd have preferred. That said, it's a book that definitely deserves reading.

Editorials:

Product Description

Battle Royale, a high-octane thriller about senseless youth violence in a dystopian world, it is one of Japan's best-selling - and most controversial - novels. As part of a ruthless program by the totalitarian government, ninth-grade students are taken to a small isolated island with a map, food, and various weapons. Forced to wear special collars that explode when they break a rule, they must fight each other for three days until only one "winner" remains. The elimination contest becomes the ultimate in must-see reality television. A Japanese pulp classic available in English for the first time, Battle Royale is a potent allegory of what it means to be young and survive in today's dog-eat-dog world. The first novel by small-town journalist Koushun Takami, it went on to become an even more notorious film by 70-year-old director Kinji Fukusaku.

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