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shanaia13
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
This is mostly intended as an in detail recommendation rather then a review. Battle Royale was amazing. I read the book a while ago, and now I just finished the manga, and I still felt just as into it and just as emotional and on edge reading the manga, as I did reading the book (As In, even though I knew what would happen).

Note: if you read the Battle Royale plot summary you will find it is VERY similar to that of hunger games, but Battle Royale came out a lot earlier (2008 hunger games and 1999 Battle Royale) Honestly I liked both the Hunger Games series and Battle Royale, but I found hunger games to be a massive rip off of it, which was much less intense emotionally, action wise, story wise, and romantically.

Anyway, Here are the main reason I loved Battle Royale:

~ ACTION: ~
Top notch realistic and intense in which you are on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, where all characters have an equal chance to die or live, the action, weapons, sturdiness of bodies and minds were very realistic and there was no overpowered moves, or weapons or abilities, only real life capabilities.

~ PLOT LINE: ~
It had an amazing plot, (can't spoil so I won't give specifics) where just like the hunger games, the setting takes place in a dictatorship where many people are treated horribly, and every year they host "The Program", which "randomly" selects a class of students in a "random" school and without any pre-empt, Bam, you are on a stranded area, now having to fight to the last one standing. The plot intensifies a lot and develops from simple survival into wanting to be free and get back at the program and the cruelty of it.

~ The CHARACTERS: ~
The characters, were all realistic, I mean in terms of mental stability, they acted as normal people, although many of the characters were constantly shifting in their struggle for sanity and while some went insane, others already were, and some just died like dogs. There were 3 main characters. The protagonist; Shuya Nanahara the hero type guy that believes in humanity, his friends, and can't even hold it against any of them to try to kill him, all around a good guy, too trusting though. Shuya develops slowly, but he surely develops into a strong consistent characters that knows his purpose. Noriko Nakagawa is not that major in terms of "Oh I really want to see what she will do next", but she does play an important role as the "anchor" of the the main character and the purpose for him to fight, to kill, and to survive. For a pretty girl, she has a strong, non whiny personality. Shogo Kawada was my favourite, he was the one who carried the manga, literally. Without him the main characters would have died fairly short into the game. Shogo is experienced, calm, and while he does have strong emotions or feelings, his overpowering sense of purpose and calm cold blooded analysis of everything makes him just about as amazing as a human can realistically get. His back story is heartbreaking and he is a truly well designed character.

~ The ART: ~
The art was very good, nothing out of the ordinary, just good quality, consistent, and realistic. The only 1 tiny tiny problem I had in all of the art was the announcer/directors face in the manga, I mean you only see him minutely after the first 20 or less chapters, but his face looks muscle intensive and disfigured. But besides that, the art was well done and there was no faults for the rest of the manga.

~ The ROMANCE: ~
The Romance was a major drive in this story, between Shuya Nanahara and Noriko Nakagawa, they had an intensive love, they are quite literally said to be "star crossed lovers", that is a quote. They love each other deeply, and their love and need to survive for each other and too keep the other alive helps them survive and develop into better characters. There is also quite a bit of other love in this manga, but the main love is between these 2 main characters, and quite the love it is.

Overall this manga was extremely intense, well thought out, relentless and passionate. It didn't stop getting more emotional and exciting, but rather continued to get better and better, upping the ante continually. I strongly guarantee that it if you can handle a mature, realistic and slightly gruesome manga this is something you most likely would enjoy.
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Kagamihara-chan9
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
The 42 students in Class B of the 1st year of high school at the Shiroiwa school are drawn to "THE PROGRAM" - a battle to the death between students, financed and transmitted by the dictatorship of the Republic of Greater East Asia.

Isolated on an island, armed, and restrained by an explosive necklace, classmates suddenly become enemies where only 1 must survive. Even if it means abandoning your friendships, humanity and hope.

In this unhealthy scenario, BATTLE ROYALE's narrative explores traumas, enmities, bullying and unrequited love in the past of his characters, justifying his actions in the present.

The fat man who was mocked by his colleagues for his sensitivity, now has a loaded beast. The girl with acne on her face has a revolver. The virgin has a pistol and so on ... What these young people become in the face of the horror they live in, is BR's main triumph.

In the 119 chapters, the book makes a point of even briefly telling the past of all its students, whether they were corrupted by the game or not, creating empathy or apathy, giving gravity to the moment of their deaths.

Deaths that insist on brutalizing and shocking; an arrow through the pupil, machine gun bullets penetrating the neck in an unexpected way, give the BR pages the tone of his work.

Silly students are drawn with more humorous strokes, the stronger ones resemble superheroes, the more "dramatic" ones have realistic strokes. When they inhabit the same scene, this mixture causes visual confusion.

There are intense clashes at all times, with sickening bouts at times that Shuuya (protagonist) needs to affirm how unfair the game is.

But the presence of Kazuo Kiryama - Nemesis of Resident Evil 3 in the form of a teenager -, Shougou Kawada - a mysterious 16-year-old with the face of a 30-year-old soldier -, Hiroki Sugimura - Bruce Lee -, Shinji Mimura - good at everything he does - and Mitsuko Souma - daddy's doll - praise the narrative.

Fortnite, CoD Warfare and The Hunger Games are students in kindergarten compared to Takami Goushun's impetuous BATTLE ROYALE.
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Kfbun2
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
Ever since this manga first came out, I struggled to get through it. It's only now that I was finally able to complete it. I couldn't get past the artwork, which is both sickening and cringe-inducing. It's a bizarre mixture of different styles that don't click. Some characters are drawn in a very gritty, hyper-realistic style. Some look Disney-esque (Kawada's girlfriend=Belle from Beauty and the Beast). Some characters look like something out of the Sunday comics (Yutaka Sato). Some look straight up bishoujo. And some characters look very "Mad Magazine" (look up: Basil Wolverton, Mort Drucker and Sam Viviano).

On top of the mixture of cartooning styles is the bizarre mixture of cuteness and gore. Goofy characters in their death scenes will be drawn in extreme close-up and in gory detail. Imagine a "gory" closeup of a dead Donald Duck with pieces of his face missing, an eyeball popping out and exposed teeth and skull and you'll get a picture of how ridiculous some of the artwork looks at times.

Another problem with the artwork is that some of the character designs are so grotesque or ridiculous that I couldn't click with them. I was just too put off. The girl with bad acne, "Frog Boy" and the gay character were so ugly, almost troll-like. Other characters were so cartoony, I couldn't take them seriously. (The very first girl who is killed looks very "Family Guy").

One last problem with the artwork is that it seemed as if the artist forgot that the characters are supposed to be young teens. That is the whole point behind why Battle Royale is horrifying, that young, sweet innocent children are being forced to kill each other. If most of the kids look like hardened 25 year old Yakuza, juvenile delinquents or sleazy porn star veterans, where is the horror? It's the same as watching adults kill each other, so the horror is gone.

As for the story, it was better than the movie adaptation. On the other hand, there was too much gratuitous sex and violence. The gore did absolutely nothing for the story; it just cheapened whatever emotion there was to be had or made you so sick that you were more horrified by what you were seeing than sad for the character. For example, there is one sweet little girl who falls to her death, and the artist drew her with all her innards splattered all over her and her body torn apart. How can you feel sad over her death when all you feel is shock or nausea?

As for the sex scenes, there are pornographic scenes in here straight out of a hentai, one which includes rape (sigh). Ironically, the sexual abuse victim is the one who keeps being put in these scenes. It's almost as if the writer/artists were turned on by her back story of being raped as a child that they sexualized her as a teenager, even in death. Going into the manga, you will think she is the most interesting character and villain, but no--she is reduced to nothing more than cheap sexual eye candy for perverted male readers into rape fantasies and lolicon. The artist and writers didn't even try to pretend what she was; as she's dying, they made sure that the perverts got one last look at her naked body and erect nipples before she is killed off for good.

People complain about the main protagonist, but it's the main villain for me who is the worst character. He's like something out of those Freddy/Jason/Friday the 13th movies. No matter how many times he's shot, he gets right back up again as if nothing happened. There's an explanation for why he survives, but still it's too unrealistic how he keeps surviving round after round without so much as a scratch. He's drawn in a bland style, too. He's actually the least interesting looking character out of anyone in the manga--so uninteresting, in fact, that you would not know he was the main bad guy just by looking at him. I think the artist was bored with him or had run out of character designs. In any event, you'll see exactly what I mean when you see him.

All in all, Battle Royale is so-so. If you can get past the gnarly artwork, you might get something out of it. However, I don't think it's the "masterpiece" everyone has made it out to be. As for the artwork, sorry to harp so much on that but it played a large part in why I didn't enjoy the manga as much as I could have.
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cooljohnyao14
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
I have to say that I started this series with a recommendation. I was talking with a friend that how I loved "Berserk" and "Gantz" (manga of course). Then he said that there is manga called "battle royale" that I should check it out. After reading the summary of it I was very enthusiastic. However nothing goes as smooth as it begins.

Story starts very promising but then it lose its pace. It always interrupted by pathetic flash backs. There is always a struggle between naive goodness and realistic evil. They tried to create an athmosphere that our good and sweet students are killed by evil ones. There is always a flashback and then a murder. So they think we will be sad:S Its very cliche nothing new to genre.

Characters are so badly arranged. Main character is so naive and always shouting while talking like a hyperactive. Also crying to every dead person. So we have a Pollyanna as a main character. And main evil character is like a robot or you can say inhuman. I dont say that as meaning a stone cold crazy person. Its inhuman in every aspect; reflexes,talents, martial arts. That takes away all that gloomy and realistic athmosphere they tried to create. Other characters has no personality (only their flash back memories which are so typical like revenge issues or promises). No character has charisma to attach you to series. And think that there are 42 characters comprtessed in to 119 chapters.

Art work is not even near the work of gantz or berserk so if you expect sth like that; back off! Art is so discouraging . It does not attach you, ıt can not create a desperate or gloomy atmosphere. Its like they draw it just from necessity. But they draw the close-up's better.

Enjoyment?! Its depression. The depression from finishing the manga u started:S Feelings of hatred against characters because they are so weak or naive and dumb. Pathetic romance trials. Every one going crazy after shooting a cat or sth!!! but everything look so artifical.

One word. ARTIFICAL. This series starts so promising but right after losing everything. Which age group they aimed is still a question. Because if you take gore out there is nothing left for some one 18 and older. No deep thoughts no plot no realistic affairs. Only naiveness remains. Naive and irritating characters with the same cliche "HOPE". So I have to say that if you consider to read this manga after liking gantz or berserk; just pass this amnga and continue your search.


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night3angel3
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
A Psychological, Action, Thriller that will take you on the most extreme thrill ride you can imagine. But be warned, you must be 18.

Battle Royale is basically about survival of the fittest, where kids have to duke it out with each other in a sort of "last man standing game". This interesting plot brings forth a great deal intensity and emotional turmoil, of which you have never seen. It’s also surprising how long and in-depth the story is, even though it only covers a short time-frame. The problem with this set-up is that it almost completely removes the thought of getting attached to any characters because they usually end up the same way. However at least some of them are developed so well that you cannot help but get attached to them.

The artwork is perfect in depicting a disturbing amount of gore and violence that you'll feel sick to the stomach, because the one thing this manga is famous for is going over the top. A lot of readers may have a problem with the extreme level of gore but one thing I personally had a problem with was how old the students looked, when they were supposed to be 15-16.

Battle Royale is an excitingly, gut-wrenching manga that will keep you on edge. It is really interesting how this manga was put together, in 15 Volumes, without the story feeling dragged. However the TokyoPop version did mess it up a bit with their poor translations. BR is also one of the few manga out there that allow readers to express so many emotions; from sadness, to frustration. Unlike the similar manga "Gantz" BR has this lingering feeling of hopelessness that makes the story very depressing. With this really depressing story it can make Battle Royale less enjoyable to read but there are plenty of shocking moments and cliff-hangers to keep you going.

^_^
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Vancomycin4
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
'Kill or be killed. This is how this fucking game works'.

It's more violent than your Tokyo Ghoul and much more emotional than Attack on Titan. This, ladies and gentlemen is 'Battle Royale' - an original story featuring a very gruesome gladiator fight imposed by the government act, between innocent teenagers on a deserted island. One thing is for sure - Battle Royale encapsulates trust, betrayal, love, insanity, gore, fear, anxiety, despair for survival and most importantly, hope into this incredible 15 volume manga that is just incomparable with the movie.

For most of you out there, who've seen the Battle Royale movie and are bitching how it's better than its 'successor' The Hunger Games… You haven't read the manga or the novel that was used to make, what is in my eyes now, poor of an excuse movie. Battle Royale is so surreal and down to Earth gory and explicit, yet somehow it feels frighteningly real and close to our own universe.

A group of 9th grade students are chosen to participate in The Programme called the Battle Royale. It is part of the law, that each year, a 'randomly' chosen 9th grade class, will be participating in this battle to death game, broadcasted all over Japan. A similar story, isn't it? Yet this is the original 'Hunger Games' and I'll go against my own opinion to say - 'Hunger Games' is nothing compare to Battle Royal in every single sense, be it books or the film (I'm being highly subjective here, but hey, this is my review and my own humble opinion)

STORY: 10/10

The story is following the original novel written by Koushun Takami, but expands greatly into a backstory of each single character. The story in this manga is very high paced, yet it doesn't feel too rushed at all, neither is it complicated to comprehend what's going on. It feels very natural and easy to read and the flow is never interrupted with unnecessary scenes. 'Battle Royale' has quality what most present day mainstream 'kawaii' manga lack. It is as if the majority of todays mangakas are aiming at readers who would prefer something 'light' and 'fluffy', but nothing that would seriously shake their already soft brains and challenge them to think deeply about the world they're living in.

'Battle Royale' makes you open your eyes to the reality that we are living in, but do not bear to admit - the brutality of everyday life, be it abused or neglected children, homeless and damaged people, prostitution and mental insanity. It questions the stability and the governments ability to control a nation. It's constantly in motion to question, break and push the limits of morals, such as the value of human life, the value of your own life and the value of friendship and love. One thing you'll be taught after reading 'Battle Royale' is how fragile and easily altered human nature is. How one can crack quickly under pressure when told 'Kill or Be Killed', and what was once a 'friend' is your ticket out of this hell. It makes you realise that there are more things one should treasure and more things one should be willing to sacrifice. It also explores how to show compassion and love towards those that would least expect to receive it, how to forgive those damaged by life people (ref. to Kiriyama).

Every single character in this story gets a chance to shine, and I'm serious - every fucking 42 students get's an opportunity to expose their inner personalities and backstories, that makes it seems like they're real people. It gives us, the readers, a chance to explore the reasons behind their actions, the reasons behind who they are. It is so down to Earth in terms of honesty and in terms of portraying the mentality of the majority of teenagers out there, that I doubt any other manga can do that.

ART: 10/10

'Battle Royale' aims at very realistic approach towards manga illustrations. The eyes are all aiming towards natural shape, the faces of most children are oddly shaped, which brings a great sense of reality. There are no sparkles, neither there are any neglected characters - each and every one of them has features that reflect their own personality. There is NO fan service, and this is what I love about it.

The quality. Oh don't get me started on how detailed and impeccable, Masayuki Taguchi's art in this manga is. I think if it wasn't for his art, this manga wouldn't be that meaningful or that popular. He breathes life into the characters and makes them all seem so ordinary, yet so unique in their own sense. If you think Attack on Titan had extreme expressions, you haven't seen what facial expressions did Kazushi Niida did whilst trying to rape and murder his class mate Takako Chigusa. Taguchi makes the characters to express a lot of pain, anger, desperation, sadness with a little grain of happiness and hope. Because of how extremely violent this manga is, those moments when characters are seen happy, like Nanahara's and Noriko's reunion, makes you believe that even in the most darkest moments, there's always hope.

And yes, this manga is most known for it's brutal, violent and highly sexual depiction. Now I must say, I've seen a lot of gore in manga such as Deadman Wonderland, yet not as EXPLICIT and OVERWHELMINGLY bloody as 'Battle Royale'. It makes Deadman Wonderland look like child's play. The shooting scenes and the way the bullets are portrayed protruding from the persons head with all the brains splashing, might make some of you gag as it's so realistic, it seems like you can hear the blood trickle and smell that sickening metallic smell that it brings. The anatomy can be sometimes exaggerated and the reason why I gave it a 9, is because most teens look like they'd be in their early 20's, when they should be 14/15. Well I guess none manga is flawless

CHARACTER: 10/10

However, the shining coin is the way the manga is divided into small arcs that are each dedicated to a different characters story line. The stories are all individual, meaning they're told from each characters perspective, making the plot very variable and not dragged on AT ALL (emphasis on this).

You have your protagonist, Shuuya Nanahara - a typical wannabe teenager who has big dreams to reach the top in the music industry and become the next 'Elvis'. He's way too loud (often scoulded to 'keep it down' by Kawada) and too quick to trust, but he has a good heart. A heart wanting to save everyone from the hell they're in. The story does revolve about Nanahara's struggles to come to amends with the reality of the game and it can be sometimes annoying, since he's usually turning on the waterworks, but he has a strong character.

Noriko and Kawada are two characters who keep Nanahara together. You could say they are his rock. Kawada must be my favourite. He is a previous winner of the game and his realistic approach usually throws Nanahara off balance, but at the end of the day, if it wasn't for Kawada's strong and sharp mentality, Nanahara wouldn't be Nanahara. Kawada made him to question his own morals, to question his priorities and most importantly, to value Noriko and protect her with his might.

Shinji Mimura was one of my favourite characters. A popular basketball prodigy, Mimura was a ladies man, a heartthrob, but also an extremely intelligent and caring man. His plan to go against the game was my favourite scheme in the series and I deeply miss him. Hiroki Sugimura was another major character, a friend of Mimura and Nanahara, he was the odd one out. Being socially awkward yet disciplined in the martial arts, Sugimura's caring nature was what made him so unique.

You have your main antagonist, Kazuo Kiriyama - a cold blooded killer who's dead on on wining this game. Kiriyama never speaks in the manga, but his personality is shown through actions. In the movie, he was a 'transfer' student, but in the manga, he was a gang leader and a genius who could learn anything he set his eyes on. His past is revealed in the last chapters.

Mitsuko 'Harcore' Souma is your another 'hot' antagonist, and myGod, does she like to flash her body. Abused since childhood, Souma developed a complex character that made her very manipulative and aggressive. In the manga, the chapters about her are the most sexually explicit.

ENJOYMENT & OVERALL: 10/10

Nothing more to add. This was one hell of a manga that took me through a roller coaster of emotional turmoil. It holds a lot of virtues discussing and touching upon so many loopholes in today's society and social background. What it is to truly love? To truly trust? To truly believe in another human being? Is hope really the mother of idiots? Or is it a grain of victory in the middle of
war? Are those who scarify themselves for the sake of others are heroes or idiots?

If you want to find out the answer to these questions, 'Battle Royale' is the answer, After all, this is something that will change you as a person after you read it.
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709_70713
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
With all the recent hubbaloo about the Hunger Games and it's similarities to Battle Royale, I felt my need to re-read the manga growing. It's been an interesting experience going back and re-discovering the series and I'm surprised about my feelings towards it now.

Battle Royale takes place in a totalitarian Japan, where the government's #1 tv show is the Program. The Program consists of kidnapping a random class of high school students, dropping them in a secure location, arming them, and then encouraging them to kill one another. Last man standing is the winner!
This year, we've got a varied and diverse class, but our main man and eyes into the series is Shuuya Nanahara, a rock-and-roll rebel without a clue. The series then follows Shu on his quest to not only protect his crush Noriko, but to also NOT kill his classmates, as well as survive the game. Tall order.

In terms of story, BR is impressive just in the sheer size of it's cast. Each and every character - both the good and the bad - get some kind of moment to shine and some kind of focus. Sometimes this is to evoke sympathy, sometimes this is to explain their behavior, and sometimes it's to set us up for the fall. The author of the manga, Takaguchi, makes sure to take his time with each student and I love that. It's INCREDIBLY hard to create an interesting character (and to be fair, a large portion of credit must go to the original author, Koushun Takami), much less a whole CLASS of them. Props there.

However, on that note, I have to admit how much I didn't like Shu or Nori the second time around. Both of the characters are so extremely one-note that any scene with them ends up being the same conversation OVER and OVER. I ended up hoping that maybe this time, someone would pop out of a bush and shoot them both just to save me the speeches. When you've got such well-built characters like Hardcore Souma, or Shogo, or Mimura, or Sugimura - all of whom have diverse, interesting backgrounds and intriguing ongoing plotlines - characters like Shu and Nori end up being just boring. I get that they're a stand-in for the audience, but they just lack everything.

Takaguchi's artwork is incredible, but also not without flaws.

Amazingly to me, Takaguchi is capable of drawing EVERYTHING. Urban landscapes, natural landscapes, soldiers, various types of guns, elaborate karate scenes, body gore, car chases, and character moments. There is no one note that Takaguchi excels at, EVERYTHING looks good. His page layouts are generally simple, but they explode when they need to. As an artist who's still growing himself, I find myself amazed by the time and skill that Takaguchi puts into each page. Simply amazing.
However, as I said, it's not all good. Takaguchi's male characters are all so well built it's stupid. I get that this is a comic, and hell, I read American comics, where everyone is built, but there's a difference between a teen with super-powers and a teen without. There's also a difference in the type of story being told. We're supposed to believer that the Program could exist - and that WE could be a part of it. It's hard to imagine that when every male character's chest and arms are ripped like Jesus. Shogo looks like a body-builder for Heaven's sake! I can understand Sugimura (a martial artist) or Mimura (an athlete) to some degree, but Shuuya has no physical talent. He's a good looking guy, no doubt, but he has no reason to be THAT ripped. I'm not saying we needed more fat characters (there were fat characters), just that I think a bit of a control wouldn't have hurt.
My other artistic gripe is head sizes. There are several shots in the comic were someone's head is a large as their chest - which just isn't the way the body is built. This isn't terribly overwhelming, but it does happen. It's just odd enough to notice, but not enough to mar my enjoyment of the book.

Overall, Battle Royale is something amazing and it MUST be read. The characters are diverse and interesting, the book looks great to the eye, and it reads so well. Even having read it before, I still found myself wondering what was going to happen or how the series would play out. THAT is a good sign. This series isn't perfect by any means - and good luck finding Tokyopop's out-of-print editions - but Battle Royale is a must read book.
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Bryoli2
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
Battle Royale is the manga adaption of the Japanese novel. Writhe by Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi the story follows a class in a alternative future that are forced to a Battle Royale.

Story.
The Stroy takes place in an alternate timeline - Japan is a police state, known as the Republic of Greater East Asia . Under the guise of a "study trip," a group of students from Shiroiwa Junior High Schoo in the fictional town of Shiroiwa are gassed on a bus. They awaken in a school on an isolated, evacuated island southwest of Shodoshima, in also Kagawa Prefecture. They learn that they have been placed in an event called The Program, also known as Battle Royale.

Art.
The Art is the manga is one of the best you will ever see. The characters looks scarily realistic and this Koushun spend ed a loot of time in details.

Character.
The character are also a great part of the manga. Some of the are so dark you cant believe they are humans are have the typical hero character. So character change later in the story other remain the same.

Enjoyment.
I really enjoyed this manga. The dark story, the awesome character and the gory makes it a manga you find hard to find on this planet. There is almost everything here both action, drama, friendship and rivalry. But it lacks a small procent of humor but it might be hard to put in humor in this kind of dark manga. If you ever seen the manga in a story buy it too see if you like it. And there is a high chance you will
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Ekhein8
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
Dismiss every knowledge of human rights and watch what happens to a world where the most deadly game is played. And it is only played because there are people who are willing to watch, either to bet on it or to amuse themselves.

This manga shows a possible future and explores every terrible part of it while developing the characters as they are pulled into a game where no one is really a winner.

Story carries this concept well. Firstly, the characters are introduced as they are going about their high school life only to suddenly be, while going on a trip, put to sleep and brought to a classroom where everything starts. Harsh reality is thrown at a bunch of sixteen year olds and the reality of being in a kill or be killed situation dawns upon them as they are thrown in a hell where every available choice is a wrong one and where friends hunt and kill eachother simply because they are in a frightening game. A game that must be played and this sense of inevitability and helplessness is what the story is basically constructed of.

Characters fill the blanks in the construction of the story. They are each introduced shortly at the beginning and throughout the story they each get a further development. In a sense, there are no real “main characters” since every character has their story and their view of the situation they are in which is thoroughly explained and even repeated on several occasions.

Since this is a death game naturally there are also death matches. Some characters have lived long enough to create fairly long fights, some of which have a fantasy and religious elements.

Art here is quite detailed and clean. Characters emotions are drawn well and they express what is appropriate in whatever situation. Since this is a horror and an ecchi manga it is important to note that the gore and sex scenes are extremely graphic and detailed.

Enjoyment here is, well, there should be no enjoyment here. This manga is all about a death game being played for the sake of amusing sadistic, bored or some such people. This manga basically is this game. What enjoyment can one find in a manga about a class full of teenagers killing eachother? There might be some who are interested in observing how certain people would react in such a dangerous sitation. You might find interesting the repeated retrospective each character has about their past actions or lives. Some philosphic conversations were also made. All we have left now are action and sex scenes. Since they are both explicit maybe some can enjoy the large amount of blood and organs flying around or maybe just sex. And maybe, just maybe, this can be enjoyable if someone out there has an awful grudge against teenagers. And, I almost forgot, yes, there is romance in this as well.

I was sceptic about this manga. I thought it would focus mostly just on gore action scenes. I was somewhat mistaken. There is action and gore, fo course, but all in all this is a big heap of every genre put together. Some scenes made me laugh, some scenes actually made me cry, some made me feel symphatetic, some just made me feel sick.
I think maybe it just has too much of everything which is the reason why I couldn’t really like it so to say, and constant repetition of some sentences at times made me feel annoyed. Although there is something awesome about this manga and that is the ending.
It usually bothers me if the ending is all wrong but this one here was, in my opinion, perfect. (It captures the whole story in just two words, amazing really.)

(Read if you feel you should, must, or have nothing better to do, hope this humble review helped you with your decision.)
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kittykatloren1
Apr 02, 2021
Battle Royale review
How will I be able to read any other manga after this masterpiece?
You ever eat something so good that any food you put in your mouth starts being tasteless? This is Battle Royale for you.
This is a classic. It should go down in history books.
You think I'm exaggerating? You think I'm biased?
Read it, dive in it, explore it for yourself.
I'm still in awe of how complex this work of art is, how well made it is, how ruthless and fearless.
This is a story about a Program, where 42 students are kidnapped in an island and it doesn't end until only one of them survives, the old "Kill or get killed". Now, you think between 42 different characters, you will only manage to remember three or maybe even a group of the elite five. Well, that's where you go wrong, very wrong. This is also why I appreciate this manga too much. I cared for everyone, every single one of them. This care isn't just in a good way, caring for someone in this manga's case can also mean you never want to see their face again. Everyone had different motives, different background stories that are complex and well made, different views of the world, different hardships. I empathized with the most villain character...
I still can't write a coherent review, I know, but am I to blame?
Just do yourself a favor and read this.
But beware if it's your first manga because you will have a hard time finding one that's going to live up to your standards after this. I'm still on the search.
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Battle Royale
Battle Royale
Autor Taguchi, Masayuki
Artista --