Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Battle Royale

I knew I would like this since I really liked the movie years ago, but I'm so glad that I absolutely loved the book!

Did I remember all ~50 characters? No! But the reading pace kept me flying through it and the 20ish that were most important were definitely memorable. The size of the book flew by with the pacing of the short, intense chapters.

This new translation is more action-packed than the original (I compared line by line with the audiobook of the original English translation). You can tell this translator has worked on manga and video games before because the fight scenes are so much smother. But whichever version you have, read it.

What a thrilling, unexpectedly emotionally charged, bloody, anti-fascist roller coaster. This is the inspiration behind Hunger Games and battle royale style video games, but way more politically incendiary.

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mysteryspouse's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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baby_caramelle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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kait_sixcrowsbooks's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

Perhaps the worst book I read this year. Dear lord.

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suprconman99's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Part pulpy, action-packed thrill ride, part critical satire of totalitarian systems and the moronic, self-sabotaging ways in which they operate, and part parody of angsty teen melodrama — all shot through with gruesome violence and the horror of children being forced to kill each other. Basically a more effective Hunger Games, before the latter was a thing.

Some things, such as the generally misogynist and homophobic attitudes of even the “good” characters, have not aged particularly well. Whether these were intentional commentary on conservative Japanese culture or an attempt to realistically inhabit the mind of a teenage Japanese boy in the mid-to-late ‘90s, or a reflection of the author’s own unexamined biases, I don’t know. I doubt it’s the latter, though, as the author seems like a self-aware, reflective, and thoughtful enough fellow in the afterword of the ‘09 translation I read. Also, I just generally try to be charitable and extend the benefit of the doubt where possible. The characterization is also pretty shallow for the most part, although to be fair we’re dealing with a roster of like 40 characters.

All in all, this book mostly lived up to the hype by the end (aided in part by virtue of its stronger-than-expected closing chapters, beginning with the final chase/fight sequence on the island). I’d recommend to anyone looking for some thrilling genre fiction. It’s a big ol’ tome but the pacing will have the pages flying by once the action gets going.

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seventhcr0w's review against another edition

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4.0

japierdole XDDDDDDDDDDD ryje psyche

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perthalus's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Brutal, intelligent, and politically biting, Battle Royale absolutely flies by with its fleeting snapshots of different lives and deaths. It connects you to characters you may only stick with for a few pages, yet it all feels relevant to the themes, story-world, and overall narrative.

I’ve seen the film adapt more than once before, and reading the original book provided so many pieces of context and extra character bits that made reading it entirely worth it. Koushun Takami absolutely nails the action. Even knowing what happens doesn’t remove from the intensity and suspense provided by each encounter, and god, what a premise.

I especially love Kazuo Kiriyama’s gang, though I wish Kazuo himself got a little more background towards the end, but that may just be my bias talking. And I also love Shogo Kawada because… I don’t know, I just love him, okay? 🫶🏻 Now that I think about it, there isn’t a character I don’t really like, maybe besides Shinji, though even he has his moments. But Mitsuko, Kazuo, Shogo, Shuya, Hiroki, Chigusa, and Noriko are all characters I absolutely love.

I will say that the action can ride the edge between believable and ridiculous, especially when characters do somersaults mid-fight. And on top of that, Shinji’s computer jargon and his exposition on pre-established information made his chapters a little repetitive, but other than that I can’t pick out any glaring problems with the book or it’s story.

Overall, it’s a book that is still incredibly entertaining, shocking, and politically powerful as it was when it was first released, and it only made my appreciation grow for the story and the film adaptation.

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gine's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

5.0

I don’t really know where to start, my dad had recommended me to read this book. I know that is irrelevant, but anyways he hadn’t read it himself. He only knew that it was a bit like Hunger Game only this came out first and is darker?(I don’t know if it is, I have not read Hunger Games myself)

I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you like gore and Hunger Games you’d probably enjoy this book. It’s a dark and fast paced book even with 620 something pages. We follow Shuya and his classmates of Shiroiwa Junior High School, ninth grade class B. On their way to a school trip, that turns out to be something else. Where they are left on an island to battle out and fight to survive. Definitely not a book for someone squeamish, as there is a lot of graphic death and lots of gore. But as a avid gore fan and thriller fan I highly recommend this book.

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