Battle Royale

[Mattnumbers]

Battle Royale is a manga based off of a book (but written by the same author) about a national socialist Japan in the future that holds a game show (only in the manga, in the original book it's purely to instill fear in the populace and control population) where they take an entire class of high school children and put them on an island, then tell them the last one alive wins and if more than one of them is alive in 3 days they all die.
This picture is from ~pg 10 of the manga, and shows the face of a previous "winner"
(SFW but creepy)

At first I really didn't like the drawing style, but as you read more it grows to fit the style of the manga. Also (spoiler from the first volume)

I really didn't like the way yoshitori's head was shaped, but I guess I won't have to worry about that any more

Reading this manga disturbs me, It really goes all the way with both gore and sexual content (although nothing that could qualify as hentai.........so far) Disregard that statement..............

I've also seen/read GANTZ, Elfen Lied, and Narutaru (among others) but this has to be the most disturbing so far. I even hesitate before I start reading it haha.

As a side note, the official English translation is an adaptation and changes some parts of the plot, although obviously limited to dialogue. I couldn't find another translation but I was planning on reading the book, which got a REAL translation. Apparently the movie is very good as well.

Anyone else read this/reading this?
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Ractis

[samus]

I love this manga so hard. I'm working on buying the five Ultimate Edition volumes (kinda difficult without cash flow).

The novel is quite good; I haven't read the whole thing due to lack of time lately, but from what I have read, I can tell you that the manga goes a lot further into the characterization and psychology of each character. The movie is also quite good, but in a different way; many plot points were altered or excised, but it still retains the poignancy of the print versions. It's not as horrifying but pretty much just as disturbing.

I gotta admit though, the movie and novel will never be able to replicate the page where

Mitsuko Souma is a (metaphorical) giant, ****ed-up, psychotic stuffed doll.

That business creeps me out so hard.

Also, was anyone else shocked to see Keith Giffen did the translation? I was not expecting the writer of "Legion of Superheroes" etc. to be working on this craziness.

[Mattnumbers]

Oh my bad. I haven't actually finished it yet, finished volume 5 today.

And yeah my bad about the socialism thing I thought it seemed wrong but forgot to check.

And yeah I know that in the original Japanese manga it wasn't a game show either, just slipped my mind I guess.
Is there any regular translation of the manga that isn't adapted?
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[LinkSword]

Vol. 11&12 were my favorite all-time in Battle Royale.

Super-Kazuo vs Sugimura

Generalizing, everything in this series that involves Kazuo kicks ass.

[LinkSword]

Well,

I considered the chi/ki stuff and petals dancing in the air to be more metaphorical, rather than it was actually happening. Other than it, the fight was quite according to reality (if you think of it as two AWFULLY expert martial artists), except for those ''effects'', like the moment when it looks like Kazuo is perforating Sugimura's back with the palm of his hand. Then again, those were just ''effects'' and did not really occur (I mean, then he'd have a giant hole in the chest, lolz)

About the novel:

I haven't read it yet, but I have watched the first film and there Sugimura is killed by a scared Kotohiki. Is it the same in the novel? Just say yes, no or more/less, please =P

[samus]

Originally Posted by Zakiel

That's one of my lesser liked parts, if only because it, in my opinion it breaks from the standard of reality set by rest of the manga with the chi/ki and what not.

I can only assume they made it so over-the-top to contrast with what happens with Sugimura in the novel.

It is over the top, but the entire manga is so over the top in many different ways that I thought of it as just another ridiculous-yet-awesome moment. I lump it in with

Shuuya's crazy jump to catch & deflect Kiriyama's grenade

and

Mimura somehow being able to stuff his guts back in his stomach long enough to blow Kiriyama up with his bomb (which, naturally, does not kill him, even though he hides in a CAR which has GAS).

tl;dr Half of the manga was over the top too; only the individual characters and their backstories/psychology seemed grounded in reality to me.

[Mattnumbers]

So I just finished reading. I enjoyed it, can't wait to read the novel. Apparently it has a different ending.

Probably one where everyone dies

Although I'm not asking I don't want it spoiled.

As for comments

I only had a couple problems with the manga:
1. It got kinda predictable. I mean, almost all the dramatic parts went hopeless-hopeful-hopeless, really only excluding the ones required for the main characters to survive. This problem is minimized by the end though, I was sure someone was gonna pop out in the last frame and kill them or something. Yet at the same time it wasn't all bubbly or happy either, it was just.......appropriate imo.
2. Kiriyama was stupidly resistant to death, it kind of annoyed me. I know the story isn't believable anyways but unlike some of the unrealistic scenes that were amazing (such as the ones mentioned above, the one where he THROWS AN ARROW straight through a guys head, and the multiple acrobatic kicks and stuff in the major fight scenes) it got really predictable that he wasn't really dead yet. I mean: He gets caught in an explosion and doesn't get a scratch, gets shot in his limbs multiple times (that kevlar didn't stop the bullets that don't hit the chest, and you can see blood come out in unprotected parts multiple times), and then takes three shots to the head (and one throwing knife) before he slowly dies on the ground. I mean, even if he can't feel pain, really?
3. I think there should have been more unique weapons like the cyanide, grenades, etc. adds unexpected twists and excitement and varies up the fights more. This would be my smallest complaint though

All in all I really liked reading it anyways, although I wish there was a pure translation of the manga and not just the adaptation.
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