Okay, before Nicky drowns me with more of his cheesy lovey-dovey lines, let's get serious.
I've FINALLY bought Battle Royale with 68 ringgit from DEN'S Borders card.
Lol. Have to pay her back though. =(
I finished the first 3 volumes (compiled into one hardcover book) on the same day of my purchase. I couldn't put it down.
What's there not to love?
I've been interested in this manga ever since I read its review AGES ago.
The synopsis isn't too shabby either.
Basically, a class of 42 9th graders are spirited away onto an island to compete on a government-sanctioned reality show.
There are very few rules, among which are:
- Kill or be killed
- Each person is given a random weapon - ranging from crossbows to shotguns to forks (WTF)
- Any attempt to escape the island will be punished by death
- If there is more than one survivor after three days, everyone remaining will be killed by way of remote-detonating collars
So basically, you have to kill everyone else to get off the island alive (and not necessarily in one piece.) This includes your friends and lovers - there can only be one survivor anyway.
The protagonist - Shuuya Nanahara refuses to accept that fact and tries to find a way to beat the system by finding others who also refuse to 'play the game' and try to get off the island alive.
There are many other cool characters too - a cool, silent gangster-type boy who seems more to me like a violent nerd than anything else., a 15-year-old whore without a conscience (very explicit images here
) as well as some others.
Some scenes were depressing - you see people dying in very messy ways, witnessed by their own friends or lovers.
But after a while you get used to it and that in itself is scary. Desensitizing in progress.
Reading the first few chapters made me wonder what I'd do if it happened to me.
What if I were stranded on an island with nothing but a hunting knife - or god forbid, a piece of cutlery - and panic-driven classmates?
Would I simply try to kill everyone in sight or try to get out alive with everyone else - risking ALL our lives in the process?
I started making a mental note of who I'd kill first, if I'd have to.
And also the last people I'd still be with before deciding to kill each other to get out alive/commit suicide for those I love.
The whole thing was kinda emotionally-wrecking as you watch people who you thought were your friends turn on you and try to kill you out of desperation and sheer terror. The cold-blooded, detached people suddenly become apparent under these circumstances, and the noble sides of others start to shine.
Sigh.
It's such a cool book.
Can't wait to buy volumes 2 and 3.
4 and 5 have yet to be released.
The whole series is going to set me back roughly 350 bucks, but for 15 volumes of blood-soaked manga...that's not bad already.
There isn't an anime series for it yet, but there IS a movie.
Shuuya is played by the boy who played Light Yagami in Death Note.
Somehow I don't think the casting was appropriate.
But I'll let you know if I ever watch the movie.
Battle Royale is worth a read, judging from what I've read so far.
Do check it out if you have the time and resources.
Not for the faint-hearted or pure though.
Lots of extremely graphic violence and sprinkles of porn here and there.
Hah. Swear I didn't know about it. *whistles*
I've FINALLY bought Battle Royale with 68 ringgit from DEN'S Borders card.
Lol. Have to pay her back though. =(
I finished the first 3 volumes (compiled into one hardcover book) on the same day of my purchase. I couldn't put it down.
Violence, sex and gore.
What's there not to love?
I've been interested in this manga ever since I read its review AGES ago.
The synopsis isn't too shabby either.
Basically, a class of 42 9th graders are spirited away onto an island to compete on a government-sanctioned reality show.
There are very few rules, among which are:
- Kill or be killed
- Each person is given a random weapon - ranging from crossbows to shotguns to forks (WTF)
- Any attempt to escape the island will be punished by death
- If there is more than one survivor after three days, everyone remaining will be killed by way of remote-detonating collars
There can only be one winner.
So basically, you have to kill everyone else to get off the island alive (and not necessarily in one piece.) This includes your friends and lovers - there can only be one survivor anyway.
The protagonist - Shuuya Nanahara refuses to accept that fact and tries to find a way to beat the system by finding others who also refuse to 'play the game' and try to get off the island alive.
There are many other cool characters too - a cool, silent gangster-type boy who seems more to me like a violent nerd than anything else., a 15-year-old whore without a conscience (very explicit images here
) as well as some others.Some scenes were depressing - you see people dying in very messy ways, witnessed by their own friends or lovers.
But after a while you get used to it and that in itself is scary. Desensitizing in progress.
Reading the first few chapters made me wonder what I'd do if it happened to me.
What if I were stranded on an island with nothing but a hunting knife - or god forbid, a piece of cutlery - and panic-driven classmates?
Would I simply try to kill everyone in sight or try to get out alive with everyone else - risking ALL our lives in the process?
I started making a mental note of who I'd kill first, if I'd have to.
And also the last people I'd still be with before deciding to kill each other to get out alive/commit suicide for those I love.
The whole thing was kinda emotionally-wrecking as you watch people who you thought were your friends turn on you and try to kill you out of desperation and sheer terror. The cold-blooded, detached people suddenly become apparent under these circumstances, and the noble sides of others start to shine.
Sigh.
It's such a cool book.
Can't wait to buy volumes 2 and 3.
4 and 5 have yet to be released.
The whole series is going to set me back roughly 350 bucks, but for 15 volumes of blood-soaked manga...that's not bad already.
There isn't an anime series for it yet, but there IS a movie.
Shuuya is played by the boy who played Light Yagami in Death Note.
Somehow I don't think the casting was appropriate.
But I'll let you know if I ever watch the movie.
Battle Royale is worth a read, judging from what I've read so far.
Do check it out if you have the time and resources.
Not for the faint-hearted or pure though.
Lots of extremely graphic violence and sprinkles of porn here and there.
Hah. Swear I didn't know about it. *whistles*
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