Battle Royale: A Book Review

By Owen Tran, staff writer
Thursday, January 11, 2007

“An insanely entertaining pulp riff,” described Stephen King.

Author Koushun Takami described such intense action in the synopsis that it instantly caught my eye on Battle Royale.

“…a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing.”

This controversial book is reminiscent of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (1954), portraying what it meant to be young and barely alive in a “dog-eat-dog world.” Highly acclaimed in its original Japanese text, Battle Royale was recently translated to English.

The novel began with detailed introductions to each of the students, who were on a bus ride to “a study trip.” Soon enough, these students were sleep gassed and found in a classroom with silver collars around their necks. At first, the confused students were oblivious to their situation until they realized that they were forced to participate in The Program.

The Program was a military battle experiment administered by the fictitious authoritarian Republic of Greater East Asia. This government randomly chose 50 third-year junior high school classes to participate in the experiment. About 2,000 students per year were given guaranteed death sentences.

Although the reason for this horror was allegedly the “suppression of the rebellious youth,” it was undoubtedly the sick and twisted idea concocted by a crazed politician to terrorize the citizens.

These unlucky students were then released from the school on a deserted island where they were to “play” by the complicated rules of the game. Each was given a few rations, including water, bread, and most importantly, a weapon ranging from a variety of knives and guns to a simple fork.

These youths (equivalent of 8th graders or freshmen) were pitted against each other in the fight to the death. Sadly, some of these students had previously been best friends, lovers, and enemies, making it difficult for them to decide who is trustworthy. Who are their enemies? Who are there friends? Read the book and discover how these players fare in the game of “survival of the fittest.”

Caution: The vivid descriptions and death scenes can be quite disturbing in both the book and movie.

With a film adaptation and a manga version of Battle Royale as well, many FVHS students have read or seen some version of the book. Let’s see what they had to say about it.

Q: What were your thoughts after reading the novel or seeing the Battle Royale film?

Nicole Edwards: Battle Royale was one of the best books I've ever read. There's a character for everyone to connect with, and the suspense and paranoia is very realistic. It almost makes the adventurous side of you want to have a Battle Royale of your own.
(I agree that the book was quite exciting and suspenseful, but having a Battle Royale within the school is quite a disturbing thought.)

Dennis Dalisay: I like the history part of the novel. What would happen if our government was like that?
(Yes, what if the government eliminated a quarter of 8th graders every year? Dennis would celebrate.)

Katie Edwards: It was one of those movies that you don’t want to watch because it is really gory, but you watched anyway because the storyline got you hooked.
(As I mentioned before, there are quite a few disturbing scenes in the movie, but that didn’t keep Katie from watching it.)

Joanne Thio: The author was a mastermind. He could create a perfect murder with his talent.
(Of course, Joanne is talking about how the author wrote the murders.)

Q: What would you do if you were put in this same situation against your classmates? Would you defend yourself, play the game and go after others, or hide? Would you meet up with your friends and discuss a strategy to escape?

Nicole Edwards: It is really hard because I would want to stay around someone I trust the most, but then if I wanted to live I would have to kill them in the end. I don’t want to have to kill them, but realistically I would probably hide out somewhere until everyone kills each other off. It’s so scary to even think about it!
(Nicole has it all planned out.)

Ava Nguyen: I would most likely play defensive unless someone hurts me.
(Play it smart.)

Jeff Prugpichailers: I would collaborate with my friends on how to kill the people who annoy us, and then plan how to escape the island.

Tuan Mai: I would meet up with my friends and try to find a way to escape. If anyone came after us, then I’d give them a slap on the face.
(Yes, that slap sure will clear all those murderous thoughts out of their heads.)

Now that you have been given a thorough introduction to the concept of Battle Royale, pick up the novel or movie! I hope you will enjoy this incredible, suspenseful masterpiece.