Battle Royale (possible SPOILERS)

[bladerunner]

Okay, I just finished reading BR 15, what appears to be the last in the series.
If someone else who's read it could help me out?
I don't get the end.

HERE IS THE SPOILER BIT (well, kinda, but I like to give fair warning)

I get how Kawada gets them of the island, that whole dealie. ITs the bit with Shuuya at the end I don't understand...reading it word for word, it appears he's saying that he never told Noriko that he loved her, not even during the best parts, and how he has to think back during his 'rough patches' to a few of the good parts, seming to imply tha t1, he never really told noriko he loved her, which is crappy, and 2, that they got beat in the end.

Am I reading it right? 'Cause the book at least had a POSSIBLY uplifting end, it left it up to debate.

[Dirty Harry]

I pretty much got out of it that Shu and Noriko were in love, they knew they were in love with eachother, and that the "Happy Time" in America doesn't last very long.

Seemed pretty simple to me.

Either way, at the end, I've had time to reflect on Battle Royale as a manga.

And dear God was it awful.

[sohryu]

I plan on acquiring this manga soon, probably after I finish up Pretty Face. I've heard good things, but I'm not so sure after DH's post. :/

[Dirty Harry]

I plan on acquiring this manga soon, probably after I finish up Pretty Face. I've heard good things, but I'm not so sure after DH's post. :/


The best I can say is that the concept was really cool, and for the most part the beginning was fairly promising.

But aside from a couple of moments in later volumes it felt like I was being spoonfed the same crap over and over. It got really boring.

Good idea? Buy the first three volumes maybe, and just pretend that after that a nuke is dropped on the island and everyone dies.

Bad idea? Wasting your time reading all of this horrible manga.

[Rove]

Either way, at the end, I've had time to reflect on Battle Royale as a manga. And dear God was it awful.
------
Bad idea? Wasting your time reading all of this horrible manga.
Your opinion (http://www.mangareviewer.com/?page_id=110) changed quite a lot after reading the last two volumes or so it seems...

[ash_chan]

Meh. The BR manga was average at best. It does keep more to the book than the movie did, but it's art work wasn't as good as it could have been at times, and I didn't agree with a lot of the character images. Their personalities were fine, but I pictured them looking different than the manga made them.

[Dirty Harry]

Your opinion (http://www.mangareviewer.com/?page_id=110) changed quite a lot after reading the last two volumes or so it seems...

Yarr. Just the way it ended didn't make up for any of the irriation I suffered.

I mean, I enjoyed it because I was holding out for what would possibly be a good ending and what I got was my hopes thrown back in my face.

;_;

[Mana]

I loved the movie, and I loved the book, but nothing about the manga seemed to pull me in really at all, so I never ended up reading more than the first volume of it.

[Ninja Realist]

I will say this about the manga: the art is grotesque and unnapealling to the point that some people may find the manga unreadable.

[alien222]

I will say this about the manga: the art is grotesque and unnapealling to the point that some people may find the manga unreadable.

indeed...

The movie wasn't bad though... or not as much as the manga...

[JOJO]

I was interested in checking out the manga, until i found out that the US version of the manga rewrote a lot of the original story, like changing the BR program to a Reality TV show program(so i've heard anyway). With such drastic changes made and the apparent bad ending it has, i'm not so interest in reading it anymore.

[Phate]

I started off reading the manga with enthusiasm since it was my first experience with Battle Royale in any form. Too bad for me, as the manga proved to be goddamned awful. It just dragged on and on with the most inane things, and the artwork was bad.

The movie was better, the characters actually looked like teenagers, and when someone was fatally wounded, they actually freakin' died right there. It still wasn't that great though, pretty forgettable. Nice opening music, though.

[Retlor]

Yeah, the manga adaptation by Keith Giffen of Tokyopop changed it a lot. Made it into a reality TV show, thereby destroying any of the original intention of the book, with its comments on a fascist society. Overblown as they were, at least there was some meaning. The manga is a 15 volume outing of pointless violence, graphic nudity and 15-year-old children spouting movie dialogue and acting like Keanu Reeves. Even the movie had something to say, but the manga did not. I don't know how much that is due to the interference of Giffen, as opposed to whether the original Japanese version being like that, but it still grates.

I love the book, but I can't really get into the manga. Except for Hiroki Sugimura, but he's goddam cool in every adaptation.

[DarkKanti]

I love the book, but I can't really get into the manga. Except for Hiroki Sugimura, but he's goddam cool in every adaptation.

Didn't the manga give him like DBZ style powers at the end or something retarded like that?

I really couldn't stand the manga. The art was terrible and moved at about a inch a century. It just took sooooo long for everything to happen.

If you really want to get into the BR universe, read the book or watch the movie.

[Retlor]

Yeah he did get wierd stuff toward the end. A huge, matrix-like fight between him and Kiriyama ensues, etc etc. YAWN.

The book is much better and more realistic, although over-states the power of a bullet-proof vest.

[genki sakura]

I will say this about the manga: the art is grotesque and unnapealling to the point that some people may find the manga unreadable.
That was true for me to some extent. I absolutely love the book (it's my favorite of all time >.><.<). But then I skimmed through some of the volumes and I couldn't read it. It was too graphic for me (I mean, the book is crazy but the manga was too much of a visual and it was unappealling). I thought the movie was okay...book>movie>manga, imo

[NausicaaBoy]

The art in the manga is terrible....its just shit...but the story is ok up to volume 3 ish... but....... the movie is good:alex:

[Nicotine]

I plan on acquiring this manga soon, probably after I finish up Pretty Face. I've heard good things, but I'm not so sure after DH's post. :/


Don't do that XD. Just watch the movies...they're waaaay better.

[lucky]

Hm.. What can I say? I love the movie.. But I also love the manga. I love the gritty, raw feeling you get from it. Like you're actually seeing something gruesome. If you want gruesome, skip the hollywood bullshit and buck up. If it's too much, then just read the novel and watch the films.

Oh, and the book is quite good as well.