Dystopian fiction has become a major trend in young adult fiction. With books like the Hunger Games, Maze Runner and Divergent, the concepts become far to similiar and convoluted. Okay, I loved the Hunger Games, and the Giver so I made two exceptions. Despite how overrated I feel this particular genre is becoming, I still love the book that started it all. This is Battle Royale by Koushun Takami.
Written in 1999, Battle Royale still remains Koushun Takami's only published novel. Basically the One Hit Wonder of books. Anyway, the book was initially banned in Takami's native country of Japan, due to its violent content, as well as supposed propaganda against the Japanese government. However, that didnt stop it from being made into a critically acclaimed film a year later. Only recently has it surfaced in the United States, and when I came across it at my local bookstore, my curiousity peaked.
The story immediately unfolds when a 9th grade class is randomly selected to participate in the battle royale program. They are kidnapped, and placed on a remote island, and are given seventy-two hours to kill eachother until one person is standing. And you thought the Hunger Games was original. The winner is promised the life long pension, garunteeing financial security and diplomatic priviledges. Anyway, once the game has begun, its everyone for themselves. The main character is Shuya, who teams up with Noriko, the girl who has a crush on him, and Shogo, a student with a very interesting past and some experience with such a game. (This isnt really important but I thought it was a bit funny: Shogo is a chainsmoker, I swear to god he smokes so much in the novel I thought he would die of lung cancer before the game even ended.) The story follows them, as well as all the other classmates as they struggle to survive. And I gotta be honest, I was so impressed by how Takami was able to flush out forty two characters.Yup, the class consisted of forty two students. We get a deep look into each of their heads, seeing what drives them, what makes them upset, their goals in life and how it influences their behavior in the game. It makes the character seem more realistic and actually allows us to grow attached to them, making their deaths devastating.
Some of the classmates attempt to team up in hopes of overcoming the game, while others, just kill. There is a great sense of tragedy because many of these classmates are close friends, and many of them are torn apart with the fact they have to kill eachother in order to survive. Some however, have sheer joy in it. This is where the antagonists take form. One is Kitano, the head director of the Battle Royale program. He is suave and gives off the impression of not caring for the students and respecting them at the same time for their efforts. He has that streak of humanity showing respect for some of the students bravery. His personality gets confusing, to me, if he wasn't the running the battle royale program, he would seem like a very nice guy but he is so by-the-book, like the government brain washed him into following the rules when conducting the game. At the end of the day, he doesn't care for anything other than his work. Another antagonist is Kiriyama, one of the students, and I swear to god he is the true definition of a sociopath. The moment he kills his first victim, he describes it as feeling complete, and finding pleasure in it. These aren't the only two antagonists, but they are the closest to the main villians.
The violence gets pretty graphic, I actually cringed a few times. One scene involves a girl jabbing a boy in the eyes with her thumbs and then stabbing him in his testicles over and over again until he bleeds out. Talk about overkill!! And to be honest, it wasn't the violence that kept me invested in the story. Infact every violent scene in the book was actually heart breaking to read. You really get the feeling of terror these kids have to put themselves through, and it hurts. It hurts how they turn on eachother, it hurts when they start throwing their trust in eachother into question. When one goes into survival mode, they can only go so far until they start thinking for themselves. But at the same time, that's what made the book so captivating. When the plot wasn't advancing, we are given a look at what each character is like, making their deaths devestating. The world that Takami created is very interesting too. From how the government chooses the classes, the motives behind the formation of the battle royale program, But I can't go into details due to spoilers.
If there was one real flaw to the book as a whole, it was narrative. The prose were a bit choppy, and awkward in a few places. But I don't think it was the author's fault. I think it was a product of the text being translated from Japanese to English. Because of that, I am willing to let it slide since its not much of a distraction and its still barely noticable.
At the end of the day, I loved this book. It presented many interesting ideas, sparked alot of emotions, and just kept me turning the pages the whole way through. There is no doubt in my mind that Battle Royale is an instant classic!! Please, if you are into the dystopian genre, or want a good read to provoke thought and discussion, go out and check the book.
But these are just my opinions. Have you read the book? If so, how was it? Comment below and enjoy your week.
P.S. I don't usually talk about film adaptions of the books I review cause I want more people to read, but right now I am about to make an exception. I mentioned before that Battle Royale was made into a film in 2000. I'm also gonna reccommend watching the film as well. It isn't only a fantastic film, but also one of the most loyal adaptations of any books I've read. It was final film of director Kinji Fukasaku, and to this day is one of the highest grossing international films ever made. The cinematography is beautiful, the acting is spot on and it captures almost the same emotions I felt while reading the book. Check it out, but don't forget to read the book as well!!
