Battle Royale

thusspakeblixa

I've read the first 2 books of Battle Royale, and I've seen the movie, but a friend told me it's really only worth reading the first 5 books (there is 15), and after that they go downhill?
Any thoughts / experiences?

johnny_ultimate

only read the same as yourself (only the first three or four) but didn't really have the urge to go on: way too expensive to buy the lot. The ones I read were very good, but I think I'll stick with the film for the time being. Didn't hear anything about the latter ones though so didn't really answer your question Sorry!

Is the novel worth reading?

spicywedge

I have read the novel and it is well worth the read especially since it oges more indepth into the characters, who they are, what they stand for and of course how they kick the bucket. one part you will notice that was cut out of the movie for obvious reasons is absolutely fantastic, gives a new meaning to the word femme fatale

K.O.Kiki

Does it involve female-on-male raep?

tread_softly

the novel is brilliant.

i have the whole collection of the manga and i like it myself except there are a lot of graphic scenes. and yes some lovely death rape. not for the faint hearted!

oh and do yourself a favour and don't watch the second movie.

spicywedge

yes, yes it does sir!!!

Keggers

Rape? Only read the first two books but could see that coming a mile off

thusspakeblixa

There was rape in the 1st 20 pages of the 1st manga anyway!
I must look for the novel.
Yeah the entire manga series would cost me 150 euro (although they do have an omnibus edition, but it's far too large)
So that's a ''yes, read the remaining manga'' then?

Raemie

The manga is good enough, but the novel is great. I found the manga, as manga tends to be, too over the top and graphic (i.e. the copious rape). The novel is more interesting and subtle, and there is much better manga out there than Battle Royale (like Death Note), but do read the rest if you have the time/money.



Seriously, read Death Note.

lighterfox

i have all the manga, its not for the faint hearted. That aside the manga offers a deeper look into the characters.

They're releasing the Manga in hardback versions. Eason's have volume 1 which contains books 1-3 for only 18 euro. Far cheaper than buying them individually.

thusspakeblixa

Raemie wrote: »

The manga is good enough, but the novel is great. I found the manga, as manga tends to be, too over the top and graphic (i.e. the copious rape). The novel is more interesting and subtle, and there is much better manga out there than Battle Royale (like Death Note), but do read the rest if you have the time/money.



Seriously, read Death Note.

Started reading Death Note, Very VERY good altogether

MarkHall

Well worth the read.
I have enjoyed Battle Royal accross all the mediums. It's well worth getting it all. The lighthouse scene is worth the read that comes before it.

Sure it's not for the Faint hearted but then it's a group of teenagers slaughtering each other on an island. And some of the FS is the kind you would expect. But the Gore in no way detracts form the Story with each characther getting a little bit of a tale before they get sent to meet thier maker.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

Dartz

Have all fifteen, and read through 'em too. I quite enjoyed it, and frankly, I don't see the point in buying the first five or so, andgetting into the story, if you're not going top go ahead and finish it.

That said, Geffin's adaptation of it is not to everyones tastes. Some like it, some hate it. I know the creators liked it... I guess it's like marmite.

Anyway, if you start the series, finish it. It is pretty decent.

thusspakeblixa

Dartz wrote: »

frankly, I don't see the point in buying the first five or so, andgetting into the story, if you're not going top go ahead and finish it.

A major stumbling block for me (and seemingly other people too) is that the entire series is just too darned expensive!

seraphimvc

thusspakeblixa wrote: »

Yeah the entire manga series would cost me 150 euro (although they do have an omnibus edition, but it's far too large)
So that's a ''yes, read the remaining manga'' then?

that is a crazy price but very true for english readers :(i am shocked by the price of manga here when i saw them in forbidden planet.

Battle royale,the manga,a standard version book cost me about 5dollar(currency exchange to euro = 1euro),if you need some good quality ones will cost you like 3euro.i am talking about the chinese translation version,needless to say they will be WAY cheaper in Japanese.i buy either chinese or japanese version depends on which ever is better for collection

so my suggestion is,if you have time and really love manga,learn japanese or chinese,the progress will be painful but it will worth it for a manga fan.you dnt even need to be good ,just learn enough words and bring a jap-eng dictionary with you .one reason is enough,the quality of the good jap/chi book is way way way prettier then english version and you will never need to wait for the crazy delayed translate version.

thusspakeblixa wrote: »

A major stumbling block for me (and seemingly other people too) is that the entire series is just too darned expensive!

oh no no no no,there are some comics are seriously good but they dont really wanna aim the market.yes looks like they dont even want to make money lol Five Star Stories,20 yrs old already on released its 12th book last year.There is no standard version of it (cause' it is no 'popular'),only the very original jap and chinese version(under the same company) ,one book will cost you 40dollar(8euro),compare to words i said above,you know most of the readers will not be able to afford that ,almost 10times expensive .And of course the printing of the books quality is seriously darn beautiful .but still ,cheaper than the price here i guess...sorry in advance if i make people feel bad

OT:
Battle royale is a class manga,the idea is brilliant and protrayed smoothly in manga.of course it is for us adults :)that kind of manga we can never find in western comic

thusspakeblixa

How much would it cost to import an entire series from a Japanese website though?

seraphimvc

there are lots of jap websites you can buy from ,like this,
http://www.jbook.co.jp/p/p.aspx/2449639/s

its about 600yen per book,9000yen for 15books?will be like 60euro but the problem is the postage,at least 30 euro i'd say.the reason that they dare to sell them at that high price here is due to 'meh,you wont get that yourself ,give me some extras and i do that for ya'.if you have fren/relationship in asia/US be able to get the book,problem solved

lots more websites if ya interested.battle royale name is バトル・ロワイアル(you will need asia language pack to read this )
1.
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/browse.html/249-8935416-6534767?node=489986

2.Jbook:
http://www.jbook.co.jp/p/p.aspx

3.中央書店:
http://www.comicomi-studio.com/home.html

4.虎之穴
http://www.toranoana.co.jp/

5.chara-ani
http://www.chara-ani.com/

6.集英社
http://www.shueisha.co.jp/

7.角川書店
http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/comic/index.html

8.講談社

http://shop.kodansha.jp/bc2_bc/sinkan_list_x.jsp?x=C

9.小學館

http://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/

owlwink

tread_softly wrote: »

the novel is brilliant.

i have the whole collection of the manga and i like it myself except there are a lot of graphic scenes. and yes some lovely death rape. not for the faint hearted!

oh and do yourself a favour and don't watch the second movie.

I have to be honest I quite enjoyed the second film. It was flawed, but it was a good idea, just not executed correctly.

Raemie

thusspakeblixa wrote: »

Started reading Death Note, Very VERY good altogether

I really loved it, its so dark but in a completely different way to battle royale. Similar themes though - morality etc. I'm still not sure what to think about it.

tread_softly

i found with deathnote, people either love it or they hate it.

i'm part of the former but others i know tried reading it and just couldn't get into it.

the movies are decent too, even though the storylines are slightly different

owlwink

tread_softly wrote: »

i found with deathnote, people either love it or they hate it.

i'm part of the former but others i know tried reading it and just couldn't get into it.

the movies are decent too, even though the storylines are slightly different

D:oIFFERENCE KEEPS THINGS INTERESTING

Fad

I prefered the book, its alot less graphic (in good way)

no cat being shot scene

i liked the movie but id say itd be better is the dubbing was in sync on my ipod (you hear a gunshot and then seconds later you see the gun fire, not bad at the start but get pretty frustrating toward the end)

tread_softly

owlwink wrote: »

D:oIFFERENCE KEEPS THINGS INTERESTING

:eek: i didn't say they weren't!!!

owlwink

tread_softly wrote: »

:eek: i didn't say they weren't!!!

neither did I.

SmileyPaul

battle royale is my second favorite manga
only to bleach, I saw the movie many years before I read the manga, the manga is 20x better than the film and i found the second film to be very disappointing (my dvd was broken and the subtitles stopped halfway through... that might have been the reason :P).

the only thing is that I have only read the first 7 books, forbidden planet in dublin wont sell me the eighth one even though that was the place i bought the other 7 :S, I suppose it is probably the filthiest of the series but Its still really unreasonable of them

owlwink

I just re-read book 1. It really is a brilliant piece of work. Gotta love the first death:D

lighterfox

seraphimvc wrote: »

that is a crazy price but very true for english readers :(i am shocked by the price of manga here when i saw them in forbidden planet.

Forbidden Planet, i know that place:)
That aside I now have all 15 manga, but i had trouble getting the final 5 due to (as the guy in forbidden planed said) thay are so violent that thay are hard to get your hands on. Even Easons stop at 10, I even orderd the dredded final 5 to be told by Easons HR that thay will not order them.:mad:

Movie was good, but not a scratch on the manga, That said the second one was watchable, it had a story line (ok the very same as the first one, right down to the character who doesn't want to fight and servives SHOCK) and it had over dermatic death, what more did you want (the first one was hardly a big budget cinematic experience)

owlwink

Dartz wrote: »

Have all fifteen, and read through 'em too. I quite enjoyed it, and frankly, I don't see the point in buying the first five or so, andgetting into the story, if you're not going top go ahead and finish it.

That said, Geffin's adaptation of it is not to everyones tastes. Some like it, some hate it. I know the creators liked it... I guess it's like marmite.

Anyway, if you start the series, finish it. It is pretty decent.

I'll try, though it is difficult with the price ofmanga in Ireland. There always seems to be a good deal, but one of the books isn't included and you have to pay loads for it. Ahhh, the price of happiness.;)

fitz0

thusspakeblixa wrote: »

Started reading Death Note, Very VERY good altogether

I liked the manga but the anime is far better IMO. Liked the first movie havent seen the second but looking forward to it. There is a DN movie out on DVD soon. Is it just the first NHK one or both of them?