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A review by aoki_reads
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
5.0
Battle Royale is everything that the Hunger Games strives to be. Battle Royale walked so that Squid Game could run. There wouldn’t be so many variations of these “last man standing” novels and shows if it wasn’t for this 627-paged baby right here.
In Japan, forty-two teenagers/ninth grade classmates are kidnapped and thrown onto an island where they must fight to the death until only one of them remains. Takami writes an incredible story that not only keeps us entertained and on our toes… but addresses politics, friendship, love, betrayal, and human survival.
I adored all of the world and character-building elements of this book. At first, you may be concerned with remembering all the names, but Koushun does a magnificent job at giving us insight into characters we run across. We learn about certain characters’ back stories and watch them grow connections. I also found it brilliant how Takami wove through chapters by having fellow classmates witness their peers killing others from different viewpoints and perspectives. It felt as though you were experiencing the novel through different angles and lenses. If I’m not mistaken, an interview with Takami mentions that while he was writing it, he often thought about how Battle Royale would look in front of a movie camera. And a movie it did become. It is a phenomenal adaptation, check it out.
You often feel like you’re inside of this book, and that’s not always a gift you get when you pick up something to read, even if it’s really good. I felt so connected to specific characters. I also shed a few tears. There were so many situations of young love interwoven in the storyline that really touched me. How would you react if you had to kill the person you love? Would you die for them to live? Die together? There were so many touching, philosophical nuances that added emotion to what I was reading. I find this to be a sort of specialty that I find from Japanese novelists.
But as many touching moments as there were, there’s plenty of killing here. That’s no giveaway. Takami writes his execution scenes so vividly, and with plenty of detail. There are some awesome plot twists throughout, and you’ll have plenty of times where you’re rooting for a character you like to hold out just a little longer. There isn’t a slow moment in this book, I promise you that.
I could continue my rant about how incredible this book is, and how it should be considered a must-read, but I’d rather you pick it up for yourself. It is 627 pages of fight-to-the-finish that really can’t be compared to.
In Japan, forty-two teenagers/ninth grade classmates are kidnapped and thrown onto an island where they must fight to the death until only one of them remains. Takami writes an incredible story that not only keeps us entertained and on our toes… but addresses politics, friendship, love, betrayal, and human survival.
I adored all of the world and character-building elements of this book. At first, you may be concerned with remembering all the names, but Koushun does a magnificent job at giving us insight into characters we run across. We learn about certain characters’ back stories and watch them grow connections. I also found it brilliant how Takami wove through chapters by having fellow classmates witness their peers killing others from different viewpoints and perspectives. It felt as though you were experiencing the novel through different angles and lenses. If I’m not mistaken, an interview with Takami mentions that while he was writing it, he often thought about how Battle Royale would look in front of a movie camera. And a movie it did become. It is a phenomenal adaptation, check it out.
You often feel like you’re inside of this book, and that’s not always a gift you get when you pick up something to read, even if it’s really good. I felt so connected to specific characters. I also shed a few tears. There were so many situations of young love interwoven in the storyline that really touched me. How would you react if you had to kill the person you love? Would you die for them to live? Die together? There were so many touching, philosophical nuances that added emotion to what I was reading. I find this to be a sort of specialty that I find from Japanese novelists.
But as many touching moments as there were, there’s plenty of killing here. That’s no giveaway. Takami writes his execution scenes so vividly, and with plenty of detail. There are some awesome plot twists throughout, and you’ll have plenty of times where you’re rooting for a character you like to hold out just a little longer. There isn’t a slow moment in this book, I promise you that.
I could continue my rant about how incredible this book is, and how it should be considered a must-read, but I’d rather you pick it up for yourself. It is 627 pages of fight-to-the-finish that really can’t be compared to.