battle royale, finally!
part 1 review
part 2 review
i am completely surprised. i cried at the end of this book. out of the freakin’ blue the author was strumming my emotions like a guitar. who knew that by the end of the novel Takami had developed an arsenal of well-developed characters? i really didn’t see that coming. i may have been distracted by tediously long descriptions of how to make a bomb and the locations of buildings, houses, etc. on the island–to name a few. i think i could have skipped pages at a time before the plot started rolling along again. i wouldn’t be surprised if another reader gave up less than half-way through due to this. but those over-achievers out there will be nicely rewarded at the end.
i thought Takami did a great job of helping me keep the characters straight. since each chapter is from a different character’s perspective, it can get a little hairy. even if i didn’t recognize who the character was right away, at some point Takami would reference something to spark my memory. i wouldn’t recommend flipping back through to sort everyone out though. when i rarely didn’t recognize someone, i just moved on, no harm done.
the killings continued to be descriptive, gory, and extremely troubling. since Takami provides the train of thought of each character, you can’t help but sympathize with some of them. those that come off as inherently evil at least garner some pity for circumstances beyond their control that turned them that way. the complexity of each character was described or at least hinted at. so everything is not always as it seems. and that helps keep the story intriguing. and the last page: poetic.
battle royale …cont.
part 1 review
you know, when i started reading the first few pages i couldn’t help but think “why is this book boring right now?” it consists mostly of backstory so i chucked it up to that. and since it was originally written in japanese, maybe something got lost in translation? anyway, boooooring. and i was dismayed because the book weighs a ton and i knew i’d never make it through if it kept up that attitude. but like i said before, the story completely captivates once the killing starts. in fact, i’m on page 342 (21 students remaining).
i’m highly impressed that i can recognize each of the 42 students most of the time. especially when they have names like yoshio, keita, tatsumichi, toshinori, etc. That should say wonders about how well the characters are fleshed out. the story is progressing by sorting out who has given into killing and who are the ones determined to survive and escape. lots of violence and the descriptions are pretty darn descriptive. as i’m learning more about the main characters, i find myself more concerned about their well-being. some tricky stuff is coming up in the plot and some ingenious tactics are being used by some smart characters. i feel the rapid page turning about to begin so i’m thinking the next time i post on battle royale, it will be the last.
final review
beginning battle royale by koushun takami
the first thing i noticed was that this book is extremely heavy for its size. weird. i’m on page 78 and it’s been interesting because the killing has started. the plot is that a junior high class in japan is picked to fight to the death in an arena. very “hunger games”-ish, so i like it. there is actually a nice dictionary explanation of this killing ritual know as “the Program”.
Program n. 1. A listing of the order of events and other information […] 4. A battle simulation program conducted by our nation’s ground defense forces, instituted for security reasons. Officially know as Battle Experiment No. 68 Program. The first program was held in 1947. Fifty third-year junior high school classes are selected annually (prior to 1950, 47 classes were selected) to conduct the Program for research purposes. Classmates in each class are forced to fight until one survivor is left. Results from this experiment, including the elapsed time, are entered as data. The final survivor of each class (the winner) is provided with a lifetime pension and a card autographed by The Great Dictator. In reaction to protests and agitation caused by extremists during the first year of its enactment, the 317th Great Dictator gave his famous “April Speech.”
whaaaaaat?! awesomeness. makes for a thrilling and emotional story. and before every chapter there is a current body count. it started with 42 students, 21 girls and boys. i’m currently at “38 students remaining”. so far, the story has been narrated by a boy named Shuya Nanahara who is immediately likable. all the students are on an island and have just been released from the central location to disperse within the island. before dispersing, each student received a bag filled with food, water, and a random weapon. keeps getting better. they each have a metal collar around their neck which will explode if they try to remove it. even better, the island is divided into zones and a computer will randomly select forbidden zones. if you don’t evacuate a forbidden zone by the given time, the collar will explode. keeps the students moving around. there’s so much more but you’ll have to actually read it to get all the details, duh.
Shuya has witnessed the deaths of some classmates and still cannot wrap his head around the idea that they have to kill each other. he’s still holding out hope that he can meet with his classmates and plan a way of escaping. so far, he’s only caught up with one injured girl, Noriko Nakagawa, and they are on the run. will Shuya keep from falling into the government’s trap and believe the only way to survive is to kill his friends? I DON’T KNOW! THIS MESS IS CRAZY!
part 2 review
final review
the bookend. 