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toasty's review against another edition
5.0
y'all wanna say this is like hunger games and i Like hunger games, but this is so much better. i'm not sorry. it doesn't have weird YA tropes and isn't afraid to just get gory and gross and vulgar. my friend borrowed my copy from me and never gave it back so i really have to get a new one because this is something i Need to reread. i won't spoil anything, but this is a must-read from me.
arguemore's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't finished this yet but I'd love to give it a review already. I'm putting this on hold since I have a lot more stuff to read.
The writing style kind of puts me off. I get that it's translated from Japanese but it's just... They could have revised it better. I love the details, though. It's extremely detailed and if you cannot handle reading gore then this book is not for you. I love the concept. What I don't like though is the fact that I can't remember a single name. All their names just meld in together. I don't know why but they just do. It's hella confusing.
Review to be continued...
The writing style kind of puts me off. I get that it's translated from Japanese but it's just... They could have revised it better. I love the details, though. It's extremely detailed and if you cannot handle reading gore then this book is not for you. I love the concept. What I don't like though is the fact that I can't remember a single name. All their names just meld in together. I don't know why but they just do. It's hella confusing.
Review to be continued...
gubuchu's review against another edition
5.0
Forgot when I read this, but it was a while back back. I usually tend to end up liking books about 'there can only be one winner' or whatever, so I was really glad to love this a lot. I know most of the versions of this (watched the movie but not the sequel, never read the manga because it sounds a bit too graphic for me. Strange, but I know.) and of course, I read the book. I'd personally wouldn't mind if I'd read the japanese version of this instead of the translated. But I know no japanese so eh. Hopefully they won't make an american version of this! But I doubt it cause Hunger Games is coming out. Takako was my favorite if you had to ask me who I liked the most. I liked almost all the characters though, but eh. You should really read this, though if you ever decide to.
goblingirlreads's review against another edition
5.0
WARNING: This book has the most graphic descriptions of violent deaths and body horror I have ever read. I had to skip sections because they made me feel queasy and I even had one nightmare when I read this book before bed.
Having said that, this was incredible. Each character was given life and purpose. The book was carefully constructed so that my heart pounded quickly and then my thoughts were full of questions and ponderings. It made me feel utter despair and tiny hopes among the wreckage. It made me think "what's the point?!" and "oh, that's the point". It made me see that people are full of evil and terror, fear and mistrust, as well as endless love, perserverence and understanding. We are ALL those things, all of them. Would you play the game? Horrifying and beautiful read, I say.
Having said that, this was incredible. Each character was given life and purpose. The book was carefully constructed so that my heart pounded quickly and then my thoughts were full of questions and ponderings. It made me feel utter despair and tiny hopes among the wreckage. It made me think "what's the point?!" and "oh, that's the point". It made me see that people are full of evil and terror, fear and mistrust, as well as endless love, perserverence and understanding. We are ALL those things, all of them. Would you play the game? Horrifying and beautiful read, I say.
yonnyan's review against another edition
5.0
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami was quite possibly one of the best books that I have ever read in my life. It was one of those pieces that leave you with intellectual ponderings for a while afterwards, not to mention the rush of all the intense uncertainty wrapped in vibrant splashes of scarlet imagery. One bloody roller coaster ride from the first page unto the last, Battle Royale really knows how to put the picture of human morality and corrupt governments into a panoramic perspective.
This novel teaches you that you know absolutely nothing about the people you share your life with and that you should never expect to. Placing junior high students in a do or die situation, the reader gets a very emotionally invigorating look at betrayals, loyalty, and utter desperation for survival. The awe-inspiring concept of escaping your bitter reality by “bonding together” is left to be nothing more than a gut-wrenching illusion.
The intellectual stimulation that is tied to the foreshadowing of life, death, and the lengths that a corruptive society will succumb to make this novel almost impossible to put down. It really knows how to make you question your own ethics—what could a person, especially a child, do in such a dire circumstance? What is right and what is wrong when you’re fighting for your life? What defines our humanity—the choice to kill, or the acceptance of death to keep from staining your hands with blood?
Aside from these very random thought-provoking elements, I found the story to be exquisitely written. The pace was poised with perfection. The descriptive of atmosphere and setting were perfectly in tune with the presentation of thoughts and emotions. The style was very colloquial, which added to the underlying symbolism presented. The first person accounts of these kids create an almost intimate relationship between the characters and the reader. With intricate character development this facet only draws the audience in deeper and deeper.
In short, Battle Royale is a masterpiece in the way it executes a portrait of humanity during a time of complete chaos. Mix it up with adolescence, twisted political intrigue, and a time of war, you have yourself a feast of imagination. What is presented in this book is a blood-soaked circus of murder and mayhem with a mood that is nothing short of dark, morbid, and at times ironic. I can’t give this anything less than a 5 out of 5 for it is superb in every way.
This novel teaches you that you know absolutely nothing about the people you share your life with and that you should never expect to. Placing junior high students in a do or die situation, the reader gets a very emotionally invigorating look at betrayals, loyalty, and utter desperation for survival. The awe-inspiring concept of escaping your bitter reality by “bonding together” is left to be nothing more than a gut-wrenching illusion.
The intellectual stimulation that is tied to the foreshadowing of life, death, and the lengths that a corruptive society will succumb to make this novel almost impossible to put down. It really knows how to make you question your own ethics—what could a person, especially a child, do in such a dire circumstance? What is right and what is wrong when you’re fighting for your life? What defines our humanity—the choice to kill, or the acceptance of death to keep from staining your hands with blood?
Aside from these very random thought-provoking elements, I found the story to be exquisitely written. The pace was poised with perfection. The descriptive of atmosphere and setting were perfectly in tune with the presentation of thoughts and emotions. The style was very colloquial, which added to the underlying symbolism presented. The first person accounts of these kids create an almost intimate relationship between the characters and the reader. With intricate character development this facet only draws the audience in deeper and deeper.
In short, Battle Royale is a masterpiece in the way it executes a portrait of humanity during a time of complete chaos. Mix it up with adolescence, twisted political intrigue, and a time of war, you have yourself a feast of imagination. What is presented in this book is a blood-soaked circus of murder and mayhem with a mood that is nothing short of dark, morbid, and at times ironic. I can’t give this anything less than a 5 out of 5 for it is superb in every way.
raeleenlemay's review against another edition
3.0
I FINALLY FINISHED. WOW.
In my opinion, this book could (and should) have been way shorter. The only reason this book is so long is because the author felt it necessary to go into tons of detail about each character's backstory before killing them off. I can see why some people might like that, but it didn't work for me.
I really enjoyed the ending though, so I'm glad I pushed through! I also loved how brutal this book was, both in terms of the violence and the way the characters interacted with each other. They swore and did all sorts of crazy things, and none of that is hidden from the reader which I thought was really refreshing. This one is definitely not your typical YA novel (if you'd even call it that.)
So overall I enjoyed this, but obviously didn't LOVE it.
In my opinion, this book could (and should) have been way shorter. The only reason this book is so long is because the author felt it necessary to go into tons of detail about each character's backstory before killing them off. I can see why some people might like that, but it didn't work for me.
I really enjoyed the ending though, so I'm glad I pushed through! I also loved how brutal this book was, both in terms of the violence and the way the characters interacted with each other. They swore and did all sorts of crazy things, and none of that is hidden from the reader which I thought was really refreshing. This one is definitely not your typical YA novel (if you'd even call it that.)
So overall I enjoyed this, but obviously didn't LOVE it.
kimmym's review against another edition
4.0
I couldn’t find this as an e-book anywhere, so I had to go in to a bookstore and purchase the physical book, gasp! And this book was huge – around 600 pages! Here is an excerpt of the publisher’s summary:
Koushun Takami’s notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan – where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller – Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.
Well, even though this book was huge, I finished it in two days. I couldn’t put it down! I heard about this book while I was reading The Hunger Games, and was immediately intrigued by its premise: a class of middle school students in an alternate Japan are taken to an island where they are forced to kill each other until only one remains. I can see why it came up in relation to The Hunger Games, but I didn’t find the reading experience to be similar (and enough about The Hunger Games - this post is just about Battle Royale).
There are 42 students in Shuya’s class (despite the number of characters in the book, Shuya is the protagonist), on the bus for a school trip (I think they were 15 and 16 years old), when suddenly Shuya notices they’ve all fallen asleep and the bus driver is wearing a gas mask. Clearly something is amiss. He wakes up with all of his classmates, in a classroom where they are told that their class has been selected for ‘the program’, which is a military research project. Each year, a class is chosen and transported to an island where they battle until only one remains. That student is declared the winner.
Shuya and his classmates learn the rules: the island is divided into grids, or zones, and at a pre-determined time, certain zones will become forbidden areas. If a student is in a forbidden area past the cut off point, the tracking collar that they each wear around their necks will detonate. If no one dies within a 24 hour period, all of their collars will detonate. If they try to remove their collars, they will detonate. Each student leaves the room at two-minute intervals, and is handed a bag on the way out containing some food, water, a map, a compass, and a weapon.
The first half of the book is really intense and action-packed, as we see how each student reacts to his or her situation. Some decide to ‘play the game’ right away, while others are certain that his/her classmates wouldn’t possibly commit murder and try to band together. It’s suspenseful because as the reader, I couldn’t be sure who would turn violent or not.
As the number of surviving students gets smaller and smaller, things got more tense for me, because I had grown attached to some of the characters and, knowing that there could only be one winner, couldn’t predict the outcome. Where Shuya was the protagonist, there were also a couple of antagonists who were ruthless, and every time they appeared in Shuya’s vicinity, I got worried for him!
I really did like Shuya. Through his memories and interactions with other students, I felt that I learned enough about him to care about him. I actually felt that I learned enough about each student to feel attached, and was sad when one died, or happy when one escaped from someone out to kill him/her, and I think that’s a pretty significant accomplishment, as there are 42 students at the start of the book.
I don’t read much non-Western fiction, and this book really opened my eyes to the world of literature that’s out there, and has me really wanting to read some more books by non-North American authors. I’m taking suggestions!
Obviously, this book is violent (definitely more violent than The Hunger Games). If the idea of teenagers viciously murdering each other does not sound like fun reading, this may not be the book for you, but if you like action, excitement, drama, and suspense, I really recommend this book. I swear, I couldn’t put it down! Now I’m going to watch the movie adaptation with Mr. Pingwing!
(From http://pingwings.ca)
Koushun Takami’s notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan – where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller – Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.
Well, even though this book was huge, I finished it in two days. I couldn’t put it down! I heard about this book while I was reading The Hunger Games, and was immediately intrigued by its premise: a class of middle school students in an alternate Japan are taken to an island where they are forced to kill each other until only one remains. I can see why it came up in relation to The Hunger Games, but I didn’t find the reading experience to be similar (and enough about The Hunger Games - this post is just about Battle Royale).
There are 42 students in Shuya’s class (despite the number of characters in the book, Shuya is the protagonist), on the bus for a school trip (I think they were 15 and 16 years old), when suddenly Shuya notices they’ve all fallen asleep and the bus driver is wearing a gas mask. Clearly something is amiss. He wakes up with all of his classmates, in a classroom where they are told that their class has been selected for ‘the program’, which is a military research project. Each year, a class is chosen and transported to an island where they battle until only one remains. That student is declared the winner.
Shuya and his classmates learn the rules: the island is divided into grids, or zones, and at a pre-determined time, certain zones will become forbidden areas. If a student is in a forbidden area past the cut off point, the tracking collar that they each wear around their necks will detonate. If no one dies within a 24 hour period, all of their collars will detonate. If they try to remove their collars, they will detonate. Each student leaves the room at two-minute intervals, and is handed a bag on the way out containing some food, water, a map, a compass, and a weapon.
The first half of the book is really intense and action-packed, as we see how each student reacts to his or her situation. Some decide to ‘play the game’ right away, while others are certain that his/her classmates wouldn’t possibly commit murder and try to band together. It’s suspenseful because as the reader, I couldn’t be sure who would turn violent or not.
As the number of surviving students gets smaller and smaller, things got more tense for me, because I had grown attached to some of the characters and, knowing that there could only be one winner, couldn’t predict the outcome. Where Shuya was the protagonist, there were also a couple of antagonists who were ruthless, and every time they appeared in Shuya’s vicinity, I got worried for him!
I really did like Shuya. Through his memories and interactions with other students, I felt that I learned enough about him to care about him. I actually felt that I learned enough about each student to feel attached, and was sad when one died, or happy when one escaped from someone out to kill him/her, and I think that’s a pretty significant accomplishment, as there are 42 students at the start of the book.
I don’t read much non-Western fiction, and this book really opened my eyes to the world of literature that’s out there, and has me really wanting to read some more books by non-North American authors. I’m taking suggestions!
Obviously, this book is violent (definitely more violent than The Hunger Games). If the idea of teenagers viciously murdering each other does not sound like fun reading, this may not be the book for you, but if you like action, excitement, drama, and suspense, I really recommend this book. I swear, I couldn’t put it down! Now I’m going to watch the movie adaptation with Mr. Pingwing!
(From http://pingwings.ca)
banrions's review against another edition
4.0
Holy shit.
I just...............holy shit.
While I learn how to breathe again, I will attempt to talk about what has been consuming my entire life for the last 3 days or so. I picked this book up because I saw a recommendation from someone who said that it was similar to Hunger Games - which I loved. Honestly, they are different in a lot of ways. The main premise of this story is a class of high school students in what is called The Greater Republic of East Asia (I think it was meant to be mostly Japan, but I'm not sure) get thrown into this thing called The Program. This country is clearly dystopian, rock music is banned, people get killed off for speaking out against the gov, etc. This Program was founded in 1947 and each year one class of students is selected at random. Apparently it is supposed to be a sort of social experiment. The selected class is forced onto an island, given weapons at random, and forced to kill each other. The people running this Program are vicious and horrible. They kill two students for simply annoying them before the "game" even really begins. The students all have collars around their necks and are told that if they try to remove them, they will explode and kill them, if they are in a forbidden zone, it will explode, if no one dies within 24 hours, everyone's will explode, if they try to escape, guess what? Their collar will explode.
The novel mostly takes place with 3 main characters, Shuya, Shogo and Noriko, but you get a tiny bit of the perspective of every student at one point or another. It was a little hard to keep everyone straight, I am not familiar with asian names and there were so many of them, and they were all so similar that it took me a little while to get them down. The writing is pretty simplistic and very easy to follow, and it gets violent. The simplistic style helped to bring out the violence in a kinda weird way. The book catches your attention right in the beginning, a lot of people die within the first 100 pages or so and you really get into the story. It stays consistent in keeping your attention throughout the book.
I only had a couple of issues with this. The girls.......well the girls were pathetic. Most of them just spent the novel crying (understandable, I would cry in that situation too) or gripping about their crushes. The boys did that too actually. Most of the kids last thoughts were about the people they had crushes on and how they didn't tell them etc. None of them really thought about their families, or what they would have wanted to do with their lives etc. It just bothered me a little. I mostly got over it, but the girls thing really bothered me. The main girl, Noriko was really pathetic, she was sick most of the time, and all she really did was reload bullets. There was only really one girl actually strong and playing the game (she was nuts, but still).
Other than that, I really liked the novel. I love dystopian, high adrenaline, people thrust into horrifying situations novels and this was just that. The ending!!! I really wasn't expecting it, and it caught me off guard in the best possible way. I was really pleased with how the author brought everything together. THe last line.......brilliant.
I just...............holy shit.
While I learn how to breathe again, I will attempt to talk about what has been consuming my entire life for the last 3 days or so. I picked this book up because I saw a recommendation from someone who said that it was similar to Hunger Games - which I loved. Honestly, they are different in a lot of ways. The main premise of this story is a class of high school students in what is called The Greater Republic of East Asia (I think it was meant to be mostly Japan, but I'm not sure) get thrown into this thing called The Program. This country is clearly dystopian, rock music is banned, people get killed off for speaking out against the gov, etc. This Program was founded in 1947 and each year one class of students is selected at random. Apparently it is supposed to be a sort of social experiment. The selected class is forced onto an island, given weapons at random, and forced to kill each other. The people running this Program are vicious and horrible. They kill two students for simply annoying them before the "game" even really begins. The students all have collars around their necks and are told that if they try to remove them, they will explode and kill them, if they are in a forbidden zone, it will explode, if no one dies within 24 hours, everyone's will explode, if they try to escape, guess what? Their collar will explode.
The novel mostly takes place with 3 main characters, Shuya, Shogo and Noriko, but you get a tiny bit of the perspective of every student at one point or another. It was a little hard to keep everyone straight, I am not familiar with asian names and there were so many of them, and they were all so similar that it took me a little while to get them down. The writing is pretty simplistic and very easy to follow, and it gets violent. The simplistic style helped to bring out the violence in a kinda weird way. The book catches your attention right in the beginning, a lot of people die within the first 100 pages or so and you really get into the story. It stays consistent in keeping your attention throughout the book.
I only had a couple of issues with this. The girls.......well the girls were pathetic. Most of them just spent the novel crying (understandable, I would cry in that situation too) or gripping about their crushes. The boys did that too actually. Most of the kids last thoughts were about the people they had crushes on and how they didn't tell them etc. None of them really thought about their families, or what they would have wanted to do with their lives etc. It just bothered me a little. I mostly got over it, but the girls thing really bothered me. The main girl, Noriko was really pathetic, she was sick most of the time, and all she really did was reload bullets. There was only really one girl actually strong and playing the game (she was nuts, but still).
Other than that, I really liked the novel. I love dystopian, high adrenaline, people thrust into horrifying situations novels and this was just that. The ending!!! I really wasn't expecting it, and it caught me off guard in the best possible way. I was really pleased with how the author brought everything together. THe last line.......brilliant.
blakefarron's review against another edition
5.0
So, where to start with reviewing this book? First of, I would rather avoid it, but I guess an easy way to review this book would be to compare it to The Hunger Games. Now, I know every review out there slags THG off as a Battle Royale rip off, but Collins says she hadn't heard of it, and I'm partially inclined to believe her, but obviously I have doubts since there are quite a lot of thing that are eerily similar.
But I'm not here to review THG, and I'm not here to slag it off (this is the girl who is determined to cosplay as Katniss at Mockingjay Part 2, which goes to show I do like the series). I'm here to review Battle Royale, which I do prefer over THG and I suppose explaining WHY would be a good way to write this review.
First of all, the pacing. THG starts rather slow, it takes forever to get to the reaping, and another forever to get to the actual games. I picked up the book to read about kids killing each other, not preparing to kill each other, that's one reason I prefer Battle Royale. It starts quickly, with the class being told the rules and then to run away and immediately start killing one another. I like how they are all deliberately left disadvantaged, purely for the sake of the Program.
The POV. THG is first person, told from Katniss' POV. For that story, it works perfectly, but I have always preferred third person, the characters tend to be a little less whiny when you aren't stuck in their head. Since THG is told only by Katniss, we don't get a feeling for everyone else, which is why I like Battle Royale. It has 42 students, but they all get to have their time to shine. We also get to see every single character's death. No one dies off page, which I think is pretty cool. We're not left in the dark about anything at all, even if the main protagonists are, which is a nice change.
The characters. To start off with, Battle Royale has 42 kids, just less than double of THG cast. Going into the novel I was weary about how well it would be done, but it was done spectacularly well. First of all, every character had a name. The thing I found hard in THG was Katniss didn't know half the other tributes names, even though she surely should have learnt throughout training. The characters were balanced very well, even if they only appeared in a single chapter before they died, they were significant enough for that chapter. Of course finishing the novel you don't remember half of them (made even more difficult that they all have Japanese names, but it IS a Japanese novel after all) but you get a feel for each of the characters in their respective part, which is nice.
The main characters. I've seen people hate on the fact the story centres around Shuya trying to protect Noriko. Boy protects damsel in distress, we've all seen in before. Massive cliché, but remember this was written in 1996 and published in 1999. Clichés weren't as hated back then. And Noriko isn't a weak character, she has her moments to shine, and even if she wasn't my favourite, I still liked her. There are other toughnut female characters in the story, suck as Mitsuko, so complaining about one girl being too 'girly' is a bit unfair. It's a class of 42 kids, there are going to be different types of people, plus it's a Japanese novel and Japan has a different culture. What works for them may not work for us. Anyway, Shuya was a good character too. He acted reasonably, and I like how, in comparison to Katniss, he immediately waits for Norkio so they can band together. Personally Kawada was my favourite. A bit of a badass, but a soft spot when it came to girls, I quite liked him. Kiriyama was quite the interesting villain, though maybe it would have been nice to see some character development. Mitsuko was also interesting, and it was nice to see some development for her during a certain chapter. I suppose those five are the main characters (Shuya, Noriko and Kawada being the protagonists, and Kiriyama and Mitsuko being the antagonists) so I'll leave it at that.
How the games worked. It seemed scarier than THG, which was why I liked it. You weren't prepared for the Program, it was only televised at the end, which would come as a shock to the nation. The constant fear of being blown up, weapons such as guns and grenades. The fact they weren't sent help from the outside apart from the initial bags they received. It all seemed a lot more interesting than THG, and it wasn't specifically done for a reason, like to stop a future uprising, it was just done. An entire class of friends and acquaintances pitched against each other, which seems worse than fighting an enemy.
The ending interested me more than THG too, though I'm not going to elaborate on that, because spoilers.
So, I guess the last bit to comment on is the writing, which is a bit unfair. The book is over ten years old, and is Japanese, which means the writing style is distinctively different from modern YA standards. Also, bear in mind I'm reviewing the REMASTERED version, which is a new translation. I suppose I can comment on how the beginning chapter jumbles around a bit between flashback and current happenings feels odd, as well as introducing a lot of characters at the same time. The way it states which number the kids are (e.g. Shuya [Boys #15]) is pretty awkward at first, but everything evens out in the end. It's quite handy having the numbers of the students listed at points. The last bit about the writing is the characters actually swear, which makes them feel a little more realistic than the characters in THG.
Also, the REMASTERED version has a map and a list of all the student names, and a map of all the different zones, at the front, which I think is pretty cool and useful, and a nice afterword by Takami, the author. It also keeps track of the number of students left, which is extremely useful! These may all feature in the original (apart from the afterword), but I don't know about that.
That's about it, really. Anyway, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone whom likes THG, or any other dystopian novel. It's a great read, if somewhat length, but it truly is worth the time.
But I'm not here to review THG, and I'm not here to slag it off (this is the girl who is determined to cosplay as Katniss at Mockingjay Part 2, which goes to show I do like the series). I'm here to review Battle Royale, which I do prefer over THG and I suppose explaining WHY would be a good way to write this review.
First of all, the pacing. THG starts rather slow, it takes forever to get to the reaping, and another forever to get to the actual games. I picked up the book to read about kids killing each other, not preparing to kill each other, that's one reason I prefer Battle Royale. It starts quickly, with the class being told the rules and then to run away and immediately start killing one another. I like how they are all deliberately left disadvantaged, purely for the sake of the Program.
The POV. THG is first person, told from Katniss' POV. For that story, it works perfectly, but I have always preferred third person, the characters tend to be a little less whiny when you aren't stuck in their head. Since THG is told only by Katniss, we don't get a feeling for everyone else, which is why I like Battle Royale. It has 42 students, but they all get to have their time to shine. We also get to see every single character's death. No one dies off page, which I think is pretty cool. We're not left in the dark about anything at all, even if the main protagonists are, which is a nice change.
The characters. To start off with, Battle Royale has 42 kids, just less than double of THG cast. Going into the novel I was weary about how well it would be done, but it was done spectacularly well. First of all, every character had a name. The thing I found hard in THG was Katniss didn't know half the other tributes names, even though she surely should have learnt throughout training. The characters were balanced very well, even if they only appeared in a single chapter before they died, they were significant enough for that chapter. Of course finishing the novel you don't remember half of them (made even more difficult that they all have Japanese names, but it IS a Japanese novel after all) but you get a feel for each of the characters in their respective part, which is nice.
The main characters. I've seen people hate on the fact the story centres around Shuya trying to protect Noriko. Boy protects damsel in distress, we've all seen in before. Massive cliché, but remember this was written in 1996 and published in 1999. Clichés weren't as hated back then. And Noriko isn't a weak character, she has her moments to shine, and even if she wasn't my favourite, I still liked her. There are other toughnut female characters in the story, suck as Mitsuko, so complaining about one girl being too 'girly' is a bit unfair. It's a class of 42 kids, there are going to be different types of people, plus it's a Japanese novel and Japan has a different culture. What works for them may not work for us. Anyway, Shuya was a good character too. He acted reasonably, and I like how, in comparison to Katniss, he immediately waits for Norkio so they can band together. Personally Kawada was my favourite. A bit of a badass, but a soft spot when it came to girls, I quite liked him. Kiriyama was quite the interesting villain, though maybe it would have been nice to see some character development. Mitsuko was also interesting, and it was nice to see some development for her during a certain chapter. I suppose those five are the main characters (Shuya, Noriko and Kawada being the protagonists, and Kiriyama and Mitsuko being the antagonists) so I'll leave it at that.
How the games worked. It seemed scarier than THG, which was why I liked it. You weren't prepared for the Program, it was only televised at the end, which would come as a shock to the nation. The constant fear of being blown up, weapons such as guns and grenades. The fact they weren't sent help from the outside apart from the initial bags they received. It all seemed a lot more interesting than THG, and it wasn't specifically done for a reason, like to stop a future uprising, it was just done. An entire class of friends and acquaintances pitched against each other, which seems worse than fighting an enemy.
The ending interested me more than THG too, though I'm not going to elaborate on that, because spoilers.
So, I guess the last bit to comment on is the writing, which is a bit unfair. The book is over ten years old, and is Japanese, which means the writing style is distinctively different from modern YA standards. Also, bear in mind I'm reviewing the REMASTERED version, which is a new translation. I suppose I can comment on how the beginning chapter jumbles around a bit between flashback and current happenings feels odd, as well as introducing a lot of characters at the same time. The way it states which number the kids are (e.g. Shuya [Boys #15]) is pretty awkward at first, but everything evens out in the end. It's quite handy having the numbers of the students listed at points. The last bit about the writing is the characters actually swear, which makes them feel a little more realistic than the characters in THG.
Also, the REMASTERED version has a map and a list of all the student names, and a map of all the different zones, at the front, which I think is pretty cool and useful, and a nice afterword by Takami, the author. It also keeps track of the number of students left, which is extremely useful! These may all feature in the original (apart from the afterword), but I don't know about that.
That's about it, really. Anyway, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone whom likes THG, or any other dystopian novel. It's a great read, if somewhat length, but it truly is worth the time.