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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
dark
funny
medium-paced
I read this as part of a two person buddy read, and honestly if I hadn’t had the pressure of reading it for my friend I would have (soft) DNFed. The plot seemed to drag on FAR too long at times and even now there are some chapters that I’ve completely forgotten. The way some of the female characters were treated made me uncomfortable as well.
That being said I’m glad I did not DNF. I did end up really liking it by the end—although not enough to completely overlook my gripes with it. As a character reader, I LOVED some of the character writing here. Even the antagonists had me questioning my initial feelings about them. And the relationship between Shuya Shogo and Nariko had me HOOKED in that final 25%.
And that ENDING!! Had me gasping and nearly crying every chapter. Plus those last few lines… +.5 stars for that alone.
That being said I’m glad I did not DNF. I did end up really liking it by the end—although not enough to completely overlook my gripes with it. As a character reader, I LOVED some of the character writing here. Even the antagonists had me questioning my initial feelings about them. And the relationship between Shuya Shogo and Nariko had me HOOKED in that final 25%.
And that ENDING!! Had me gasping and nearly crying every chapter. Plus those last few lines… +.5 stars for that alone.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book has long been on my to read list, and with the more recent Suzanne Collin's book released this year, more discourse over whether or not The Hunger Games copied Takami's 1999 novel resurfaced, finally spurring me to dive into my dusty TBR's and invest in a copy of Battle Royale from my local library. My conclusion is that it is a shame that a work as stunning as Takami's Battle Royale is being remembered in another author's discourse, when I truly believe the writing, themes, and storytelling of this dystopia are not only still relevant today, but unique beyond it's initial premise. If you, like me, put off reading Battle Royale because you feared you had already read a version of the novel, fear not. This classic will be remembered, and joins a great family of dystopia as a unique work for its time and the present.
An aspect of the novel which I deeply appreciated was how the focus of the story encapsulated every student from a 3rd person narrative. It was painfully easy to relate to and eventually grieve for every character as the reader followed along each chapter. I found myself hoping there would be anyway that the class would make it out alright in its entirety, and knowing how young the students were left me in anguish in so many moments of the story. The world building was interesting, insightful, and hauntingly relevant more than 25 years later. The ending had me aching for some happier ending, and left me contemplative for hours after reading the book.
Another aspect of the story that I appreciated was the way that Japanese culture clearly impacted the actions of the characters. It left me considering the ways that this dystopia novel differed and related to those before and after it, and truly helped me contemplate the way that humans are often much more similar than we realize even with our cultural and language barriers. This story was a great commentary on authoritarianism and the age old debate of collectivism vs individualism as it relates to a broken system.
An aspect of the novel which I deeply appreciated was how the focus of the story encapsulated every student from a 3rd person narrative. It was painfully easy to relate to and eventually grieve for every character as the reader followed along each chapter. I found myself hoping there would be anyway that the class would make it out alright in its entirety, and knowing how young the students were left me in anguish in so many moments of the story. The world building was interesting, insightful, and hauntingly relevant more than 25 years later. The ending had me aching for some happier ending, and left me contemplative for hours after reading the book.
Another aspect of the story that I appreciated was the way that Japanese culture clearly impacted the actions of the characters. It left me considering the ways that this dystopia novel differed and related to those before and after it, and truly helped me contemplate the way that humans are often much more similar than we realize even with our cultural and language barriers. This story was a great commentary on authoritarianism and the age old debate of collectivism vs individualism as it relates to a broken system.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow. Just wow. I read this book in 6 hours I physically couldn't bring myself to put it down or stop reading it. My anxiety was so high the entire time but I find myself considering starting it again I truly am like absolutely obsessed I don't even know what to say about it
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No