A review by samdej
Battle Royale: Remastered by Koushun Takami

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Fantastic. I read the last 200 pages all in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend, especially if you’re a fan of the movie. There are a few key differences, but there are so many amazing scenes that the movie can only make a passing glance at for time. There is also a greater political context surrounding the main events that the first movie completely leaves out. 40+ characters sounds like a lot at first, but separating the book into short vignettes is a great way to show the reader what is happening in other parts of the island to the other characters while still keeping the main narrative going. Everything comes back. I have no idea how Takami Koushun could have possibly kept it all straight while writing but I applaud him for it. Very long but very worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Child death, Blood, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual violence

Minor: Death of parent

All of the characters are around 15-16 (they are in 9th grade). In the sections about each of the girl bullies, because of their activities with the yakuza there are mentions of sexual assault and forced prostitution. Mitsuko in particular, who is a major antagonist, is a victim of child sexual abuse and has been involved with many adult men. This is mentioned throughout her chapters and discussed heavily toward the end of the book when she dies. There is also a chapter where one of the boys attempts to hold a girl hostage and rape her. She crushes his penis.