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A review by yonnyan
Battle Royale, Vol. 06 by Koushun Takami, Keith Giffen, Tomo Iwo, Masayuki Taguchi
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.