The Battle Royale Thread

[GoGo Yubari]

So, yeah. We have a Battle Royale thread. Yatta.

First off, let me warn you if you haven't seen the movie or read what happens in it or whatever; there WILL be spoilers. Big, spoilery spoilers. Just letting you know.

So, does anybody else hate Kiriyama as much as I do, ESPECIALLY in the manga? All he is is cheap symbolism of what the government wants to see with no actual character of his own. Hardcore Souma would have made a much better antagonist.

[gunnar hendershow]

I was fine with Kiriyama since he was basically a quiet drone of the government. It made sense I thought. Might just be me though.

And the use of the word "Yatta" gives you 10 cool points. All right? (And yes I know All Right = Yatta)

[Zaz]

I haven't read/seen the Manga, so I can't comment on it, but I liked Kiriyama in the book and movie, though my favourite character in the book would probably go to Shinji, and in the movie Shogo.

I'd have to read and watch them both again.

[GoGo Yubari]

I was fine with Kiriyama since he was basically a quiet drone of the government.  It made sense I thought.  Might just be me though.

←

He wasn't a drone so much as a thrill-kill junkie, though. He loved killing people and didn't speak.

In the manga and assumedly the book, though, he isn't even that. He's just the leader of a gang who is incredibly smart and a great fighter and he almost never speaks. He's interesting for all of one chapter when Mitsuru Numai realizes that Kiriyama betrayed their gang and killed two of them who had shown up before him, and then he's just an invincible waste except when he faces Sugimura.

In the movie, at the very least, someone other than Kawada does damage to him via his being blinded.

In the manga so far he's taken shots from Hiroki and NOTHING ELSE. I mean, how they have him no-sell Shinji BLOWING UP THE BUILDING HE WAS IN is the most ridiculous shit ever.

On the plus side, though, the way he takes Tsukioka out is genius.

Still, he's not as good as Mitsuko Souma is at being an antagonist. Hell, he's not even on the level of Kazushi Niida or Sho Tsukioka.

[Bushmeister]

I've only seen the movie, so shush.

I didn't get into Mitsuko's character at first, but after watching the movie two or three times, I've really grown to think of her as THE antagonist instead of Kiriyama. Kiriyama's a bit of a comic relief, to tell you the truth, just the way he runs around with the gun waving in every possible direction is hilarious IMO

I really digged Chigusa in the movie over any other character, tho. I wish they'd given her more time on-screen.

[GoGo Yubari]

Chigusa is great and whilst she could be used more, is insanely well-used in her short amount of time in the movie. With the Chigusa/Niida situation SO many things happen and the shifting of power and proof that both are to some extent in the wrong (obviously Kazushi was a dumbfuck for trying to rape her, but she got VERY into completely brutalizing her, but you can understand because of her situation in more ways than one).

In the manga she gets a bit more due to Hiroki flashbacks where she's prominent, but still, Chigusa is great.

And I don't see Mitsuko or Kiriyama as the real antagonist; it's the government in general. Kiriyama more or less serves as the embodiment of the government and what they promote, whilst Mitsuko is simply a class outcast getting her revenge.

The problem is Kiriyama's character never actually becomes interesting outside of his great look in the movie (and that's another reason why I hate manga Kiriyama. He looks HORRIBLE. Everyone else got good designs, but KIRIYAMA of all people doesn't.). He just kills people.

[Gongsun Zan]

You forgot to mention the part that Kazuo has no emotions, after having a shard of metal shoved into his head while he was a child.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Weren't gonna be too long til I joined in! heh!

Shinji is great in the book so is Sugimura. In the film Sugi is kinda made out to be a bit weak (with his GPS) but in the book he's a martial arts expert with a GPS! Who uses a broomstick to fight with and does some shooting too....

Oh and in the back of Empire Magazine this mon th (film magazine) t hey've got Classic Film Moment (as they always do) where they type out a scene from a film...and this month it's "Exploding Necklace" from Bat tle Royale! Wooomph! Empire love BR...though they reviewed BRII cos it's coming to cinemas in the UK finally...And they gave it ** cos it's lost all the dark humour and point of the first one... It's just about terrorism or something now....

HOWEVER...There is something from BRII that I might include in my BRII...Which incidentally MIGHT be starting 19th July....MAYBE....

[GoGo Yubari]

Hiroki was the PERFECT character for the manga adaptation. Some of the best stuff in it is him beating the snot out of people.

Mimura, though, manages to be even cooler as his character design is absolutely perfect and only enhances his cool factor by a million.

As for the no emotions thing, bah, easy out. It makes the symbolism perfect but at the same time it doesn't justify how brutally boring he is.

[Herr Matzat]

read the book, it´s better

[gunnar hendershow]

read the book, it´s better

←

Most of us have or plan to.

And I loved the Mitsuko character from the start. She's probably my favorite character in the whole movie. Chigusa was also great for how little she was used.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I'm still in the middle of reading my way through the graphic novels as it's all money I don't have....But Mimura and Hiroki are lush in it so far... Though not as cool as Kawada.

[Clawson]

I've only read the book so far seeing as I can't find the movie anywhere. Oh well, I still enjoyed the book.

I do have one gripe with the book: I knew who was going to win right away. Actually when I think about it, the author probably wanted it that way. Meh...

Edited July 5, 2004 by Clawson