Anyone here seen the Japanese film, “Battle Royale”? I’ve had it for awhile, and finally got around to finishing it last night.
It was quite a movie. But I do have a question regarding the ending. At the end, we hear one of the transfer students (Kawada?) shooting Nanahara and Noriko, and then we’re told that he’s won the Battle Royale. But the two show up again later. Does that basically mean that Kawada found a way to take off their collars and was saying all that to trick Kitano? (I.e, he made the speech about how he suckered them in with the story about Keiko to make Kitano think he was the real winner, but was actually planning on helping them all along?)
Thanks, just wondering. Also, I checked the Internet Movie Database, and there’s apparently a sequel in the works, Battle Royale II. Does anyone have any info on when it will be completed, or if it will be released in the U.S., in theatres? Was the original film released in theatres, back in 2000?
“I.e, he made the speech about how he suckered them in with the story about Keiko to make Kitano think he was the real winner, but was actually planning on helping them all along?)”
Yeah, as I understood it that’s what happened wasnt it? then the end is them on that boat and he makes that speech about having found true friendship and stuff?
That film was amazing, I really enjoyed it. But very disturbing. Kitano was the teacher right? Did you hate him and at the same time feel immensly sorry for him? Did you watch it on the special edition DVD, it has many extras and so forth.
Yes, the three remaining students tricked the teacher (and the audience) into believing that Kawada shot and killed the two others in order to get off the island. Remember that the collars only explode if there is no winner by the end of the second day. I don’t have my copy with me, so I can’t make check whether or not the two still had their collars on when they ambushed Kitano. If not, then, yeah, I guess they figured out a way to take them off. If they still have the collars on though, then I don’t get it.
A good site to check out would be http://www.battleroyaleonline.com/ . Unfortunately, it seems to be down right now. If it comes back up, you can get all the info for BR2.
Has anyone else seen two versions of this? Last year I saw a bootleg video of BR (with subtitles, crappy picture quality, not letterboxed) and loved it to death! I had been reading about it and was glad to finally see it. Now I have the special edition DVD and it seems different… in between scenes there are black screens with red writing and sort of sappy ‘moral’ narration, as if trying to intrerpert the action for the viewer. I didn’t appreciate this, but it is still a great movie.
off-topic, but when the Flaming Lips played with Beck in Syracuse, NY last fall, they projected the lighthouse all-girl massacre while playing “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.” I got to the concert late and missed it (goddamgoddamgoddam) but a friend described it and I told him what movie it was from. Did anyone see this in Syracuse or elsewhere?
Seen on posting…
I think it was because she was the only student who gave him any respect. Or she was just too much of a goody-goody to sass back. That scene at the start where she is the only one to come to class when Kitano was their teacher is what makes me think this. Also she keeps the knife that the other student cut him with.
Also, the first kid that gets killed (Nobu?) is seen in a flashback talking about how Noriko keeps asking everyone to come back to school, or at least come to the picnick. I think she’s the only one that had any respect for Kitano as a teacher, and he appreciated that.
I like the special edition, if only because it strives to explain the actions of that one really evil girl. As a child, she was forced into prostotution by her mother. She wound up killing a potenital john. And so it begins …
Thanks, all. It’s nice to know I actually was “with it” for once!
Mr_Friendly, yeah, I felt that way about him. The way he was so vicious with them all, but after I saw the scene where he comes out and gives Noriko the umbrella, I was a little taken aback. I figured his being stabbed had something to do with the bond he felt he had with her. It was all so bizarre, that scene. He gets stabbed and it’s just an everyday occurence. Of course, that may be why the Japanese government has passsed the Battle Royale act to begin with.
I think I got the same edition as you karomon, because mine also had the explanation for evil girl (Mitsuko) and her actions. Creepy. Plus, how all the deaths just…happened. It wasn’t all just about evil people shooting their victims. Some of it was so normal. If a bunch of kids really were thrown on an island together, some of these accidental deaths really might happen. Like with Chigusa and that guy she kills who asks her if she’s a virgin, or even the lightouse one. Considering the circumstances, they felt pretty authentic, all the deaths.
The transfer student was pretty frightening. Not the one who helps him, but the one who apparently signed on for fun. Oh, wow, and how about that training video? When I first saw “Battle Royale,” it was in parts. I saw it at this bizarre party that my newspaper gave at college this year, and there were all these random science fiction movies being played. So I got to see all these random intermittent images…all the more intriuging. It really stayed in my head, though, and I think it always will.
Oh, thanks for the link, I’m going to go check that out now.
This movie rules, it’s disturbing enough to stay with you and entertaining enough to hook you. I can’t wait for the sequal and am considering trying to snag myself the books.
I saw the first part of the manga available at Border’s. It’s definitely worth getting if you liked the movie. I’m sure I don’t need to warn anyone here of the level of violence involved in it. The translated novel should be coming out soon too.
Correction: The novel is out. And not bad (though I like the movie better), though it would’ve been nice if they either a) had a better translator, or b) put the novel through a(nother) stage or two of “localization.”
I can’t believe there’s a thread about this. I’m reading the book this very minute. (Well two minutes ago before I got on line.)
I just got it, it’s being passed around at work, and it’s finally my turn.
Which means I can’t actually READ this thread because of the spoilers (I’m only up to…I mean down to…34 students), but I’ll come back when I’m finished, I’d be interested to find out about the differences in the book and the movie.
