Battle Royale Region A March 20, 2012 Review

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

Probably the best written post (both intellectually, grammatically and factually) I've ever read in here.

So, even if Suzanne Collins' never heard of Battle Royale, I, too would find it hard to believe that while THG was being written/screen-played for the big screen, nobody ever once said, "Oh hey, there's a huge movie out from Japan, super controversial in the States..."

Whether you want to believe it or not, the story goes that she wrote the manuscript for the first book and gave it to her editor (or publisher, can't recall). He read it, and then asked her whether she was familiar witht the Japanese Battle Royale, and she said she'd never heard of it.

So clearly before it was published she was aware of the similarities, but it's really up to you people whether you want to call her a liar or not. Anyone who's actually read the book will know that it has very little in common with BR.

[MifuneFan]

Source: http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2011/04/10...nted=all&_r=6&

Collins’s fiction inevitably echoes other dystopian literature in which states subject their citizens to novel forms of oppression, like George Orwell’s “1984” or Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale.” Even more pronounced are the similarities between “The Hunger Games” and “Battle Royale,” a Japanese novel published in 1999. Each book involves young people selected at random and pitted against one another in a game of survival staged by tyrannical authorities. The parallels are striking enough that Collins’s work has been savaged on the blogosphere as a baldfaced ripoff. The authors share an interest in the mechanisms of state control, but their agendas clearly diverge. “Battle Royale” is a more deliberate study of adolescence, its coming-of-age savageries and posturings. “You’ve become quite a stud,” a dying girl tells the classmate who cradles her in his arms. When it was published, “Battle Royale” played into Japan’s fears about a rise in youth violence; Collins’s heroes are, if anything, models of responsibility. When I asked Collins if she had drawn from “Battle Royale,” she was unperturbed. “I had never heard of that book or that author until my book was turned in. At that point, it was mentioned to me, and I asked my editor if I should read it. He said: ‘No, I don’t want that world in your head. Just continue with what you’re doing.’ ” She has yet to read the book or to see the movie.

There are enough possible sources for the plot line that the two authors might well have hit on the same basic setup independently (outrageous reality-television shows arrived in Japan before they did in the United States). As her primary influence, Collins, who has a love of classical plays, frequently cites the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, in which the people of Athens are required by their Cretan adversaries to offer up seven boys and seven girls for sacrifice to the deadly Minotaur, a half-human monster who lives in a maze. “I was also heavily influenced by the historical figure Spartacus,” she said. “Katniss follows the same arc from slave to gladiator to rebel to face of a war.”

[lolwut]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

As usual, there are a lot of clueless people here who make assumptions about THG ripping off BR without anything of substance to back it up. I question whether these people know anything about the actual book, or Suzanne Collins' actual inspiration for the story. She has gone on record saying that she was heavily influenced by Greek Mythology.

So what does Greek Mythology have to do with THG? Well let's look at the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. A very popular story that has a many various versions. Here's a basic re-telling of it.

The son of King Minos from Crete was killed by Athenians. As a penalty for this, King Minos ordered Athens to give them 7 girls and 7 boys, which were called tributes. These tributes were sent into a labyrinth to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. In one of these games, Theseus, an Athenian prince takes the place of a younger tribute. He, with the help of a female who's in love with him defeats the half-man/half-beast and saves the tributes.

And The Hunger Games (spoilers obviously if you haven't read it or seen the movie):

The various districts waged a war against the Capitol. As a punishment for this, each of the 12 districts were ordered to send one boy, and one girl to play in the yearly "Hunger Games".. These were called Tributes. They were sent to an arena to fight to the death until one remained. In one of these Hunger Games, a young girl is called. Katniss, her older sister volunteers to go in her place. With the help of a male tribute, who's in love with her, she defeats the other tributes, as well as half-man/half-beast hybrids, and saves her district's tributes.

If anyone, anyone at all, can still seriously say that Suzanne Collin's just ripped off Battle Royale after reading this then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. It's clear, even to the point of calling them tributes, that she got the bulk of the ideas for the premise from Greek Mythology. I hope all of you ignorant people can just educate yourselves instead of just repeating the same clueless garbage ad nauseum.

Here's a good article detailing some differences and similarities between BR, THG, with comparisons to Theseus and the Minotaur: http://www.ctzine.com/art-or-imitati...battle-royale/

The Hunger Games owes a lot more to Battle Royale than it does Greek mythology. Your insistence on calling people ignorant and clueless for daring to compare the two is ironic and borderline trolling. For you to say the two have very little in common defies logic. And I don't care what the author says when all we have is her word.

[KaineKinetic]

The Children of Greek Mythology were sent AGAINST the Minator.
The Children of Battle Royale were sent AGAINST each other.
The Children of The Hunger Games were sent AGAINST each other.

[eiknarf]

Is BR2 considered one of the worst sequels to date?

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by lolwut

The Hunger Games owes a lot more to Battle Royale than it does Greek mythology. Your insistence on calling people ignorant and clueless for daring to compare the two is ironic and borderline trolling. For you to say the two have very little in common defies logic. And I don't care what the author says when all we have is her word.

Yup.
I feel it would be like DeadMau5 claiming he didn't know what Mickey Mouse looked like when creating his dumb head/helmet/mask/logo thing.


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[djgarygillespie]

Is there a release date for the Battle Royale 3D bluray for US?

[Sky_Captain]

Originally Posted by eiknarf

Is BR2 considered one of the worst sequels to date?

I'll take it over Men in Black II, any day of the week.

[Mavrick]

Originally Posted by djgarygillespie

Is there a release date for the Battle Royale 3D bluray for US?

I don't believe there's a date set for any English friendly 3D release.

I know Japan has it, and there was a Limited Edition set in Germany but none contain English subs.