Hit or Miss?: Battle Royale

There are many different sub-genres of J-horror that help make up a film franchise that has infinite layers, something for everyone, and many different forms of horror. Many of these films and their series are considered masterpieces, something that shouldn't be skipped when delving into the genre. 

But are they really worth it? Is public opinion overhyping some of these franchises? Have they turned people away from hidden gems in the genre? 

With a Western remake coming out in 2020 (Letterboxd), I'm going to delve into the Battle Royale two-part film franchise; should the named pioneer of the battle royal sub-genre be watched before the remake or is the remake potentially going to be better?

Films: Battle Royale and Battle Royale II: Requiem
Full series run time: 4 hours and 7 minutes
Genre: Horror, Action, and Thriller
Sub-genre: Gore, Battle-royale
Director(s): Kinji Fukasaku 
Other Notable Films by Director(s): The Geisha House, The Yakuza Papers series

Battle Royale was originally a novel written by Koushun Takami. Originally completed in 1996, the novel wasn't published until 1999. Takami was a journalist, but he left the profession in order to complete the novel. It was originally rejected from a 1997 contest - Japan Horror Fiction Awards that took place in 1998. No official reason was given for the rejection. Later, a member of the judging committee speculated it might have been due to the fact that the idea of students killing each other was deemed too similar to the Kobe child murders that occurred in 1997. Eventually, Battle Royale was published in 1999 by Ohta Publishing and was later re-released as a two-part bunkobon by Gentosha.

Battle Royale was released as a fifteen-volume manga and was serialized from 2000 to 2005. It was written by Takami and illustrated by Masayuki Taguchi. In 2003-2004, a second manga series was released named Battle Royale II: Blitz Royale. Both manga series were serialized in Young Champion. In 2011, a two-chapter special spin-off named Battle Royale: Angels' Border was released; it was drawn by Mioko Ohnishi and Youhei Oguma, drawing a chapter each, respectively.

The feature-length film series was released in 2000 and 2003.

In 2012, the Filipino Sipat Lawin Ensemble and two other theatre groups produced a play that was loosely based on the original novel. 

In 2020, an American remake of the first Battle Royale film will be coming out, directed by Kinji Fukasaku and written by Takami Koushun.

Film Stats Running Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes Release Date: 16 December 2007 Rating: 18+ (violence and profanity) Average Rating, at time of writing: 8/10 from 6,079 users Trailer

Plot: A class awakens in their classroom to find that they have been chosen as the class to take part in the legislated Battle Royale - a yearly event in which a class must kill each other until only one remains. They are taken to an abandoned island, given a supply bag and a necklace to track them throughout the game. Only one student can remain within three days, or the entirety of the forty-two students will die.

Opinion: Battle Royale is a cult classic that is known across the world as a piece of art within the horror genre. Being one of the first battle royale type films that broke across the media around the world is no surprise when you watch the film itself. I admit - I had my doubts when it came down to watching it. Usually, when a horror-based film is so highly rated, it ends up being a bit of a drag. Writing this, I do admit, I may have enjoyed this a little more due to that mindset - expecting worse and getting much better and seeing it in a bit of a haze of "this is amazing", but this was amazing.

This doesn't shy away from numerous things quite a few directors usually would. This showed numerous equal sides - a number of different personalities that you'd typically see in a real-life situation like this; those who do their best to hide and stay alive, those who are brutal in fear to survive, and others that I'll leave to you to discover. Battle Royale has an extensive range that allows for experimentation that pays the film well. 

Film Stats Running Time: 2 hours, 13 minutes Release Date: 5 July 2003 Rating: 18+ (violence & profanity) Average Rating, at time of writing: 6.4/10 from 1,913 users Trailer

Plot: (Mild spoiler warning for the first film) Since the initial Battle Royale, three years have passed. The survivor is now the leader of a terrorist group, attempting to bring down the government and the Battle Royale legislation, declaring war on Japan's adults. A new Battle Royale game has been established by those in power - a class of 42 must work in pairs to assassinate the terrorist leader within three days - or all 42 of them will die.

Opinion: In mass, people didn't really enjoy this as much as they did the first film and being honest, I can see why. The idea of the battle royale itself was diminished with a much more heavy focus on the plotline being continued rather than holding the original idea. I can definitely see why others wouldn't have liked it as much. However, if you are interested in the plot line, this film holds true and remains a good film to watch. 

The plotline continuation is something that was clearly thought out, written perfectly by Fukasaku and brought to life by him. I wouldn't say you need to watch this film to fully experience the atmosphere of Battle Royale - and the atmosphere is definitely something that lacks slightly in Requiem - however, it's a film that holds its own and is still enjoyable.

Public opinion

Opinion about Battle Royale is a hard one to truly pinpoint. While most people will say the sequel was terrible and not needed, some will also say the sequel was better - meanwhile, the third group of insistent 'both movies are brilliant, and they shouldn't be ranked against each other' also exists within the cult series' fandom. 

Comparing the two films' relative user ratings, Battle Royale II: Requiem does seem to be at a loss compared to its parent film. Whilst Battle Royale has a solid 8/10, across a user vote of 6,051 users. Comparing this to Requiem's 6.4/10 from 1,910 users, it's pretty clear where the MDL community's opinion lies with this series. This rating average holds true across numerous cinema sites, citing Requiem as the worse of the two with drastic changes between the two films' rating averages. In fact, on IMDb, Requiem is rated as a 4.7/10 over 18,730 ratings.

Requiem does not seem to hold up in public opinion as much as Battle Royale; this much is clear.

My Opinion

Battle Royale: This is a stunning film. It's a pioneer that earns its place among the Japanese — and Asian — horror genre; it earned its place on the "must watch" lists that it is commonly found on. It's a gem that has mastered many different takes, many different social patterns, and a number of other things in merely an hour and 54 minutes. This may not seem like too much, however, there are films over two and a half to three hours long that have issues holding this level with some of the most renowned directors. Fukasaku has made his mark on horror and in this sub-genre as someone who can get a film done and done extremely well.

Battle Royale II: Requiem: I can see why people didn't like this, but for me, I really enjoyed this film. This film needs to definitely be watched more for the plot - not for the reoccurrence of the royale. Whilst the occurrence of the game is still present, it isn't as finessed as the first film. However, if you are curious as to what will happen from the end of Battle Royale, Requiem gives a full look at one of the possibilities that could occur. Probably best watched one after the other as a long film to sit and watch in one sitting, this still holds well. If you aren't bothered too much about the plotline, Requiem and its heavier based plot likely won't be for you.

Overall, if you want to settle down for a night of Japanese students fighting to survive in a game stacked against them, grab the Battle Royale series, curl up with some snacks and watch away. Maybe more enjoyable for horror fans with a preference for gore, death, etc. However, the first will at least be enjoyable for many people who enjoy tense scenes, somewhat hopeless situations, and will have many people on the edge of their seats. This series will be enjoyable for many people and will definitely make you question what kind of person you'd be in this situation.

For me, the first film definitely has re-watch capacity, and it's a film, I'll look forward to watching again in the future. The second film has more of a one-time sequel viewing feel, and it's not one I'd personally see myself watching again in the future - the first watch is definitely one I enjoyed - more for the plot than of the actual reoccurrence of the game. 

Battle Royale is a series that has truly held up over time and continues to be a series for audiences to admire and enjoy today —  for films of this type, I noticed that hype tends to fade over time, but Battle Royale holds its own and continues to speak as a pioneer for the battle royal sub-genre. (Perhaps not the best film for someone's first battle royale genre introduction; I definitely only enjoyed some battle royale films as much as I did because I watched Battle Royale after those, so do keep that in consideration!)

What the remake could bring to this series, I truly don't know. There isn't much for it to explore that the original films have left open for them. In my opinion, it's probably best to hit the original series first (or after watching the 2020 remake) as I doubt that the remake is going to be on par with Battle Royale. 

Battle Royale: HIT
Battle Royale II: Requiem: HIT