Creative Staff
Story: Koushun Takami
Art: Mioko Ohnishi and Youhei Oguma
Translation: Nathan Collins
What They Say
The Program is a brutal military experiment that pits junior high students against each other every year in a brutal battle to the death. Most of the students from Shiroiwa Junior High scatter as soon as they reach the remote island where they must participate in the latest round of the Program. But Yukie Utsumi and five of her friends lock themselves in the lighthouse, clinging to a desperate hope of survival. They all trust each other, but they also know that only one can survive the Battle Royale…
Technical:
The front cover here is a beautiful image of the girls resting peacefully over a silver background, offering a lovely contrast to the horrifying concept of the story. The back cover is also quite nice, offering a detailed sketch of the lighthouse next to a synopsis. A color image at the front, a map in the middle, and the original script of the book at the back are all included as extras. Paper quality feels solid, honorifics are not used, text reads smoothly, and sound effects are translated as stylized text.
The art styles used here are both serviceable, offering a decent amount of detail alongside some occasionally surprisingly in-depth backgrounds. The first half is certainly a bit better looking, having more confident strokes as well as a really great ability to display emotion. The second part of the book’s art is a bit more generic, but it’s still absolutely a solid style that proves more than sufficient.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
In the first part of the book, we find ourselves joining Haruka, a lesbian who has yet to come out with a hidden crush on her friend Yukie. Despite how serious of an issue that may be, Haruka has bigger problems to face, as her class was selected for “the Program.” This means at the insistence of their country, the kids are locked on an island and forced to kill one another till only one remains alive. Even so, in this game where only one can survive, several of the girls have managed to band together and hole themselves up in a lighthouse. When tensions of course flair, will Haruka manage to hold onto her friendship with Yukie? And just what form will her love ultimately take under these terrible and terrifying circumstances?
In the second story we join Chisato, one of the girls in the Lighthouse, as she reminisces about Shinji Mimura, one of the boys in the class. Though he had a bit of a bad reputation, Chisato found herself caught up with him one day after an incident on the train. As they keep each other company they start to learn more about one another, and in turn we learn a bit about how twisted their government really is. Just what kind of relationship did the two forge in that day together, and what form will that ultimately take in their time on the island?
In Summary
This book makes for an interesting take on the story of Battle Royale, as well as a solid introduction for people looking to get into the book. As a side story, we get a nice look at things from a different perspective, focusing on two of the girls in particular. The first part stays a little closer to the original story, but fortunately Haruka’s situation makes for a rather touching read. The second story takes a different approach, giving us a look into the past as we get to join two characters in their time before reaching the island. It not only gives us a nice look at the pair, but also helps to flesh out just how messed up a government that would do something so cruel to children can be. It’s definitely a more subdued tale than the first, but in a lot of ways it’s the highlight of the book. All in all this volume makes for a nice companion to the book, covering its themes while still proving different enough to feel fascinating in its own right. Fans of the series looking for more and people looking to give it a chance should be sure to give this book a chance, as it’s definitely worth reading.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: June 17th, 2014
MSRP: $12.99