Monday, October 06, 2008

Battle Royale (The Book)

A few years ago, I had the chance to catch a movie many consider to be one of the finer entries in the Japanese cinematic experience. Based upon a popular (and initially banned) novel of the same title, Battle Royale was a movie that sparked much controversy thanks to its excessive violence (and bloodshed) as well as its entire “Lord Of The Flies” vibe. Despite the dark tone (or perhaps because of it), I enjoyed the movie immensely, viewing it as an accurate social commentary and an insightful look into the basic, primal human psyche.

In the past week, I’ve finally had the chance to read the original novel, translated into English. Written by Koushun Takami, Battle Royale tells of a bleak, alternate universe Japan, a country under the tyrannical, fascist regime of its government. Every year, a “Program” would be held all over the island, with random classes of junior high school students kidnapped into secret locations where they will have to kill each other until only one survives.

The novel follows three students who have been selected, together with their class, to take part in their year’s Program – Shuya Nanahara, an idealistic if rash stereotypical Japanese hero; Noriko Nakagawa, a sweet caring girl whom Shuya’s best friend had a crush on; and Shogo Kawada, the cool, able stranger who helps them both survive. While the story primarily focuses on these three and their struggle to survive without having to kill each other, every other character in their 42-strong class is also introduced, each with their own little chapter, backstory and (in most cases) the details of the interactions (and subsequent deaths) with the other classmates during the Program.

As I mentioned, Battle Royale gives a detailed, insightful, if somewhat violent, look into the human psyche as we see all the characters in their most primeval survivalistic states and, in this kind of extreme life-or-death situation, their mindsets and subsequent actions. Reading the book will definitely lead to long session of self-reflection as the reader ponders what would happen if he or she had to participate in the story themselves.

Despite a hefty 600+ page count, at no part of the book does the story feel belaboured or struggling. Takami (and perhaps the translator as well) has excellent pacing and his descriptions are both vivid and comprehensive (although having watched the movie prior to reading the novel might have played a part in it). He also manages to set a dark yet not overwhelmingly sombre tone for most of the book.

Also, despite the fact that there are over 40 characters in the story, he manages to flesh each one out sufficiently and prevent them from becoming one-dimensional caricatures, even if you do end up forgetting most of the multi-syllabic names. Takami is also proficient at portraying teenage interactions, with the thought processes and speech patterns of most of the characters surprisingly lifelike. His narrations and linguistic style too, sometimes digressing into almost mindless rambling and meandering, is akin to the unfocussed mind of a junior high teen.

Of course, as mentioned, Battle Royale is a book famous for its depictions of violence, much more so than its spiritual predecessor, William Golding’s Lord Of The Flies, which had its dark moments but none so detailed and graphic as this book’s. Thus, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart or stomach. Still, for those who can stomach the gore (which would be an increasing number, in this age of Kill Bill and the Saw movies), the book rarely goes into OTT sadistic gore, rather using the sordid details to paint a clearer picture for the reader.

At the end of the day, this book, with its intimidating length and subject matter, is definitely not for everyone. However, for those willing to look beyond the violence and gore, one would find an intelligent study of the teenage mind as well as an entertaining, if rather stomach-curdling, read.