Battle Royale

I love Battle Royale. If you've not seen the film I highly recommend it.

If it's so far passed you by here's a quite synopsis (ooh, he used a big word!!!)

Some time in the near future, schools have lost their discipline and kids are becoming unruly. So a law is passed to take a class of kids at random, put them on an island, each armed with a different weapon, and have them kill each other until only one survives. To make sure they play the game they're all fitted with explosive collars around the necks set to detonate if they stay in one place too long. If after 3 days more than 1 person survives all the collars are detonated.

The film is just superb, the idea is too far out to have been made by the west and I think it's still too radical to be played in America; if you're out there try to locate it. It's definitely worth it. There's a twisted sense of humour running through it e.g. with the weapons one kid gets an uzi whilst another has to make do with a saucepan lid. There is also a nice psychological side to it in that because the kids know they're going to die they all become a lot more honest and reveal their secrets to each other; crushes etc...

Over the last few weeks I've been locating the 15 Manga books adapted from the film. I have 12 and they've been great but I found out that the final 3 chapters are coming out in July, October and February next year. I've never had to wait so long for a book before (Harry Potter doesn't count as I'm not too bothered if I don't read it straight away). The manga is similar to tbe book but being typical manga contains a lot more sex and gore than the original. That aside the novels also give more of a background to each character and help to make the world more complete. Not all the deaths are the same so it's not just the same story presented differently.