if you just feel like reading something graphic and gory, this is it. no plot or story really just an entire class killing each other off.

this was my first introduction to seinen and ever since I've only been looking for seinen series to read.

re-readability is low, everytime i try to read it again i often just skip the protagonists long drawn out speeches about how people are genuinely good and i go to the main antagonist destroying everyone.

How could I label this horribly gory manga refreshing? Well, after reading stories where all of the characters become mary-sues and magically get themselves out of situations where death should be inescapable, that's how this is refreshing. Because if someone is in a tricky situation, they usually just die. That's why it's so different from other manga. No mary-sues running around. I wouldn't recommend it to those who are faint of heart, but really this stuff just doesn't phase me like it should. Really great series though, I'm hoping to finish it soon. The art is kind of bad though.

... Last updated on August 26th, 2008, 12:12am

This manga is full of nudity, violence, blood and pieces of bodies... and sad stories of course. The story is somehow sick and sad. I just couldnt accept that they killed each other to get out of that crazy game when they r friends. Not only so, every students have a very sad and depressing story ( this is definitely the sadest class on earth... )

its great overall... the story and everything... is just awesome... expect for the art.... god damn i hate the look of the main characters.... they look like shit.... that pisses me off whenever i start readin the story... the girl is especially ugly and that guy is just...... have a face that pisses me off..... god damn would be awesome if they change how the main characters looks.....

Now, obviously this manga is very violent and perhaps too violent for the weak of heart, but if you're like me and can't get phased by manga violence (already read Ichi the Killer and still no effect) then you can sit through this manga and actually enjoy (not really enjoy, but you get what I mean) the story.

To put it out there, yes, it really messed up what these kids have to go through, and if you're chivalrous like me, it can become painful watching the number of women (more like girls) who die. Still, it just adds to the tragic factor of this story (I'm surprised it isn't under the tragedy genre). And for those who like action, it can get pretty actiony (especially on one of the later showdowns).

Probably the one thing that annoyed me a little (other than the main antagonist and the number of dead girls) is the ending or rather the ending fight. It kind of seemed to drag on a bit. What could have been concluded in 1 chapter ended up dragging on for 3-4 chapters, IIRC. That's only enough to maybe drop my rating by .5, but when there's the amount of violence there is in this manga (especially the number of dead girls), it can become overbearing. So, even though the violence didn't phase me, I still thought that the amount of violence took away from the quality of the story.

Overall, definitely give it a shot. If you can stomach almost non-stop killing, then you can definitely find the quality in the story, and the story is very good (but on the tragic side).

Sure Battle Royale has very good action and the art work is great but! The story of Battle Royale is sick and sucks. Its about 42 students who sent to an island to kill each other till the death. The only part I found that had a story was the students past. Then needing to kill each other than dying. I found Battle Royale almost as an excuse to have teenagers kill each other. Battle Royale has a stupid mindless story and i don't recommend it.

I think it was a little too violent and too much gore for my liking, kind of made my stomach churn. Though it was pretty good but the guts and intestines bursting out after a cut was...disturbing.

Ok, after giving myself time to adjust, I really love this manga. I love this series! It's thrilling and psychological. It draws you in and won't let you go! Though lots of scenes freaked me out cause of it's gore, it's a really great manga

... Last updated on December 17th, 2009, 7:21pm

Out of all the manga I've read, in all categories, Battle Royale is one of my favorite ones. Instead of pure action, it deals with psychological and moral dilemmas. Sure, it's a little depressing, but it's realistic. It's similar to Lord of the Flies in some sense. It's not a shallow manga based on pure action, but there's man vs man, man vs nature, man vs himself, etc.

Story/Plot
Battle Royale is basically about survival of the fittest, where kids have to duke it out with each other in a sort of "last man standing game". The problem with this set-up is that it almost completely removes the thought of getting attached to any characters because they usually end up the same way. However at least some of them are developed so well that you cannot help but get attached to them.

Artwork
The artwork is great in depicting a disturbing amount of gore and violence that you'll feel sick to the stomach, because the one thing this manga is famous for is going over the top.

Final Thoughts
Battle Royale is an excitingly, gut-wretching manga that will keep you on edge. It is really interesting how this manga was put together, as 15 Volumes, without the story feeling dragged out however the TokyoPop did mess it up a bit with their translations. BR is also one of the few manga out there that allow you to express so many emotions; from sadness, to frustration.

Unlike the similar manga "Gantz" BR has this lingering feeling of hopelessness that makes the story very depressing. With this really depressing story it can make Battle Royale less enjoyable to read but there's plenty of shocking moments and cliffhangers to keep you going. ^_^