Battle Royale is a 2000 Japanese action-thriller film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, written by Kenta Fukasaku and based of the 1999 novel of the same name by Koushun Takami, and stars Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto and Takeshi Kitano. The film follows a group of junior high school students that are forced to fight to the death by the Japanese totalitarian government. Battle Royale is ultimately a coming-of-age film that acts as a criticism of the Japanese education system.
The film starts by explaining the dystopian nature of the world. Japan collapsed the unemployment rate is at 15% with 10 million out of work. 800,000 students also boycotted the school and juvenal crime rates soared. Adults lost control and fearing the youth passed the Battle Royale act. The film then shows the iconic Image of the winner of the previous competition holding a doll blooded and smiling. The film then shows the backstory of the main boy in the film Shuya who’s mum left when he was in 4th grad and whose dad committed suicide on his first day of seventh grade. This shows one of the two main themes throughout the film being the coming-of-age story in that he must overcome both hi past traumas and the trauma yet to come to be an adult. At the being of the film the main girl Noriko is the only one that turns up for class hinting to the idea that she is the only one the teacher cares for. The teacher is then attacked by a knife by the student Yoshitoki showcasing the dystopian nature of the film. This also acts as a criticism of the Japanese’s education system in how strict the system is causing this type of violence as a response to the system. Throughout the film these two themes being coming of age and a criticism of the Japanese education system are shown such as the idea of a classic school trip turning nasty as when they are all sleeping Shuya gets kicked out by the guard. All the the students then wake up with collars around their necks, as soldiers and their old teacher enter the room. The teacher explains that the country is in ruins because of the youth. These further cements the coming-of-age narrative of the film in that it deals with youth people as specifically criticising the idea of young people being the problem. This again showcasing the film being a criticism of the Japanese education system in that the older generation don’t want to take any accountability for this blame and instead wish to mould the youth and uses them thought violent means. The battle royal acts ultimately as a coming-of-age film and a criticism of the Japanese education system with the students being forced to kill each other off until one is left showcasing how children just grow up into the trough adult world and how this murderous act is an extension of the brutal nature of the Japanese education system. Their teacher who was apposed to this was also killed acting as a criticism of the Japanese education system in that anyone who doesn’t toe the line is destroyed by the system.
The teacher ends up killing one of the girls for talking during the information video throwing the class into a frenzy, this again acts as a criticism of the Japanese education system in the brutal way the system acts upon students in the instructional video. The island in the area has danger zones that change throughout the three days at multiple times and if there isn’t a winner all the collars will explode, and everyone will die. This is demonstrated when Shuya’s friend Kuninobu goes crazy as the teacher detonates his collar killing him. They are doing this to control the rebellious youth. This again makes this a coming-of-age film as these kids are angry aimless children going up against an unjust adult orientated system. This further acts as a criticism of the Japanese education system is how militarist the systems controlling the youth are reflecting within the film. Each student gets a pack comprised with food, water, a map, a compass, a flashlight, and a weapon they also get sent out one by one. The first death we see is one of the girls being shot and dying for marrows showing this is real. The main girl’s backstory is also revealed with her being bulled by other girls. This again showcases the coming-of-age story elements to the film as all these experiences people faced when they were younger boiled up on the surface in a violent way. This again acts as a criticism of the Japanese education system as bullying is supposedly common in Japanese school as the. harshness of Japanese school life essentially exaggerated within the violence of the film. The film also shows the backstory of the main male character as him and his friend who got his collar blown up grew up in the same orphanage with his find having a crush on the main girl. This again showcases the coming-of-age story of battle royal with a lot of these troupes being used as well as a criticism of the Japanese education system with his friend being killed by a harsh adult regime making the kids subservient.
The main bad guy then kills a bunch of people and takes their weapons. As this happens two classmates commit suicide instead of playing the game. This reenforces the idea of the coming-of-age film with two classmates accepting the loss of innocence. This also acts a criticism of the Japanese education system as it was ultimately this system that led them to this fate. One of the girls’ meats the main bad girl in the film who kills her and as she is dying, she states she didn’t want to be a loser. This further showcases the coming-of-age narrative in which as of these old feelings from high school come to the service and explode in a violent way. This again showcases the criticism of the Japanese education system in which the individuals that don’t adhere to the group idea version of excellence are left behind and ultimately considered lessors.
Shuya accidentally kills his friend in an altercation linking into the coming-of-age loss of innocence narrative of the story. One of the girls kills a guy who had a crush on therefore she is killed by the main bad girl Mitsuko, this gain links to the coming-of-age narrative and that school feeling towards classmates contributes a lot to the characters fates. Mitsuko then gets cornered that she’s on her period as she has been constantly labelled as a slut who steals people’s boyfriends however, she feels that everyone just gangs up on her and kills the girl. Noriko the main girl asks Shuya the main guy if he had a crush one someone and that someone is her again link into this idea of Battle Royale being a coming-of-age film. They end up meeting up with Kawada one of the exchange students who is hiding out in the cabin who says his dads a doctor. Meanwhile Kiriyama, Minuma and two other boys are trying to hack into the system and destroy it Kiriyama then goes off as the other boys call him a loner and talk about the girl, he has a crush on before realises they are listening though the necklaces. One of the girls kills a guy that was a pervert towards her as he tries to have sex with her. She stabs him in the dick killing him after he accidently shoots at her grazing her with, he says was an accident. Again, old feelings bubble to the surface when she says she hates him because her blames other people and kills him she then meets up with her friend who apologises to her for not waiting for her after school her final words to him are “you look really cool”. Again, Battle Royale is coming of age film were old feelings get brought to the surface in emotional and violent ways. Kawada reveals himself to be a survivor of a previous game and that him and his girlfriend survived but because they reached the time limit, they shot each other him surviving and his girlfriend dying. When she died, she had a smile on her face and when he woke up here gain, he decided instead of playing the game he would try and work out what her smile meant, with Noriko saying that she believes she smiled because she loved him. Again, Battle Royale is a coming-of-age film highlighting the love, loss, and heartbreak of relationships in teenage years.
From this they work together to get off the island. The main bad guy Kazuo cuts off a guy’s head, puts a grenade in it and throws it through the window. As the three main characters run away, the main hacker guy explains that his uncle was a solider and that is ultimately why he is doing this. Shuya is injured and finds himself in a lighthouse full of girls. Yukie the girl. That bandaged him says this is her first time touching a man’s body and asks if he likes Shuya again linking into this idea of Battle Royale being a coming-of-age film. One of the girls Yuko is fearful of Shuyu as she watched him accidently killing Oki witch she believes was on purpose and therefore tries to poison him. One of the girl Yuka accidently eating the poison dish dying. This then leads to paranoia where they all end up killing each other, as a criticism of the Japanese education system where students are meant to complete with one another in a cutthroat environment. Yuko realises her mistake and kills herself acting as a criticism of the Japanese education system as it was ultimately the system that made her do this. Mimura sees all this and stars yelling that he doesn’t understand.
Mimura has a dream about her and her teacher Kitano eating ice lollies and walking along the river. Kitano then gets a call from his daughter who doesn’t care for him. Mimura comments on her dream saying that Kitano seems lonely. She then goes on to say that she always assumed she would end up having a normal life but now releases she doesn’t have a clue again showcasing the coming-of-age element to the film. The film then dives more into the backstory of Shuya, his dad is unemployed, sick, and ultimately a loser, when he causes a scene restaurant it cuts to him being dead saying his con can do better than him. This links to the coming-of-age elements of the film in which the children are forced to grow up despite their hostile environment. Noriko the main girl is comforted by Mitsuko the main bad girl who is about to kill her until Kitano the teacher arrives which scares her off as the man guy meets up with her. One of the students is killed accidently at the hands of the girl he wanted to meet and says he loves her and that she’s cute linking into the coming-of-age elements of the film before she dies at the hand of Mitsuko the main bad girl. Mitsuko and Kiriyama the main bad guy teenager then gets into a fight and she is killed, as she lies dying she say “I just didn’t want to be a loser anymore”.
As this is going on the hackers are still messing with the network and making a bomb to blow up the base. Kiriyama the main student villain kills one of the hackers and they get into a fight. They blow up the gas tank to try and kill him, but he escapes. Kiriyama and Kawada get into a fight as Kawada shoots Kiriyama killing him. The film then flashes forward a bit to Shyua the main guy’s backstory with his mum and dad running off and dying again hinting to the coming-of-age narrative. Kawada then seemly betrays the main characters by saying his backstory was a like and looking like he killed them. Kawada then makes it back to the school alive and him and the teacher talk before saying that for hacking the controls and trying to get revenge he will die. This gain showcases the coming-of-age narrative as he ultimately did everything to seek revenge for his girlfriend’s death as well as criticism of the Japanese education system as for going against the rules, he is to be punished by being put to death.
As this is about to happen Shuya and Noriko burst into the room alive. Kitano the teacher explains that his kids hate him and that he sees Noriko as the daughter he never had linking into the coming-of-age theme of the film. Shuya the main guy shoots Kitano who it tuns out just has a water pistol. Kitano who is still alive answers the phone to his wife and after getting into an argument with his wife shoots the phone eating his last cookie and dies. Kawada dies from his injuries but before he does states that his girlfriend’s smile meant “thank you at the end…” but dies form his injuries. However, in the voice over he says “…I’m glad I found a new friend” linking into the coming-of-age theme of the film in that he finally died understanding friendship. The film ends with Noriko and Shuya on the run for murder but deciding to move forward, as again the coming-of-age elements come into play in that they are now finally adult enough to face the world.
Battle Royale is ultimately a coming-of-age film about growing up and being an adult. It is a criticism of the Japanese education system and how such strict structures by authority figures can destroy the very youth that the future of the nation depends on.