The Hunger Games

Before "The Hunger Games" came "Battle Royale", with its similar theme. As you might expect, there is nothing woke in this Japanese cult classic. I watched with subtitles.

Both films have the government placing kids into a death match with one victor. In both, the gamemaster adds deadly hazards, apparently to herd the participants into contact and conflict. However, the author of "The Hunger Games" novel swears she didn't see "Battle Royale" before. (But had she read the novel on which it is based?)

I loved the "burikko" girly sweet voice training video for the violent, shocking rules of the game. If they had used that voice in a country-wide broadcast for each summary update, it would have wonderfully filled in a missing element. There is also the delightful absurdity of Japanese girls in schoolgirl uniforms viciously murdering each other, sometimes more related to petty conflicts than the death match itself.

The movie packs a stronger punch if you understand Japanese culture. Basically, Japan had and has serious economic problems due to its socialist government, but meanwhile there is all this "burikko" sweet voice and other childish stuff throughout Japanese culture. It is an absurd contrast, like in the film.

Although exploring an interesting concept, "Battle Royale" will not be suitable for everyone, due to the violence. And don't show it to kids.