39 replies to this topic

[Rujio]

So, with the movie coming out, I decided to read the books, and, well, I loved them. With the exception of Mockingjay's ending, that is, but I won't go into that unless someone wants me to. So I was wondering if anyone else here had read them and what anyone else might think of the movie.

[Bobryk]

I'm on page 3 of the first book! Does that count?

[Rujio]

Well if you're like my family you will be on page 374 by this time tomorrow. So that counts.

[Ristau]

Well, It's on my dresser and I've been meaning to read it, I'm just not much of a reader. Based on the feedback I've heard from you and some of my irl friends, I just might have to start reading it.

[Shu]

A lot of people like it. I don't think it's terrible, I just prefer Battle Royale.

BR has the same concept, it was just done well before The Hunger Games came out.

[Rujio]

Have you read the rest of the series? The actual Hunger Games are not the most important part of the series, so that might be a place where it's different from Battle Royale. Also, did BR have the same kind of setting? Kids fighting each other in this arena would be very different from kids fighting each other in a Colosseum.

[Shu]

Battle Royale is set in Japan, modern time period. They run these fights where a class of students are put on an island and forced to kill each other. (The students have never heard of the game at this point.). It's more dark than the hunger games, I feel.


Each kid is given a random weapon. Some kids get submachine guns or magnums...others get frying pans.

Pretty nuts, man.

[Seraphinox]

http://imgur.com/gallery/CGzOW

[Rujio]

Well, there's more to Hunger Games than just the games and I would say how widely known the Games makes it darker than Battle Royale. There's plenty of anguish over it for the people who aren't in the games, too.

[Golden Warrior]

I'll just say a few things. Firstly, I have read the entire series and I did like it. Although, as Shu says, it does seem alot like Battle Royal in many ways. There are quite a few differences too. Like the fact that they use only mid-evil type weapons (Bows, Swords, Spears, etc.) It also has , to me, more of an actually plot. The back story of the conquering and such.

That's pretty much it.

[Shu]

That's a good point, Rujio.

Another thing is that each of the characters in Battle Royale have their own story. An interesting aspect is that all these kids grew up together and all their hidden vendettas and feelings for one another come out during the Battle Royale. Gore and stuff. Tons of blood. Severed heads. Also, the disturbingly psychotic teacher...

But yes, the plot of the Hunger Games goes beyond the actual games. BR is almost completely contained inside the Battle itself. Even the sequel (Battle Royale 2) doesn't stray from the B.R. Not that it's the same thing again. It's still a Battle Royale, just the rules and goals are different.

Though I'm glad the movie is in Japanese. I have a feeling that the 1999 child Japanese actors would all be lame.

[Holy Kensai]

Nah, Hunger Games pretty much ripped everything off Battle Royale.

The main point Shu is missing is the manga and books that go along with Battle Royale, which encompasses a lot more of the world.

[Golden Warrior]

QUOTE (Holy Kensai @ Mar 25 2012, 06:44 AM)

Nah, Hunger Games pretty much ripped everything off Battle Royale. The main point Shu is missing is the manga and books that go along with Battle Royale, which encompasses a lot more of the world.

There was a manga? Oh, in that case, maybe it's not so different. But, the Battle Royal started as a movie, right?

[Rujio]

Ah, well maybe it really isn't so different plot-wise. Still, I wouldn't be so quick to say it was "ripped off." If the author didn't know about BR (entirely possible) she couldn't have, after all. And BR sounds more violent, which, in my opinion, isn't a good thing. There are the hallucinations in the first book which are pretty freaky, but other than that the focus isn't on the gore but rather the characters dealing with the Games, and I liked that. Having not watched/read BR I can't really be sure what I'm saying is accurate, though. Also, I would guess that having just a couple characters with detailed backgrounds is more interesting than a bunch of characters with backgrounds that aren't as fleshed out.

[Golden Warrior]

QUOTE (Rujio @ Mar 25 2012, 10:54 AM)

I wouldn't be so quick to say it was "ripped off." If the author didn't know about BR (entirely possible) she couldn't have, after all.

I agree. I don't think the author knew about Battle Royal. However, It seems really funny that they are so similar.

[Shu]

I mean I'm not really ripping on the Hunger Games, it's just that many people don't know Battle Royale, which did the same thing well before the Hunger Games.

@Kensai: Haven't read the book or the manga. That's interesting, though.

I guess they do have their various differences. I don't believe that if Battle Royale was an American film it would get as much of a following as the Hunger Games have here.

And it started out as a book, then the movie and manga came, if I remember correctly.

[Rujio]

Well, going directly back to The Hunger Games, I saw the movie today. Everyone has been raving about how good it was, but I was decidedly unimpressed. And I think I'm being generous- I know plenty of people who would be furious if a book they liked was turned into a movie and they had my list of complaints.

[SilentSentinel]

I thought it was decent. Maybe that's just my crush on Jennifer Lawrence talking though.

As far as the books go, I must say that I was disappointed with Mockingjay's ending. It just... didn't feel right to me.

[Rujio]

I thought the acting was good, it was just that everything went by so fast. A lot of small stuff was cut out, and that amounted to me not really caring about the characters. Also the Capitol was far too tame.

[Holy Kensai]

QUOTE (Golden Warrior @ Mar 25 2012, 08:42 AM)

QUOTE (Holy Kensai @ Mar 25 2012, 06:44 AM) Nah, Hunger Games pretty much ripped everything off Battle Royale. The main point Shu is missing is the manga and books that go along with Battle Royale, which encompasses a lot more of the world. There was a manga? Oh, in that case, maybe it's not so different. But, the Battle Royal started as a movie, right?

Battle Royale started as a novel, then the movie and the manga first came out within a month of each other.

@Rujio, Battle Royale focused on the characters. Read the manga. Almost every character has a full back story.

@Shu, hard to say. Battle Royale is better written. But Americans as a group are pretty stupid. I'm giving it a month before they're up in arms claiming Battle Royale is a rip-off of the Hunger Games.

So. I'm going to do a little comparison.
The Future:
BR: Totalitarian Japan set in the future, alternate timeline, post apocalyptic.
HG: Totalitarian North America set in the future, post apocalyptic.
Verdict: Same thing.

The Rationale:
BR: Nation collapsed, rebuilt nation, teenagers started to rebel.
HG: Nation collapsed, rebuilt nation, District 13 rebelled.
Verdict: Same thing.

The Villain:
BR book: Government official.
BR movie: Teacher, who is a government official.
HG: President. (Government official)
Verdict: Same thing.

The Tech:
BR: Exploding collars. Danger zones.
HG: Fire walls and flesh eating monkeys... And Danger zones.
Verdict: Americanized. Other than adding unrealistic aspects, same thing.

The Participants:
BR: Students who grew up together. Know this could happen, so whole life to train.
HG: Two people from each district. Know this could happen, so whole life to train.
Verdict: Almost exactly the same.

The Community:
BR: Reality TV show broadcasted to the nation.
HG: Reality TV show broadcasted to the districts.
Verdict: Same!

The Volunteers:
BR movie: Joined for fun.
HG: Joined for fun.
Verdict: Same!

The Love Story:
BR: Boy 1 and Boy 2 are best friends. Boy 2 likes Girl 1. Boy 2 dies, tells Boy 1 to take care of Girl 1. Boy 1 and Girl 1 fall in love. Girl 2 loves Boy 1.
HG: Love triangle.
Verdict: Slightly different, cause HG simplified it.

The Violence:
BR: Realistic.
HG: Less violent.
Verdict: Slightly different, cause HG sugar coats it.

Final Verdict:
BR: Good, original work.
HG: Americanized rip-off.