Jump to content

Battle Royale II: Requiem: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Line 187: Line 187:
[[Category:Films directed by Kenta Fukasaku]]
[[Category:Films directed by Kenta Fukasaku]]
[[Category:Films directed by Kinji Fukasaku]]
[[Category:Films directed by Kinji Fukasaku]]
[[Category:Japanese films]]
[[Category:Japanese war films]]
[[Category:Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:Japanese-language films]]


Revision as of 15:21, 2 April 2012

For related entries, see Battle Royale (disambiguation).
Battle Royale II: Requiem
File:BR2 DVDCover TartanAsiaExtreme.jpg
Directed byKenta Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku
Written byKenta Fukasaku
Norio Kida
Produced byKimio Kataoka
StarringTatsuya Fujiwara
Ai Maeda
Shugo Oshinari
CinematographyToshihiro Isomi
Edited byHirohide Abe
Music byMasamichi Amano
Production
companies
Toei Company
Fukasaku Group
TV Asahi
WOWOW
Gaga Communications
Nippon Shuppan Hanbai
Tokyo FM
Sega
Toei Video
Toei Agency
Distributed byToei Company
Release dates
  • May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18) (Cannes Film Festival)
  • July 5, 2003 (2003-07-05) (Japan)
Running time
134 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film Japan
LanguageJapanese

Battle Royale II: Requiem (バトル・ロワイアルＩＩ　【鎮魂歌】, Batoru rowaiaru tsū: "Rekuiemu"), abbreviated as BRII (Bii āru tsū), is a 2003 Japanese, dystopian, action-thriller film. It is a sequel to the 2000 film, Battle Royale, which in turn was based upon a controversial 1999 novel of the same title by Koushun Takami. An extended version of the film is titled Battle Royale II: Revenge.

Director Kinji Fukasaku, who directed the first film, started work on the sequel but died of prostate cancer on January 12, 2003, after shooting only one scene with Takeshi Kitano. His son Kenta Fukasaku, who wrote the screenplay for both films, completed the film and dedicated it to his father.

McKoy Sugie (杉江 松恋, Sugie Makkoi) wrote the novelization of the film.[1]

Creation and conception

Kenta Fukasaku said, "We never set out to make Harry Potter." He explains that he wanted audience members to ponder "big issues" and to view the world from a point of view held by a terrorist. Fukasaku added that the film, against "the new Matrix" and Terminator III, needed to "provide something that Hollywood can't." Fukasaku intended to provide an alternative to what Time magazine's Ilya Garger describes as "the moral certainty of American culture" as seen in U.S. films and foreign policy.[2]

Kenta Fukasaku said that he viewed his task as finishing his deceased father's movie instead of as directing his first creation; the son credits the film as his father's. Kenta Fukasaku desired a lot of controversy and outrage for the sequel, adding that "the more strongly people react, the better."[2] The film was mainly shot at Hashima Island ("Battleship Island").

Plot

The survivors of previous Battles Royale, led by Shuya Nanahara, have formed a rebel group called the "Wild Seven". A class of teenagers from Shikanotoride Junior High School (鹿之砦中学校, Shikanotoride Chūgakkō) are kidnapped by the Japanese government. Instead of stereotypically studious Japanese students, these ninth graders are “a ragtag collection of delinquents and losers from all over Japan,” including tough-guy rugby players and punks with dyed hair. More importantly, many are orphans whose parents or family died in bombings by the Wild Seven. After their school bus is diverted to an army base, the students are herded into a cage, surrounded by armed guards, and confronted by their schoolteacher, Riki Takeuchi, who lays down the ground rules of the new Battle Royale game. Wild Seven is hiding out on a deserted island (filmed on Hashima Island), and instead of being forced to kill each other, as in the old Battle Royale, the students are sent off to war and ordered to attack the terrorist group’s hideout en masse and kill Shuya within 72 hours. Most of the students are not interested in being forced to avenge their families, but are coerced to fight through exploding metal collars, which their captors can detonate by remote control. The teacher shows them a line in the caged class room, those who wish to participate cross the line those who don't will be killed. The students are put into 'pairs'; if one student dies, then his or her partner will be killed via collar detonation. The teacher forgot to mention that.

The students are sent via boats onto the dangerous island base of the Wild Seven, and a number of them are killed when they were bombed, shot or their collar detonated during the journey onto the island, leaving only a cluster alive. Most notably, two of the survivors are the main protagonist Takuma Aoi, and Shiori Kitano, the daughter of Kitano, the "teacher" from the first film who died after being shot by Shuya. Taken into the Wild Seven's base, the surviving students' explosive collars are removed and they are encouraged to help the members of the Wild Seven stop the Battle Royale for good. While most of the survivors agree, Takuma and in particular Shiori remain unconvinced. Shuya sends a video message to the world of their goal to live free. In response to the video and pressure from the U.S. government, the Japanese prime minister takes command of the military present at the Battle Royale headquarters and orders an attack on the island base, with no survivors allowed. On Christmas Day, the war between the Wild Seven and the military occurs, with numerous casualties on both sides. Survivors of the base retreat to the mainland via a mine shaft, leaving Shuya, Takuma and Shiori as the only remaining fighters. Takeuchi appears in a rugby uniform, and after a brief and personal exchange, Takeuchi allows the group to flee as he sacrifices himself. Shiori is shot and dies in Shuya's arms, seemingly forgiving him for his past crimes. Shuya and Takuma run out to kill the rest of the soldiers.

Several months later, Shuya and Takuma rejoin the other survivors, including Noriko Nakagawa, in Afghanistan and go their separate ways, hoping to live their lives without any further conflict.

Reception

Battle Royale II: Requiem received generally negative reviews from film critics. The film received a rating of 38% at Rotten Tomatoes with a classification of "rotten", based on nine reviews, only three of which were positive. Many of the reviewers criticized the film for being inferior to the original, having a contrived, confusing plot line, its controversial, provocative anti-American sentiments, and generally bad acting.[3]

Ilya Garger of Time said that while the film has more "bullets, bombs and dramatic battlefield deaths" than its predecessor had, the sequel does not have the "who'll-die-next-and-how suspense." Garger described the characters in Battle Royale II as "a simpler breed" who join forces to defeat the adults.[2] One of the few positive reviews was from Jamie Russell of BBC who stated that the film "scrapes by on the strength of its startlingly subversive political commentary," wearing "its anti-American sentiments on its sleeve." Despite criticizing it for being "torturously overlong, resoundingly clunky and full of a bloated sense of its own importance," it concluded that "its decision to cast its heroes as teenage Al Qaeda-style terrorists fighting against a fascistic adult America is staggeringly bold."[4]

Characters

Wild Seven

File:BR2 WildSeven GroupPose.jpg
Shuya Nanahara along with other Wild Seven members in Battle Royale II: Requiem. (L-R) Sakai, Saki, Kazama, Shuya, Imakire, Maki, Yonai.
  • Shuya Nanahara (七原秋也 Nanahara Shūya) - The leader of Wild Seven.
  • Saki Sakurai (桜井サキ Sakurai Saki) - The sniper also the most recent champion of the BR
  • Mitsugu Sakai - The mediator and peacemaker.
  • Maki Souda - The technical wizard.
  • Soji Kazama - Another previous Battle Royale winner who is also a skilled sniper.
  • Satoshi Imakire - The eldest member of Wild Seven.
  • Kengo Yonai - Skilled with bayonets and knives.
  • Mai - Another previous Battle Royale winner who appears in the beginning of the first Battle Royale film.
  • Sanada
  • Yukari
  • Aya
  • Chizuru
  • Shoko
  • Sayaka
  • Iwamoto
  • Shinobu
  • Jin

Students

Males

  1. Takuma Aoi (青井拓馬 Aoi Takuma)
  2. Shugo Urabe (卜部秀悟 Urabe Shūgo)
  3. Osamu Kasai (葛西治虫 Kasai Osamu)
  4. Ryo Kurosawa (黒澤凌 Kurosawa Ryō)
  5. Haruya Sakurai (桜井晴哉 Sakurai Haruya) - The brother of Saki Sakurai.
  6. Masami Shibaki (柴木雅実 Shibaki Masami)
  7. Tetsuya Shimura (志村鉄也 Shimura Tetsuya)
  8. Naoki Jo (城直輝 Jō Naoki)
  9. Masakatsu Taguchi (田口正勝 Taguchi Masakatsu)
  10. Jun Nanami (名波順 Nanami Jun)
  11. Tatsuhiko Hasegawa (長谷川達彦 Hasegawa Tatsuhiko)
  12. Shota Hikasa (日笠将太 Hikasa Shōta)
  13. Yasuaki Hosaka (保坂康昭 Hosaka Yasuaki)
  14. Kenji Maezono (前薗健二 Maezono Kenji)
  15. Shintaro Makimura (槇村慎太郎 Makimura Shintarō)
  16. Kiyoshi Minamoto (皆本清 Minamoto Kiyoshi)
  17. Yosuke Miyadai (宮台陽介 Miyadai Yōsuke)
  18. Wataru Mukai (向井渉 Mukai Wataru)
  19. Tatsuro Morishima (森島達郎 Morishima Tatsurō)

Females

  1. Nao Asakura (浅倉なお Asakura Nao)
  2. Miki Ikeda (池田美希 Ikeda Miki)
  3. Kyoko Kakei (筧今日子 Kakei Kyōko)
  4. Shiori Kitano (キタノシオリ Kitano Shiori) - Shiori is the daughter of Kitano, the teacher from the first Battle Royale. Shiori signs up to transfer to Shikanotoride Junior High School and to participate in the Battle Royale II.
  5. Haruka Kuze (久瀬遙 Kuze Haruka)
  6. Nozomi Sagisawa (鷺沢希 Sagisawa Nozomi)
  7. Sanae Shioda (汐田早苗 Shioda Sanae)
  8. Risa Shindo (新藤理沙 Shindō Risa)
  9. Honami Totsuka (戸塚保奈美 Totsuka Honami)
  10. Yuko Natsukawa (夏川結子 Natsukawa Yūko)
  11. Rena Niimi (新見麗奈 Niimi Rena)
  12. Maho Nosaka (野坂真帆 Nosaka Maho)
  13. Mayu Hasuda (蓮田麻由 Hasuda Mayu)
  14. Ryoko Hata (波多量子 Hata Ryōko)
  15. Kazumi Fukuda (福田和美 Fukuda Kazumi)
  16. Shiho Matsuki (松木志穂 Matsuki Shiho)
  17. Yuka Mifune (三船夕佳 Mifune Yūka)
  18. Asuka Motomura (本村明日香 Motomura Asuka)
  19. Ayane Yagi (八木綾音 Yagi Ayane)
  20. Ai Yazawa (矢沢愛 Yazawa Ai) (paired with Hibiki Yano)
  21. Hibiki Yano (谷野響 Yano Hibiki)
  22. Kana Yuki (夕城香菜 Yūki Kana) (paired with Eri Yoshiyama) --- The actor, Yuko Morimoto, was selected from an open audition.[5]
  23. Eri Yoshiyama (善山絵里 Yoshiyama Eri)

Adults and miscellaneous characters

  • Riki Takeuchi (竹内RIKI Takeuchi Riki) - The "teacher" of Battle Royale II.
  • Kitano (キタノ Kitano) - The "teacher" of the first Battle Royale appears in his daughter Shiori's dream sequences and flashbacks.
  • Noriko Nakagawa (中川典子 Nakagawa Noriko) - The other survivor from the first Battle Royale.
  • Hitoe (仁絵 Hitoe) - Riki Takeuchi's daughter.

Cast

Music

The sequel's soundtrack has more original work by Masamichi Amano and fewer classical pieces. One of them, Farewell to the Piano (composed by Beethoven), is played by Shiori Kitano herself during the film.

The song from the opening credits is Dies Irae, taken from the Verdi Requiem.

The end title song is by Japanese punk band Stance Punks. The song "Mayonaka Shounen Totsugeki Dan" features on their first full length, self-titled album.

Books

The book The Road to BRII (ISBN 4834252124) is a behind-the-scenes photo collection about the production of the movie. About ten tie-in books related to the movie have been released in Japan.

A manga series called Battle Royale II: Blitz Royale is partially related to Battle Royale II: Requiem. The school in Blitz Royale is Shikanotoride Junior High School, and the "teacher" pops pills like Riki Takeuchi. There are numerous plot differences between the book and manga.[6]

References

  1. ^ http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4872337751
  2. ^ a b c Garger, Ilya. "Royale Terror." Time. June 30, 2003.
  3. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/battle_royale_ii/
  4. ^ Russell, Jamie (18 May 2004). "Battle Royale II: Requiem (2004)". BBC. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  5. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030220024217/http://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/kiji/2003/02/08/01.html
  6. ^ http://www.battleroyalefilm.net/manga/index.html
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Battle_Royale_II:_Requiem&oldid=485174082"