Battle Royale II: Requiem

Battle Royale II: Requiem
For related entries, see Battle Royale (disambiguation).
Battle Royale II: Requiem
Directed by Kenta Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasaku
Produced by Kenta Fukasaku
Kimio Kataoka
Hikaru Kawase
Masumi Okada
Written by Kenta Fukasaku
Norio Kida
Starring Tatsuya Fujiwara
Ai Maeda
Shugo Oshinari
Music by Masamichi Amano
Cinematography Toshihiro Isomi
Distributed by Toei
Release date(s) May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18) (Cannes Film Festival)
July 5, 2003 (2003-07-05) (Japan)
Running time 134 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese

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]

Contents

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

In the sequel, survivors of previous Battle Royales, led by Shuya Nanahara (the hero of the first film), have formed a rebel group called the "Wild Seven". As in the first film, 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 ordered to attack the terrorist group’s hideout en masse and kill the leader, Shuya Nanahara, within 72 hours. Most of the kids 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 students are put into 'pairs'; if one student dies, then his or her partner will be killed.

The students are sent via boats onto the dangerous island base of the Wild Seven, and a number of them are killed 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. Disillusioned with the Battle Royale, Takeuchi appears dressed in a rugby uniform holding the student's signed ball and sacrifices himself to allow the three to escape, but Shiori is gunned down 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.

The film ends several months later with Shuya and Takuma rejoining the other survivors, including Noriko Nakagawa, in another country and part ways, hoping to live their lives without more conflict.

Reception

The film received a rating of 38% at Rotten Tomatoes with a classification of "rotten". Many reviewers criticize the film for having a contrived, confusing plot line and poor 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]

Characters

Wild Seven

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.
  • Mitsugu Sakai - The mediator and peacemaker.
  • Maki Souda - A 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.[4]
  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.

Related manga

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.[5]

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. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030220024217/http://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/kiji/2003/02/08/01.html
  5. ^ http://www.battleroyalefilm.net/manga/index.html

External links

v · d · eBattle Royale by Kōshun Takami
Battle Royale (2000 manga) • Battle Royale (2000 film) • II: Requiem (2003 film) • II: Blitz Royale (manga) • Original Soundtrack • Characters (Shuya Nanahara)
v · d · eFilms directed by Kinji Fukasaku
1960s

Wandering Detective: Tragedy in Red Valley (1961) • Wandering Detective: Black Wind in the Harbor (1961) • Vigilante With a Funky Hat (1961) • Vigilante With a Funky Hat: The 20,000,000 Yen Arm (1961) • High Noon for Gangsters (1961) • The Proud Challenge (1962) • Gang vs. G-men (1962) • League of Gangsters (1963) • Jakoman and Tetsu (1964) • Wolves, Pigs and People (1964) • The Threat (1966) • The Secret of the Diamond / The Kamikaze Guy (Kamikaze Man: Duel at Noon) (1966) • Rampaging Dragon of the North (1966) • Ceremony of Disbanding (1967) • Gamblers' Ceremony of Disbanding (1968) • Black Lizard (1968) • Blackmail Is My Life (1968) • The Green Slime (1968) • Black Rose Mansion (1969) • Japan's Most Violent Gangs: Boss (1969)
1970s

Bloodstained Clan Honor (1970) • If You Were Young: Rage (1970) • Tora! Tora! Tora! (with Richard Fleischer and Toshio Masuda) (1970) • Sympathy for the Underdog (1971) • Under the Flag of the Rising Sun (1972) • Street Mobster (1972) • Outlaw Killer: Three Maddog Killers (1972) • Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973) • Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Hiroshima Deathmatch (1973) • Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War (1973) • Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics (1974) • Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode (1974) • New Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1974) • Graveyard of Honor (1975) • State Police vs. Organized Crime (1975) • Gambling Den Heist (1975) • New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss's Head (1975) • Violent Panic: The Big Crash (1976) • New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss's Last Days (1976) • Yakuza Graveyard (1976) • Hokuriku Proxy War (1977) • Doberman Detective (1977) • Shogun's Samurai (1978) • Message from Space (1978) • The Fall of Ako Castle (1978)
1980s

Virus (1980) • The Gate of Youth (1981) • Samurai Reincarnation (1981) • Dotonbori River (1982) • Fall Guy (1982) • Theater of Life (1983) • Legend of the Eight Samurai (1983) • Shanghai Rhapsody (1984) • House on Fire (1986) • Sure Death 4: Revenge (1987) • A Chaos of Flowers (1988)
1990s

The Triple Cross (1992) • Crest of Betrayal (1994) • The Geisha House (1999)
2000s

Battle Royale (2000) • Battle Royale II: Requiem (with Kenta Fukasaku) (2003)
v · Kenta Fukasaku

Battle Royale II: Requiem (2003) · Yo-Yo Girl Cop (2006) · X-Cross (2007) · We Can't Change the World. But, We Wanna Build a School in Cambodia. (2011)

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