Artist Masayuki Taguchi's hunky heroes and buxom beauties may detract from Battle Royale's impact, but his is an unusual and very appealing style. There is a lot of detail in every panel, and although his character designs are sometimes bizarre, Taguchi gets a lot of human emotion into his drawings. But his over-the-top rendering of Battle Royale's wanton violence cheapens the horror of the situation. The brains splattering out of people's heads, the eyeballs dangling from their sockets, and the fountains of blood border on the ridiculous. The gore would actually be more horrific--and far more effective--if it were toned down a notch.
Overall, Battle Royale the manga is not as good as Battle Royale the movie. But it still manages to capture the macabre appeal of the film. Fans of the live-action incarnation should at least check it out. Newcomers to the shocking tale should definitely seek out the movie first, however. Though it will likely never be licensed for American distribution, legitimate all-region import DVDs with English subtitles are readily available for order online. Ultimately this deadpan spoof of TV and movie violence gone mad works best on the TV or at the movies.
http://www.mangareader.net/737/tough.html
A list of locations where fans can donate money towards relief efforts in Japan following the March 11 earthquake
http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html
https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052
Label: Tough
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