Okay, well I can't be the only one who has fallen the ways of Battle Royale. (And, besides being addicted to the movie, the novel...we're here to talk about the manga!)
It seems pretty popular, but I've yet to come across any fanart/cospaly/greetings/wallpapers or the like for it on TheOtaku. Could be that because it's only a manga and an anime doesn't exist for it (And, honestly, I hope there never is.) that it's not widespread.
Hum.
So, for those of you who don't know Battle Royale is about the grim future of a parallel Japan (apparently, what would happen if Japan won WWII). There's a television show called The Program, in which 9th graders are sentenced to a secluded area of the country (such as an island) and are forced to kill each other. They are supplied random weapons, are forced to wear collars that track their heart rate and position, and are shuffled off, expected to take their friend's lives so that they will be allowed to survive.
It sounds gruesome, and it is. I mean, it's rated M for a reason. Not for the light hearted. But, in all honesty, it's not about the gore, the bloodshed or the eye-popping action. It takes the human heart and dissects it. Many of the characters are lovable, with heart-wrenching stories and when placed in life or death situations show their true side. I've found myself crying during various volumes of the manga out of my love for the characters and how much it pained me to see them in danger and making decisions that no 15/16 year old should ever be forced to make.
Throughout the story, the main character Shuuya, a rock-n-roll obsessed ditz tries to unite the students to find a way to freedom. He tries to cope with the loss of his friends, his hatred for his government all while remaining cheerful for his two friends as they try to find a way to fight back at The Program.
Eh, enough of me sounding like a commercial.
Does anyone else here share my love?
(And yes, my signature is the cover from Battle Royale volume 2.)