In 2000, Kinji Fukasaku released a controversial but amazing film called Battle Royale, based on a novel, in which 42 ninth graders are placed on a remote island and forced to kill each other until one remained. Three years on, the sequel Battle Royale II was released. However, it lacked the same quality of the first film.
Kinji Fukasaku died during filming of the sequel and his son Kenta took control of the film as director and screenwriter. The end result is what could be called a bit of a mess - little character development, overacting, overbearing political subtexts, too much violence without a just cause behind it, and tons of explosions that would make people think Michael Bay invaded the set.
In the sequel, a survivor of the Battle Royale game Shuya Nanahara has declared "war on all adults" and formed a large terrorist group of outcast kids called the Wild Seven. They bomb the Shinjuku District in Tokyo and kill many people. In response, the Japanese government alters the BR Game to BRII - and sends a new class of 42 outcast ninth graders to the Wild Seven's island base to kill Nanahara. The kids are given military suits and weapons, but for an odd reason are given the familiar explosive collars to wear and there are pointless Death Zone elements on the island. While it seems the filmmakers tried to incorporate elements from the past film to keep the kids going, they are generally unnecessary and I thought the prospect of sending these kids to attack a terrorist group daunting enough.
Among the kids are the main hero Takuma Aoi who seems to have no real motive; and Shiori Kitano, the daughter of the teacher from the first film who personally wishes to kill Nanahara for her father's death. However, Takuma, Nanahara and Shiori are generally the only characters in this whole film that gain some form of character development. The rest of the kids and members of the Wild Seven are just there to shoot guns and die. There are some characters who had potential, like the comic relief character, a girl who has diabetes, and a kid whose sister is a member of the Wild Seven, but it feels like the filmmakers weren't motivated enough to give them much development or focus. The first film's entire cast had enough character development and screen time to make them likable, even though most had only one scene before dying.
Rounding up the film's cast as the resident adult bad guy is Riki Takeuchi as, well, Riki Takeuchi. However, his acting is hilariously overdone and crazy, which I think doesn't really fit into the gloomy atmosphere of the film. Perhaps his acting was supposed to match his character trait like Kitano's was in BR, but I still find him a bit out of place.
There are some political messages which are not as subtle as the first film's were. The opening scene of the Shinjuku District collapsing is very similar to 9/11, and there is a large amount of negativity towards America in the film, possibly hinting at the objected choice of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the problem with this film is that it can be tricky to support either side of the war - the kids and the adults are just as bad a each other. The adults kidnapped kids and forced them to kill each other, and the kids are now killing adults and bombing buildings, and what's more, the adults seek revenge and send more kids to kill those who are getting revenge on them! Despite these problems, BRII can be an enjoyable film. The acting, aside from perhaps Takeuchi's madness, is pretty good, the film has an awesome soundtrack, and some of the more positive messages can let the audience leave feeling somewhat satisfied. I recommend this film if you are a BR fan or a Fukasaku fan, although if you are a hardcore BR fan, then the sequel may come out as a disappointment.
Kinji Fukasaku died during filming of the sequel and his son Kenta took control of the film as director and screenwriter. The end result is what could be called a bit of a mess - little character development, overacting, overbearing political subtexts, too much violence without a just cause behind it, and tons of explosions that would make people think Michael Bay invaded the set.
In the sequel, a survivor of the Battle Royale game Shuya Nanahara has declared "war on all adults" and formed a large terrorist group of outcast kids called the Wild Seven. They bomb the Shinjuku District in Tokyo and kill many people. In response, the Japanese government alters the BR Game to BRII - and sends a new class of 42 outcast ninth graders to the Wild Seven's island base to kill Nanahara. The kids are given military suits and weapons, but for an odd reason are given the familiar explosive collars to wear and there are pointless Death Zone elements on the island. While it seems the filmmakers tried to incorporate elements from the past film to keep the kids going, they are generally unnecessary and I thought the prospect of sending these kids to attack a terrorist group daunting enough.
Among the kids are the main hero Takuma Aoi who seems to have no real motive; and Shiori Kitano, the daughter of the teacher from the first film who personally wishes to kill Nanahara for her father's death. However, Takuma, Nanahara and Shiori are generally the only characters in this whole film that gain some form of character development. The rest of the kids and members of the Wild Seven are just there to shoot guns and die. There are some characters who had potential, like the comic relief character, a girl who has diabetes, and a kid whose sister is a member of the Wild Seven, but it feels like the filmmakers weren't motivated enough to give them much development or focus. The first film's entire cast had enough character development and screen time to make them likable, even though most had only one scene before dying.
Rounding up the film's cast as the resident adult bad guy is Riki Takeuchi as, well, Riki Takeuchi. However, his acting is hilariously overdone and crazy, which I think doesn't really fit into the gloomy atmosphere of the film. Perhaps his acting was supposed to match his character trait like Kitano's was in BR, but I still find him a bit out of place.
There are some political messages which are not as subtle as the first film's were. The opening scene of the Shinjuku District collapsing is very similar to 9/11, and there is a large amount of negativity towards America in the film, possibly hinting at the objected choice of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the problem with this film is that it can be tricky to support either side of the war - the kids and the adults are just as bad a each other. The adults kidnapped kids and forced them to kill each other, and the kids are now killing adults and bombing buildings, and what's more, the adults seek revenge and send more kids to kill those who are getting revenge on them! Despite these problems, BRII can be an enjoyable film. The acting, aside from perhaps Takeuchi's madness, is pretty good, the film has an awesome soundtrack, and some of the more positive messages can let the audience leave feeling somewhat satisfied. I recommend this film if you are a BR fan or a Fukasaku fan, although if you are a hardcore BR fan, then the sequel may come out as a disappointment.