Battle Royale (Dead Meat Podcast Ep. 194) 

I love that they say that Chigusa is in a kill bill jump suit when she's running, but don't mention that Chiaki Kuriyama who plays her was literally in Kill Bill

My favorite scene is when the rules are presented to the class. The lady on the video tells them congrats for being selected and Takeshi replies with an effusive "Arigato gozaimasu!" while waving his hands like a kid

I believe this is the movie where Quentin Tarantino found Chiaki Kuriyama (as Chigusa in the movie) and casted her as Gogo in Kill Bill.

I really hope this movie get a kill count soon

For those that are interested, Takeshi Kitano is also a huge filmmaker in Japan as well. Like, one of the most acclaimed in the country for the past few decades. So he’s like if Martin Scorsese was also the host of Wipeout or Legends of the Hidden Temple.

Fun fact: The actress playing the "runner girl", Chiaki Kuriyama, is the same actress that played Gogo in Kill Bill. Probably Tarantino saw her here!

The book is absolutely fantastic. The movie does a decent job of showing the different students perspectives during the battle royale as it does in the book.

Fun fact, the actress of who plays the Video Training Girl is played by Yuko Miyamura, who is also the voice actress for Asuka in Neon Genesis Evangelion. And Shuya's actor also plays Light Yagami in the 2000s Japanese live action Death Note films! Which is funny, because the Death Note films had a limited theatrical release in the US before Battle Royal did so that's what I knew him from when I finally got to watch this film.

The relationship between Kitano (Takeshi) and Nakagawa is a father and daughter-type as Kitano’s actual daughter hates him so he views Noriko (Nakagawa) as his own lovable daughter. Also it’s pronounced naka-GOW-wa

43:50 so it’s not that she betrays him she wants him to survive but knows he wouldn’t let her die so she turns on him. In the manga (not sure if it’s the same in the book I would assume so) she actually shoots another contestant but doesn’t tell him so he thinks she missed her shot and he kills her. The same principle she knew he’d never killed her so she forces him to do it, it’s why he wanted to understand her smile and came back to play the game. It’s also why he smiles when he dies because he finally gets her smile she was happy he was gonna live like he is happy he saved both the main characters

ik the strike isn’t ideal, but i’m really excited with all of the new content we otherwise wouldn’t have gotten. keep up the great work y’all!

The Running Man might be the earliest death game film. Certainly though Battle Royale was the first I watched (& read) with a lot of staples that solidified the sub-genre.

I think the relationship with Kitano and Noriko is more of a Father/Daughter type relationship. Throughout the film you see Kitano taking phone calls from his daughter who he does not have good relationship with. This relationship is explored in more detail with the sequel. I always assumed he wishes his daughter was just more like Noriko.

I remember watching Battle Royale years ago on Netflix (back before there were a million streaming services) when I woke up really early one day and couldn't fall back asleep so at like 5AM I just put on Battle Royale and watched it as the sun came up. Loved it.

I think the manga is my favorite version of this material. It's like over the top edgy but I love how deeply it gets into each of the kid's perspectives. A lot of them are super likeable and most of them are empathetic in some way. It makes each death hurt a lot and I feel that's honestly the point.

BR remains one of my all time favorite Japanese films. There was a point in my youth when I didn't take subtitles seriously in foreign films, until BR turned me around and I never looked back.

I always interpreted her smile as her internally being thankful to have someone like him in her life, despite everything

This is now the fifth time Dead Meat has covered a movie I literally just watched within the past week. I am so blessed!

Fun Fact: The creator of Squid Game did indeed get inspired by this movie. 👍🏽👍🏽

I have a very weird recollection that Battle Royale 2 got an official release when I was still in high school (pre 2007) because Hot Topic was heavily promoting merch and the film which was both available in stores but so far nothing that I've looked up can confirm the US release date.

Fun fact, Kyo, the lead singer of Japanese rock band Dir En Grey, was initially offered the role of Yoshitoki, but had to decline when the band's manager forced him to turn down the role due to touring Schedule. It's the same band that did "Dive Like Hell and Destory" that is featured on Saw 3D

As a huge danganronpa fan, hearing Chelsea talk about it in this episode brings me such joy, I absolutely cannot wait for her kill count on it!!

I LOVE the Battle Royale IP so much. I enjoyed the film, but didn't like it as much as most, but god damn do I adore the book. The original novel is thicker than almost any bible when translated to English and it was one of the most emotional and nail biting reads I've ever had.

I love this movie. Kiriyama is still such a great villian. Also I cant believe you guys missed the fact that chigusa was played by the same actress as gogo in Kill Bill. You even mentioned Kill Bill. Great episode!

41:33 Funny you should say that, because she's also in Kill Bill herself. She plays Gogo Yubari, O-Ren Ishii's bodyguard (the one with the meteor hammer / mace thing.)

Tatsuya Fujiwara who played Shuya was the It Boy at the time! I watched so much Japanese tv at the time and he was everywhere. His look was so popular, especially the snaggletooth. It was a big trend in the 00’s. 😂

My neighbor’s dog used to lick the air all the time too, she was a small dog like Molly ✨ I think she’d do it as a sort of calming thing, almost like a dog version of stimming. Apparently some dogs also do it to help them smell the air better?

Would love a I Saw The Devil episode.

i LOVE the manga version, i have all 15 volumes released in Brazil in the mid 2000s ❤️ Never had any kind of re-release over here wich is a shame, Masayuki Taguchi's art is GORGEOUS!

I'm really glad to see that you're covering Battle Royale! The manga it was adapted from is an incredibly interesting read. It's horribly dark and morbid, but also has moments of hope and brightness, and while I've never had the chance to see the movie, I'm really happy to see it being talked about!

Something about Mitsuko always resonated with me even as a kid obviously she’s crazy but her back story i just find so interesting and there’s something so heartbreaking about her death for me. She’s essentially an outcast because of her behavior which is an interesting take to me. Love her character and love that actresses portrayal of her

I just really want to yell about how much of a STUNNER Chelsea is. Aside from her seemingly being an absolute sweetheart of a human being she just looks so radiant with the warm hair color and the color palette of the set. Like some kind of autumn fairy. She’s such a joy see and hear!

I definitely watched it on DVD in 2004-ish. There was the coolest video rental store in my college hometown. It looked an adult video store but rented mostly indie, art house and foreign film. Our friend group rented everything from BR to Martyrs to Cannibal Holocaust to Caligula lol. Best rental store EVER! Region free DVDs for the WIN!!!!

The manga sheds a lot more light on some of the confusing details like Mimura’s uncle being an anarchist who taught him everything about bomb making. The manga also takes the time to go into every character’s backstory and personality, making their deaths even more heartbreaking. I don’t read manga, but it’s one I’ve read the whole way through twice just because of how good it is.

Holy crap! One of my favourites, can't wait to watch. 😁

The way James first pronounces “Kiriwama” like UwU speak I can’t xD

The thing that sticks in my head the most from this movie, is during the last flashback at the end of the movie, the boy with the glasses takes a big handful of the falling paper confetti and shoves it into his mouth. That disturbed me more than the kid killing.

Battle Royale is absolutely one of those movies that EARNS the title of "classic". Super influental and super brilliant for many of the reasons you've discussed in this episode. And it pretty much kicked off one of my favourite sub-genres in media. And according to the commenters of this video, the source material: the manga is apparently incredible as well so now I need to seek that out.

Absolutely need to go back and rewatch this. It's so nice seeing you guys cover this.

Silver Scream was incredible and was so awesome to meet you guys, always PUMPED for a new podcast episode. Let’s go🔥

In the book it was originally alluded that students all knew about "The Program" but the odds of being picked were so low that generally it wouldn't even enter their minds that they would end up in it. Book was also 50 classes a year rather than just 1 but I believe the selection covered the entire Republic of Greater East Asia (the alt-universe Japan that had retained a lot of its WW2 colonial conquests) so it was 50 classes out of thousands each year.

I always find it so frustrating that when the Battle Royale/Hunger Games relationship is brought up, The Running Man almost never is. It was a very similar premise, including the social satire.

Welcome back! We are happy to see you guys back talking about whatever you're allowed to. My ex showed my this movie a little over 10 years ago and it's held a place in my heart ever since then. I try to show it to whoever I possibly can.

I took a summer school class where we read hunger games over 2 weeks, discussed its themes, and watched similar stuff like Survivor. Basically it was just a fun class to try and get them to have fun reading. If we werent in 5th grade and instead high school, I guarantee the teacher would have talked about battle royale and the connections it has. Suzanne said she got the idea walking the news of war and school shootings then walking game shows like survivor or fear factor back to back and wondered if in the future we'd have game shows about killing

I read the book, and if iirc the Battle Royale was reported on in the media. I distinctly remember a scene in the book where a winner who hadn't even cleaned up the blood and viscera was interviewed on TV for the entire nation to see. There's also mention of parents revolting and rioting when they hear that their children have been chosen and the government full on killing entire households in a show of force. I also remember that in the book, when the kids woke up and the explanation begun there was a sense of dread as they knew that they had been selected.

I’ve been waiting for Battle Royale to be covered in some form on the channel for soooooooooo long! THANK YOU!

Very happy to see this on the podcast. In high-school I was able to order the movie online but it was a VCD and could only be seen on the computer.

It’s been so long since I’ve been back to this channel, me and my ex used to watch your videos together and we always loved talking about the kills and everything, I just wanted to thank you James and your wife for helping me make great memories with my ex, we broke up but thank you again

Takeshi's Castle was massive in South Africa. I was obsessed with it in the early 2000s. Thanks for the blast from the past, I'm going to stream the reboot this weekend!

James is the one who got it right. It's "Tah-keh-shi".

The sequel [Battle Royale II: Requiem (2003)] was pretty interesting as well! I remember watching both of these movies when I was in middle school. I loved them and a lot of people around me didn't know about them at the time. Some of these old Japanese horror movies really sparked my interest for the horror/thriller genre. I didn't know horror could be so engaging until I watched these types of movies. Much love to the creators of the story and the team that brought the movie to life. And to you guys too because I love getting to experience all this with the wonderful Dead Meat community. 💙 Also haha yeah I remember when Hunger Games came out and I said "This is just an American version of Battle Royale, but less so" to all my friends.

Hey, I met you good people at the silver scream con and the concert at Lynn Memorial Auditorium, thank you guys for the great content throughout the years, be good people!

One of my all time fave films! Need to re-watch this again at some point!

Excellent podcast as always! I love the research and insight and clear cinematic love that this channel brings. So glad that you are bringing attention to this great film. Have the book, had the manga (regrettably had to resell it), had the DVD (friend never returned it 😂). Going to rewatch it on Amazon Prime now!

this movie changed my life a while back. i thought it was such a good movie and really made me feel for the kids involved. it’s in my top 5. it’s got some beautiful shots and a great soundtrack.

ive wanted a kill count episode on this movie since 2018 but a podcast episode is close enough

This was a great watch, guys. Thanks so much for all the hard work. If you ever get the oppertunity to come to a Scottish convention you should try and book a few days for sightseeing beforehand. Its gorgeous here.

I loved Battle Royale the first time I saw it. Watching you two talking about it just made me add it to my collection.

To anybody that loves this movie. I HIGHLY recommend reading the manga on mangadex or something, because it goes SO deeply into everybody's background and stories.

I remember watching this movie with a bunch of friends when I was like 19 and it completely blew my mind. I wasn't as familiar with foreign films at the time, so it was just such a departure from what I was used to.

I watched this for the first time a few years ago. Watching this podcast makes me want to rewatch it

im GAGGED RN. The way i watched this for the first time yesterday! Cant wait to see yall discuss this

I just graduated from high school- I think the modern version of "rolling a box TV into the classroom" is just projecting whatever onto the whiteboard. I've never seen a classroom that just has a straight up TV in it. Some schools have "smartboards" but I've never seen them used because the teachers don't know how to work them.

I watched this back in like 2013 as a teenager and just fell in love. Seriously overdue for a rewatch.

I read the book in high school and loved it! Finally was able to see the movie and I thought it was a great adaptation

James, very good job with the pronunciations! Here’s fun political fact that may interest you. The actor who played Kawada Shogo (Yamamoto Taro) founded and leads the Anti-Establishment party for the Reiwa Shinsegumi. An example of life imitating art imitating life. Chelsea, PHENOMENAL job on the research on the “lost decade” and giving context as to why this was so much more than the glorified violence that the Japanese Diet tried to claim it to be. I’d REALLY recommend giving Alice in Borderland another shot. I had a hard time getting into it as well, but it gets SO much better. Especially if you like Danganronpa and trying to figure out the solutions to death games puzzles. Two corrections, I do not believe that this movie was ever banned in the United States. I believe the issue was since the film was released in 2000, so soon after Columbine and the novels release also has its share of controversy behind it, it couldn’t get a distributor. Major movie studios didn’t want to pay for a film that “glorified violence against kids” in the aftermath. Smaller studios couldn’t afford the exceptionally large licensing fees nor meet the criteria Toei would demand for the rights. The second is something the film also DOES gloss over much is known about the BR Act. The first scene has the helicopter shot with the girl from the thumbnail being reported on with the stats of the BR game she partook in by a news reporter. The classes’s ACTUAL teacher (who was killed and showed to the class as an example of a “no-good adult”) also seemed to be looking out of the bus window at the soldiers with a worried expression implies that the Battle Royale is something the characters are aware of existing. Mimura (the hacker) mentions his uncle was a freedom fighter who sent him a postcard and brought brought an old magazine “Hara Hara Tokei” or “The Ticking Clock” which references a real life revolutionary magazine from the 70s. I believe it’s cut for pacing issues but the students (at least some of them) are on some level aware the law exists but it’s more of a “my class can’t be the one chosen for the BR lottery” state of disbelief. It should have been explored more since it kind of seems as if no one knew about the Battle Royale law. In the novel at least, a couple of kids complain because their parents are politicians or involved with the government try to be excused from the program, but it’s an extremely fascist and totalitarian government that if met with opposition immediately eliminates it. So in the story, some of the parents are killed if they protest or contest to their children being selected. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE EPISODE! I actually have Covid right now and this was the high point of my day!

The actor playing Shuya Nanahara, Tatsuya Fugiwara, would later go on to play Light Yagami in the live action Death Note duology (not that Netflix shit), which would make a GREAT kill count even after the SAG-AFTRA strike is over.

I feel like this was one of those movies my older brothers sketchy friend let me watch when I was a kid memories of this and then I remember seeing it again later on Netflix

The girl in the “Kill Bill tracksuit” was actually Gogo in Kill Bill

Despite what Wikipedia says, the movies came out as a DVD box set sold at Hot Topic around 2005 or 2006. I know because I worked there and bought the only 2 copies our store received, 1 for myself and 1 for a friend.

I bought this on a region-free DVD from eBay around 2003 when I was in middle school. One of my more formative movies, horror or otherwise, for sure. Truly opened my eyes to the possibilities and unique world of foreign cinema-I even remember having Kiriyama as my LiveJournal avatar. I feel like I'm really dating myself with that last one. 😅

So happy I watched the movie before and I might honestly watch the entire battle royale series haha! 😂 excited for more!

Battle Royale is great because i remember the first time i read the hunger games i was like "there should be a hunger games series where you see a bunch of other contestant's perspectives' for one of the games". Then i read Battle Royale and it topped the Hunger Games series in every way.

Takeshi Kitano has also directed quite a few films prior to Battle Royale (a lot of yakuza films) and I would say they are about as surreal as his death scene in BR. Very funny and dry. Personal favorites are Hana-Bi and Sonatine. He has also done standup comedy, written books, edited his own films, hosted a number of tv shows like Takeshi’s Castle, made a video game in the 80s/90s, recorded an album. He is definitely one of the most fascinating celebrities from Japan.

I am so beyond jealous of the cat clock you have from (ハウス) House. That is such a slept on nutty horror movie but still goes in my top 10.

As a teacher while we don’t have the tv carts they just took the round back tvs out of the classrooms over the summer and many teachers still only had projectors in their rooms. There was a math teacher up until this year that would use the overhead projector transparencies (personally i haven’t seen those since I was in 3rd grade and Promethean boards became a thing). Gotta love under funded schools

I'm pretty sure the poisoning + vomiting blood in The Hateful Eight was a reference to BR as well.

ALWAYS a GREAT day when Dead Meat uploads❤

I've have been hoping you guys would cover this movie for years now I'm glad to see you talking about even if it's not a kill count 💗

I'd love for you guys to go to conventions in europe! This channel has been a big part of my life for so long and has helped me through some tough times.

James, that geographical association was so weirdly impressive 🤣🤣🤣 my mind is blown over here!!

Love Battle Royal. It's one of my favorite Japanese movies ever. I bought the box set with the second movie years back. You're not missing anything with that one. It's not as good as the first, but it's worth a watch.

You could find dvds of this back in the early-mid 2000s in used dvd/cd stores. I definitely picked it up for a hefty price at the time at a local Record Exchange.

Ahhhhh !!!! Love how y’all are starting to cover more foreign horror. I would love if y’all covered Pulse obviously the original Japanese version. It’s one of my favorite horror movies.

I remember going to Fanime back in the 00s and they showed BR the line was so long. I bought the pal dvds and also bought the book at my local boarders.

I have a tiny dog like you guys and she tends to lick the air a lot too. In my experience (according to the vet), licking the air could be brought on by anxiety, acid reflux, or possibly dizziness as a result of an ear infection. My dog burps a lot and has stinky breath too so I think my little one's issue is mostly related to acid reflux; the vet told me to give her OTC famotidine (Pepcid) daily, she gets 1/4 tablet 10mg Pepcid daily (so 2.5mg daily) and it seems to help. As always though, I'd recommend asking your vet rather than taking a random strangers advice ;). Love your channel!

Great coverage of a modern classic. :) There is a lot of great, and weird, so weird, Japanese horror out there to cover. I hope we see you guys cover more of it, if only because if you haven't seen some of it, your reactions will be, frankly, priceless.

I think y'all should give the manga ot the book that the move is based on. It fleshes out the characters and ups certain emotional beats. Happy to see the podcast still going strong.

my American friend and I had no idea we watched the exact same show growing up- Takeshi's Castle in the UK and MXC in the US. It took ages to realise they were pulled from the same original show. amazing how much cultural impact it has had across the West!

The book is absolutely phenomenal. Goes very I depth with each character and their backgrounds

kinji fukasaku is definitely my favorite director right now, most of his best films arent horror, but they are indeed cruel and horrific. love street mobster a lot

32:49 Woah! I bought this film in vhs in 2003 in the Uk and have watched it several times over the past couple of decades - this scene is completely new to me! Looks like we got a different version in the Uk.

I live in the UK and I grew up watching Takeshi’s Castle religiously! Such a throwback!

I don't know if we have any regular horror-specific conventions in Australia, but I'd be happy to send many requests to Oz Comic-Con for next year.

Funny that Chelsea says Kawada (possibly my favorite character from this movie) looks like Rambo with the tie wrapped around his head like a headband. In Shaun Of The Dead, when they're all at the Winchester pub, Shaun wraps his tie around his head the same way. I figured a lot of people assumed it was a nod to Rambo, which it could be. I thought so too, until I noticed Shaun has a Battle Royale poster in his flat (apartment). You can see it after Ed kills the one-armed zombie with the glass ashtray. Also interesting that James and Chelsea mentioned Quentin Tarantino's Top 20 Favorite Movies from 1992 to 2009 (from when he started directing and released his first film Reservoir Dogs, to when he released his self-proclaimed masterpiece Inglorious Basterds)... Battle Royale was the Number 1 entry. He called it "the one movie I wished I could've made". Takashi Miike's "Audition" and Edgar Wright's "Shaun Of The Dead" were on the list too. He called Audition "a masterpiece if ever there was one", and Shaun Of The Dead "the best British film in years".

First time I saw Battle Royale was in 2005. Somebody uploaded the film onto RU-vid in like, 10 separate parts. All in low quality. Incredible movie.

I would definitely recommend reading the manga version (admittedly I haven't read the book yet), but there's a lot of story beats with characters or some characters that are removed altogether in the movie. I feel like the movie feels very disturbing because you actually see young people in this situation and it feels so bleak, whereas the manga is disturbing as well (some parts more so) but has some moments where it feels like hopeful? Idk if that's the word.

I don't know how long that clock that looks like the House poster has been there but I LOVE IT SM its so cool

Hearing ya’ll talk about how seeing a comedian being put in such a different role reminds how me in the running man, the host of family feud Richard Dawson was the main antagonist beefing with Arnold Schwarzenegger

The book is absolutely phenomenal! There are a ton of differences that completely change the narrative and it’s FASCINATING and heartbreaking at the same time, I 1000% recommend!