The Hunger Games VS Battle Royale

hungergamesMost of you will have heard of this big-  epic- movie series/ Book trilogy called The Hunger Games. I admit I haven’t read the books, I do plan too. The books consist of 1. The Hunger Games, 2. Catching Fire and 3. Mocking Jay. Movies for books 1 and 2 are out, I have seen them, but I don’t know how it ends. I can theorise it will either end with the lead female protagonist Katniss and the “rebellion,” kicking butt or the whole world just imploding in on it’s self. No one tell me although chances are when it comes to nearer the time I will look it up on Wikipedia.

There are a lot of Dystopia books now out there, the vampire fetish is now over and I think writers are now thinking the next best thing is to destroy society completely and start over, part of me is amused if that is the plan.

But going past all the awesome Zombie movies, Mutation films, world being taken over by computers, the world ending because people got too fat- Looking at you Wall.e. Basically, if there is even the smallest chance it could destroy the world and restructure society the human race has put it into a plot line and made it into a movie.

There is a movie out there which is based on a similar sort of thing to the Hunger Games.


Battle Royale, is a live action movie based on a novel and manga (haven’t read the book or the manga, but if it is anything like the movie, I will find it funny.) Apparently there is a sequel movie I just can’t seem to find it.

The Hunger Games plot line is based around a nation called Panem, there is the wealthy Capitol, which stuffs it’s face,

hungergames Katniss

Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss

while the 12 poorer districts it rules go hungry and work themselves to death. In comes this thing called, “The Reaping,” at random a girl and boy between the ages of 12-18 from each district will be chosen to compete in, “The Hunger Games.” Where they fight to the death, only one can win. For District 12 the home of Katniss and Peeta (the male protagonist for the movie- also the guy who gets chosen to compete). There name gets pulled out of lottery my Effie Trinket- those who haven’t seen the movie, you don’t have to look far it’s the woman with freaky hair and really elaborate makeup and clothing.

hungergames tributes


12 districts = 24 people (“Tributes.”) entered into the Hunger Games. 1 winner. Weapons are provided only they have to battle for them as well- well, it’s more like a race, there’s a pile of weapons in the middle of the starting circle.


The reason the districts have to sacrifice two young adults is this is penance, so basically it’s sort of like todays world where the government say not only do we make sure you don’t really have enough to live on, but we will also make sure you’re children don’t as well!

As entertainment, the rest of the world gets to watch the mass slaughtering of teenagers killing each other, if they survive they apparently get fame and wealth. Truthfully, in the future this could replace, “Big Brother.”



Battle Royale plot line again involves putting teenagers up for sacrifice, only the sacrifice for this film involves school classes being picked. They are thrown into an Island with a bag. The bag should have essentials such as water and some random weapon, I mean random it could be a gun or it could be a pan lid.

Battle Royale1

Those who have seen Death Note the live action films. Yes that is the guy who plays Light

The reason for the schools giving up classes of students, the nation collapsed there was no chance of a job and students began skipping school and adults became afraid of the young adults. So, apparently it became ok to get the students to kill each other off, it’s a fight to the death where only one person can win. The students can kill each other off but there is control from the main control room (there is one in The Hunger Games too, this is where everything is watched including where about the young adults are, each idea involves trackers) Students in Battle Royale are fitted with collars which will explode if students are in, “The Danger Zone,” This is explained to the students by a weirdly happy Japanese woman, who is wearing a collar herself, via video. The danger zones are part of the island which get cornered off, the collars have trackers in them so people in the control room will know where they are.

Battle Royale

Although the ideas behind both novels/movies look similar, as both of them involve a dystopia where the younger generation are chosen to fight to the death in a controlled environment. There are some differences- despite the obvious one with one been in English the other is Japanese. For me The Hunger Games has a more serious storyline. Battle Royale in someway seems like a string of death (Half which are actually funny, really, the time it takes some of the students to die from things such as being shot in the chest…) with a story line. There is a hint of romance in Battle Royale but I think this is because it’s more of a boy film it’s more filled with violence and death. The Hunger Games, I think is a movie for all genders you have romance in there, the death which is involved is more obvious that it’s a fight for survival, the movie is set at a different pace where it isn’t just death after death. The Hunger Games is based in a longer storyline within its self (Which is shown in the movie) We see want for the society to get out of the District regime where they are at the bottom, whereas Battle Royale the Millennium Educational Reform Act (BR Act) there is no real intent of the students over throwing it. It’s a dystopia movie but we only see the effect what it has on the students what get put on the island


I recommend both movies, both are hits. Ok, I wouldn’t recommend Battle Royale if you are squeamish at the sight of blood, but if you are like me and find that sort of thing funny I really recommend it.