ShmoopTube

00:04

The Hunger Games and Battle Royale a la Shmoop.

00:09

Our dystopias so far have been lacking in action.

00:12

Sure, there have been fires, sledding, and one or two sexy games of Scrabble...

00:16

...but there haven't been any action scenes that would make Michael Bay green with envy.

00:23

We'll fix that this unit with The Hunger Games and Battle Royale.

00:27

Better don some goggles for this one.

00:30

In both books, we've got kids battling other

00:32

kids to the death. Hardcore? Yes. But no one can deny there's a lack of action.

00:38

Mr. Bay would be proud.

00:42

Of course, in both The Hunger Games and Battle Royale, the kids are forced by their government

00:46

to be killers.

00:47

Why can't these horrible governments ever just force people to make donuts and garden

00:51

all day?

00:52

It would be so much nicer...

00:54

In The Hunger Games, the United States has been restructured.

00:57

And just as when a major corporation restructures people get... umm... downsized.

01:08

In Suzanne Collins's novel, instead of pink slips, kids across the country are given weapons

01:12

and filmed as they fight each other to the death.

01:15

A fun premise for an action story, but not exactly realistic, some might say.

01:20

The idea that any society anywhere would sponsor such a thing is laughable.

01:28

We would hope... The best dystopic <<diss-TOPE-ick>> novels

01:31

are almost always inspired by very real things.

01:38

Just because they're set in the future doesn't mean they don't reflect contemporary concerns.

01:42

Sure, we don't have shows where children kill each other...

01:45

...but we do have a reality TV culture that gets more and more voyeuristic by the day.

01:50

Let's face it: uglier things get higher ratings.

01:54

We love watching people's lives fall apart--the more spectacularly terrible things go, the better.

02:00

Are we really that far from a return to the real life Hunger Games of Roman gladiatorial arenas?

02:07

We have to honestly ask ourselves: if such a show came on TV, would we watch it?

02:12

Battle Royale takes place on the other side of the Pacific...

02:15

Over in Japan, entire classes of high-school students are selected at random to fight each

02:19

other to the death for...um..."research purposes."

02:21

We're not sure what they're working on, but it's probably not a cure for cancer.

02:26

Maybe they just think it's fun.

02:31

They do have a kooky sense of humor over there.

02:35

The original novel of Battle Royale by Koushun Takami <<KOE-shun tuh-KA-me>>, the manga series,

02:40

and the movie that followed, were all controversial due to their extreme violence.

02:44

But, of course, all the controversy...and probably the violence itself...has launched

02:48

the Battle Royale franchise to legendary status in Japan...

02:51

...much like The Hunger Games in the U.S.

02:54

We guess kids doing battle with kids is popular no matter which side of the Pacific you're on.

02:59

Both books show us dystopian societies that seem similar on the surface...

03:02

...but actually reflect the cultural attitudes of the different countries they come from.

03:06

In this unit, we'll see what we can learn about each country by digging into these action-packed...

03:10

...but gruesome... depictions of kids at war with kids.

03:16

How jolly.

Full Transcript