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Battle Royale Analysis

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When Battle Royale first made its debut to the world, there were already concerns from the government and parents about its effects on teenagers. Despite the Motion Picture Code Committee restricting admission to anyone under sixteen, teenagers still camped out for two days to see the opening screening (G. Sparks and C. Sparks 269). The film was controversial for its extreme violence, but the reactions of the adults to try and control their children tellingly echoed the conflict within the film itself, something its director had purposefully highlighted. Kinji Fukasaku used props throughout his film to represent the challenging relationships between the older and younger generations of Japan. Based in real life encounters and the failings of the Japanese school system, Fukasaku brought the conflicts between the government, parents, teachers, and students to the screen in a darkly humorous bloodbath.
Authority Figures versus Children
To better understand Fukasaku’s approach to his film, it will help to examine his own childhood. As a young teenager, Fukasaku grew up in a country plagued by the horrors of World War II:
His class was drafted into the war effort, and they found themselves working in a munitions factory. [...] The classmates were caught in a barrage of artillery fire. [...] The survivors of the attack used the corpses of their friends as cover and, after the violence has passed, Fukasaku and his surviving friends were given the task of disposing of the body parts

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