Battle Royale, Vol. 01

Battle Royale is a high-octane thriller about senseless youth violence in a dystopian world and one of Japan's most controversial novels.

As part of a ruthless program by the totalitarian government, ninth-grade students are taken to a small isolated island with a map, food, and various weapons.

Forced to wear special collars that explode when they break a rule, they must fight each other for three days until only one "winner" remains.

The elimination contest becomes the ultimate in must-see reality television.

A Japanese pulp classic, Battle Royale is a potent allegory of what it means to be young and survive in today's dog-eat-dog world.

The first novel by small-town journalist Koushun Takami, it went on to become an even more notorious film by 70-year-old director Kinji Fukusaku.