Battle Royale: Angels' Border - Koushun Takami, Mioko Ohnishi, Youhei Oguma

This Battle Royale spin-off came out some 10 years after the novel on which it is based, not the manga. It is essentially a pointless little book and for die hard fans only, featuring two side stories about some of the girls holed up in the lighthouse prior to their annihilation. The first half features a doomed, one-sided lesbian relationship between two of the girls, whilst the second is about a very minor character and her out of school encounter with cool student, Mimura, before they are drawn into the game. The minimalist illustrations are done separately for each part by Mioko Ohnishi and Youhei Oguma, but they are nowhere near as good as Taguchi's in the manga series. One of the artists has a strange style where characters are drawn with upper lips that curve upwards.

There are some major deviations from the manga here, which were no doubt present in the novel. The nature of the game is changed from a reality TV show to a government experiment where the children as seen as 'sacrifices' to the nation's security and sense of solidarity. It makes no sense at all and is a flimsy justification for the fantastical scenario. The issues that this volume deals with; unrequited love, homosexuality, shame culture, suicide, and honouring last wishes, were a little too angsty to capture my interest, and since we already know how it all ends from the outset, the stories were devoid of necessary tension. This really is just a homage to fans, and a reminder from Takami that he is still alive and... relevant? Recommended to BR fans only. Maybe one day I'll read the novel.

Rating: 2/5