Battle Royale 2

After a long wait, I finally had a chance to see BATTLE ROYALE 2 yesterday (it just came out on DVD here in Japan). Although I can’t say that I much cared for the ending, the first half of the film is truly excellent. I like how they’ve managed to do a nice update of the BR concept, adding new rules that make it more, ahem, explosive. And you gotta love the scene when Riki Takeuchi, taking over as the new teacher (Takeshi Kitano, the teacher in the first film, has a cameo), introduces himself as… RIKI TAKEUCHI! He’s a bit over the top in the role, but it’s what makes him so much fun to watch. Although it doesn’t beat the first film, if you were a fan of that one, you’ll probably like this one too.