(speaking of takeshi, or takeshi kitano as he is known when directing, i've heard that he's written a couple of novels when i've never been able to score. my online searching abilities are coming up short too. anyone know if there are translations around, and if, indeed, they're worth reading?)
the dvd has a little section on it that shows the filming of an additional scene, to be added to a 'special edition', which i hope will eventually make its way over here, but since the film itself took three years to hit a theatre, and i've not seen nothing of the sequel, i'm not holding my breath. it was odd to watch the actors comment on how they've all grown and aged in the six months since they stopped filming, with the exception of the two older leads. in each of the interviews, the two older leads laugh at how absurd it is for them to be playing teenagers when they're in their twenties, but it didn't strike me as that odd. chalk it up to years of seeing people in their mid twenties play people in their late teens...
if you haven't seen battle royale, you really should. i keep mentioning it enough on this livejournal, after all...
you should read the book, too. there's an energy in that that overcomes every fault it has. it makes many of the books i read last year look tired and boring.
