Suzanne Collins says she has never read or seen “Battle Royal,” and I believe her claim. It is not a popular film or book in the west by any means. Fans of “Battle Royal” and unlikely to be fans of “The Hunger Games” in my opinion.

Unrelated authors create similar stories occasionally. It is just happens.

Kevin Smith is a “fartist”, not an artist. And the fact that he’s desperate enough to go slumming with a shitty Kohl’s ad so he can be associated with J. Lo seems to suggest an affirmative to your rhetorical question.

“And if he had actually seen any of Kon’s work,”

Oh, we know he did, because Kon blogged about meeting him, and because Darren allegedly mentioned PB briefly on the Requiem DVD commentary.

“even if he’s was pretentious as this article tries to imply, would gladly be compared with Kon and his works.”

Well, if he would, then he wouldn’t deny them in favor of a Dostoevsky book which was considered mediocre, even for its time.

Yotaru: “Running Man doesn’t have to involve kids to inspire the Hunger Games.”

Also, Running Man incorporates prisoners, while Hunger Games, like Battle Royale, uses a random drawing system.

“Battle Royale does not hold any copyright to child endangerment,”

It holds a copyright to the kids overthrowing the system.

“They were trying to make an American BR, but Hunger Games got popular in the meantime. On the plus side, there’s interest in stuff like Hunger Games, so that BR Blu-ray came out at a good time.”

Well, yeah, of course Manga Bay will be glad to cash in on the controversy. Not sure if Fukasaku and Toei will appreciate it, though.

If she actually just heard a summary of Battle Royale, that would be the weakest reason for concern. Just hearing a concept doesn’t mean you’re a thief. You then actually have to come up with some content.

Also, Battle Royale does not hold any copyright to child endangerment, so anyone from when the movie was made until the end of time can make a movie with the same concept.

Also, on a side note, Hunger Games both lifted up and killed Battle Royale at the same time. They were trying to make an American BR, but Hunger Games got popular in the meantime. On the plus side, there’s interest in stuff like Hunger Games, so that BR Blu-ray came out at a good time.

I agree with John there is a difference between hack pulp and decent artistic writing, but I don’t agree with his premise for defining it, nor anyone’s here to follow. Ann Rice was practically a Hack, while Bram Stoker was not. But all that aside, the medium deos not delegitimize the artistic value of something and I think that these days it’s commonly known.

Being a comic book writer does not lower your artistic status at all. Some of the most breath-taking stories and interesting ex[plorations of cerativity today are happening in the comics and graphic novel arena. In fact always have. Comics, have a history of discussion and exploring developing social issues much sooner and more openly than other literature because of the weekly or monthly and serialistic nature of the medium. They were way ahead of their times in dealing with Race, personal mental health issues, Women’s liberation, moral ambiguity, the over accellerated advance of techniology, environmental issues.

And you’re going to tell me that Aronofsky would find himself embarassed to have his name up next to Gaimen, J. Michael Straczynski, Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith? All Comic Book writers and all credited with great artistic merrit both in the comic medium and other fields.

And if he had actually seen any of Kon’s work, I am suer any “artistic” director, even if he’s was pretentious as this article tries to imply, would gladly be compared with Kon and his works. They are atristic in the extreme as well as deep and edgy.

I think either he actually hadn’t see Kon’s work, or he doesn’t really know how much it influenced him, or he has his legal or technical reasons.

I don’t think the argument that anime, particularly the works of Satoshi Kon, could be viewed by snobby, artistic, intellectuals as being of lesser value that say the works of David Lynch.

She didn’t have to see it. She could’ve heard of it and gotten a summary.

“Why don’t we think The Running Man is the inspiration for the Hunger Games?”

It could also be. Except Running Man didn’t involve high school kids.

It could very well turn out to be true. I was wrong about the influence for Inception, but doesn’t anyone’s word mean anything?

Why don’t we think The Running Man is the inspiration for the Hunger Games? What if some obscure novel was the inspiration for Hunger Games? There are so many things it could be, but we’re fans of anime and manga, so it MUST be Japanese inspired. It’s a thin accusation. Kids killing kids for sport is their only link.

Oh, BTW, anyone here actually read/watched Hunger Games?

Lesse. She worked in Hollywood back when people were pirating, importing, and talking about the film. So…

“Besides the basic concept, Hunger Games and Battle Royale have barely a thing in common.”

That’s what they claim, but…

I think we as anime fans just love to see anime in everything else. Just because anime and manga exists doesn’t mean well read and watched people have seen it.

WAY before we had the internet, thinkers across the ocean from one another came up with similar ideas. The internet has made this a small world, but 2 people can still come up with similar ideas, or be oblivious of concepts similar to their own.

Besides the basic concept, Hunger Games and Battle Royale have barely a thing in common.

Not to mention their prior histories together.

“Serious artists like Darren Aronofsky create fine art. ”

Until Noah, anyway. 🙂