The Unoriginal Games

The Hunger Games is this years new fad this year in film and books. Much like my uncreative title, I consent that The Hunger Games is entirely unoriginal. In 1997 a book was written in Japan entitled Battle Royale. Battle Royale shares the same premise as the Hunger Games in almost every sense. The only difference I have found is that the Hunger Games continues to expand on a bigger picture with two other books were as Battle Royale is just one book focusing on the one game. Battle Royale also happens to be, my favorite book.

I don't read as much as I would like to, and I RARELY read one book multiple times. Battle Royale is a definite exception to those rules. I love and have read Battle Royale too many times to count. Recently, I have become something I never thought possible: a hipster. When all the Hunger Games hype started rolling around early this year I found my self on my soap box denouncing it. With out giving it a chance I exclaimed its sinfulness in its rip off of Battle Royale. Arguing with masses and trying to discourage their excitement with claims of how inferior it must be to the original themed book, Battle Royale. My hipster status was the highest it could be me claiming to like something before it was cool. I laughed at myself a couple of times for my berating of all these non-Battle Royale fans and finally stopped being such a cynic. I gave the Hunger Games a chance and was not disappointed. Although it will never be Battle Royale I did enjoy the Hunger Games, and even as of today, bought the second book.

All of this made question, what is original even more? Everything has been done so it seems like the only thing left is to expand on it, or change some elements. This is simply what Hunger Games did to Battle Royale. Whether the author knew it or not, she was trying to be as original as possible, even though it seems that being original, isn't at all possible any more.