Battle Royale - Masayuki Taguchi

In the most provocative volume of "Battle Royale" to date, the sinister and sinful Mitsuko Souma comes into focus. Widely accepted as the only female in Class B, with a shot at winning "The Program", Mitsuko has already eliminated four of her classmates. One of them was Takako Chigusa, close friend and companion to Hiroki Sugimura. The honorable martial artist isn't one to give in to the desire for vengeance, but the horror of "The Program" is enough to bring even the strongest of beliefs into question. When Hiroki finds himself confronted by Takako's murderer - by Takako's unarmed murderer - all his sadness, fear and rage nearly manifest themselves in one squeeze of the trigger. Meanwhile, when Yuichiro Takiguchi runs into his close friend Tadakatsu Hatagami, the two decide to team up, believing that if you can't trust your friends, the game's as good as over. But, there's nothing like a woman for creating mistrust between buddies, particularly when that woman is Mitsuko Souma. Playing one off of the other, Mitsuko's sure that she can come out ahead, and bring herself that much closer to winning "The Program" in the process.;However, this pair may present a greater challenge than even Mitsuko's prepared for. She can handle men who want to kill her. She can handle men who want to rape her. But, men who genuinely want to help her? She wasn't prepared for that, and it's going to cost her a trip down memory lane. And, when your closet is as full of skeletons as Mitsuko, that's one terrifying trip. Will it be enough to put her over the edge? Featuring some of the most graphic and explicit art of the series, and dealing with some seriously dark subject matter, this volume of "Battle Royale" will rattle you to your core, and haunt you long after you've turned the final page.