Having gone all to the trouble of finding an import VCD of this flick, I'm glad I put in all the effort. The younger and elder Fukusakus both exhibit pretty big stones producing a work like this, one which could never be duplicated in the states. Even though such a brutal situation would be far more likely in the US, recent escalating school violence would prevent such a film from ever being made stateside. Some teenage sappiness does seep in, and the motivations for some of the characters, particularly Sickle Girl and the red-haired boy "there just for fun," are shallow or dubious. Also, the media could have been used for greater effect, adding more absurdity by spinning the contest as some kind of reality TV event. The movie keeps a "score" of sorts, but imagine slick graphics portraying the killrates and deaths, with a play-by-play from the same adorable gal who gave the students their instructions. Knowing how hard Japanese students are worked, I can see the motivations behind portraying such a draconian test of worth of mere schoolkids, absurd as it may be. Still, even if you can't relate the cultural background of this film, you can't help but wonder just what you'd do in the place of one of these frightened students.