Mandy Kaplan has thoughts about 42 Japanese ninth-graders being forced to murder each other on a deserted island, and honestly, who among us doesn't? This week, Jimmy Aquino returns to Make Me a Nerd for his fourth-or-fifth appearance (he's lost count, we've lost count, the green jacket situation remains unresolved) to drag Mandy through 2000's Battle Royale — a film he insists inspired The Hunger Games, and which Suzanne Collins insists she has absolutely never heard of, nope, never, why do you ask.What follows is a spirited investigation into whether a Japanese dystopian thriller about government-sanctioned child-on-child violence can be considered a cultural touchstone (yes), whether Mandy watching the English dub instead of the original Japanese constitutes a personal betrayal of Jimmy (also yes), and whether the evil teacher's Tony Soprano velour tracksuit is the single most baffling costume choice in cinema history (unclear, but a strong contender). Along the way: a five-year-old shoves her would-be molester down a stairwell, Chigusa stabs a guy in the junk, Mitsuko emerges as the Regina George of Murder Island, and Mandy discovers she would survive a battle royale by hiding in the bushes like she hovers near the kitchen door at a catered event — which is, frankly, a strategy.Also discussed: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Jimmy loves it, the public apparently did not, Mandy is caught in the crossfire), Dane Cook's alleged joke-stealing from Louis C.K., the exact linguistic convention for Japanese first and last names (pending verification), and whether a dystopia needs to be in the future or just generally, you know, bad. Mandy concludes she would die begging and crying. Jimmy concludes he would "Mitsuko the crap out of it." Both are probably right.Links & Mentions

Jimmy Aquino — Comic News Insider: comicnewsinsider.com | Instagram: @JimmyAquino | Bluesky
Mandy Kaplan — Instagram: @mandy_kaplan_klavens (both with K's)
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One For The Kids: Battle Royale with Jimmy Aquino