Koushun Takami was born in 1969 in Amagasaki near Osaka and grew up in Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku (the fourth-largest island in Japan), where he currently resides. After graduating from Osaka University with a degree in literature, he worked for a newspaper company, Shikoku Shinbun, for five years, reporting on politics, police reports, and economics. Battle Royale, completed after Takami left the newspaper company, was his debut work and is his only novel published so far. With its publication in Japan in 1999, it received widespread support and became a bestseller. Battle Royale was serialized as a comic, made into a feature film in 2000, and has been translated into more than ten languages. Since its initial release, Battle Royale continues to be a cult favorite in Japan and internationally. In 2012, Battle Royale: Angels' Border, a spin-off manga scripted by Koushun Takami, was released. Yukai Asada is from Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. He moved to Tokyo and formed a punk band while also working as a manga assistant. In 2006, he teamed up with Mai Tsurugina for his first serialized work, M.C.☆LAW. Among his other noteworthy works are the band-themed manga Woodstock and Koori no Buta (Ice Pig), as well as Sengoku Basara, based on the popular video game. His most recent works include Butsumetsu Kekkon (Unlucky Wedding Day) and Battle Royale: Enforcers.
