Ringu: The Book

are you talking about the manga series. how many books constitutes the whole series. i only have two of the books of battle royale. in the UK are they done by TokyoPop. i assume they were localized differently there, but i don't know. there isn't a plain (without graphics) novelization is there?

also how many of the ring books have been translated? how many are there? i'm super interested in reading those.

i have the three uzumaki books (on loan from obstacle!) but haven't read them yet.

i really am digging the battle royale manga though. when that girl gets her throat cut with a sickle i almost vomited (well not really but... i wish i would've wanted to.). that is one of the most graphic things i think i've ever seen from any type of media. really good writing, excellent over-detailed drawings/gore = greatness.

*edit: i see that you are talking about a straight novelization. or is the novel what the movie is based on. Koshun Takami wrote the manga and the novel. i don't know if he re-wrote the script for the manga or... if it was just cut up from the novel into the manga. i really have no idea about the genesis of the manga or the history of the novel. i'd love to know.

yeah reply needed,
xFPx

the character designs aren't that odd. the way they are drawn is pretty odd. it's not distracting though really, i've grown to like it. it's way more detailed than typical manga (i'm not really a manga buff, i prefer western comics) so it's ... it's just different. the only real person that looks crazy (weird design) is the teacher, he definetely isn't based of Beat Takeshi.

but... i mean i don't know if it's very different from the novel so i can't really tell you if it's worth reading in addition to the novel. but... i can tell you that if you're used to reading comics or manga there's no reason to not read the battle royale manga.

i'm only on book two, but it seems pretty close to the movie. but i can't comment on the novel, at least not yet.

out,
xFPx

no not at all. thanks for the help. i'm really excited to read the books (mangas... i'll buy them because they're cheap and probably quick reads... but i'd much rather read the books) because altough The Ring is great (i'm saying this only seeing the first film) the epicness of the story is very small in the first film only. without back history the movie seems very small and ... yeah small. so yeah... i might order the 1st ring novel as well as battle royale right now, but maybe not... i have to pay a car payment.

thanks for the help, i'm all for long lists of knowledge. it's hard for me to be bored by stuff like that because in the end i know more about what i care about. i have to be an absolute completist with movies and books with sequels or just supplementary media, by at least knowing the supplements exist and having a synopsis of them OR by reading/watching them.

example: i'm now reading a Blade Runner novel (Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human) even though i've heard most people say it's bad and it's been pretty torturous reading through it so far. so i'm only reading it to understand more about the blade runner universe, because at this point i only slightly liked the film, but really liked the first novel (the thing that started it all, Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep). so maybe by reading the subsequent semi-sequels i can understand the movie better.
that may have been a bad example but it's the most recent in my obsessive compulsive media-consuming escapades. and i feel similar towards Ring (1). and i do see the scope of the story but i'll have to read the other supporting text to actually fill in the holes (why sadako is how she is? is the only question i really care about). i think this all stems from reading to many damned comic books.

so thanks for teaching me today,
Davidb[/i]

thanks. i figured that out after seeing other people talk about the novel. if somebody says book it can be a novel or a comic/manga to me. but if they say novel it's more clear. so yeah cool i'm glad amazon (us version) has the book, i'll have to order it soon.

yeah manga is usually too long to fit in one volume (aka they don't reprint it any size larger format than the original manga was in). the volumes they sell of batlle royale (and all tokyo pop manga) are small enough to fit in your back pocket so they can't squeeze it all in there. if somebody knows how many volumes there are of the japanese version please volunteer that information. that'll probably the same amount in the english adaptation. i have a feeling there will be about 5 volumes. it could be wrapped up in 3 but they do alot of side story character development (more than just flash backs to nobu & shuuya in the orphanage) so i doubt they wouldn't have taken the opportunity to stretch it out to five. and most comic books companies end their volumes on an odd number so i doubt it'll be four volumes.

that's my guess(es),
xFPx

whew. i didn't know they were still coming out in japan. amazing. cool. i'm looking foward to that.

yeah i'm not to worried about being completist toward the ring saga. i'm pretty much just interested in reading all that's available. yeah...

xFPx out,
xFPx

in the novel, there is a whole different person that plays the BR instructor...

i really wish they would of kept Kitano in the manga....

some of the story line in the manga follows parts from the novel i think the manga was based more on the novel not really sure i need to go pick up the other volumes im missing.

What I liked most about the Ring novel was...

The main character was a man... In an interview with Koji Suzuki, I read that the most important plot thread was Asakawa trying to save his daughter... Koji Suzuki, apparently, is quite the authority on parenting, and has written extensively on the subject. I was fascinated by this.

In horror movies they almost always make the main character female... either ina vulnerable way or in a busty-chick-with-a-gun was. They always seem to gear horror movies toward men in this respect... I find it frustrating, because I have trouble finding horror movies with female characters that I really believe in or care about. So yes... I liked that Asakawa was a man in the novel.

I like, always, in novels, the way they can develop everything so much more deeply than they ever can in a movie... I found reading Ring to be far better than watching it because of this... as I would with any novel.

I read Spiral too and I loved it. I have yet to see the movie, but have heard very bad things about it... perhaps because it wasn't as scary as Ring, even though none of the Ring novels were particularly horror-esqe... perhaps the movie follows the novel very closely, and that's why it's not scary, and people don't like it because they are unfamiliar with the brilliance of the novel... I don't know... I'll be seeing the movie very soon... we'll see

So yes, the movie of Ring was scarier than the book, but I think the book was a far superior piece of storytelling. Reading the book should go hand in hand with seeing the movie, because they compliment eachother so well... they give 2 slightly different angles, and often cover up one another's plot holes.

I'd reccomend all 3 Ring novels to anyone... even though I'm not yet finished with Loop. I'll let you guys know if it turns out well... I'm excited! Does anyone know why there was never a movie of Loop, or if there ever will be?

I've finished Loop! and...

At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but, similarly to Spiral, it redeemed itself with the sheer excitement of the final chapters. A very satifying end to the trilogy. I think I'd say that Spiral was my favorite of the 3, though. I love Koji Suzuki. I hope more of his work is translated soon!

(Sorry to double post)

I just like to hear myself talk.

I know this thread hasn't been touched in a few months, but I wanted to add that I've knocked out all three of the translated Ring series novels translated by Vertical in the US (Ring, Spiral, and Loop), and have found myself most pleased with the series! Frankly, I was more enthralled with the book series than the film franchise because there just isn't as much room for error; instead of having dozens of hands dictating the films and their inevitable highs and low low lows (*cough*The Ring Virus*cough*), we see Koji Suzuki's planned arcs, from start to ending, with what I presume to be his sole vision of how the Ring story should definitely exist. Although I imagine for people who value the Ringu series of films the be all and end all of everything in the history of ever these books would be a disappointing departure from their comfortable movie world, the books are just thrilling to me. And they're not traditional horror in the least; they're psychological and supsenseful mystery stories that seem to add another interesting layer with each release. Personally, I dug Spiral the most (it seemed to have the most character development while retaining a rather intriguing and even shockingly apocalyptic story), but the series as a whole is just rather intoxicating. The most interesting facet is that each book takes what has been previously presented in the installment prior, and completely refocuses the story. Which is precisely why Ringu film enthusiasts will cringe.

*****Literary-and-therefor-pretentious-SPOILER*****

The "video curse", which seems to be what everyone gets off on with Ringu, dies pretty early in Spiral with the introduction of the genetic virus, and by the end of the book is replaced with (in my opinion is the biggest letdown of the series) the multimedia infection of Sadako. No mystery, no "Cult Of Samara" as alluded to in Rings- more like a media blitz from the undead. And as for Loop, well Jesus, hold onto your patience if it's a VHS fright you're looking for.

*****END OF PRETENTIOUS SPOILER*****

In conclusion to my long-winded diatribe, I really dig them a lot, and can't wait for the Birthday English translation later in the year. These stories got me excited about reading (as a first year college dropout) again, and I can't help but be hopeful about more of Suzuki's translated work. Dark Water, incidentally, while interesting, doesn't hold the weight of the Ring books, but does have enjoyable stories that prove to me that Koji Suzuki is more than worth what he makes in royalties.

You are convincing me to give these a shot....I've got Vertical's "Dark Water" on the way in the mail, it's a collection of Koji Suzuki short stories...and I am pretty excited.

Jim! Wherever did you find Dark Water? I'm dying for it, but can't find it anywhere! (This sounds familiar)

Thanks, Alex. You're my hero.

why would you fear that the book would be better? anyways i've looked for the book everywhere and i couldnt find it .. :,(

Slightly off topic, but since Dark Water and Battle Royale was also mentioned...

Has anyone read Parasite Eve? The novel was translated in English last December, and I just finished reading it last week. It's a great book, and since the author is also a part time lecturer on microbiology, he does a good job convincing you of even the wildest events in the book. I thought it was very creepy.