One quality that runs through much of the Japanese fiction I’ve recently read is the juxtaposing of old-world mysticism with the banality of modern-day existence: the present in perpetual conflict with the past. As long-time readers of this blog will know, I’m a big Kazuo Ishiguro fan – I know he can’t really be called a Japanese writer (he’s lived in Britain since the age of five), but some of his work (notably The Unconsoled and A Pale View of Hills, my two favourites among his books) blurs the border between the real world and a dream-world in a way that I’ve now come to associate with much of Japanese writing.
Yet none of these have been as iconic or successful as Ringu ( The Ring).It’s difficult to track exactly how one gravitates towards certain types of writing over a period of time (in some cases it’s a deliberate seeking out of genres/distinct writing styles, in others it’s a subconscious process, or even just serendipity), but it occurs to me that I’ve developed a certain affinity for Japanese fiction of late, and for some of the themes that run through it. Along with Nakata’s work, western audiences of the early 2000s witnessed the emergence of Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On ( The Grudge) franchise and Takashi Miike’s One Missed Call. Hideo Nakata is one of Japan’s masters of supernatural horror, with a filmography composed of influential J-horror films including the original Ringu and its sequel, as well as Dark Water (2002). It wasn’t until 1998 that Suzuki's story would receive larger recognition. The novel series was first adapted into the 1995 television movie, Ring, by director Chisui Takigawa.
The early 2000s J-horror craze is largely attributed to the success of Ringu and its successors.Įach of the installments of the franchise are based on Koji Suzuki’s novels. Ringu is widely known for featuring the disturbing VHS tape that places a curse on the viewer which will kill them in just seven days. Director Hideo Nakata’s 1998 Japanese horror film Ringuwas so popular when it released that it launched an entire franchise that includes numerous sequels, prequels, and American remakes.
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