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shelbyshoe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Suicide
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
eviesellers's review against another edition
3.0
interesting but not anything great. the horror/mystery aspects were enjoyable, but multiple main characters being shameless rapists and transphobes was not. first published in japanese in 1991, i can understand that some of the social aspects aren't approached from a modern angle, but it's repulsive to read about multiple rapes in a book about a haunted tape where the sexual assaults don't have anything to do with it, and even if they did, sexual assault as a plot device is tired at this point anyways. maybe one of these days i'll watch the movie in the hopes that it's better than the book
kayleighosaur's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was running at a 3 star pace for me up until about chapter 10 and then everything started clicking at speeds my eyes couldn’t keep up with. This book goes HARD on the philosophical thoughts and allegorical questions. The well you think you know, might not be the one this book is forcing you to dig from. My god, I am still REELING from all my thoughts.
DFCC Sept 24 Crypt pick
DFCC Sept 24 Crypt pick
mintomillk's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. thoroughly enthralling and not at all what i expected going into this book, having known only of the Ringu series through references and memes to the English movies. Suzuki's work reads more as a slowly unravelling mystery than horror, even as the looming feeling of doom remains throughout the plot with the discovery of the video tape. the ending sequence which sets up the sequel of this book i found very clever, and Suzuki does a great job of maintaining a sense of horrific dread even as resolutions come and lives are saved. Sadako as a character, however, i disliked; both due to her sexual trauma being used as a plot device and the treatment of intersexuality in the novel, which hardly made an impact on the overall story and could have easily done without. she very much felt exoticised for no good reason and i can't blame girlie for murdering as a result.
kageisdead's review against another edition
2.0
i have a lot to say about this book but i can sum it up in one word.
sigh
i think the storytelling was great, especially for the first part of the book. it was building so many characters and relationships which i enjoyed but the end was so not good?? the last part felt disappointing i would say. i was grossed out by a few aspects but the end was just so unsatisfying and the best parts of the book were early on. it was scary in some aspects but overall, i wouldn’t recommend it now that ive finished it. i will say this again tho, the story building at the beginning was amazing, its just a bummer it got ruined by the end.
sigh
i think the storytelling was great, especially for the first part of the book. it was building so many characters and relationships which i enjoyed but the end was so not good?? the last part felt disappointing i would say. i was grossed out by a few aspects but the end was just so unsatisfying and the best parts of the book were early on. it was scary in some aspects but overall, i wouldn’t recommend it now that ive finished it. i will say this again tho, the story building at the beginning was amazing, its just a bummer it got ruined by the end.
zstew11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
radwood's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
seth5678's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It's been a while since I've picked up a book that I couldn't put down until I finished. It pays homage to many Japanese horror tropes while having it's own identity simultaneously.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Rape
ratstick's review against another edition
5.0
Just as good as the first time and I need to keep reading the sequels.
sarahetcetera's review against another edition
4.0
the horror of spending your last days on earth trying to figure out how to live (and kinda failing). Asakawa, an absent father/husband, realizes the importance of family now that he only has one week to live, and proceeds to become an extreme version of himself, seeing his wife/baby for 0 seconds for the rest of the week . even goes into the eye of a typhoon to figure shit out with his old buddy, an (alleged) monster (his words).
this book is not really scary, just sad, horrifying only in its weirdness.
have to watch the movie(s) again, but from what I remember it leans more into the absolutely bananas scary shit instead of the sad stories of The Most Beautiful Sadako and her eerie family.
this book is not really scary, just sad, horrifying only in its weirdness.
have to watch the movie(s) again, but from what I remember it leans more into the absolutely bananas scary shit instead of the sad stories of The Most Beautiful Sadako and her eerie family.