Ringu (and The Ring)

[Cardcaptor Takato]

I recently watched my very first horror movie, Ringu (the Japanese version), and loved it. But even though I've seen people classify it as a "horror" movie, it felt more like a mystery thriller than a "horror" movie to me as it wasn't nearly as scary as I had intially thought it was going to be. The movie creeped me out more than scare me. Although it did kind of surprise me when [spoiler]Reiko was seeing the flashback thing about Sadako's powers and all of the sudden Sadako grabs onto Reiko's hand even though this is supposed to be like a flashback of some sort[/spoiler].

They're still two things about this movie that confuses me, but mainly because they deal with Japanese culture and because I don't know much about their culture, I hope somebody with more knowledge can explain these scenes to me. The first thing that confuses me is when Yoichi rubbed his forehead (sorry if I'm not good at explaining this) at the funeral towards the beginning of the movie while looking at a picture of Tomoko. I know this probably has something to do with Japanese culture, but what exactly? The other scene that confused me was when Ryuji changed the "+" to a "-" on his chalkboard. [spoiler]At first I thought there was some significance to this as Sadako came out of the TV and killed Ryuji right there almost after he had changed what was written on the chalkboard, but then it seems that's not the reason why and since I don't know Japanese, I have no clue what that meant and it made the ending more confusing than it probably should be[/spoiler] I would be very grateful to whoever can answer these questions for me.

I can't wait for Ringu 2 to be released in the U.S. I'm going to see it as soon as I can. I'm also tempted to watch The Spiral even though I heard it was really bad. One movie I definetly want to see though, is Ringu 0. A prequel for Ringu sounds really interesting to me. I also heard there was a Ringu tvseries....it would be nice if I could find fansubs of it for download or it would be more preferable if they were to release it in the U.S. I've never seen the American version of The Ring, so I don't know what that's like....I don't know if I plan to either....from the reviews I've read, most people seem to agree that Ringu was better than The Ring. So, what're your guys thoughts about anything related to Ringu or The Ring? Do you think I should watch the American version even though I've already seen the Japanese version?

[ParaKiss_Groupie]

They're still two things about this movie that confuses me, but mainly because they deal with Japanese culture and because I don't know much about their culture, I hope somebody with more knowledge can explain these scenes to me. The first thing that confuses me is when Yoichi rubbed his forehead (sorry if I'm not good at explaining this) at the funeral towards the beginning of the movie while looking at a picture of Tomoko. I know this probably has something to do with Japanese culture, but what exactly? The other scene that confused me was when Ryuji changed the "+" to a "-" on his chalkboard.

While I'm not sure about the first one (it actually doesn't sound like a cultural thing, more like just a bodily movement, but I'd have to see it to know), I can answer a little about the second. I haven't seen either Ringu or The Ring, but I can tell you that the "+" is the kanji for 10, and that "-" is the kanji for 1, so that might be what it is.

[Jusenkyo no Pikachu]

I haven't seen either Ringu or The Ring, but I can tell you that the "+" is the kanji for 10, and that "-" is the kanji for 1, so that might be what it is.

It has nothing to do with that. What Takato is referring to is actually referring to is an algebraic equation. It might be a reference to his relationship with Mai.

[RoastedTwinkies]

[spoiler]I rented both movies a while ago. I haven't seen the movie in a while, so I think it was a date that he changed or something. I forget. Can someone post a screencaps, so I can try to translate it for you guys?[/spoiler]

[Strawbaby]

We watched the American version of the Ring at a friend's party a while back... God, it was so scary. I nearly had a heart attack when [spoiler]we get the sudden flashback to the first girl's dead body in the cupboard.[/spoiler]
I couldn't sleep for ages afterwards.
Did anyone else freak out too?

[Jusenkyo no Pikachu]

Strawbaby: Yes. My sister (who's sat through many horror movies without a flinch) actually hid in the theatre.

Twinkies: I taped all four Ringu movies, so I'll check it out (if I can find it). I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with the suggestion Kisu posted though. EDIT: After looking at the FAQ at http://www.theringworld.com, I can only say it must have been something about what Mai did (remember, she changed it to a + earlier?)

Oh, and Sadako > Samara.

[jupiter23]

Actually, I have a copy of the DreamWorks release of Ringu. THe significance of the "+" "-" thing was because [spoiler]if you remember towards the start of the movie when Reiko met Mai and Reiko and Ryuji left, Mai went to his board and changed the symbol on the equation as a joke. Ryuji, if you remember, was a college professor, and was supposed to be working on a paper during the story but put it off to investigate the video. [/spoiler]

Now as to Youichi rubbing his forehead, I believe that[spoiler]it had something to do with the fact that he inherited psychic powers to see supernatural things and such from his father. On several occasions in the movie this can be seen. One is when Reiko catches Youichi watching the tape. When she asks him why he watched it when he was told not to, Youichi answers, "Tomo-chan told me to." Meaning he could still see her, even though she was now dead. There is another instance where Reiko and Ryuji are talking, and I can't remember exactly what was said, but Reiko asks Ryuji if Youichi had spiritual powers also. [/spoiler]

[RoastedTwinkies]

Actually, I have a copy of the DreamWorks release of Ringu. THe significance of the "+" "-" thing was because [spoiler]if you remember towards the start of the movie when Reiko met Mai and Reiko and Ryuji left, Mai went to his board and changed the symbol on the equation as a joke. Ryuji, if you remember, was a college professor, and was supposed to be working on a paper during the story but put it off to investigate the video. [/spoiler]

Thank you for posting that! That's what I thought happened, but I didn't post it because I haven't seen the movie in a long while. I don't want to post anything unless I'm sure I've got my facts straight.

[Cardcaptor Takato]

Thanks for the info, Jupiter23! That really helps makes this movie more understandable!

[jupiter23]

You're both welcome. Yeah, this movie is pretty deep, too. I had to watch it twice before I understood a lot of it. I also have the manga release, which is very similar to the Japanese version of the movie, so if you don't have a DVD player or $20.00 USD to spend on the DVD release (I got a used copy from Blockbuster) you won't miss anything by reading the manga. I have also seen the American remake, and I didn't like it because of the fact that they added too much stuff in there that had nothing to do with the original story and simply stuff that didn't need to be there. I recommend against it, personally. Anyway, if anyone else has a question about something in this movie, feel free to ask me.

[Cardcaptor Takato]

I recently watched the American version of The Ring and I was horrified not because it was scary or anything (I actually didn't think either version was very scary), but because they had changed so much of the storyline. I hated how they warped all the characters' personalities. It seems like everyone in The Ring is ten times more snobbier than their original Japanese counterparts. Is there some sort of rule that when there's an American adaptation of a Japanese movie that's so different from the original that all the characters automatically become ruder (this seems to happen in heavily edited dubbed anime a lot)? I also personally thought the symbolism of the American cursed video tape was kind of lame and I was so pissed that they showed Samara's face and had her talk.

But what made me mad the most was that they ruined the well scene! That was my favorite moment in Ringu and it's just so screwed up in The Ring that I almost cried. I hated how they made Samara's mother nothing more than a mere horse ranch owner, too. And the ending just isn't the same as it is in Ringu. Sadly, I have to say that I hated The Ring and I seriously doubt I'll see The Ring 2. Then again, maybe it won't be so bad since they're just making their own original storyline rather than trying to re-make the Japanese sequel....I just hope Ringu 2 will be released in the U.S. soon. On the bright side, Ring Virus is on DVD now and I'm debating on whether or not I should watch it.

[Em]

I do recomend the first 2 Ring moives but as for Ring 0 Brithday unless you really really want to know how she ended up int the well give it a miss. It does not really fit in with the first two moives

very big spolier for Ring 0 here :
[spoiler]Were's you do find out about Sadako's life before she was placed in the well it's just got this werid ending were her "other self" shows up.[/spoiler]

As for The Ring I like that one also seeing as I view it as a differnt moive all together and for that reason it's a good moive to watch. But if I compare them then I'll go to Ring it's more plot based and has you on the edge of your seat.


Also if it's any use to people there is a boxset with the Ring moives ( 1, 2 and 0 ) over here

[jupiter23]

Yeah, I knew what happened in The Ring 0, because I have the manga release of it. If there was a movie, I'd really like to see it, so I hope it comes here.