The Ring (novel)
The Ring ( Japanese リ ン グ , Ringu ) is a novel by Kōji Suzuki from 1991 . He is the first part of the Ring trilogy and was both in Japan and in Hollywood and Korea filmed several times. This novel is about a mysterious videotape that kills anyone who has seen it after seven days.
action
Four teenagers die at the same time on the same day from the same mysterious cause of death: sudden heart failure , their faces twisted in horror. Journalist Asakawa Kazuyuki, the uncle of one of the dead, doesn't believe in a coincidence and finds out that the four of them spent a weekend together in the log cabin village of Pacific Land in Hakone a week before their death . Since it is his only clue, Asakawa travels to Hakone himself and comes across a mysterious videotape. It shows disturbing scenes like from a nightmare that shake him deeply - and an indication that everyone who has seen the video will die after exactly seven days. But a way to break the curse is also mentioned; however, this vital section was overwritten. Shortly afterwards the phone rings. Nobody seems to be on the line, but Asakawa now knows what the teenagers died of. He resolutely decides to discover the secret of the curse.
The next day Asakawa inaugurates an old school friend, the inscrutable Ryuji Takayama. He also watches the video, which now puts both lives in danger. Little by little, the two find out that the video was not recorded with a camera, but rather shows memories and thoughts of a psychologically gifted woman. The two decide to find this woman, but they come under even more pressure. Asakawa's wife and little daughter saw the video out of curiosity and are now also infected with the curse.
Eventually they come across information about Sadako Yamamura, whose mother was a very famous medium for a while, but after a public screening she was labeled a cheater and then committed suicide. As it turns out, Sadako was also psychologically gifted and the evidence that she is the creator of the video is growing. However, since she has been missing for years, Asakawa and Ryuji follow her lead until they finally meet the doctor Dr. Find Nagao. Sadako , who was the last victim of smallpox in Japan, raped Sadako in a fever 30 years ago and threw her into a well. In the hope that the recovery of their body could end the curse, the two return to Pacific Land , the place where the well once stood. They find him under the log cabin and can recover Sadako's body. Asakawa is still alive even though his deadline has expired, so they actually seem saved.
But the next day Ryuji dies of sudden heart failure. Asakawa realizes it's not over yet, and feverishly ponders why he survived and Ryuji didn't. Eventually he thinks he has found the solution: he copied the video and showed it to someone else. Believing that he can save his family in this way, he drives to them - knowing that a horrible virus is born.
title
Much has been speculated about the origin of the title. In fact, "ring" does not refer to the shape of the fountain (as explained in the American film remake), but is originally derived from the English word "to ring", which means the phone rings after watching the video. However, further explanations for the title are provided throughout the series. So with "ring" is also meant the form of the virus, which is the actual cause of death, as well as a cycle of rebirth and death that Sadako and Asakawa's friend Ryuji go through.
Sequels
The success of The Ring was followed by two sequels, Spiral - The Ring II and Loop - The Ring III . However, as they continue the storyline of The Ring , they each develop in entirely new and different directions. In addition, a collection of short stories entitled the ring 0: birthday was published.
Film adaptations
The story was first filmed in 1995. The TV movie Ring: Kanzenban was not a great success, however.
The movie Ring (also called Ringu or Ring - The Original ) from 1998, which also celebrated international success, was much more important . The sequel Lawn , a film adaptation of Spiral , was launched on the same day . Ring 2 and the television series Ring: Saishuushou and Rasen: The Series followed in 1999 , as well as a Korean remake called The Ring Virus . In 2000 the film trilogy ( Ring , Ring 2 and Ring Ø ) was completed with Ring Ø .
In 2002 Hollywood finally released its own remake, The Ring , and the sequel, The Ring 2 , hit theaters in 2005.