[The Creations of Koji Suzuki] Ring 0: Birthday

2000 film. Directed by Norio Tsuruta. Written by Hiroshi Takahashi. Based on the novella Lemon Heart by Koji Suzuki.

Related Reviews:
- The 1999 novella, Lemon Heart, from which this was adapted.

A short while back, a friend of mine described Ring 0 as "one of the worst, most syphilitic bowel movements ever committed to celluloid." Thankfully, he's a friend I frequently disagree with.

Ring 0: Birthday is a damn fine supernatural drama.

Throwing out all but the rough story of Lemon Heart (good!), Ring 0 follows Sadako Yamamura, just hitting adulthood, as she joins a small theatre troupe. She gets embroiled in back-stage politics, fends off a pervasive director, and sets her sights on Hiroshi Toyama, the kind sound technician. She's not off to a great start, avoiding contact with her co-workers and occasionally flipping out from a psychic vision.

Yukie Nakama is a wonder in the lead role. In the books, Sadako was clever and manipulative, possibly aware from the very beginning of how her lives would affect the future of humanity. Here, she's captivating as a broken, timid being, not fully aware of her growing powers, unwilling to remember a tragedy from the past, and seemingly unable to fit in with her fellow human beings. She's the epitome of sadness, often curling up in a corner, or slouching past others, face hidden behind long, black hair.

It's as if a part of her is missing.

Which ties in to a somewhat controversial element of her character. According to this film, Sadako split in two as a child; one docile like her mother, one malevolent like her mentioned, but never revealed, father. It's an interesting idea, but one that never really comes together. Plus, it just sounds weird. Especially when her step(?)father reveals that "bad" Sadako is kept child-like in appearance through drug therapy. Why?! Other than a throw-back to previous films' use of a child-Sadako image, there's really no reason for it.

But that leap of logic is one of only a few complaints I have about the picture. Most others involve the climax. I'll get to that in a minute.

Comparing Ring to Ring 0 is, in my mind, like comparing Omen to Damien: Omen II. While the first films were solid, slick, frightening blockbusters, the rougher, over-shadowed sequels bring so many new elements to the table - new concepts, new themes, layer after layer - that they are far more satisfying overall.

Not only do we get the story of Sadako, but we get her budding romance with Toyama, his infatuated assistant's growing jealousy, that darn director, an investigating journalist, Sadako's curious doctor, and other, smaller bits, all weaving a wondrous web.

And let's not forget those back-stage politics. Since the day she joined, Sadako's co-workers have been hesitant to accept her. Not only is she quiet and distant, but shared dreams of an old stone well start growing in frequency. When the lead actress mysteriously dies and Sadako is picked as her replacement, the flames are fanned and people start plotting her downfall.

In a somewhat overtly Carrie-like development, her play is sabotaged and Sadako's powers go on the rampage. But it's surprisingly brief before the troupe forms a torch-less mob and hunts her down.

It's sad, really. In an earlier, beautiful sequence, we see Sadako coming to grips with her powers through experimentation on a catatonic, wheelchair-bound man. She can be capable of such good, but these people, blinded by rage, see only an evil, monstrous freak.

Unfortunately, the story falls apart a bit as things go on for another 20-minutes, the theatre troupe forming a death-squad of sorts and setting out to rid the world of child-Sadako. The film hits its major lows here, mainly through bad choices and lazy writing, but there are some genuine shocks and it's still well directed. Thankfully, things come around in the final few minutes for a brutal, heart-breaking finale.

For fans of the series, I definitely give this film a recommendation. It's not perfect, but there's so much going on you're bound to like something. For newcomers, watch Ring first before giving this a try.

Syphilitic bowel movement? Hardly.



The film is available on DVD as a double-feature with Rasen or in the boxset Ringu: Anthology of Terror. For more information, visit the film's pages at Wikipedia and IMDB.

[The Works of Koji Suzuki] Happy Birthday

1999 novella. Written by Koji Suzuki.

Incapable of reading Japanese (despite four years of the subject in high school ... all forgotten ... long story), I probably shouldn't comment on someone's translating abilities. But I can't resist taking a moment to point out this particular sentence:

There in the bright light they had examined each other's organs, lapped each other's fluids, felt each other's pulses against their mucus membranes.

I've read enough Suzuki from several different translators to understand he writes in a cold, clinical style. Some translators fight this, making a bad read. Some translators embrace it, making a good read. Here, Glynne Walley accepts it, but doesn't seem skilled enough to pull the writing off. It's supposed to be a fond memory of a woman looking back on her lost lover, but poor wording leaves it ... well, there's no better way to describe it than "icky". The entire book - just like Walley's previous translations of Ring and Dark Water - is filled with these awkward moments where a simple word alteration would have made the difference between a sentence singing or stumbling along.

Okay, that little rant's out of the way. Who's the woman, you ask? The one remembering her lost lover?

Why, she's Reiko Sugiura, mother of the suicidal cancer patient in Loop. During that book, she started a relationship with Kaoru Futami, who one day set off for America to explore the origins of himself and the cancer-causing MHC virus. After two months of waiting and worrying, Reiko meets with Professor Toru Amano. What happens next is a bit weird as Amano plays her videos of Coffin the Sky and Lemon Heart, only afterward giving a quick summation of broader events so as to explain their significance.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but is it really the best idea to introduce someone to the Ring saga with footage of an unnatural birth gone bad? Especially if that someone is a pregnant woman?! No, I say! Don't throw a newcomer a pair of tales that don't really work without context. Put some editing software to use and give her a structured overview, filling in little details as needed. Sorry, Suzuki. I understand the way you're trying to connect the three tales, but it comes off as sloppy.

Anyway, Reiko learns about Kaoru's sacrifice and, after an understandable moment of grief, is told he's still alive in the Loop. Here is where things get genuinely touching, with Reiko donning VR gear and reaching out to Kaoru who scheduled a meeting despite the fact he can't see or hear her. But, if she tries hard enough ... he ... might ... just ... feel ...

It's quite beautiful and stands out as the highlight of the story.

Following some fine info about sacrifices and cures that bring open plot threads to a close, Happy Birthday takes another plunge.

Imagine for a moment: The Sadakos have increased in number and started spreading over Earth, only to have their plans crash to a halt. Like the podpeople of Jack Finney's classic novel (not the film, they changed the ending) the Sadakos are left to ponder "What now?".

Think of the possibilities! They could try reentering society only to find themselves persecuted. They could volunteer their powers for the betterment of humanity, furthering evolution by joining the gene pool rather than replacing it. They could rally together and use their powers to conquer and rule.

An entire novel's-worth of potential squandered, all because Suzuki takes the easy way out with another virus.

Speaking of the Sadakos' powers, where the hell were they?! Never once did they give an indication of their previous mental abilities, fighting desperately for survival as the virus ravaged their ranks. No, they just curled up and took it without question.

Pity.

Thankfully, Suzuki saves it with a nice climax. Though the reasons are a little forced, Reiko and Kaoru's final connection is well handled and moving. And props to Suzuki for not going the obvious route with the final page. I saw it coming and saw it coming and, when it didn't come, I actually found myself relieved. Not that it would have been bad, just obvious.

This was definitely the best story of the three, though that's not saying much. The entire Birthday collection is rushed and poorly thought-out, coming across as nothing much more than a quick way for Suzuki to cash in on the franchise's growing popularity. Which is a shame, because Lemon Heart and Happy Birthday had so much potential for greatness only to crumble under hasty mediocrity. If you're a fan of the series, it wouldn't hurt to give the book a read. Just don't expect much.

You can find this story in the Koji Suzuki anthology Birthday, which is available in English in trade papaerback and hardcover formats. For more information, visit the anthology's page at Wikipedia.