Written by Koji Suzuki.
This starts off a nice social satire as Masayuki Enoyoshi has the misfortune of being conned onto a yacht by a well-to-do couple, the Ushijimas, who are trying to lure him into their pyramid scam. Suzuki plays to his strengths, with morally grey characters and rich descriptions of Tokyo Bay.
January 22, 2008
January 14, 2008
The Hold (1996 story)
Written by Koji Suzuki.
Despite a steady income as a fisherman, Hiroyuki Inagaki's life is a nightmare of alcohol and anger. His once abusive father has gone senile and slumps around the house, munching on a steady diet of jelly rolls. His daughter has developed a speech impediment that's keeping her from school. And his son, Katsumi, is a quiet, apologetic boy who fears water - blasphemy to a fisherman!
Despite a steady income as a fisherman, Hiroyuki Inagaki's life is a nightmare of alcohol and anger. His once abusive father has gone senile and slumps around the house, munching on a steady diet of jelly rolls. His daughter has developed a speech impediment that's keeping her from school. And his son, Katsumi, is a quiet, apologetic boy who fears water - blasphemy to a fisherman!
January 9, 2008
Solitary Isle (1996 story)
Written by Koji Suzuki.
Kensuke Suehiro is a washed-up drop-out who is best friends with his successful peer, Toshihiro Aso. During an evening of drinking and debate, Kensuke learns his friend has left a female companion alone in the car. She is Yukari Nakazawa, a meek member of a local religious cult who drags after Toshihiro despite his frequent verbal abuse. Kensuke is shocked by his friend's repulsive behavior, and even more so when, a couple months later, Toshihiro tells him the tale of how he abandoned Yukari on a small artificial island in Tokyo Bay. Kensuke is uncertain about the event's validity but, before he can learn more, Toshihiro catches a rare cancer and quickly dies.
Kensuke Suehiro is a washed-up drop-out who is best friends with his successful peer, Toshihiro Aso. During an evening of drinking and debate, Kensuke learns his friend has left a female companion alone in the car. She is Yukari Nakazawa, a meek member of a local religious cult who drags after Toshihiro despite his frequent verbal abuse. Kensuke is shocked by his friend's repulsive behavior, and even more so when, a couple months later, Toshihiro tells him the tale of how he abandoned Yukari on a small artificial island in Tokyo Bay. Kensuke is uncertain about the event's validity but, before he can learn more, Toshihiro catches a rare cancer and quickly dies.
January 4, 2008
Floating Water (1996 story)
Written by Koji Suzuki.
Following a divorce, Yoshimi Mitsuba and her 5-year-old daughter Ikuko have spent the last three months making a life for themselves in a small apartment. During a trip to the roof to light off some fireworks, they discover a Hello Kitty bag.
Following a divorce, Yoshimi Mitsuba and her 5-year-old daughter Ikuko have spent the last three months making a life for themselves in a small apartment. During a trip to the roof to light off some fireworks, they discover a Hello Kitty bag.
December 6, 2007
Ring 0: Birthday (2000 film)
Directed by Norio Tsuruta. Written by Hiroshi Takahashi. Based on the novella Lemon Heart by Koji Suzuki.
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.
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.
December 1, 2007
Happy Birthday (1999 story)
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:
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.
November 15, 2007
Lemon Heart (1999 novel)
Written by Koji Suzuki.
I was really, really looking forward to this story. A glimpse at Sadako before death, before the tape, before the earth-altering virus. What is she, this future replacement of humankind, like as she enters her adulthood?
I was really, really looking forward to this story. A glimpse at Sadako before death, before the tape, before the earth-altering virus. What is she, this future replacement of humankind, like as she enters her adulthood?
October 26, 2007
Coffin in the Sky (1999 story)
Written by Koji Suzuki.
Well, this is terribly unnecessary.
Don't get me wrong, it's a nice, atmospheric story with creepy imagery and some decent exploration of Mai Takano, but why did Suzuki think it was a good idea to take a sequence from the novel Spiral, which effectively played on readers' imaginations, and pretty much spoil it by filling in the details?
There's a reason he cut it in the first place.
Well, this is terribly unnecessary.
Don't get me wrong, it's a nice, atmospheric story with creepy imagery and some decent exploration of Mai Takano, but why did Suzuki think it was a good idea to take a sequence from the novel Spiral, which effectively played on readers' imaginations, and pretty much spoil it by filling in the details?
There's a reason he cut it in the first place.
October 25, 2007
Paradise (1990 novel)
Written by Koji Suzuki.
It's a shame Suzuki's popularity is mainly based around his horror work. It's not even his work, but rather the loose adaptations of fantastic filmmakers. I'm not complaining about the films - I love The Ring and Dark Water - but, frankly, those are not Suzuki at his best. Forest Under the Sea is. Loop is. This, his debut novel, is. His finest writing isn't about viruses or ghosts, it's about people. People struggling to find their identity and looking to the past for some form of answer. While these are elements that do, on occasion, pop up in his horror tales, here they finally get to stand in the forefront instead of getting buried within creepy dripping and moldy flesh.
It's a shame Suzuki's popularity is mainly based around his horror work. It's not even his work, but rather the loose adaptations of fantastic filmmakers. I'm not complaining about the films - I love The Ring and Dark Water - but, frankly, those are not Suzuki at his best. Forest Under the Sea is. Loop is. This, his debut novel, is. His finest writing isn't about viruses or ghosts, it's about people. People struggling to find their identity and looking to the past for some form of answer. While these are elements that do, on occasion, pop up in his horror tales, here they finally get to stand in the forefront instead of getting buried within creepy dripping and moldy flesh.
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