S by Koji Suzuki

 

(pb; 2012 – English translation release: 2017: fifth book in the Ring Cycle. Translated from Japanese to English by Greg Gencorello.)

 

From the back cover

“Takanori Ando, son of Spiral protagonist Mitsuo, works at a small CGI production company and hopes to become a filmmaker one day despite coming from a family of doctors. When he’s tasked by his boss to examine a putatively live-streamed video of a suicide that’s been floating around the internet, the aspiring director takes on more than he bargained for. His lover Akane, an orphan who grew up at a foster-care facility and is now a rookie high-school teacher, ends up watching the clip. She is pregnant, and she is. . . triggered.

“Sinking hooks into our unconscious from its very first pages with its creepy imagery and rewarding curious fans of the series with clever self-references, here is a fitting sequel renown for its ongoing mutations.”

 

 

Review

S, whose storyline plays out, template-wise, like that of Ring, is truly a “mutation” (Suzuki’s word) of its source novel. This time, though, it’s not Sadako—at least not directly—whose will births a variable and updated cycle of strange deaths (in this case “suicides”). Eerie and compelling (again) like Ring, S ably mixes science fiction and horror as well, imbuing its reader-resonant vibe with a sense of societal sin(s) and history. This is a great read, worthy to be called a sequel to the landmark Ring. Followed by Tide (2013).

Edge by Koji Suzuki

 

(hb; 2012. Translated from the Japanese into English by Camellia Nieh and Jonathan Lloyd-Davies.)

From the inside flap

“When a team of American scientists tests a new computer hardware by calculating the value of Pi into the deep decimals, the figures begin to repeat a pattern where there ought to be none. After older machines of certified reliability give the same result. A seemingly irrational fear sets in. It’s mathematically untenable—unless the physical constants that undergird our universe have altered, ever so slightly.

“Suddenly, on the west coat of the U.S., people start disappearing without a trace. Police and family—when it isn’t the whole family that vanished—don’t have a clue as to why or how. In Japan, too, similar incidents occur, and they seem to have something to do with geological fault lines.

“TV director Hashiba who has latched onto the story, at first in a flippant manner, employing a psychic to investigate the mystery, is forced to recalibrate when the disappearances increase in scale and frequency. What lurks behind them, far from being supernatural, threatens to be natural—a profound disturbance in being itself. Joining him on his quest for the devastating answer is his lover Saeko, whose millionaire publisher father cryptically left her behind when she was still young.

“Eerie developments build up to a mind trip of a crescendo in this tale of quantum horror.”

 

Review

Set in 2012, Edge is a complex, hybrid genre (science fiction, mystery, with a touch of existential horror) work with equally multilayered characters who sometimes, in good way, surprise, just like the well-foreshadowed twists in this cosmic-horrific and quiet-apocalypse read.  While the science fact, spouted in brief intervals throughout Edge, is a bit deep, prolonged and possibly dizzying for the casual reader, it elevates the story and deepens the sorrow, horror, and dark delight experienced by the characters (and hopefully readers). Like Suzuki’s Ringu (English translation: Ring), Edge possesses the same chilly, steady-build pacing mood and atmosphere of the Ringu. It, like Ringu, also is a landmark work, one that haunts (at least this reader) while it informs and entertains. Worth owning, this.

Promenade Of The Gods by Koji Suzuki

(hb; 2003, 2008: translated by Takami Nieda)

Review:

Caveat - (possible) spoilers in this review.

Shirow Murakami, a thirty-something slacker-ish teacher, begins investigating the disappearance of his close boyhood friend (Kunio Matsuoka), with help from Kunio's wife, Miyuki.

Shirow and Miyuki soon find out that others -- including Ryoko Kano, a television actress -- have also disappeared, in much the same manner. More than that, Ryoko and Kunio may be somehow linked to an obscure polytheistic religion ("Halo of Heaven and Earth") whose roots began in the later years of World War II, before going underground after 1986. . .

What have the cult members really been doing these past nine years? (It's 1995.) And why are they, seemingly dormant all these years, suddenly back in the Halo fold?

Promenade, like Suzuki's other stateside-published works, is tightly plotted, character-focused, with surreality peppering the clever plot.

Despite these promising elements, this is a disappointing, style-over-substance read from Suzuki. It's ordinary, not distinctive like Suzuki's other works.

Not only that, the mystery surrounding the cult -- not much to begin with -- will probably be figured by most readers long before the novel's dramatic-but-ultimately-limp finish.

This is for hardcore Suzuki fans only. If you don't fall into that category, skip this one.

Paradise by Koji Suzuki

(hb; 1990, 2006: translated by Tyran Grillo)

From the inside flap:

"In the arid badlands of prehistoric Asia, a lovelorn youth violates a sacred tribal taboo against representing human figures by etching an image of his beloved. When the foretold punishment comes to pass, the two must embark on a journey across the world, and time itself, to try and reclaim their destiny. A mysterious spirit guides them towards a surprise destination that readers may indeed find close to home.

"Published a year before Ring, Paradise was Koji Suzuki's groundbreaking first novel that launched his career as a fiction writer. Winner of the Japan Fantasy Award, it was immediately made into an animated TV series. . ."

Review:

Excellent, memorable science fiction/fantasy novel, this.

Paradise spans thousands of years; from the quest of Tangad artist Bogud, who pursues his kidnapped pregnant wife (Fayau) across land and ocean, to the travails of eighteenth century sailor Jones and his Hau wife (Laia), to the mid-1990s soulmating of Leslie Mardoff (an avant garde composer) and book editor Flora Aideen, there's a common spirit, or spirits, that joins them all.

Crisply written, concise, and spectacularly resonant work: check it out.

Dark Water by Koji Suzuki

(hb; 1996, 2004: story anthology; translated by Glynne Walley)

Overall review:

Good anthology by a great writer. Suzuki's writing possesses an astute clarity, strong characters, a clear theme (in this case, water/emotion) and occasional moments of true spine-chill. A few of the stories, in a lesser writer's hands, would feel half-baked; however, since it's Suzuki I'm writing about. . .

It's not as good as Birthday, whose stories are more tightly interconnected.


Review, story by story:

1.) "Prologue": A grandmother (Kayo) takes her granddaughter, Yuko, on walks around a Tokyo Bay shoreline, telling her fantastic tales about the junk they find underfoot. Interesting, good -- clearly part of an anthology wrap-around story.


2.) "Floating Water": An anxiety-ridden single mother (Yoshimi Matsubara) moves into an old, largely-abandoned apartment building with her ten-year old daughter (Ikuko), only to discover there's something weird about the quality of the water and something disturbing about the water tank on the roof. Creepy, atmospheric tale. J-horror fans won't find the finish surprising, but it's still gripping.

This story has been filmed twiced.

The first movie, titled Dark Water, was released in Japan on January 19, 2002. Hitomi Kuroki played Yoshimi Matsubara. Rio Kanno played Ikuko Matsubara. Asami Mizukawa played Ikuko Hamada. Fumiyo Kohinata played Kunio Hamada. Hideo Nakata directed and co-scripted (he was uncredited for the latter), along with co-scriptors Yoshihiro Nakamura and Ken'ichi Suzuki. (Hideo Nakata, among his other cinematic efforts, also directed Ringu, Ringu 2, The Ring Two, and is set to direct the 2011 film The Ring Three.)

The American remake, released stateside on July 8, 2005, was scripted by Rafael Ichise. It was directed by Walter Salles.

Jennifer Connelly played Dahlia Williams (American stand-in for Yoshimi Matsubara). John C. Reilly played Mr. Murray. Tim Roth played Jeff Platzer. Dougray Scott plays Kyle Williams. Pete Postlethwaite played Veek.


3.) "Solitary Isle": A school teacher (Kensuke Suehiro), part of a botannical survey team on a close-to-mainland island (Battery No. 6), confronts the physical proof of a friend's decade-old tale. Interesting, solid story.

George Romero is set to script and direct the resulting film, which, thus far, has no scheduled release date.


4.) "The Hold": An abusive fisherman (Hiroyuki Inagaki) searches for his missing wife. Predictable in some parts, author Suzuki's relatable characters, able writing and twisty finish render its semi-predictability a minor issue.


5.) "Dream Cruise": Masayuki Enoyoshi, a mild-mannered man, gets trapped on a mysteriously stalled boat with a pyramid-scheming couple in Tokyo Bay. Once again, author Suzuki shows how every day items can cause spine-shivery effect in a reader. Spooky, darkly funny story.

This story became source material for a Masters of Horror cable episode. Co-scripted by Naoya Takayama and episode director Norio Tsuruta (who also directed Ring 0: Birthday), it aired stateside on Showtime on February 2, 2007.

Daniel Gillies played Jack Miller (cinematic stand-in for Masayuki Enoyoshi). Yoshino Kimura played Yuri Saito. Miho Ninagawa played Naomi Saito. Ryo Ishibashi played Eiji Saito.


6.) "Adrift":A seaman (Kazuo Shiraishi) navigates an abandoned-at-sea yacht back to port. Shades of H.P. Lovecraft and strange ghosts permeate this piece, with an über-creepy, chilling exit-line.


7.) "Watercolors": A discotheque-turned-theater becomes the site of an artsy play. Quirky, briefly chilling piece.


8.) "Forest Under The Sea": Two spelunkers (Fumihiko Sugiyawa, Sakakibara) explore a flooded newly-discovered cave. Solid, non-supernatural story.


9.) "Epilogue": A seventy-two year old grandmother (Kayo, first seen in "Prologue") finds an interesting, sealed-in-plastic letter during one of her morning walks along the shores of Cape Cannon. Good, non-supernatural, anthology end-cap piece.

Birthday by Koji Suzuki

(hb; 1999, 2006: story anthology; fourth book in the Ring Cycle; translated by Glynne Walley)

From the inside flap:

"Thirty years before the tragic events of Ring, Sadako Yamamura was an aspiring stage actress on the verge of her theatrical debut. The beautiful and ravishing Sadako was the object of desire of every male at the company including the director. There was one thespian she was interested in, but. . .

"Fast forward past the events of Ring. Ryuji Takayama's distraught lover, Mai Takano, is struggling in the wake of the professor's mysterious demise. Mai visits Ryuji's parents' house to find the missing pages of his soon-to-be-published article. There she is drawn to a curious videotape and a fate more terrifying than Ryuji or Kazuyuki Asakawa's.

"Reiko Sugiura questioned the purpose of bringing a child into a world where there was only death. She had already lost one son, and the father of her unborn child, Kaoru Futami, had disappeared in search of a cure to the deadly disease that threatened all life. Despite Kaoru's promise to meet again in two months, he has not returned. Despondent but driven for answers, Reiko is led to the Loop project, where she will discover the final truths of the Ring virus."

Overall review:

This emotionally-resonant, genre-transmutative anthology of linked stories satisfactorily expands on, and ties up, loose narrative ends relating to the Ring Cycle.

Birthday, like all the Ring Cycle books -- Ring, Spiral and Loop -- is crisply- and gracefully-written, and worth owning.

Review, story by story:

"Coffin in the Sky": Mai Takano, a virgin, wakes up trapped on top of a roof, about to give birth to something not completely human, after viewing Sadako Yamamura's death-virus videotape.

"Lemon Heart": Daily News reporter Kenzo Yoshino, friend/co-worker of Kazuyki Asakawa, contacts Hiroshi Toyama (ex-lover of Sadako Yamamura) about Yamamura's disappearance twenty-four years earlier. In doing so, Yoshino revives a vivid past for the haunted Toyama.

"Happy Birthday": Five months after the conclusion of Loop, Kaoru Futami's Metastatic Human Cancer-infected, pregnant lover (Reiko Sugiura) discovers the heartbreaking, ultimately hopeful, truth about the Loop project and Futami's disappearance.

This is one of the best horror/science fiction series I've read in a long while -- possibly one of my All-Time Favorites (we'll see how I feel a few years, before I make that judgment).

Birthday is the basis for the anthology movie Ring 0: Birthday. Directed by Norio Tsuruta, from a script by Hiroshi Takahashi, it was released in Japan on January 22, 2000. (Hiroshi Takahashi also scripted Ringu and co-scripted Ringu 2.)

Yukie Nakama played Sadako Yamamura. Seiichi Tanabe played Hiroshi Tôyama. Takeshi Yakamatsu played Yûsaku Shigemori. Masako, who played Shizuko Yamamura in Ringu and Ringu 2, reprised this role again.

Loop by Koji Suzuki

(hb; 1998, 2005: third book in the Ring Cycle; translated by Glynne Walley)

From the inside flap:

"In Loop, the killer [virus, from Spiral,] mimics both AIDS and cancer, in a deadly new guise. Only one person, Kaoru Futami asks where the disease could have originated. The youth, mature beyond his years, must hope to find answers in the deserts of New Mexico and the Loop project, a virtual matrix created by scientists. The fate of more than just his loved ones depends on Kaoru's success..."

Review:

More science fiction than horror, Loop completely reframes the ideas, tones and storylines of the horror-based Ring and more-scientific-than-scary Spiral. Initially, the tightly-plotted Loop didn't grab me as quickly as the first two books in the Ring series, but boy, when it did -- about a quarter of the way in -- it was damn near impossible to set down.

This is a clever, mindblowing finish to a high-mark-in-science-fiction/horror trilogy, which makes stunning use of subliminal imagery and themes (spirituality, science, society, and our relationships to these intermingled notions).

Own, don't borrow, these books. While Ring, Spiral and Loop can also be read as stand-alone novels, they're better read in order, starting with Ring.

Followed by the story anthology Birthday.

Spiral by Koji Suzuki

(hb; 1995, 2004: second book in the Ring Cycle; translated by Glynne Walley)

Review:

Spiral picks up twelve hours after Ring. Medical examiner Mitsuo Ando, grieving the accidental drowning of his son a year before (as well as his impending divorce from the boy’s mother), performs an autopsy on Ryuji Takayama, one of Sadako Yamamura’s videotape-curse victims from Ring, and an old medical school rival of Ando’s.

Almost immediately strange things happen: a code, seemingly sent from Ryuji from “beyond the grave”, compels Ando, and later Ando’s friend, Miyashita (an “Assistant Researcher in Pathology”), to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the odd rash of Sadako-spawned deaths, past and present, that reveal the presence of an evolving strain of a smallpox-like disease.

Spiral is a sly sequel that uses the style and structure of the first book, while reworking its characters and elements to create something that is new. Spiral, on several levels, is an appropriate title for this exemplary follow-up to Ring.

Spiral is not without its faults – or, more precisely, its faulty characterizations. Ando, who initially seems competent and above-average smart, suffers plot-convenient bouts of inconsistent stupidity at key moments. While this is a small nit, it’s certainly a relevant one, because a writer of Suzuki’s caliber needn’t have included that unbelievable defect in Ando – all Suzuki would’ve needed to do was acknowledge, right away, the twist-facts, and then cleverly flip the Obvious Horror Moment script on its head, like he did in the best parts of the two books.

Another possible fault is how far Suzuki stretches the readers’ suspension of disbelief. He talks about genetics, spirituality, and human will – all thematic hallmarks of Ring – and almost seems to take it for granted that the reader will follow his sometimes incredibly-abstract logic to the ends necessary for Spiral to work. Maybe it’s a cultural thing – Japan is more ghost-oriented than America, judging by its horror stylings, and honoring of the past – but at times I found myself thinking: um, okay, that’s really pushing it.

Despite these nits, I was impressed by Spiral. It reminded me of the same feeling that I had when I saw A Nightmare on Elm Street creator Wes Craven’s New Nightmare – while the material wasn’t exactly fresh, its creator (now, in this case, Koji Suzuki) had revamped it, put it in a more expansive frame, and in doing so, had changed the reader/viewer’s sense of the work.

The ending, theme- and tone-wise, is similar to that of Ring, but it isn't a tired rehash – more an evolution. There are a sufficient number of twists and spine-tingling moments to be had in this first sequel to Ring to justify its existence (and a second sequel), and it stays true to the spirit of its initial book with its character-centric brand of fear.

Followed by Loop.

Two movies resulted from Spiral.

Rasen, bearing its source novel's name, was released in Japan on January 31, 1998 - the same release date as Ringu. Koichi Sato played Mitsuo Ando. Miki Nakatani played Mai Takano (reprising her role from Ringu, and later, Ringu 2, which pretended like Rasen never happened). Hinako Saeti played Sadako Yamamura. Shingo Tsurumi played Miyashita. Nanako Matsushima played Reiko Asakawa, seen in Ringu archive footage. Hiroyuki Sanada resumed his role of Ryuji Takayama, first seen in Ringu. Yutaka Mastushige resumed his role of Yoshino, from Ringu. Jojo Iida scripted and directed.

A TV series remake, bearing the same name, aired in Japan on July 1, 1999. It was a sequel to Ringu: Saishuso. Goro Kishitani played Mistuo Ando. Akiko Yada played Mai Takano. Takami Yoshimoto played Natsumi Aihara. Takao Kinoshita and Hiroshi Nishitani co-directed.

Ring by Koji Suzuki

(hb; 1991, 2003: first book in the Ring Cycle; translated by Robert B. Rohmer & Glynne Walley)

From the inside flap

"Asakawa is a hardworking journalist who has climbed his way up from a local-news beat reporter to a writer for his newspaper's weekly magazine. His one mistake along the way, getting too close to the subject of one of his stories on the occult, still haunts him.

"Never much of a family man, not even his niece's sudden, inexplicable death moves him... until he leanrs that on the night of her death another healthy teenager died in Tokyo at the exact same time of sudden heart failure. Sensing something extraordinary, Asawkawa begins to investigate with the aid of his strange old classmate Ryuji, a cynical philophy professor and a self-proclaimed rapist.

"The two are led from a metropolitan Tokyo that teems with modern society's fears to rural sections of Japan -- a highland resort, a volcanic island and a countryside clinic -- that are haunted by the past. The hunt puts them on the trail of an apocalyptic force that will call for Asakawa to choose between saving his family and saving civilization."

Review

Suzuki constructs this terrifying tale with crystal clarity, steadily ratcheting up the horror ante, as Kazuyuki Asakawa, a workaholic reporter, and Ryuji Takayama, a philosophy/mathematics professor and Asakawa's morbidly funny friend, pursue the facts relating to a video tape that causes its viewers to die in a mysterious and grisly fashion within seven days of them viewing it. The deeper Asawkawa and Takayama dig into the video tape's history, the more they find themselves immersed in Japan's not-so-distant past -- and a viral, psychic phenomena -- which may just kill Asakawa, Takayama and many more, as well.

Brilliant, scary, full of crazy-effective twists, and sporting a wow-that's-cool unsettling ending (that practically demands a sequel), this is one of the best mainstream horror novels I've read in a long while.

Followed by Spiral.

•

Ring has been filmed many times.

The first film, Ringu: Kanzen-ban, aired on Japanese television on August 11, 1995. Katsunori Takahashi played Asakawa. Yoshio Harada played Takayama. Ayane Miura played Sadako Yamamura. Mai Tachahara played Shizuko Asakawa, Kazuyuki's wife. Chisui Takigawa directed.

•

On January 31, 1998, Ringu hit the Japanese silver screen. Directed by Hideo Nakata, it starred Nanako Matsushima as Reiko Asakawa (the now-female cinematic counterpart to Kazuyuki Asakawa). Miki Nakatani played Mai Takano. Hiroyuki Sanada played Ryuji Takayama. Rie Inou played Sadako Yamamura. Hiroshi Takahashi scripted.

•

Ringu: Saishuso, a Japanese television series, first aired on January 7, 1999. Lasting twelve episodes, the drama -- not a horror series -- is a different take on the Ring story.

•

On June 10, 1999, Ringu 2 hit the Japanese silver screen. It's strictly a cinematic sequel, mostly using characters created for Ringu. Miki Nakatani returned as Mai Takano, a surviving character from the first film (who was also in the novel). Hitomi Sato, also from the first film, once again played Misami Kurahashi. Hideo Nakata, director of Ringu, directed.

•

The Ring: Virus, a Korean remake of Ringu, was released on June 12, 1999 in South Korea. Dong-bin Kim, who also scripted the film, directed. Eun-Kyung Shin played Sun-ju. Jin-yeong Jeong played Choi Yeol. Du-na Bae played Eun-suh.

•

On October 18, 2002, the American remake, The Ring, graced stateside cineplexes. Naomi Watts played Rachel Keller (the female cinematic counterpart to Kazuyuki Asawakawa). Martin Henderson played Noah Clay. David Dorfman played Aidan Keller. Brian Cox played Richard Morgan. Jane Alexander played Dr. Grasnik.  An uncredited Chuck Hicks played a "Ferry Worker".

 Directed by Gore Verbinski, it's a less atmospheric, more linear take on the Ring story.

•

Following the lead of Ringu 2, The Ring Two (released stateside on March 18, 2005) was less about continuing the ideas of the novel than furthering the storyline of the cinematic characters. Naomi Watts returned to her role of Rachel Keller. Simon Baker played Max Rourke. David Dorfman once again played Aidan Keller. Elizabeth Perkins played Dr. Emma Temple. Gary Cole played Martin Savide. Sissy Spasek played Evelyn. It was directed by Hideo Nakata, director of Ringu and Ringu 2.

Parasite Eve, by Hideaki Sena

(1995, 2005: translated by Tyran Grillo)

From the inside flap:

“Filled with scientific acuity and existential challenges in the tradition of Ghost In The Shell and Frankenstein, this medical fantasmagoria is a disorienting look into consciousness and will have you questioning the future of human evolution. New life begins at the cellular level, but when that cell contains restless mitochondria, it will aspire to be much more than just a speck in a petri dish. Parasite Eve was the basis of the hugely popular video game of the same name and has been cinematized in Japan, where the novel’s smashing success helped set off a horror boom that has only been intensifying since.

“When Dr. Nagashima loses his wife in a mysterious car crash, he is overwhelmed with grief but also an eerie sense of purpose; he becomes obsessed with the idea that he must reincarnate his dead wife. Her donated kidney is transplanted into a young girl with a debilitating disorder, but the doctor also feels compelled to keep a small sample of her liver in his laboratory. When these cells start mutating rapidly, a consciousness bent on determining its own fate awakes from eonic sleep.”


Review:

Fans of Dean Koontz and Koji Suzuki should check this out. Parasite Eve, which mixes elements of “hard” (fact-heavy) science fiction, emotional anguish and horrific goopiness, is an addictive read.

Sena’s medical background is evident in the crisp, restrained prose that makes up the first two-thirds of the novel, as well as the detailed medical explanations that occasionally sidetrack the plot. Still, Sena manages to keep the reader emotionally involved with conflicted, mostly well-meaning, characters who just can’t seem to get their lives back in order. The final third is an orgy of Lovecraftian splatter, an over-the-top release from the bursting-at-the-seams tension of the first two-thirds.

Another welcome, genre-true (as in effective and envelope-pushing) entry for bookstore horror shelves, this. Well worth your time.

A made-for-television film, based on the novel, was broadcast in Japan in 1997.

Hiroshi Mikami played Toshiaki Nagashima. Riona Hazuki played Kiyomi Nagashima. Tomoko Nakajima played Sawaka Asakura. Ayako Omura played Mariko Anzai.

Masayuki Ochiai directed, from a script by Ryôichi Kimizuka.