7 Days....

Kozumi's Quote of the Week:
"See, we don't know the beginning and we don't know the end; all we can know about is the in-between stuff. And that, my friend, is what life is like."
--Ryuji, Ring, Chapter 6, pg 162

What's on Dez's desktop: Duo wants cake from Heero; a sketch of the members of Ju-oh-Cho from Yami no Matsuei; puppy Tsuzuki; Inuki-pachuki's puppy; Fatal Frame 2 fanart, sugar-shocked MaLoki pic.

Today, folks, is gonna be a bit long because I have a book review coming from Inha. Summer reading, people! Stop playing FF11 and start reading! Or GO OUTSIDE!

Loki: Ah yes. One short rant from our hostess. This has been another RanLune Public Service Announcement. Now shove off.

*Dropkicks Loki* Ok. Take it away, Inha.

Inha: Recently on the finished book list was Koji Suzuki's Ring and Spiral. Ring, the basis for the Ringu franchise we're all so familiar with, is an interesting journey through the mysterious and supernatural world of Sadako Yamamura's reign of terror.
At first I was wary of the novel, since I am generally cautious of translated novels and manga to begin with--

Loki: Cuz you have no faith in the dubbing world.
Inha: Would you, after ADV's decision to pick up season 2 of Matantei Loki Ragnarok's manga?
Loki: ............................Touche.

Inha: Anyway, after reading the intro, I was hooked. Suzuki's style of writing, while simple, was straight, descriptive and to the point. Slick and short, yet entertaining. Its not Tolkein, but its not 6th grade english either. Since I'm used to the thick and descriptive (and sometimes run-on sentence-heavy) author styles of Douglas Adams and Dean Koontz, Suzuki's clean cut and streamlined style was refershing and...well, fresh. The Japanese feel of simplicity shows through very well.
One thing I noticed about Suzuki's writing style was the constant change of POV. In most novels, a POV change is rare, and when it does happen, it happens, say, a chaper or two away from the main character's, especially in the case of a 3rd person POV. One rule I was taught in writing was that POV changes in 3rd person between characters should never occur in the same paragraphy or indeed the same scene. Suzuki, on the other hand, throws that idea out the window but changing the POV from character to character all in the same scene, on the same pages even. At first, I was a little confused and turned off by this style. However, as I continued to read, I felt that his constant changes where important. Sometimes it was absolutely necessary to get into another character's head in the same scene to get a feel of what's going on. Others may think its sloppy but it adds top the pace of this novel.
The characters are stunning and 3 dimensional. In both Ring and Spiral, I noticed a sort of Foil Character system going on between the main characters. In Ring, there was a foil in Ryuji and Asakawa; Ryuji was nihilistic and self-possessed, while Asakawa seemed timid, neurotic, nervous, and almost woman-like. In Spiral, Ando was a despressed and work oriented man because he had almost no one to come home to, whereas his friend Miyashita is cheery and a family man. You really feel the character's feelings, both through the POV chnages and though the vivid style of Suzuki's writing.
The dialogue is sharp and witty sometimes, but real. At the same time, its almost prose-like. Most exposition for the mystery of the famous video tape is through the quick dialogue between the main characters. The story works like a detective novel, with much of the deduction coming from the characters as they present their evidence.
The books are startlingly different from the movies, focusing on different characters and storylines. The novels work more like detective mysteries (cue Mayura's "fushigi mystery!"), while the movies are more like psychological horror thrillers and suspense with some minor scary gore (the American remake especially). Its a trip to see Ryuji determine who made the video based on some of the imagery and how some of it is recorded, or to slowly realize Sadako's motives towards Mai and Asakawa.
All in all, I really enjoyed Suzuki's novels and am eagerly awaiting the last installement of the series, Loop. The Ring story draws you in with its intrique and mystery, and even if you know how the story goes (based on maybe the manga or the movies), the plot still throws its readers for loops and surprises (no pun intended). Even the endings for the novels may seem so final, yet the next one picks up where the last one leaves off and adds yet another thread to the web of betrayal and mystery. Even this long post isn't enough to express exactly what i think about the books. I suggest looking for them and diving into the Ring and Spiral. You'll never look at video tapes the same way.
I give this book 9 out of 10.

Aro: I'd give it 10 but we're all a little biased because we all think Sadako 0wnz.
Inha: -_- In...deed.

*Til next time, Lunies!*