i finally watched all the japanese ringu movies. the first one was excellent of course and if you like horror films but didn't think it was scary then you're probably more of a gore/slasher/effects freak or moved by *boo* moments rather than the subtlety of a psychological thriller. there were two versions of the sequel made as the first one wasn't too popular for deviating from the basic vibe of the original. then a prequel was made.

rasen - interesting idea to try to scientifically what happens to those that watch the video tapes, that a virus is spread. however, it wasn't thought out thoroughly and it was hard for me to empathize with the main character, (stoic acting?), thus the film never really pulls you in. the main character being and old classmate friend off the dead ex-husband of the main character of the first film. he performs the autopsy on his dead friend and tries to decode further hints as to the mystery of the video tape that the friend left behind. only, it's not so much about the video tape as a deadly new virus that is similar to smallpox. as it delves further into the virus angle, it loses the original scary video tape theme. this would have been better perhaps on its own as a deadly virus film than a ring sequel.

ringu 2 - a much more believable sequel. right after the first film takes place, the main character of the first film and her son go into hiding. the dead ex-husband's girlfriend is being questioned by police, runs into said wife and child, and befriends them. the girlfriend is the main character of this one as she investigates the video mystery and what exactly happened. she ends up becoming the guardian for the song. her investigation leads her to a mental hospital where one of the teenagers from the first film is now living. a doctor has a theory as to what is happening and how to heal victims of the video tape, the son in particular. they proceed with the healing process and the ending leads you to believe that everything is now ok, although in typical horror series fashion, or so they thought!

ringu 0 - finally a film about sadako. this takes place when sadako is in her 20s. she doesn't seem to be the scary video version of sadako, merely a shy or naive girl who is outcast, similar to carrie. this film really isn't scary at all, though it does have a scene or two of fucked up moments in sadako's life. this film explains how the evil sadako came into being. whether or not it's a well-written explanation is another matter.