Ring: Kanzenban (1995) [Film Review]

Ring: Kanzenban; or, The Original Adaptation

     It might be all over for us, haven't you thought of that? Maybe you don't understand, but there's a mystery and a depth of this video that I'm attracted to. I think we'll definitely meet the creator of this tape.

Probably all of us remember the iconic J-horror film which introduced us to the demonic spirit coming out of a TV screen. Ring (1998), the adaptation of a novel by Koji Suzuki became a worldwide hit and it spawned numerous sequels, spin-offs, and remakes. However, did you know that there was an earlier attempt to adapt Suzuki’s work onto the screen? I’m talking about Ring: Kanzenban (literally: Ring: Full Version). A made-for-TV 1995 production, which only saw the light of day on VHS and LaserDisc formats, only to fall soon after into the well of obscurity.

Release Info

Directed by: Chisui Takigawa Starring: Katsunori Takahashi, Yoshio Harada, Ayane Miura

Language: Japanese Original Title: リング 完全版 Runtime: 98 min

 

Synopsis

Kazuyuki Asakawa (Katsunori Takahashi) is a newspaper journalist who is happily married to Shizuko (Mai Tachihara). Everything goes smoothly, the couple is expecting a baby; however, Kazuyuki discovers a bizarre coincidence of four teenagers who died exactly at the same day, at the same time. His investigation leads him to a cabin in the woods where he views a videotape which contains a deadly curse created by the malevolent ghost of Sadako Yamamura (Ayane Miura). With the help of a college professor, Ryuji Takayama (Yoshio Harada), Kazuyuki sets out on a journey to break the curse because he has only 7 days left to live.

There’s only one way to live

It is interesting that in the shadow a famous horror film there lies a forgotten movie that preceded it. Due to the production’s low budget and unfavourable reviews, I checked out Ring: Kanzenban with zero expectations but I was pleasantly surprised after what I had seen. This movie is actually the most accurate adaptation of Koji Suzuki’s original novel and, although being made for TV, it does not suffer entirely from limited production resources and cringeworthy TV clichés.

 

The story is structured pretty well and it is quite gripping, even though modern viewers and fans of the Ring series are spoiled by the 1998 movie. The definite highlight of this film is its take on a videotape. It’s quite creepy and it does the job of providing the feeling of unsettlement. While the VHS tape from Ring (1998) was filled with dark aesthetics, the one from Ring: Kanzenban is more straightforward and faithful to the novel.

 

Apart from that, other things which deserve praise are great locations (the cabin and Sadako’s home-island), decent pacing, and well-made flashback sequences. As for the disadvantages… there is a bit of forced nudity here and there in order to appeal to midnight audiences. In addition, the music score is practically one tune played over and over again throughout the picture. This did not put me off, but I assume that it can irritate some viewers.

 

With regard to performances, Katsunori Takahashi does well in the lead role of Kazuyuki Asakawa but Toshiro Yanagiba does a better job with his iteration of the character in Ring: The Final Chapter TV series. Yoshio Harada as the specialist in paranormal phenomena, Ryuji Takayama, is the greatest highlight of this film. Due to the charismatic presence of a disinterested scientist, he steals every scene he is in. Great addition is Ayane Miura as Sadako. She had the honour of being the first actress to play the iconic demon, so it’s a shame that her career is limited to only a dozen of Nikkatsu Videos.

 

Recommendations

Safely recommended to anyone who wants to explore the unknown regions of the Ring series. Give a miss to the American remakes and try this movie instead. It is an engaging 90-minute ride which serves as a supplement to the 1998 film. Ring: Kanzenban deserves at least a DVD edition nowadays.

Overall score: 7/10