Finished the book as well, and I must say I’m not impressed by the author’s horror skills I really liked the opening scene with the niece, that was a nice and scary start, but then everything fell apart, horror-wise. Like others said it turned more into a mystery of sorts, and even the supposedly more shocking scenes (when the two were digging out the well) did not reach me. I think that the tone of the narration was somewhat off-putting to me as well - sentences like さすがの竜司も知らなかった。or 恐怖はそのままのかたちで伝わったのだ。reminded me more of one of these omnipresent Japanese TV documentaries with narrative voice - if you can’t write it up in a way that I will experience the tension and fright first-hand, then I won’t get scared
Anyways, I liked the story in general, and the idea of the video that behaved like a virus was super cool, as well as the details of the story. And as I said before, I liked the narration style a lot - even the backstory infodumps were entertaining and kept me reading on.
Why? Did you read ahead and your theory was disproved? Or is it because several people have finished? It’s always fun to share thoughts as you read I think, regardless of whether others are ahead or behind.
As for me, I’m at 3.9 now. People seem to have a lot to say about 3.11, so I’m looking forward to it.
I am way behind, it was about week 2 (the end of chapter 1).
Well, might as well say:
Based on the pantomime of the main character, I think the niece got scared to dead by her own reflection. Not sure about the motorcyclist, but I assume he saw a human face or something that scared him (maybe even his own reflection in the visor although that feels like a stretch). The two lovers in the car may have been scared to death by each other’s face (that’s why they are trying to get away from each other). Finally, the oni mask is human looking enough to trigger the effect.
Related to the discussion on spoilers, I didn’t remember the premise at all, so I was thinking about some kind of disease that hijacks the brain’s ability to recognize and parse faces… but then the baby would also be scared of her parents, which is not the case, so it’s white human faces?
Again, point is moot since I actually read the premise now.
Thanks for sharing! That’s actually a very cool theory, and it would be pure horror, of the truly scary kind. Imagine being terrified by the faces of your loved ones! There would be no escape other than utter loneliness.
So I finally read 3.11! 3.9 and 10 (possibly previous sections too, I don’t remember well) bored me a little. We found out a lot (improbably fast too), but it felt very much like a huge infodump. I liked the realization that this was probably her life flashing before her eyes at the moment of death. What I didn’t get is why they didn’t assume that said death happened at the time of the broadcast. This would be my first thought. And by the way, aren’t there death records they could consult? Although she was probably never reported dead, since she was never found.
So, 3.11! What?!? That was strangely random? I guess it will connect to something, or it’s really a crazy needless detail. Another needless detail seems to be the smallpox, and the whole discussion about who was the last patient. By the way, I love how both rapists in the story (one rapist, one rapist/murderer) claim that it’s nothing they would plan or normally do, it was some external unknown force propelling them to do it. Of course.
Why is Asakawa so sure that they need to go find the well? Maybe what they need to do is kill her attacker. And how will they ever find the bones? If the well was where the cabin is, surely everything will have been excavated in order to build foundations? There are earthquakes in Japan, buildings aren’t just placed on the ground. (Oh! Maybe they’ll go with a video recorder, and try to catch the signal again? I’d probably have tried it already anyway, this thing is probably broadcasting constantly at close range.)
We have had this topic over in the BL thread I think, but the amount of r*pe casually thrown into media in the 80s~2000s always made me wonder if they just think it’s like breaking your arm… it hurts a bit but you get over it in weeks. (I don’t know about Japan, tbh, but I hear Korea is still really bad when it comes to dealing with survivors. It’s just not treated as the awful and potentially life-changing crime it is. I would reckon Japan is not much far off.)
Of course life gets busy as soon as I decide to join a book club… Still not quite caught up, but we’ll get there.
Chapter 2
As soon as the VHS tape was mentioned I was like “Oh wait, is this the story with the video?” I’m glad I’m not the only one ignorant of what seems to be pretty common knowledge Knowing the video is dangerous makes 浅川’s 後悔しないだけの自信はあった a lot more amusing.
Chapter 3.3
Just a funny coincidence, but I had just learned about the phrase 毒をもって毒を制する on the same day I read this part. 竜司 is someone I hate as a person but enjoy as a character. Is he actually a rapist, or only pretending to be one for shits and giggles? Obviously that would still make him an awful person, but I feel like if I had committed a crime like that I wouldn’t tell everyone about it.
I can also fully understand 小栗. It sounds like an unbelievable story, but I also wouldn’t watch that video. Better save than sorry.
Chapter 3.4
I liked how 浅川 started to seriously think about/make preparations for his death. He does care for his family, not that that helps in this subchapter. Of course I knew it was coming. When 静 walked in on them earlier I was internally screaming at 浅川 to explain what is going on. If you have a dangerous object in the house, insufficient communication can be deadly. It would also be nice to forewarn your wife in case you do die. I can’t even begin to imagine how she feels about this. She’s in mortal danger, her husband might die in a few days and worst of all she might have inadvertently caused her daughter’s death. I just hope they’re safe.
Chapter 3.5
I didn’t know that women blink more than men. That’s an interesting piece of trivia I’ll probably never need but nice to know anyway.
The two of them are lucky that there is a convenient archive of people with paranormal abilities. How does 竜司 even know about all of this? It’s not like they can just google it.
I know the name 貞子. I really should have remembered that name, I even mentioned her in a review as a character from the Ring horror movies! My ignorance amazes me, but on the bright side I got to read this without spoilers.
Chapter 3.6
I don’t think this has to mean that there is no way to prevent your death. I figured it was a combination of the four not truly believing and whatever you have to do being a bit troublesome to do. For example, if it is something easy like “Count out loud to 100” I’d probably do it to be on the save side, but if it’s something like “Sing the national anthem while doing a handstand on top of a mountain” I wouldn’t bother with it unless I actually believed my life to be in danger.
Chapter 3.8
It’s interesting to learn more about 貞子’s past. So apparently even while she was alive she could already kill in the same way she does now? At least I assume she is dead now.
I think he mentioned he knew the professor personally? Being a university professor himself, and given his own interest in the supernatural, it’s not too far-fetched. But yes, the whole process of finding out info in record time without google has been unbelievably convenient for them. And I still don’t see why you could expect such an unofficial database of supernaturally gifted people to include everyone, but okay. Suspension of disbelief and all that.
It’s mentioned that he is not 100% sure, but someone strong enough to make the tape would hardly go unnoticed by the army of former students that professor had spread through the country. Now, it is an awfully convenient situation but, at least, assuming it was a thing, it makes sense that she would be referenced somewhere in there.
Well, I finished the book. I am obviously very bad at book clubs.
I liked the book a lot, actually! Not really what I would consider horror per se, but the end did shake me a bit. I know it’s supposed to be part of a series, but I like the way it ends.
My thoughts is that he always had powers, which is how we could get the view point of other characters while we were otherwise following him. However, getting 貞子 out of the water gave him a huge boost. Actually, the moment the book gave us the 増殖, I thought the solution was that you had to become a x-men psychic as well… I was wrong I guess. But still, it would kinda make sense. You either had to become like her or stay a part of the masses she hates and die.
Wait, I just realized (3rd week? no wait, end) that we never found out what was the phone call after the main character watched the video the first time? Did I just miss something?
I can’t remember if the book explained it but in the movie the fact Asakawa gets a phone call after watching in the cabin and Ryuuji doesn’t after watching somewhere else was a clue that Sadako’s body is close to the cabin, which made sense. Her power is strongest in that area which is why she could make the video and even manipulate a phone call into happening.
That makes sense, but my question is more why is the phone call? In the book, he says that it feels like a way to make him know he is watched… but I don’t understand what that does. There was enough of a fire lit under his ass already…
I FINALLY also finished the book! I was bored to death during most of chapter 3 (yes, even the getting the bones out of the well part), but the ending impressed me. A dead virus that returned as a ghost virus, desperate to find hosts, and the protagonist faced with the impossible moral decision of saving his family but dooming the earth, or letting his family die in the hopes that the virus would be stopped. I wanted to shout at him that if he didn’t destroy Ryuuji’s copy yesterday, then he’d be letting his family die in vain anyway. Someone was bound to watch it. Anyway, not sure how he was so confident of the mechanics of the curse. He was the one who copied the tapes (why two? would each of his wife’s parents watch a different copy?) and he was the one who would make them watch the video. His wife, and even more so his daughter, wouldn’t have much to do with it.
Was this explicitly stated and I missed it? I just read that (the girl believed) he was a virgin, and totally innocent? I was bored a little at that point, so it’s possible I wasn’t paying proper attention. The only thing I got out of that revelation was that maybe he was in fact not lying when he said an external force compelled him to do it, and maybe he was forced to spread some evil the same way Asakawa is at the end? Or maybe he was just lying. For years and years.
I never thought of this! Wow! So it wasn’t bad writing after all? Strange that it wasn’t explained a little more clearly, but I’ll take it, makes total sense. (Although then he probably should have seen through Ryuuji’s lies? )
Another thing I don’t remember at all - was I even paying attention? If I had to guess, Sadako’s mental waves or whatever were powerful enough to affect all devices, TV and phone alike. Which is why I still don’t understand why no one tried to tune in again to that video from the cabin. Theoretically it should be transmitting constantly, no?
I really liked the opening scene with the niece, that was a nice and scary start, but then everything fell apart, horror-wise. Like others said it turned more into a mystery of sorts, and even the supposedly more shocking scenes (when the two were digging out the well) did not reach me. I think that the tone of the narration was somewhat off-putting to me as well - sentences like さすがの竜司も知らなかった。or 恐怖はそのままのかたちで伝わったのだ。reminded me more of one of these omnipresent Japanese TV documentaries with narrative voice - if you can’t write it up in a way that I will experience the tension and fright first-hand, then I won’t get scared 
I already don’t remember. 
Maybe it’s one of those things that would be solved in the next volumes of the series. 
) 
If I had to guess, 