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The Ring (Manga) #1
The Ring 1
Everyone knows about urban legends, those stories that seem implausible, like they could never really happen. But what if one of the creepy, seemingly impossible stories was actually to occur? Somewhere in Japan there's a cabin in which you might watch a program that will change your life... in fact, it will take your life. She will take your life. She calls out from the afterlife, from the dark bottom of a forgotten well. And if she calls you, one week is all you have left to find the answer to her curse.
The Ring has become a worldwide media sensation, having been adapted from its original novel series in Japan into movies, television, and manga. If you've seen the films, you know of the creepy horror of The Ring. Lovingly adapted by the author and screenplay writer of the Japanese film series, The Ring manga takes you deeper into this mythos of creepy death.
The Ring has become a worldwide media sensation, having been adapted from its original novel series in Japan into movies, television, and manga. If you've seen the films, you know of the creepy horror of The Ring. Lovingly adapted by the author and screenplay writer of the Japanese film series, The Ring manga takes you deeper into this mythos of creepy death.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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566 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
November 25, 2015
I probably shouldn't have read this while home alone. But I couldn't stop. This book is a page turner and one of the first books to genuinely freak me out. I wasn't all that familiar with The Ring until this
February 8, 2013
I won't get too much into the plot of this story, mostly because you probably aren't going to read this manga/ever knew it existed in the first place without seeing either the Japanese or American version, or have read Ring.
And for those of you who don't know (You must have been living under a rock to not know something of the francise)
Obviously the plot is great, it was taken straight from the novel! Japanese horror writers do have a knack of creating intriguing supernatural horror. Believe me, titles like The Grudge and The Ring freak me out. No kidding, they give me nightmares. At least I can say it takes a true storyteller to give the reader/viewer nightmares for years to come.
If I had one complaint about this manga however, it would have to be the drawings. Honestly, I was surprised to get this title in the mail, open it, and wonder if I was reading a children's title. It's very cartoony, and there is nothing horrifying or scary about any of it. Thankfully, it is a detail I can gloss over when it comes to a story like this.
True hardcore fans of the Ring might not enjoy the artist's drawings, but a casual fan of the series like myself can still find enjoyment in the story it tells. Besides, I think I'm a bit partial to cute drawings. :) I'm a girl, so it's okay.
So whether you are a casual manga reader or a hardcore Ring fan, I would recommend this title to you. I know I will buy the other 4 volumes in the series. Such brilliant storytelling deserves to have a place on my shelf!
And for those of you who don't know (You must have been living under a rock to not know something of the francise)
Obviously the plot is great, it was taken straight from the novel! Japanese horror writers do have a knack of creating intriguing supernatural horror. Believe me, titles like The Grudge and The Ring freak me out. No kidding, they give me nightmares. At least I can say it takes a true storyteller to give the reader/viewer nightmares for years to come.
If I had one complaint about this manga however, it would have to be the drawings. Honestly, I was surprised to get this title in the mail, open it, and wonder if I was reading a children's title. It's very cartoony, and there is nothing horrifying or scary about any of it. Thankfully, it is a detail I can gloss over when it comes to a story like this.
True hardcore fans of the Ring might not enjoy the artist's drawings, but a casual fan of the series like myself can still find enjoyment in the story it tells. Besides, I think I'm a bit partial to cute drawings. :) I'm a girl, so it's okay.
So whether you are a casual manga reader or a hardcore Ring fan, I would recommend this title to you. I know I will buy the other 4 volumes in the series. Such brilliant storytelling deserves to have a place on my shelf!
June 6, 2018
Gosto da história, mas ela parece ter sido escrita para um público mais juvenil. Os personagens são um tanto exagerados/caricatos. A arte também não me atraiu muito, mas no geral vale pela criatividade em Terror, que me parece maior em produções japonesas (e outras asiáticas) que nas ocidentais.
September 9, 2023
4.8/5
This review is based on both P1 and P2 of the Italian edition of the manga.
OMG. The Ring was the first ever horror movie I kinda saw back in the days and the one that started my horror movies passion. I was terrified and I loved it lol So when I saw the whole series at 50% off on Libraccio I just HAD to get it considering it's discountinued and ther's no way I'm able to find it anywhere.
This manga is a mix based both from the movie and the book, but the main story stays the same.
Seeing it in a manga form was a whole different adventure and the art to recreate the horror part was so well made. This book was a total page turner and considering there's not much text, the whole time is dedicated to enjoy the actual art in it.
For me it was done a very well job and ended up loving this format as well, it definitely didn't disappoint my expectation.
This review is based on both P1 and P2 of the Italian edition of the manga.
OMG. The Ring was the first ever horror movie I kinda saw back in the days and the one that started my horror movies passion. I was terrified and I loved it lol So when I saw the whole series at 50% off on Libraccio I just HAD to get it considering it's discountinued and ther's no way I'm able to find it anywhere.
This manga is a mix based both from the movie and the book, but the main story stays the same.
Seeing it in a manga form was a whole different adventure and the art to recreate the horror part was so well made. This book was a total page turner and considering there's not much text, the whole time is dedicated to enjoy the actual art in it.
For me it was done a very well job and ended up loving this format as well, it definitely didn't disappoint my expectation.
January 13, 2022
not my usual type of book (and i have never read manga before) but i found it in my dads bookcase and decided to read as a break from non fiction books and i ended up reading it in one sitting. mainly due to the fact i was intrigued about where the story would go and couldn’t put it down. it was amazingly drawn and was a simple time filler. it was an easy read and not as scary as i originally thought!
October 29, 2023
Nem sei por que me dou ao trabalho de ler estas coisas... Não faz mesmo o meu estilo...
Vi a adaptação desta história a filme (versão americana) há muitos anos, no cinema... Já não me lembro como acaba... depois de ler este primeiro volume (por que razão separaram em 2 volumes é um mistério...), também não fiquei com grande vontade de relembrar ou saber...No entanto, como dizia o outro, o problema não és tu [livro], sou eu!
Vi a adaptação desta história a filme (versão americana) há muitos anos, no cinema... Já não me lembro como acaba... depois de ler este primeiro volume (por que razão separaram em 2 volumes é um mistério...), também não fiquei com grande vontade de relembrar ou saber...No entanto, como dizia o outro, o problema não és tu [livro], sou eu!
August 31, 2022
first manga read🙌🏼 once i got over the confusion on how to actually read it I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Didn’t find anything eerie about it personally (takes a lot for a book to scare me & i saw the films when I was probably only 10 anyway, so very desensitised 😅) still I really enjoyed the comic style - black & white and the overall story was fun!
April 16, 2023
Not bad. It's basically a novelization, or manga-ization, of the film Ringu (Ring, based upon the novel by Koji Suzuki). It was well done, it had atmosphere and I think it had some minor additions added, while some details and bits were trimmed to make it tighter. I liked how we go into Reiko's mind and got to read her inner thoughts.
October 13, 2022
A pretty bland adaptation of the film Ringu with terrifyingly mediocre art.
October 11, 2024
Adaptación en manga de la famosa novela Ringu de Koji Suzuki, me ha gustado pero no me ha encantado, la calidad del dibujo me parece bien pero a mí parecer y con la de manga que he leído se me queda un estilo muy "juvenil" (?)
Igualmente lo he disfrutado mucho.
Igualmente lo he disfrutado mucho.
June 17, 2016
I should probably start off by saying that to say I'm familiar with the ring is an understatement. I've seen all the films (English; Japanese; even South Korean 'Ring Virus') and have read most of Koji Suzuki's other works with the exception of S as it is not yet in English (check my good reads). So I knew exactly what I was getting when I cracked open this one.
It's the same narrative you expect at a very good pace and with a beautiful unsettling feeling. Perhaps there could be more thematic exploration - I'm hoping this is explored a little more in the subsequent manga.
As its manga, I should probably comment on the artwork. Simply put its on point, B/W with beautiful attention to detail.
It's easy to get absorbed in this one. Limited to 4 stars because I would have loved it to be longer and contain more theme exploration and proper investigate of each step of the tape (e.g. We don't see the lighthouse, now I can't remember if that's only in the film, but also, there are other omissions re the curse suffered by the characters over the 7 days, also can't remember if that's film only).
Recommend without reservation.
It's the same narrative you expect at a very good pace and with a beautiful unsettling feeling. Perhaps there could be more thematic exploration - I'm hoping this is explored a little more in the subsequent manga.
As its manga, I should probably comment on the artwork. Simply put its on point, B/W with beautiful attention to detail.
It's easy to get absorbed in this one. Limited to 4 stars because I would have loved it to be longer and contain more theme exploration and proper investigate of each step of the tape (e.g. We don't see the lighthouse, now I can't remember if that's only in the film, but also, there are other omissions re the curse suffered by the characters over the 7 days, also can't remember if that's film only).
Recommend without reservation.
August 10, 2014
Saw the movie a few years back. Didn't quite remember it as there seemed to be a flurry of Japanese horror movies during that time. The book reminded me of some of the movie. Somehow, this format didn't fit the genre. It's hard to believe manga characters as being creepy. I also can't seem to get used to the whole reading a book backwards thing. I picked up another book (non-manga) and had to laugh at myself when I tried to read it backwards. I thought the ending was cheesy and don't remember that the movie ended this way. Very little character development also. None of the characters' motivations are seriously explored. If you've seen the movie, this book is really not necessary.
April 16, 2012
Melissa Wickelhaus
Genre: Horror
Volume one of The Ring, a manga based on the novel by Koji Suzuki, follow Reiko as she investigates the rumor about a video that once watched the viewer will die exactly one week from the time they watched the video. Once she finds the video in question, out of curiosity Reiko watches it and winds up in a race against time to find out the history behind the film and to stop her imminent death. The art is very dark, which works well with the tone of the story, and the translation is well done. Perhaps the scariest part of the story is the surprise ending. It is definitely worth reading.
Genre: Horror
Volume one of The Ring, a manga based on the novel by Koji Suzuki, follow Reiko as she investigates the rumor about a video that once watched the viewer will die exactly one week from the time they watched the video. Once she finds the video in question, out of curiosity Reiko watches it and winds up in a race against time to find out the history behind the film and to stop her imminent death. The art is very dark, which works well with the tone of the story, and the translation is well done. Perhaps the scariest part of the story is the surprise ending. It is definitely worth reading.
December 13, 2014
Wow, what a terrifying manga. If you loved the movie, then this is a definite must read. From the horrifying illustrations to the story. Its all around spooky and I love it.
You watch a video and in a week... you die. A crazy concept but it works and will make you think twice before you watch an unmarked tape.
You watch a video and in a week... you die. A crazy concept but it works and will make you think twice before you watch an unmarked tape.
November 1, 2017
Este manga es la versión resumida de la película.
No aporta absolutamente nada nuevo, ni tampoco da un aura de terror (como por ejemplo los mangas de Suehiro Maruo o Junji Ito
Esta OK. Si quieren leer algo para pasar el rato y con aura de "sp00ky", este es el manga.
No aporta absolutamente nada nuevo, ni tampoco da un aura de terror (como por ejemplo los mangas de Suehiro Maruo o Junji Ito
Esta OK. Si quieren leer algo para pasar el rato y con aura de "sp00ky", este es el manga.
October 8, 2025
To me this is so freaking scary and uncomfortable. I loved it. I couldnt stop reading it. I think this got even better cause I have seen the movie. Terrifying stuff.
August 3, 2018
Vielleicht liegt es daran,dass ich den Film zu The Ring vor dem Manga gesehen habe - ich hatte also schon Bilder im Kopf - vielleicht liegt es aber auch daran dass ich mit den meisten Mangas nichts anfangen kann oder ich neu in dem Genre bin.
Ich fand den Manga jetzt nicht unglaublich schlecht. Die Story war okay - die kannte ich ja - die Zeichnungen waren wie in anderen Mangas auch ( ich finde die lassen sich nicht wirklich unterscheiden, was wahrscheinlich eher daran liegt das ich ein Noob bin ).
Was mir persönlich bei Mangas immer fehlt ist die Spannung. Sicherlich, es ist schneller zu lesen als ein normales Buch und man hat gleich ein Bild vor Augen aber zumindest mir geht dabei die Spannung verloren bzw. baut sich diese hat nicht erst auf ?!
Vielleicht liegt es am Manga / der Story aber vielleicht auch ganz einfach an mir.
Ich bin dem Bereich der Mangas dennoch nicht abgeneigt. Weitere Vorschläge sind willkommen.
Ich fand den Manga jetzt nicht unglaublich schlecht. Die Story war okay - die kannte ich ja - die Zeichnungen waren wie in anderen Mangas auch ( ich finde die lassen sich nicht wirklich unterscheiden, was wahrscheinlich eher daran liegt das ich ein Noob bin ).
Was mir persönlich bei Mangas immer fehlt ist die Spannung. Sicherlich, es ist schneller zu lesen als ein normales Buch und man hat gleich ein Bild vor Augen aber zumindest mir geht dabei die Spannung verloren bzw. baut sich diese hat nicht erst auf ?!
Vielleicht liegt es am Manga / der Story aber vielleicht auch ganz einfach an mir.
Ich bin dem Bereich der Mangas dennoch nicht abgeneigt. Weitere Vorschläge sind willkommen.
March 27, 2019
This is the manga version of the movie, which is a shame as I thought it was an adaption of the book.
If you’re curious about the difference, here are some.
• Two male protagonists.
• One of which makes a copy, which his wife and child watch.
• Sadako isn’t just thrown in the well, stuff happens before it.
• She doesn’t come out of TV’s.
• Tomoko dies alone
Anyway you can always read the wiki page for more differences or read the book.
Ring
Got a little side tracked there, overall it's pretty good but nothing new. Sadako's look is revealed in the insert pages so you don't get a nice surprise later on. The tape has a nice addition at the end, there is also a bit added to her origin. I'm a huge fan of the Ring series and look forward to reading the rest of the manga.
If you’re curious about the difference, here are some.
• Two male protagonists.
• One of which makes a copy, which his wife and child watch.
• Sadako isn’t just thrown in the well, stuff happens before it.
• She doesn’t come out of TV’s.
• Tomoko dies alone
Anyway you can always read the wiki page for more differences or read the book.
Ring
Got a little side tracked there, overall it's pretty good but nothing new. Sadako's look is revealed in the insert pages so you don't get a nice surprise later on. The tape has a nice addition at the end, there is also a bit added to her origin. I'm a huge fan of the Ring series and look forward to reading the rest of the manga.
February 12, 2023
Teniendo únicamente como referencia la adaptación filmatográfica americana de esta historia... Me ha gustado mucho más esta versión más fiel al libro.
Es verdad que cambia algunos elementos a los que estaba acostumbrada, como puede ser el aviso a través del teléfono o el conocimiento del hijo.
En esta parte te apena el final de Sadako, aunque si siento que este no se toca tanto la vida de ella. Aunque le dan un orígen a sus poderes y de donde los saca.
El dibujo, siendo un manga un poco antiguo es el de la época. Eso si he amado las expresiones de terror.
Lo que he odiado un poco a Ryuji, su carácter me enerva y la protagonista Asakawa me desespera un poco que se paralice ante el miedo, pero también es una reacción natural 🤔
Es verdad que cambia algunos elementos a los que estaba acostumbrada, como puede ser el aviso a través del teléfono o el conocimiento del hijo.
En esta parte te apena el final de Sadako, aunque si siento que este no se toca tanto la vida de ella. Aunque le dan un orígen a sus poderes y de donde los saca.
El dibujo, siendo un manga un poco antiguo es el de la época. Eso si he amado las expresiones de terror.
Lo que he odiado un poco a Ryuji, su carácter me enerva y la protagonista Asakawa me desespera un poco que se paralice ante el miedo, pero también es una reacción natural 🤔
January 22, 2019
Having watched almost every filmed iteration of this story, this manga adaptation didn't offer too many surprises for me. But it's still a fairly well done adaptation of the source material. I feel like the artwork isn't really "spooky" enough to elicit the sort of dread and horror the story needs, but I'm also aware that might be just a matter of cultural differences. All in all, as a big fan of the Ring franchise, this was a fun quick read, if only to see how the tale translates to yet another medium.
November 2, 2021
I've seen the US film multiple times and I do hope to read the original novel as well as watch the Japanese film at some point in the future. But I couldn't pass up a manga adaptation. I really enjoyed this. Even knowing the story I still kept wanting to read and see what happened next. I know some reviews mention having issues with the art style but it didn't bother me and I liked it. The overall vibe of this is still uncomfortable and unsettling as expected. I know more of the series has these manga adaptations so I hope to pick those up soon as well.
January 14, 2018
I'm a fan of the movie, both the original and the American version, which surprisingly wasn't too bad. So, I was looking forward to reading the manga and I wasn't disappointed. Followed the movie well, with maybe a little more detail. You could read the first volume as a stand alone, as it ends roughly where the first movie ends. Suitable for teens as it is not graphic. If you like horror manga or either movie, check it out.
March 17, 2022
I read this years ago but somehow forgot to add it to my shelves. I am a huge fan of the novels by Koji Suzuki and most of the films. They are creepy in the extreme, but the same cannot be said of this comics adaptation. The art is just too cartoony. It looks like a Saturday morning kids' show. There are realistic manga artists who could have made it look serious and atmospheric and it baffles me that they went with this.
July 9, 2017
Apenas voy viendo qué hay manga 0 y manga 2.
Despertó mi curiosidad para revisar los filmes, aunque creo que le daré prioridad a la producción japonesa. Sentí un desenlace apresurado, parecía que al principio las cosas iban alcanzando un grado de detalle bastante bueno y PUM! Tuvieron que finalizar sin desenredar las cosas con la misma parsimonia.
Despertó mi curiosidad para revisar los filmes, aunque creo que le daré prioridad a la producción japonesa. Sentí un desenlace apresurado, parecía que al principio las cosas iban alcanzando un grado de detalle bastante bueno y PUM! Tuvieron que finalizar sin desenredar las cosas con la misma parsimonia.
July 11, 2017
I was quite disappointed with the Ring manga - It follows the plot of the film quite closely but I wasn't overkeen on the artwork - Ryuji in particular is very feminine looking and its just not scary. There's not much emphasis on Sadako and I thought this was a big disappointment all round, both as a Ring fan and as a fan of horror manga in general.
February 23, 2022
Plays fast and loose with characters making anything resembling good decisions, but the central mystery is really well put together and the ending is freaking terrifying. I'm hesitant about reading further volumes, because it can only go downhill from here, but someone please tell me if I'm wrong about that.
August 28, 2022
I wasn't entirely sure, when I began reading this volume, how much it would pull from the movie and how much it would pull from the actual novel. I set aside finishing it so I could get through the novel first for the sake of comparison, and I'm glad to report this seems to pull a fair amount of its canon from the book even though it's largely meant to be an adaptation of the movie itself.
July 23, 2020
*2.75*
Reading Rush 2020
This wasn't bad, but it lacks some of the eerie vibes from the films. The art style was pretty good though. I think that if you're a fan of Ringu it's still worth a read.
Reading Rush 2020
This wasn't bad, but it lacks some of the eerie vibes from the films. The art style was pretty good though. I think that if you're a fan of Ringu it's still worth a read.
August 6, 2020
Was expecting more gruesome scenes of this horror manga, but it was okay. The scenes sometimes did not match the writing to me, this took me out of the story at times.
The ending was good, but it does not motivate me to continue the series.
The ending was good, but it does not motivate me to continue the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews