Ringu, or The Ring. Japan’s classic horror franchise may predate some of you at this point. The original film, based of a novel by the same name by Koji Suzuki, kickstarted an international wave of Japanese horror. Even if you haven’t seen any of the films, you’re probably familiar with the premise; There’s a cursed video tape that’s said to kill anyone who sees it within seven days. A woman, Sadako, will crawl out of the TV and end your life. All for watching one little video. The original film received an American remake in 2002, cementing the franchise as a phenomenon. It’s latest film incarnation, Sadako, opens May 24. Preview it, complete with a new Ziyouu-vachi song, in this new trailer.
The franchise’s original director Hideo Nakata, who’s biggest anime related contribution might be directing the L Change The WorLd Death Note spin off movie, returns to direct Sadako. It’s a chance for a new generation of fans to discover The Ring and why it’s not only endured over the years but brought Japanese horror to the Hollywood stage. After the American movie released, all sorts of Japanese horror classes, manly also originally written by Koji Suzuki, were getting Hollywood remakes for a little; Dark Water and The Grudge to name a few. There have since been many, many Ring movies made both in America and Japan, however Sadako seems to be a good starting point for new fans.
We can’t ignore Ziyouu-vachi in the equation either. They’ve been kicking all sorts of anime song butt recently, featuring in Tokyo Ghoul:re and the excellent Dororo. Lead by the enigmatic yet charismatic Avu-chan, the group’s primarily comprised of queer folx of mixed ethnicity. Maybe more notably, they all know how to make killer tunes whether they’re going for Japanese noise rock or their more recent, radio-friendly pop song. Their track for Sadako, called “Seisen” which more or less translates to crusade, goes for those catchy hooks. Paired with the horror imagery in the trailer, it makes for a very unique juxtaposition.
Sadako releases May 24 in Japan. No word on when a single for Ziyouu-vachi’s “Seisen” will drop yet.