Ju-On

by Kei Ohishi

In Japan, ju-on is a deadly curse that takes on a life of its own. Always seeking new victims, it's a grudge that doesn't stop-it can't be stopped. Anyone unfortunate enough to meet up with a ghost killed by the grudge is then killed-and so it spreads. When a senior citizen outreach volunteer goes to work in a house in a quiet residential area, she soon starts to hear odd noises. As the strange events get more and more ominous, she discovers that...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159582071X
• ISBN13: 9781595820716
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: DH Press
• Length: 235 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

Tries to bring order to the chaos that is the Ju-On phenomena

"If somebody dies while in the grip of a very strong rage, a curse accumulates in the place where they have died, and all those who come in contact with it will suffer grievously. Then the curse is renewed". Ohishi attempts to make order out of the chaos that is the Ju-On legacy. The movies had unreliable timelines; shifting from the past to the present and back again without warning; sometimes even showing the same event twice from different viewpoints. Ohishi novelizes and attempts, and mostly succeeds, to unify and squeeze the main events of "The Grudge", "The Curse", and "The Curse 2" into this lone Ju-On book. Kayako is a shy, introverted high school girl with a serious crush on the outgoing Kobayashi. Too shy to act on this crush, she withdraws to live off of her inheritance soon after graduation. Takeo, one of the tenants of the building that she now owns, falls in love with her, and they marry, having a son, Toshio. Takeo wanting more children but discovering that he is nearly infertile, wonders if Toshio is really his son. Takeo then goes through his wife's drawers, finding her diary from high school where she had written passionately about her fantasies about Kabayashi. Meanwhile, Toshio's new teacher has become, coincidently, none other than Kobayashi. When Takeo finds this out, he becomes enraged with jealousy, causing him to conflate events and he becomes convinced that Toshio is Kabayashi's son and not his. When Kayako comes home from shopping, Takeo ambushes her, then tortures her to death. Takeo then tries to kill Toshio, but fails, he then journeys to Kobayashi's apartment, kills Kobayashi's pregnant wife, ripping out her baby. Meanwhile from beyond the grave Kayako's rage has grown, and leads her to take Toshio into her world, kills Kabayashi, and then Takeo. The story then jumps ahead several years to the Tokunaga family who have purchased Kayako's home. Kayako dispatches the Tokunagas, taking possession of the sick mother's second caregiver. The curse soon spreads to all caregivers, police, and relations; all are targets. With a few exceptions, Ohishi manages to bring most of films' story threads coherently together. "Ju-On"'s main problem is its language, as it's often a little too formal, repetitious and clumsy. It is at its most formal in the first chapter, but that may be because it is told from Kayako's viewpoint. Another problem is that Ohishi also trots out Manami's (Kabayashi's wife) forced abortion several times for shock effect, but once was more than enough. Still, this novelization has several strong aspects, as Ohishi starts off each of the chapters with a "true" ghost story, and he manages to keep the entire huge cast of characters separate and distinct. Ohishi also uses Kayako's diary to great effect as many of the victims find it, read it, read about the deaths of the others, and finally read about their own upcoming and inevitable death. While language and storytelling are at

Beautifully Graphic and Much Better than the Film Version

A true Japanese horror classic. Ju-On was more gritty and intense than the eponymous movie. Read the book first! The film will seem tame.

SEE THE MOVIES FIRST, THEN READ THE NOVEL!

This novelization covers the Ju-on cycle; Ju-on: The Curse, Ju-on: The Grudge, and Ju-on II. It also provides spoilers for the American films The Grudge and the Grudge 2. The original Japanese direct-to-video short films in The Curse are diffcult to find in the US, and fortunately they aren't absolutely necessary to understanding and appreciating the rest of the Ju-on series. However, the novelization will provide more details of the backstory that the viewer will appreciate having. My sugggestion is to watch the films, then read the novel to clarify anything that seemed confusing. The story is not told in a linear manner, and it can be difficult to follow at times, but the book is very helpful here.

Nothing like the movie

This book will have you checking the corners to see if SHE is there or her SON are on the hunt to kill, kill, kill, and kill again and again. I love this book because it explains what really happened to Kayako and Toshio. Kayako has a usual crush on Kobayashi well to put it mildly it is not crush because some things that she has written in her journal does not seem like a crush. This book has a lot of hatred and evil that will affect anyone that goes near the home of Kayako. Read it and understand I do not want to give away any details. Trust me you will not be disappointed.