Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Ring (Ring, #1)

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Ring (Ring, #1) by Kōji Suzuki

15 reviews

juliawren's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

There are definite tones of misogyny and seriously fucked up characters (please for the love of God check the content warnings), but that's what made this such an addicting read. I could hardly put it down.

Forget morally gray - this is on the same level as Lolita. Whether or not some of the themes and ideas being presented are the author's or just a downright alarming depiction of misogyny present in Japanese culture when this was written, you'll need to approach this story with some serious media literacy to understand that it is 100% a social and philosophical commentary, and you should not agree with all of the characters or their actions because that is the point. There will definitely be times where you won't agree with the author, too (at least I seriously hope not), but I lean towards the belief that his personal ideology (while still sexist and displaying substantial

victim-blaming

qualities that shouldn't be ignored) does not entirely align with these characters, especially given the ending (which, contrary to what many readers claim, does make perfect sense and has nothing to do with

Sadako wanting to have a literal child

- do y'all understand what a metaphor is??).

If you think the ending falls apart with the paranormal stuff, I'd recommend reading up on the Japanese concept of

curses,

as it differs considerably from American mythology/culture about ghosts. Weirdly, I'd also recommend Jujutsu Kaisen if you like anime or manga, since it gets into this concept and you can really understand how Japanese people believe

curses

are made.

That aside, the story was nearly as good as the American version (I didn't love the original as much but might give it another try after reading this). The mystery presented fit together perfectly by the end. Even having watched both movie versions and knowing the general plot / final twist, I felt the tension all the way through. This was a wonderfully chilling and terrifyingly disturbing read, and anyone who enjoyed the films and likes a good scare and can stomach horror, both real and paranormal, will enjoy it.

Content Warnings

xavz_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

1.0

boy howdy was this book gross and also bad. completely unnecessary intersexphobia and like WAY too much rape. the parts where i wasn't mad i was sooo bored. i should have dnf'd at the beginning of the book (even before ryuji was introduced and asakawa really said i can excuse SERIAL RAPE but i draw the line at making noises when you chew. absolutely bonkers.) but alas i continued and that was a mistake. no reason this book had to be doin all of that. nasty.

Content Warnings

sashaanauo's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

i think i enjoyed the plot concept more than I enjoyed actually engaging with this book. the pacing towards the midpoint slowed down a bit too much for my liking, and the unprompted misogyny and transphobic themes really threw me off. the main two characters also being bad people (a rapist and a friend of a rapist) made it really hard to connect with the story as well. i wouldnt mind the two main characters being bad people if it felt like the narrative framed them in a negative manor, but i didnt feel they were at all. i know this is a translated story from 90s japan, but I felt the story would have benefited for a better exploration of its female characters. regardless of all my negative thoughts on the novel, i genuinely enjoyed the explorative mystery element of this novel. the way the it played out was very natural and enjoyable to discover along with the characters. also I know it's a series but the ending happened a lot faster than I was expecting

Content Warnings

onekid1egg's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

the overall story is very interesting and kept me reading, but the characters are bad people in a way that doesn’t feel like a critique at all. the best part is the plot and the weird sexism/transphobic (?) remarks from characters leave a bad taste in my mouth at points

Content Warnings

jazmineteaa's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Content Warnings

loganreadshorror's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Ryuji gave me the ick big time. Asakawa is also grotesquely spineless

for overlooking Ryuji’s confession about being a serial rapist

. Despite the sexism, transphobia, and general disgust I felt towards the characters, it was a really good read, imo. Suzuki’s writing style is interesting and while some of the content is offensive, the idea is interesting and well-executed enough to keep me reading through my digust.

After reading Spiral, you’ll definitely see further why Suzuki makes you hate Ryuji so throughly in this book.

Content Warnings