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The Ring Volume 0: Birthday

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The Ring Volume 0: Birthday
Cover of the 2005 Dark Horse Manga release of The Ring Volume 0 Birthday
GenreHorror
Manga
Written byHiroshi Takahashi
Published byJapan Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd
English publisherUnited States Dark Horse Manga
Original run2005 – 2005
Volumes1


The Ring Volume 0: Birthday is the 5th installment of The Ring manga series, based on The Japanese film of the same name. The antagonist of previous ring films & mangas, Sadako Yamamura, is now the protagonist, it explores the origin of the cursed video, her early life, and the devolepment of her powers. Both the film and manga are loosely based on the Ring Novel Series by Koji Suzuki [1]


Introduction

The events in The Ring Volume 0: Birthday take place 30 years prior to the events in previous manga installments and films. [2] The antagonist, Sadako Yamamura, has been put into the role of protagonist and her background is explored.[3] The manga opens in Tokyo with two Women having a conversation over their phones about a dream related to a video. In the dream the woman having a conversation is seen exploring the premise of an abandoned house. As she explores the house further she finds a well and an opening in the house, she goes through the opening and up a pair of stairs. Next follows a scene where a woman is knocked into the well, this foreshadows the end of the book where Sadako Yamamura is pushed into the well by her father.[4]

Summary

Miyaji Akiko is the antagonist of The Ring Volume 0: Birthday, her goal is to obtain vengeance for the death of her fiance at the hands of Sadako Yamamura[5], it is revealed ,during Miyaji's investigation, that Sadako's mother, Shizuko Yamamura, had similar powers and died an untimely death.[6] Meanwhile, Sadako is trying to adapt to her role as a theatrical understudy. Sadako shows great interest in the lead role at the theater[7], this interest prompts the lead actress to hate Sadako's presence and suspect an evil in her[8]. The lead actress, Aiko, despises Sadako so much that while practicing for the play Aiko loses concentration anytime Sadako watches her[9]. Toyama shows interest in Sadako during her first altercation with Aiko, the lead actress.[10] The evil Aiko suspects manifest when Sadako inadvertently kills Aiko after having a premonition of Aiko's death.[11]Before Aiko's death Sadako was administered a sedative to supress her powers. [12]Her motive for joining the theater, to be someone else, is revealed to Toyama, whom she has fallen in love with.[13] The Director, having lost his lead actress, Aiko, to death by an unknown cause, chose Sadako as his new lead actress,[14] this decision shocked the other actors and crewmen at the theater. [15] One commented, "Geez...! Did she poison Aiko or what...," hinting towards suspicion of Sadako being involved with Aiko's death. [16]


As Sadako falls into the role of lead actress Miyaji comes closer to discovering the truth about Sadako's past. She goes to Dr. Kuno, Sadako's doctor, with an inquiry about a theory on the existence of supernatural phenomena.[17] Dr. Kuno, apprehensive to the situation, claims the theory was denied even by Sadako's father, Dr. Heihachiro Ikuma. Dr. Kuno points out he cannot completely rule out the existence of supernatural powers and refers to it as a sitxh sense, Miyaji continues the conversation by revealing a sound recording of a supernatural experiment that occured 10 years ago. Miyaji presses the doctor for information after saying, "The Journalist who died at that experiment was my fiance."[18] She ask Dr. Kuno if he knows the whereabouts of Sadako. Dr. Kuno, Sadako's doctor, denies knowing of Sadako's location.[19]

On the opening day of the theater's play a co-worker plays a recording of the sounds from the ESP experiment while Sadako is on stage. The sounds from the experiment prompt Sadako to go into a violent frenzy, in her rage she kills her doctor whom approached her in the same manner as her director. Sadako's co-workers, frightened by Sadako's display of power, chase her down and beat her to what is seemingly her death.[20] Led by Miyaji, Sadako's co-workers go to the Yamamura house to kill the evil Sadako, unbeknownst to Miyaji and Sadako's co-workers bringing Sadako in contact with her evil side makes her whole again. [21] After coming in contact with her evil side Sadako kills Toyama, the rest of the theater's workers, and Miyaji. Ring 0: Birthday arrives at resolution when Sadako's father knocks her into the well and the book leaves us at the start of the first Ring.[22]

Powers of Sadako Yamamura

Sadako Yamamura displays various powers throughout The Ring Series but she is best known for the Cursed Video. [23]

References

  1. ^ http://www.ftp-anime.com/forum/manga-downloads/347-ringo-3-vol-drama-horror.html
  2. ^ http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/10-185/The-Ring-Volume-0-TPB
  3. ^ http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/10-185/The-Ring-Volume-0-TPB
  4. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Pages 7-8.
  5. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 91, Panel 6
  6. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 12, Panel 1
  7. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 24, Panel 4
  8. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 26, Panel 2
  9. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 31, Panel 6
  10. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 19, Panels 5 and 6
  11. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 32, Page 42
  12. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 21, Panels 2,3, and 4.
  13. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 37, Panel 1, Page 97, Panel 6
  14. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 50, Panel 1
  15. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 50, Panel 6
  16. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 50, Panel 7
  17. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 43
  18. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 44 to Page 48
  19. ^ Takahashi, Hiroshi. The Ring Volume 0: Birthday. Digital Manga Publication: Dark Horse Comics, 2005. Print. Page 49, Panel 1 to Panel 3
  20. ^ The Ring 0: Birthday pages 114 to 118
  21. ^ The Ring 0: Birthday pages 123, 125, and 128 to 131
  22. ^ The Ring 0: Birthday pages 149 to 156
  23. ^ http://www.theringworldforum.com/index-2.html
  24. ^ The Ring 0: Birthday page 89
  25. ^ The Ring 0: Birthday pages 118 to 133
  26. ^ The Ring 0: Birthday pages 136 to 137
  27. ^ The Ring 0: Birthday page 79
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