Ju-On (2020)

Ju-on: Origins

I understand why some horror fans are (will be) disappointed with this series, even my brother was a bit disappointed, because as far as the usual/traditional horror formula goes it isn’t really that scary. The build up to the jump scares were just so-so.

For me, it’s more psycho triller than horror. Unlike other stuff under the horror genre, in which the “ghost” causes physical harm to the victim, in this one she just mentally manipulated them into a killing spree. As how my brother desribed it: “She shows up in front of the person and then be like: Surprise! You’re a killer now!”

The gore scenes were also deeply disturbing because it’s way way too graphic, censorship and trigger warnings be damned. There were parts that I had to look away because it was a lot to take in.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching it. I like that it’s plot-heavy instead of focusing on the scary parts. It can be a bit confusing at the start tho because there are two different timelines/stories but they were able to connect it smoothly so the confusion was worth enduring.

I also think that it focusing on the story-telling is a major thing that separates it from the early Ju-on films, and yes other fans might see it as something disrespectful (idk) but I’m honestly okay with how they deviated.

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Ju-On Origins

Ju-On Origins definitely isn't any form of terrifying in terms of ghosts and ghouls, but to be totally honest in this review — that's what I love this show for.

The entire Ju-On franchise has been based on ghost horror, focusing on how supernatural entities prey on the living but Origins brings us a whole new look around to the legend. Origins does this in a new way, showing us how ghosts can affect the living to bring out the worst in humanity, how easily we can be twisted along with the horrors humans cans do ourselves with little input from the beyond.

This show was brilliant in terms of how it interacted with real life, showing actual cases of what has happened in Japan in the same time frames and areas being shown and really helped immerse us in ways that aren't very well explored (or maybe they are pretty explored and I haven't seen enough media). Either way, it was done really well in this aspect and I have to give a massive shout out to the team for that.

The overall feel of this show felt more like the game Fatal Frame in a way, more than the Ju-On series which was refreshing. The original film series had a lot of the same feelings throughout all the movies so a change was a brave thing to do for the series but also very well played.

There's quite a few plot holes that did annoy me and I'm hoping we get a second season later on that will explain these but past that, this was really well done.

It's understandable a lot of horror lovers might not like this for the way it's been presented, the changes, plot holes, etc but for what the show is, they did it extremely well. Brilliant change of pace and definitely worth the three hours.

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Trigger warnings (and potential spoilers):

Just be warned — there's a lot of triggering content in this series including rape, abuse (both domestic and child) and others I'm forgetting.

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Having watched quite a number of movies under the Ju-On title, I was intrigued at the idea of the movie series being presented in drama form. And to be honest, I can't help having a mixed feeling about this series.

Like there were some parts of the story that I wish could be expanded longer and there were some parts I felt better off not being focused too much on. Like the whole sexual violence plot that was going on with Kiyomi's plot and how she ended up being hypersexual afterwards and the whole thing about her mum's story, which was never really properly laid out. And then there was Haruka's part of the story with the journalist guy who ended up writing lots of paranormal books based on the cursed house; in which it turned out that the guy did actually have his own connection towards the cursed house which tied into few other different couples who also ended up being consumed by the curse and everything ended up going full circle. All these different pieces of the plot, different people and families, while learning more on how their lives ended up being embroiled into the curse of the house; could have made to be quite an interesting story had it also used all of the storytelling mechanics that the past Ju-On movies had incorporated but unfortunately it didn't. Because of that, as in the lack of clear transition (in which all Ju-On movies had used) between all of the separate storylines, made the whole drama series to end up quite confusing. Since you ended up not being sure when the narrative was focusing on which character before moving the narrative towards the other.

And that was saying a lot, considering that this drama did contain elements from the original Ju-On, Girl in Black, Lady in White and many other plots from the other Ju-On series. Not to mention the very fact that the series almost completely removed the ghost element in the story while keeping the mystery and thriller atmosphere, as well as the roundabout narrative style.

It took me until episode 5 before I could start getting a clearer image of what's going on. Basically, Ju-On: The Cursed House aka Ju-On: Origin was basically trying to tell a Ju-On story while also deploying the same narrative style as The Haunting of the Hill House. If you liked the latter, then you'd be able to enjoy this drama. Or, if you're like me you'd end up feeling slightly disappointed as by the end of the drama, you'd feel as if the writer just gave up on the writing and resorted to borrowing the ending of Haunting of the Hill House to end their story. And honestly, I can't help feeling a slight disappointment towards this drama considering that the drama had been helmed by the two most prominent horror writers whose works include the past Ju-On movies as well as Ring.

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Brilliant

Now, I personally haven't watched anything in the Ju On franchise, so this is the first piece of content that I have seen. It is also one of the very first J-horror shows that I have watched, and so far I love it. I understand where people are coming from when they say it is confusing, but as I watched more into the show, it made sense to me. This is definitely a drama you have to think about to really understand what is happening, not one where you can just sit and watch.

I can't speak on how good it is compared to other movies in the Ju On series (like I stated earlier), so I can't comment on why some fans might be disappointed. But I thought that it was brilliant how the writers slowly wove all of these different stories together to create a looped timeline of sorts. There are little hints you have to listen to, remember, and recognize for the show to really make sense. Like for example, when Odajima (i think that's his name) said that his sister was supposedly 'kidnapped' in the house because there was a broken window the night she was taken, you then have to remember that because Kiyomi then later breaks that same window in her timeline, and that's the reason why the window is broken in Odajima's timeline.

If that didn't really make sense to you, I don't blame you. The show actually has a very complex story and timeline, and one could easily get confused. But if you pay attention and remember the small details, then the story starts to become more and more clear.

And some people talk about how they wished some stories were elaborated on, and I agree. Especially if it makes the plot clearer. But overall, I think it was really good. Like the ending?? It really did tie everything together and it truly showed how reality is not everything it seems. That brings me back to the looped like timeline thing that I thought they portrayed perfectly. I agree with some reviews that say they wished they knew WHY the house was haunted in the first place, but if you take the time to really think about all the stories and how they are intertwined, it became perfect.

(SPOILER: this is why I think it is a looped timeline, other than the fact that all the stories weave in with each other. the first story (where the son had taken a woman and impregnated and imprisoned her) ties back to when Haruka is taken at the end. I think that now that the story was figured out by the characters, the houses timeline repeats again, and this time Haruka is the one taken and imprisoned and impregnated. And then it all repeats again and again. Or that's how I see it)

But yeah, the acting and music they used portrayed the right creepy atmosphere and made the show more enjoyable. But if you are someone who can't handle very gory scenes, domestic and child abuse, or graphic scenes of rape, please do not watch this. I personally think the show should be rated higher than it is so do with that info as you will.
But I recommend if you want to watch a short drama heavy in plot but also creepy to keep you on your toes.

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Not scary, but disturbing.

More than once I asked myself: what am I watching? Either because the scenes were truly graphic and they did not shy away from some triggering scenes, other times the picture they were framing was simply funny in my eyes. I think that's the unique quality many Japanese horror films have: they just go for it and see no limits.

The story, to some extent, led to nowhere. Did I mind it? No. From the beginning, it was more about questioning what will happen to the characters next, and not where they will end. As we all know, usually horror stories are not that nice to the main characters. That said, the story was still at times confusing (especially closer to the end) and some stories were for sure not explored enough. Given we only got 25 minutes for each episode, I still believe they did a fairly good job with the plot.

The thing that amazed me was for sure directing and editing. I was in love with the style the whole drama was shot in. They committed to show the gore and violence and some of the worst sides of humanity. The sounds and music used in it were PERFECT choices.

The acting, damn it was good. Ririka's performance was especially to die for. Truly believable and raw. You could feel all the emotions Kiyomi was feeling, though at times I would rather not be able to see and understand it all.

The goal of this show was not to scare, but to make you feel uncomfortable. There are no jump scares, but we did get some long scenes showing the most despicable acts. As I watched it, I questioned how bad these people are and how much their actions are influenced by the supernatural.

Overall, I would like to say trigger warning for rape and gore. If you expect some cheap jump scares followed by loud sounds, this ain't for you. If you are grossed out by gore, this ain't for you. If watching serious abuse is too much for you, this ain't for you. It's a good show, but the target audience is rather small because not many would enjoy watching it.

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The story is not meant to be scary, per se, but to be disturbing.

Staying true to J-Horror style, Ju-On: Origins exhibits its mastery of subtle approach at telling a gripping tale about the beginning of a series of different events.

The story is not meant to be scary, per se, but to be disturbing. I guess most of the confusion and disappointment about this series are because some audience expected it to be something that would definitely "scare" them in a conventional way. However, a deeper understanding of Japanese horror style or Asian horror, in general, would definitely help in having more appropriate expectations for this series. Unlike the usual western horror style, J-horror/Asian horror tends to be more psychologically disturbing rather than conventionally scary.

Ju-On: Origins is told in a nonlinear narrative, which for others can create some confusion, but upon deeper inspection and analysis this nonlinear narrative is very effective in setting the psychologically disturbing atmosphere that it aims to give to the audience.

As someone who is an avid fan of the horror genre, I would definitely recommend and give a thumbs up to this series.

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Disturbing psychological events

When I saw the first episode, I was like, this is not scary at all. I read the plot summary and it went like " the real events are scarier than the drama " . After reading that I thought I would watch it during the day. The drama itself isn't that scary but many scenes are psychologically disturbing.

Drama starts with a famous celebrity Haruka's paranormal experience and then goes on to show how this experience affects her and her boyfriend's life. A writer interested in paranormal stories, interviews Haruka and comes to know that all of the bad events started when her boyfriend turned fiance visited a cursed house. Then the writer connects with a number of other families who had lived in that house for a period of time . The writer discovers that all of them had experienced severe personal losses in their life after staying in that house. I liked how the writer tries to connect the dots between the events happened to the families who lived in that house once and the bad things that followed their life even after leaving the house.

The events each family goes through is shown in detail - there are many gore scenes - flesh and blood etc.. So if you are triggered by those type of scenes, then this drama may not be for you. More than your typical horror movies, in this drama, people who visit the house or who stays there experiences severe psychological disturbances.

If you like psychological, disturbing gore kind of drama for a change, then you could give this a try.

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I am not fan of J-Horror but I know some J-Horror movies. Basically, they told about karma, what you did that is what you will get. This series pop up last week into my Netflix recommendation series. Due to Netflix standard, I am hoping this series will be good. First episode looks good and promising this becomes horror series. And comes to second episode which makes me down and more confusing at the final episode. There is no continuation in story timeline. They jump from one story to another story. Voice over from episode 1 that tells this one is the original story make me confused because they not focusing on the house but how the house make impact on people. No explanation why the house become haunted and why their spirit trapped in that house and what happened with the first family who living in that house. Moreover, they didn't show a child in staircase, the iconic scene from Ju On franchise movie.

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Unrelentingly horrifying

As opposed to what the title suggests, the show provides more of an indication of the cursed house's origin. It is more about the unending and inevitable suffering that befall the people who visit or reside in that house. These suffering have been portrayed in excruciatingly shocking and disturbing ways. There were handful of occasions that left me agape with horror; not the jump-out-of-my-seat kind, but more primal and long-lasting, which in my opinion is truly horrifying. There were at least two scenes that shook me to my core. One lasts for a few seconds, and the horrifying visual is off screen, but the sound, unfortunately, isn't. The second scene is more protracted, but it plays with your expectations in a very twisted way, sucker punching you with the extremes of horrors that the living could be capable of. Speaking of horror, the jump scares are next-to-none in this show, and so you may be a tad disappointed if that was your only motivation for watching this show . Instead, you will find multiple story strands, overlapping and interfering with one another, to convey a deep and densely horrifying experience.

All the actors did a fine job, but I was more impressed by the very economical and precise screenplay, the sublime background score (the end credits score is quite mesmerising) and the editing.

So, if you are willing to invest for the gradual return of pure horror instead of instant gratification of jump scares, then you may like the show, and find it as unrelentingly disturbing and shocking as I did.

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I know this series is set long before Kayako and Toshio time, it's not even about them, it's more about the house that somehow already cursed before them, and this series makes me longing for them even more.

This series got the atmosphere right, the build up towards scary moment is quite great, but when it needs a hard punch to make those moment impactful and slaps, it just so weak. Those were mostly covered up by the story that absolutely intriguing; in fact, that's what kept me watching until the final episode, even though the way it feels like Interstellar kinda weird to me.
This series also looks quite beautiful, the shots, the lighting, etc. put to good use to help strengthen the atmosphere and build up.

This series ends but leaves a wedge in my heart.

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What was this? No... Really.... What the FUCK was this? I tried, okay. I TRIED! But I just....

Say sike right now. SAY SIKE!! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! ROFL!!! Y'all this show was promised to have so many answers and be soooo "scary". I didn't jump once and I was more disgusted than anything. I swear the more JU-ON keeps going, the more it gets more fucking stupid and ridiculous.
*insert image of blacked out girl in window*
Lemme tell you, I rate this show ONE STAR! But for old time's sake, I gave it a 5. I think I am being to generous. I don't understand how everyone loves this show. I really feel alone with this one. Lol I get it though, everyone has their own likes and dislikes but I wish someone would make this show make sense. Nothing. And I mean NOTHING adds up. and I hate hate hate hate HAAAATE FUCKING HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE time jumping shit. With my whole chest and so much passion, I HATE THAT SHIT!! It's annoying and this made it even worse because it did this on top of no answers and gave us shitting weird things like ol blacked out girl in the previous picture. (yes, I know who it is and it still doesn't make sense.)

This show literally took the first movie and made it shitty. Made it seem like the house was "bad" and "cursed" before they even moved in which DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!! NOTHING ABOUT THIS MADE ANY SENSE!!

*possible spoiler warning*
I STG the part I hated the most was the rape scene. Who the fuck gets attacked and then decided to CLING to their attacker? NO FUCKING PERSON DOES THIS!! That one part made me hate this whole damn show and I only stuck around in hopes to get some answers that MAYBE there was justice, BUT THERE WASN'T!! She stuck with him THE WHOLE SHOW! It makes me want to vomit. And the little boy? "He was a gift to me from the house" Are.... are.... are you fucking insane? What are you talking about?
I feel so bad for that kid. I have no words.

I'm getting seriously pissed all over again. I'm sorry. Moving on--
There were so many characters. SO MANY that... had no reason to be a part of the show? And if they were, WHAT WAS THEIR REASON?! I don't get it. I'm confused, can you tell? Also edit, I can't give it 5 stars. 3. Three is the best I can do.

**gifs/images available on my blog so the review makes more sense. Lol
http://fearstreetzombiereviews.blogspot.com/2021/02/review-ju-on-origins.html

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