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Introduction: The Loneliest Urban Legend in Japan There are urban legends that feel theatrical. There are urban legends that feel cruel. And then there are a rare few that feel lonely; stories that don’t simply frighten you, but hollow something out inside your chest and leave it echoing for days afterward. Kisaragi Station (きさらぎ駅) belongs
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Introduction – the Shape of a Modern Ghost Story There are some ghost stories that feel ancient, as though they have always existed. And then there are others that feel new; not in the sense that they were recently invented, but in the sense that they could only have come into being in the modern
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Introduction At first glance, Koji Shiraishi’s Shirome (2010) looks like a joke. It opens not with dread or blood or ghostly imagery, but with rehearsal footage of a real-life J-pop idol group (Momoiro Clover Z) practicing choreography, laughing with one another, and nervously talking about their dreams of one day performing on Kōhaku Uta Gassen,
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Trigger Warning: graphic violence & gore; self-harm & suicide themes; drug use & addiction; mental health crisis; domestic & emotional abuse; death of minors; religious/occult imagery; sexual violence; sexism & patriarchal control; spoilers. When Silent Hill ƒ was first announced, many fans expected the familiar fog-shrouded streets of the series’ namesake town. Instead, we were
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~ Introduction & Overview ~ What Is Buddhism? Buddhism is both a philosophy of liberation and a world religion that began in northern India in the 5th–4th century BCE with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha (“Awakened One”). At its heart are a few key ideas: Over centuries Buddhism spread across Asia:
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A Look at Koji Suzuki’s 1989 Novel Ring and Its Divergence from the Films Today, I want to discuss Koji Suzuki’s 1989 novel Ring, the chilling source material for the iconic media franchise that spawned several films, television series, and even a remake in Hollywood. While the various adaptations have veered into supernatural horror, the
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Introduction Confucianism, as a philosophical and socio-political system, has deeply influenced the development of East Asian societies for over two millennia. While it has been praised for promoting social harmony and moral ethics, its long-standing impact has also contributed to the entrenchment of patriarchal, hierarchical, and authoritarian systems. As a feminist and leftist, I argue
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Shintō (神道), often translated as “the Way of the Gods,” is Japan’s native spiritual tradition; a set of beliefs and practices that long predates the arrival of Buddhism, Confucianism, or Christianity on its shores. Rooted in the worship of kami, or divine spirits, Shintō emerged organically from the rhythms of daily life, the cycles of
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Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) marks the third installment in the Ju-On series, but it’s the first to receive a wide theatrical release, both in Japan and internationally. It follows two earlier made-for-TV films, Ju-On: The Curse and Ju-On: The Curse 2 (both released in 2000), and continues their terrifying legacy. Written and directed by Takashi
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Ringu, the movie that started it all; the urtext, if you will, of J-Horror. Based on the Koji Suzuki novel of the same name, Hideo Nakata’s 1998 masterpiece didn’t just redefine horror for a generation: it created a new cinematic language of dread. Eschewing gore and cheap jump scares, Ringu roots its terror in the
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