In very unusual fashion, the film adaptation of the sequel of Japanese smash hit novel, "Ringu", began production and was released at the same time as "Ringu"'s own film adaptation. As the novel, this film was called "Rasen" (the spiral) and while it kept the characters from "Ringu", it followed Kôji Suzuki's novel more closely than the first. However, this move didn't bring the results the producers were expecting as while "Ringu" became a bigger hit than the novel, "Rasen" soon was destined to oblivion. As a result of this, the produces decided to reunite the crew from the first "Ringu" and shot a sequel that followed a new story based on the first film's plot instead of Suzuki's novel. "Ringu 2" was the name of the sequel and director Hideo Nakata did the miracle one more time.<br /><br />"Ringu 2" picks up where "Ringu" ends, with Mai Takano (Miki Nakatani) discovering the dead body of her boyfriend Ryuji Takayama (Hiroyuki Sanada), death under mysterious causes related to the video that Ryuji and his ex-wife Reiko (Nanako Matsushima) were investigating. Mai decides to investigate what exactly happened to her boyfriend and starts looking for clues about the cursed video. Troubles arise when she discovers why Reiko went into hiding: her son Yoichi (Rikiya Otaka) is beginning to develop the same psychic powers that Sadako, the girl who supposedly created the video, used to display. Sadako's curse is not finished yet.<br /><br />Reunited with most of the crew from "Ringu", Hideo Nakata returns to complete the tale of the cursed video expanding what he experimented on the first to truly make an improvement over it. While he keeps the subtle, almost minimalist style of the first film, the bigger budget allows Nakata to try new things and play with suspense in exciting different ways. Moving away from "Rasen", "Ringu 2" is like better executed "Ringu", and it almost feels as if Nakata was really happy with the chance to give a proper ending to his own "Ringu". While it lacks an "iconic scene" like the first one's famous ending, "Ringu 2" is a better balanced and overall improved example of Nakata's particular (and very influential) style of the New Wave of Asian horror.<br /><br />Written by Nakata himself and Hiroshi Takahashi, "Ringu 2" acts like an extended epilogue for "Ringu", with the character of Mai Takano trying to find the missing pieces of the puzzle that Ryuji and Reiko tried to complete, and finally facing the evil supernatural force that Sadako was revealed to be in the first film. Like in the first movie, the film bases a lot of its power in the relationships between characters, and while the bond between Yoichi and Mai may not be as strong as the one with his mother in "Ringu", it is very well-developed thanks to a cleverly written screenplay. Avoiding the mistakes of "Rasen" (that tried to give a proper scientific explanation to the Ring curse), "Ringu 2" keeps its mystery as the driving force of the film, and delivers a conclusion that, while probably less shocking than the first one, it's no less satisfactory.<br /><br />To be fair, Miki Nakatani does a remarkable job filling the shoes of Nanako Matsushima as main character, and probably a better job than her, as Nakatani shows a freshness and charm that Nanako never showed (in this aspect, Naomi Watts was also better than her in the American remake). Most of the cast from the first "Ringu" returns, which gives the film a nice continuity. Nanako Matsushima feels more comfortable as a supporting character than carrying the entire film, and the same is true for Hiroyuko Sanada (who plays Ryuji) and the late Yoichi Numata (again as Takashi Yamamura). Newcomers to the series like Yûrei Yanagi and Fumiyo Kohinata deliver a good job that fully completes a well-rounded cast.<br /><br />"Ringu 2" is far from a perfect film, but in many ways it is a complete improvement over the influential first part. Still, as "Ringu 2" is basically an extension of the first film's ending, it's definitely pointless to watch it without having seen the first movie, as it's plot is completely dependent of the first one, and it can't stand on its own without the knowledge of the events of "Ringu". Another minor quibble, is that the film moves to a very slow pace (even slower than the first one did), so those expecting a scary experience like the first one will probably be disappointed. "Ringu 2" plays heavy on atmosphere, even more than the first ever did, so it's slow pace is actually beneficial in this aspect.<br /><br />Probably it won't become a classic as the first part did, but judging it as part of the "Ringu" series, this film is definitely a winner. Overall an improvement over the first one, "Ringu 2" is definitely a film to see on a dark night with no lights on. Fans of the series (specially those disappointed by "Rasen" or "The Ring Two"), this is the sequel we demanded. 8/10