The Birthday (short story collection)
| Author | Koji Suzuki |
|---|---|
| Original title | Birthday (バースデイ Bāsudei) |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Genre | Horror |
Publication date | 1999 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Preceded by | Loop (Rupu) |
Birthday (バースデイ Bāsudei) is an anthology by Japanese writer Koji Suzuki first published on February 5, 1999 in Japan. It is the fourth installment of Suzuki's Ring series.
Plot
The book consists of three short stories occurring each in a different timeframe, and are all related to the Ring universe:
Floating Coffin – This covers the last moments of character Mai Takano's life, which were omitted in the second novel of the series, Rasen (published in the United States of America and United Kingdom under the title Spiral). The story is told from her perspective.
Lemonheart – The second story of the anthology, and the basis for the screenplay of film Ring 0: Birthday (2000). The majority of it takes place during central character Sadako Yamamura's time with the Hishio acting troupe at the age of 19. The focus of this story is Sadako's intimate relationship with fellow acting troupe member, Hiroshi Toyama, and her social alienation from the rest of the members. It also reveals the full story of her death and "rebirth" in the cursed videotape.
Happy Birthday – The final story of the anthology. It further develops the storyline of the last novel, Loop, while incorporating new information disclosed in the previous two short stories. It depicts the last events taking place in the Ring universe chronologically, and is also the conclusion of the series.
Adaptations
No adaptations have adapted all three stories at once. The 2000 film Ring 0: Birthday and the audio drama adapt the short story Lemonheart, while the 1999 manga adapts Floating Coffin and Lemonheart, leaving out Happy Birthday, instead replacing it with a new story called Sadako.
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Book information
Vertical Inc. published the English translation of Birthday in December 2006.
Sources and external links
- the Ring AREA – Contains the cursed videos of the Ring cycle and their scene-by-scene analyses, as well as lots of other useful information.
- Vertical Inc. – Publisher of English translations of the Ring novels.