Ju-on: Origins

As a fan of horror, especially J-horror, I noticed more Japanese touches in the series over all like 4 (Shi = death ) pairs of shoes in some frames for tension and the use of a newborn in a horror context. There was even mention of a real Japanese crime in background news reports that happened in that same time period ( the girl incased in concrete).

It's a rewrite from the traditional groaning and crab walking of the original but it more than makes up for it in little touches of Japanese culture that you can't really get in something like the American film remake.

Its target audience is most likely Japanese natives or at least someone who prefers traditional J-horror folklore that can take the time to look up some of the cultural nuances. Especially with the added mystery element.

This will fall flat for someone who wants to tune out and watch something scary for a thrill. But I love it for all the above reasons. It's only sin is misaimed marketing.

JU-ON: Origins: A tv series is sort of a prequel, inbetweenquel and sequel to the original Ju-On. The action covers the period 1988 to 1997 but it also strays back to the origins of the curse in 1952. We have angry ghosts, confused ghosts, ghosts who can take on physical forms, time-slips. Much of the horror though is of the more mundane variety be it school bullies tricking a girl to go to the cursed house so that a friend can abuse or domestic violence. Some of this may be brought about by evil spirits but not all. The violence passes on through the generations and families who move into the house meet gruesome deaths. Murders and suicides abound. A dark. disturbing series, season one ends on a cliffhanger. Directed by Sho Miyake, written by Takashige Ichise and Hiroshi Takahashi. 7/10. On Netflix.

I don't really consider this as a terror tv series, it works as a way to explain more about the origin of Ju-On, obviously as the title says but somehow I don't really see an actual strong connection between the house and the characters (at least until ep 4, trust me, that episode is insane), many things happens along different storylines and I have to mention they're actually pretty interesting.

So, in conclusion, if you know how to separate the Ju-On series (along with what you'll expect this series to be) and if you're searching for an interesting, kind of deep and "raw" show...undoubtedly this show will be enjoyable for you.

Give it a chance if you can, each episode is about 20 minutes...

This series was a solid, albeit unnecessary revamp of the Grudge origin story. It's nothing we haven't seen before in terms of story, but its execution feels more authentic here, and gruesome enough to easily warrant its TV-MA rating. I'm glad they decided to keep this origin series within its original Japanese roots instead of Americanizing it once again, as we've all seen how those have turned out... Overall a solid series, though it would've probably worked better as a 2 hour Japanese film instead.

Looking for a chill show to watch and have fun? Then don't watch this. This show delivers what it's supposed to. Creeps you the hell out.