In more ways than one. When I saw "Ring 2" listed, I thought it would be the American they would air. And I certainly would not have guessed that I would wind up enjoying this anywhere near as much as I did. I had pretty much written off original(as opposed to remade ones... yes, I know) Asian horror films, sure that I wouldn't understand, and thus, not intending to pursue, them. Yet my eyes were just about glued to the screen, and it turned out to be one of the more engaging viewing experiences I've had recently. I haven't seen the first one, only the Verbinski version, so if you find any utter ignorance in this review, please chalk it up to that(and no, I don't have an excuse for the rest of my writing). The plot is well-written and develops nicely throughout. The pacing is good. The acting is great, even for the kid, which is arguably a bit unusual. The effects are all marvelous, nothing looked fake. The scares are well-done, and they work quite well. There is atmosphere and creepiness all over the place, herein. I'd still watch Gore's before this or the others in this particular series, but hey, I am a Westerner. And this still had me in a tight grip for the 90 minutes. I recommend this to fans of the genre and the people who made the movie. 7/10