The latest horror success story by famous Japanese writer Koji Suzuki, author of – among others – best sellers the likes of Dark Water, Spiral and The Ring (basis for the well-known 2002 American film), can well be considered unique.
Like any self-respecting horror story, Drop – this is the title of the book – takes place in the darkness of a rather inhospitable place. One which, according to Japanese religious beliefs, is often infested by ghosts and evil spirits: a public toilet! And not just the place where the story takes place is particular, its format is, too: a 90-cm long plot that unfolds on a roll of toilet paper!
Hayashi Paper Corp., a company that even in the past had shown a strong propensity towards unconventional drawings printed on its toilet paper (for example, rolls containing information on what todo in case of an earthquake or other natural disasters), has decided to produce this bizarre form of “bathroom reading”. Suzuki’s story is printed on the roll in blue characters, it is repeated several times, and, as per true horror style tradition, contains blood which, at every story ending, decorates the roll with spots and blotches.
This story-roll is aimed above all at public restrooms or shop restrooms and certainly represents aninnovative editorial idea. A winning promotional solution. But also an economical one, since eachroll costs 210 yen (just a little over 1.5 euro). Certainly the novella can be appreciated by lots of people if we consider that the 90 cm of Drop can be read in just a few minutes!