I LOVE
The Ring and very much enjoyed
Ringu when I rented it.
The Japanese film's pacing is MUCH slower. Which really works in its favor--it builds suspense much more steadily than the US film. There are places where the story was Americanized--the ex husband no longer has weird psychic powers, for instance. While I loved the US version, the Japanese film was clearly superior.
On the other hand, Naiomi Watts.
<img src="http://ringworld.somrux.com/images/watts_lace2.jpg">
Nuff said.