'Giri/Haji': Netflix's Japanese-English thriller promises to be a heady mix of violence, humor and melancholy
This story may contain minor spoilers for 'Giri/Haji'
"Someone threw a stone in a pond a long way away and we're only just feeling the ripples." And on this ominous note begins the Anglo-Japanese crime thriller 'Giri/Haji'.
Translated directly as 'Duty/Shame', the series follows Kenzo Mori (Takehiro Hira), a Tokyo detective who travels to London to look for his long lost younger brother Yuto (Yōsuke Kubozuka).
Kenzo and his family believe that Yuto has been dead for years now. But after a Japanese businessman is killed in his apartment all the way across the ocean in London, suspicions rise against him leading to the belief that Yuto is now posing as a Yakuza gangster.
The murder of the Japanese businessman threatens to start a gang war in Japan. With his family's honor at stake and the fragile peace between the warring gangs back home on the brink of combustion, Kenzo leaves for London immediately — to find his brother.
'Giri/Haji' is by no means a predictable series — it is rooted in originality and had a surprise treat in store around every corner.
There is also a sufficient dose of humor — which might not always be intended for laughs but adds a layer to not just the show but also the characters, particularly for our protagonist Kenzo with his succinct personality.
Speaking of layers, the story opens up slowly making 'Giri/Haji' a real slow burner if you were to binge-watch the series. But the direction and screenplay combined with a thrilling soundtrack make it worth the watch.
With an exceptional screenplay written by Joe Barton and directed by Julian Farino, 'Giri/Haji' is nothing like the crime dramas you have watched before. It is a heady mix of violence, thriller, suspense, humor and melancholy.
'Giri/Haji', which is already out in the UK, is set to come to Netflix on January 10, 2020.