Other than documentaries, I have been a bit disappointed with most series that have been released on Netflix lately.  While it might not go over so well here, I include *The Witcher* in my list of disappointments.  

Every now and then something truly unusual and unique comes out, and *Giri / Haji* is that series for me at the moment.  

<center>![AAAABT_ugHjHBxBW5IQwSsJYe0b_kquwdubpci5pYGZMyUjPwhGgwajhn7z98O6wTQypwm5vLegtwYZld9HDWbfumrWnIAaIGElBRiflaulGQtIv4HduUsQIhOvLFK1w.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/UthWNUXZ-AAAABT_ugHjHBxBW5IQwSsJYe0b_kquwdubpci5pYGZMyUjPwhGgwajhn7z98O6wTQypwm5vLegtwYZld9HDWbfumr-WnIAaIGElBRiflaulGQtIv4HduUsQIhOvLFK-1w.jpg)
[source](https://occ-0-2954-2567.1.nflxso.net/dnm/api/v6/XsrytRUxks8BtTRf9HNlZkW2tvY/AAAABT_ugHjHBxBW5IQwSsJYe0b_kquwdubpci5pYGZMyUjPwhGgwajhn7z98O6wTQypwm5vLegtwYZld9HDWbfumr-WnIAaIGElBRiflaulGQtIv4HduUsQIhOvLFK-1w.jpg)   </center>

*Giri / Haji* means "Duty / Shame" in English and that is, in a shell what this show is about.  It is centered around the Yakuza in Japan, but the story leads us to London as Kenzo Mori, a top Tokyo detective has been sent there in the hopes of finding his brother Yuto, who has been accused of killing a Yakuza family member and this threatens to bring gang-war to the streets of Japan.

<center>![gh_portrait_yuto_saburoapt_20180905_0113.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/XjGxShWV-gh_portrait_yuto_saburo-apt_20180905_0113.jpg)
[source](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2019/12/03/16/girihaji.jpg) </center>

There is just one problem:  Yuto, until recently had been thought to be dead.  

I'm not going to reveal plot points, because going into this show unknowing is absolutely critical.  We are quickly introduced to the major characters and each of them has their own distinct personalities but also a commonality:  They all have a dark secrets that drives them and at least in my opinion, this is where the title of the show comes from.  

<center> ![girihajiLST374271.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/4fGWCnCP-giri-haji-LST374271.jpg)
[source](https://files.list.co.uk/images/2019/10/17/giri-haji-LST374271.jpg)
<sub> The "side quest" story about Kenzo and the relationship he has with his rebellious daughter, is a fantastic addition </sub> </center>

This is a show not just about crime but also about family, regret, and love.  As the story unfolds there are very real and unsuspected plot twists that keep you guessing about what could possibly happen next in this twisted tale where it seems everyone had a dark secret.



About halfway through episode 2 you are likely going to end up feeling the show is moving too slowly to hold your interest.  I think this because that is exactly what happened with me.  I'm encouraging you to keep moving because once the story unravels, it is one of the better crime series I have seen in the past couple years.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4CZM2HdVJc
<sub> from the official [Netflix](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWOA1ZGywLbqmigxE4Qlvuw) channel </sub>

The fact that a great deal of the dialogue in the show is in Japanese means that subtitles are going to be necessary for 99.9% of people (unless you happen to be completely fluent in both languages) and this turns some people off.  In my situation it was the only reason I ended up watching so intently because like i mentioned before, the first couple of episodes drag at points and if they had been completely in English, I likely would have gone off and did something else and lost the story.  

There has been such a push with marketing for other shows on Netflix now that I think *Giri/Haji* might be one of those shows that unless recommended to you, you might not even hear about it.  Well, here I am telling you about it.  If you are looking for something new but are really fed up with cookie-cutter crime series that all seem to follow the same format, then this might be right for you.  This show is done extremely well, you just have to get past the initial hump that exists in the first few ep's.  
<center> ![will_sharpe_as_rodney_giri_haji_1381899.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/LW5gZkWF-will_sharpe_as_rodney_giri_haji_1381899.jpg)
[source](https://cdn.hitc-s.com/i/1631/will_sharpe_as_rodney_giri_haji_1381899.jpg)
<sub> "Rodney" annoyed me at first, but much like the entire story, he grew on me </sub> </center> 

There are no bad actors in this.  Even Justin Long (I thought it was odd he was in this at all) couldn't screw up his role and although he seems inconsequential at first, he, just like everyone else, has a big part to play in the overall story.   

I know I recommend a lot of stuff but that is just because I watch a lot of Netflix.  If you have what it takes to make it through the first 2 episodes of character development, you will be handsomely rewarded with what I consider to be one of the best stories of any series on Netflix at the moment.  

<center> ![728pxScreenShot20180531at12.55.51PM.png](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/gooddream/hiUNJCCU-728px-Screen-Shot-2018-05-31-at-12.55.51-PM.png) </center>