More than a murder mystery, this miniseries is about the alienation of young adults within Japanese society. An incisive, well-written and well-acted but depressing tale that follows a reporter as she discovers not only the roots of the crime she’s investigating, but also that almost all her former classmates are already to at least some degree disillusioned with their lives only 8 years after graduating from high school. What keeps this series from being overwhelming dark is that in reconnecting and finally being honest with each other, several of these old friends manage to find glimmers of a way forward.

This is not a light easy watch and perhaps not to everyone's tastes. But after a slow start, I thought it one of the best Japanese series I've watched recently.