Japanese Netflix Series Gir/Haji is a Compelling Crime Thriller - WATCH IT!

"Giri/Hazi" means duty/shame.  It'd be a shame to miss this Japanese crime thriller with a stellar int'l cast set in Japan & London.  Highly acclaimed British dir. Julian Farino and Australian dir. Ben Chessell have transposed a graphic novel of underworld crime families in Japan that spills over into the underworld of London and into a unique fusion of crime, drama and art house genre that makes it a Netflix series which is lethally addicting.  It helps that the int'l cast of actors from Japan and the UK are all exceptional but for the sole Amer. actor Justin Long who doesn't belong in anything but a romp/comp comedy and is sorely miscast.  However, the debut performance by Aol Okuyama as Taki, the daughter of Detective Kenzo Mori is a marvel.  Rodney (Japanese/British actor Will Sharpe) brings flamboyant zing as a precocious gay prostitute. This is not your Marvel/action thriller (not that the series isn't awash in bloodbaths) but a surprisingly enterprising drama that gets under your skin.  Kenzo and Yuto are brothers who grow-up with a strong bond but find themselves on opposite sides of the law.  Kenzo is a formidable police detective while younger brother Yuto (Yosake Kubozuka) finds himself at loose ends until he ends up becoming a gangster for one of the 2 largest crime families in Japan.  Oh man - the lines of righteousness are not black/white, and the artistry of the production is a combination of animation & clever cinematography.  Kenzo is sent to London by Tokyo's Chief Detective to retrieve his brother.  Yuto was believed dead but mysteriously is resurrected in London now working as a gangster for London's looming crime gang.  The plot crosses over into mayhem & confusion.  Yuto is wanted back in Japan to settle the score between the 2 leading crime family which would mean Kenzo bringing his baby bro back as a sacrificial slaughter which is what the Japanese Chief Sargent has basically ordered.  Yuto is assigned to be the driver for the kingpin's beautiful daughter.  No surprise  they fell in love which not surprisingly doesn't get the  her father, the crime boss' blessing.  Don't get lost in the revenge, clandestine underground.  Do get swept up into the multiple duplicitous criminal storylines that converge in London with Kenzo & London's police force.  Kenzo is caught up with one of London's detectives, Sarah (the superb Scottish actress Kelly McDonald).  She's a sleuth detective for the London bureau but has fallen out of favor with her colleagues.  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned so watch out when Sarah's partner on & off the force does a double cross.  Sarah, Kenzo & Yuto converge and the mystery of what & who will emerge becomes even more engrossing and dare I say, profound.  Questions of fidelity & loyalty bonds are bantered and tested.  It's my duty to recommend this Giri gem and a real Haji shame should you miss your shot.