Giri/Haji

Kenzo Mori (Takehiro Hira), a Tokyo detective, travels to London in search of his brother, Yuto (Yōsuke Kubozuka), who was previously assumed to be dead. Yuto has been accused of murdering the nephew of a Yakuza member which threatens to start a gang war in Tokyo. As Kenzo attempts to navigate the unfamiliar territory of London to uncover whether his brother is alive and guilty, he becomes acquainted with DC Sarah Weitzmann (Kelly Macdonald) of the Metropolitan Police and Rodney Yamaguchi (Will Sharpe), a young half-Japanese, half-British sex worker. While searching for Yuto in London, Kenzo must also support his family back home in Tokyo. Kenzo's investigation brings him into contact with dangerous elements of London's corrupt criminal underworld.[2]

• Takehiro Hira as Kenzo Mori (Nihongo: 森健三, Mori Kenzō) , a Japanese detective who travels to London to search for his brother[1]
• Kelly Macdonald as Sarah Weitzmann, a detective constable alienated within the Metropolitan Police[1][3]
• Yōsuke Kubozuka as Yuto Mori (Nihongo: 森ゆうと, Mori Yūto), Kenzo's younger brother and a member of the Yakuza[1]
• Will Sharpe as Rodney Yamaguchi, a charismatic half-Japanese, half-British rent boy and drug addict living in London[1]
• Aoi Okuyama as Taki Mori (Nihongo: 森多喜, Mori Taki), Kenzo's rebellious 16-year-old daughter
• Masahiro Motoki as Fukuhara (Nihongo: 福原, Fukuhara), a Yakuza boss[1]
• Charlie Creed-Miles as Connor Abbot, an organised crime boss based in London[1]
• Justin Long as Ellis Vickers, an American who has a business partnership with Abbot[1]
• Sophia Brown as Donna Clark, an assassin associated with Abbot
• Yūko Nakamura as Rei (Nihongo: レイ, Rei), Kenzo's wife
• Mitsuko Oka as Natsuko (Nihongo: なつこ, Natsuko), Kenzo and Yuto's mother
• Tony Pitts as Steve Angling, a detective inspector and Sarah's boss[1]
• Anna Sawai as Eiko (Nihongo: えいこ, Eiko), Fukuhara's daughter who has a romantic relationship with Yuto
• Tony Way as Roy, a detective from the Metropolitan Police who travels to Tokyo as part of an exchange programme
• Togo Igawa as Hotaka Mori (Nihongo: 森穂高, Mori Hotaka), Kenzo and Yuto's father[1]
• Jamie Draven as Ian Summers, Sarah's ex-boyfriend and a former Detective Constable in the Metropolitan Police
• Katsuya as Toshio (Nihongo: としお, Toshio), Kenzo's partner in the Tokyo Police Department
• Yoshiki Minato as Jiro (Nihongo: 次郎, Jirō), a member of the Yakuza

Giri/Haji received critical acclaim upon airing. On Rotten Tomatoes, series 1 has a 'certified fresh' critical score of 100% and an audience score of 91% as of June 2020.[9] On IMDb, the programme has a score of 7.9/10 based on 6,402 votes (as of June 2020).[10]

Writing for the Radio Times, Patrick Cremona described Giri/Haji as a "breath of fresh air" and a "masterful and sprawling thriller", awarding the series five stars out of five.[11] The Times critic Carol Migley awarded the opening episode four stars out of five,[12] while The Daily Telegraph reviewer Michael Hogan gave it five stars out of five, describing it as "impressionistic, playful and unashamedly arty", as well as "bold, bewitching and slightly bonkers".[13] The New Yorker included the series in an article about the best programmes available on streaming services, with reviewer Doreen St. Félix writing: "violently stylish, and also plain violent, Giri/Haji is a filial drama crossed with a sprawling, sexy police thriller".[14] The Guardian's Lucy Mangan was more critical, awarding the series three out of five stars based on a partial viewing. Mangan complimented the "unfetishised" portrayal of Japan, but described the series as "a bore" and criticised the more familiar genre tropes.[15] David Cirone of J-Generation criticized the series as going "heavy on theme, light on story", and NPR's Fresh Air critic John Powers noted that the show's "excesses can get a bit silly".[16][17]

• Giri/Haji at BBC Programmes
• Giri/Haji on Netflix
• Giri/Haji on IMDb
• Interview about Giri/Haji with writer Joe Barton