View 4 Images

Giri/Haji first aired in 2019 (Image: BBC / Sister Pictures)

A BBC crime drama perfect for Line of Duty fans is available to watch on Netflix.

Giri/Haji, translated from Japanese to mean Duty/Shame, joined the streaming service in 2020, one year after its debut.

Starring Takehiro Hira, Kelly Macdonald, Yosuke Kubozuka, Will Sharpe, Masahiro Motoki, Justin Long, Anna Sawai, and Charlie Creed-Miles, the series is set between London and Tokyo, with dialogue in English and Japanese.

It follows a Tokyo detective, Kenzo Mori (Takehiro), who travels to London in search of his brother Yuto (Yosuke), believed to be dead.

BBC The Capture viewers all left saying same thing after series three finale

Why isn’t I’m A Celebrity South Africa on tonight and when is it back?

Yuto had been accused of murdering the nephew of a gang member, threatening violence in Tokyo.

View 4 Images

The series has been hailed “British drama at its best” (Image: BBC)

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info

As Kenzo attempts to navigate London and find the truth behind his brother’s disappearance, he meets Met Police officer DC Sarah Weitzmann (Kelly), as he comes to face the darkest elements of London’s criminal world.

The synopsis teases: “Family duty sends a lawman to London to look for his mob-assassin brother as a yakuza war threatens to engulf Tokyo. Trust is even tougher to find.”

One fan hailed it a “must see”, while another said: “I rarely feel strong enough about a film or series to write a review, however this show was so perfect I just had to rate it. The acting, the direction, the production, the music, the script, everything was perfect. I was gripped from the beginning and each episode didn’t disappoint.”

View 4 Images

Will Sharpe won an acting BAFTA for his performance in Giri/Haji as Rodney (Image: BBC TWO)

Another wrote: “Exceptional storytelling and direction in this compelling series which broke the mold and reinvented the genre with its brave and brilliant style, Everything about it was outstanding – directing, writing, casting. It had humor and wit despite the bleak subject matter and it was all done with incredible style. British drama showing the world how its done.”

Someone else called it “British drama at its best,” while another fan wrote: “This is simply one of the best TV series I have ever seen. Head spinningly original story telling backed up by brilliant direction and fantastic performances by all concerned, with a special mention for Will Sharpe who plays Rodney.”

Another viewer called it a “masterpiece,” writing: “The cinematography and production values are off the scale, I doubt a more visually amazing masterpiece has ever been made.”

Yet another echoed: “Shows like this remind you of how beautiful storytelling can be. They handled this show so delicately, so purposefully, it was near perfect. It was funny and sad and thrilling and cool. I absolutely love this show. Everyone should watch it.”

View 4 Images

The series is available to watch on Netflix (Image: BBC / Sister Pictures)

Back in 2019, creator Joe Barton shared his inspiration behind the series, telling the BBC: “Although it is ostensibly a crime drama, I wanted Giri/Haji to really be a show about misfits – broken people lost in a big city, trying to put themselves back together again.

“Kenzo finds himself battling the Yakuza, London gangsters, the Albanian mafia and the Tokyo and Metropolitan police forces, sometimes all at once. But his real challenge is overcoming his inner turmoil. He and his wife are stuck in a dying marriage, plagued by guilt and unspoken pain, both of them needing to escape.

“When I wrote the series I had recently come out of a long-term relationship and I wanted to explore the oddly unique experience of feeling at once that the world is suddenly full of exiting new possibilities whilst also being endlessly, unbearably, sad. Which is admittedly a tougher pitch than ‘Yakuza gangster goes on the rampage in London’.

“At its heart I think Giri/Haji is a tragic romance about two people with an instant attraction to one another who meet at the worst possible time. Also there are gun fights. It’s a whole thing.”

Giri/Haji is available to watch on Netflix.