Television series

Giri/Haji

Name: Giri/Haji
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Released: 2019
Cast: Takehiro Hira, Yōsuke Kubozuka, Will Sharpe, Kelly Macdonald, Aoi Okuyama

A Tokyo detective hunts his estranged brother through London's underworld, where yakuza debts and family honour collide with British crime. Beautifully shot, deliberately paced, and genuinely moving—a story about loyalty and shame that refuses easy answers. For anyone who loved slow-burn thrillers with real emotional weight.

TVMaze rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like crime stories driven by awkward family loyalty and culture clash, where the mood of two cities matters as much as the plot, and you don't mind reading subtitles to catch it.

Skip it if you want the plot to move briskly, since this one lingers on silences and wounded pride, and a noir mood with a slow middle can wear thin.

What it asks of you: Eight episodes of roughly an hour, paced patiently, with long scenes where people say less than they mean and you track who speaks which language.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

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Bodyguard2018

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Killing Eve2018

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But Tonal shifts between camp and cruelty can feel inconsistent. The show knows it's fun in ways *Giri/Haji* doesn't.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Giri/Haji

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

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But Six seasons is a commitment. It gets darker, not lighter. If you need hope, look elsewhere.

Taboo2017

Tom Hardy as James Delaney, navigating 1814 London's criminal and imperial underworlds. Visceral, strange, and utterly confident in its own weirdness.

But Deliberately obscure. Hardy mumbles. The plot rewards close attention and rewards it inconsistently.

In Bruges2008

Both are about men defined by what they've done, seeking redemption or escape in a city that doesn't belong to them. Both use their setting as moral landscape.

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But Violence is sudden and brutal. The philosophy can feel self-conscious. Some find it precious.

Chungking Express1994

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Two Hong Kong cops, two separate love stories, one ravishing visual style. Wong Kar-wai's masterpiece—dreamy, melancholic, and utterly alive. A film about loneliness and connection that moves like music.

But Plot barely exists. If you watch for story, it will frustrate you. The colour and pacing work against traditional narrative.