To celebrate the release of the international series ‘Giri/Haji’ to BBC Two in October we are honoured to share nine exclusive first look images from the show.
The eight-part series, directed by Julian Farino, is said to be a soulful thriller that explores the butterfly effect of one murder upon two very different worlds.
The Story
The new series follows Kenzo (Takehiro Hira) a middle-aged Tokyo detective and family man, who travels to London in search of his younger brother, Yuto (Yosuke Kubozuka). The siblings, once devoted and now estranged, are driven to opposite sides of the world by the spiralling consequences of one violent, split-second decision. Fukuhara (Masahiro Motoki), a notorious Japanese gang-lord and feared Yakuza, hears of his nephew’s murder in London – and the ramifications of the crime erupt across the globe. As a result, Kenzo’s family’s honour and the fragile peace between the warring gangs back home is at stake. Can Kenzo, tasked with the responsibility of bringing the perpetrator back to Tokyo to prosecute and restoring the delicate balance, redeem himself when he learns who is responsible for the vicious crime? The action moves between Tokyo and London, as Kenzo attempts to stem the violence engulfing both cities and to confront his own part in it. Cut adrift from everything he knows, Kenzo nevertheless finds hope in an extraordinary misfit family of Londoners that includes charismatic rent boy, Rodney (Will Sharpe), and Sarah (Kelly Macdonald), a conflicted Met detective who poses a subtle threat to Kenzo’s marriage.
The drama will play out in both Japanese and English as the action moves between London and Tokyo, traversing the narrative’s multiple time frames.
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Cast
The cast is made up celebrated Japanese stars Takehiro Hira and Yosuke Kubosuka leading the Japanese cast. They are joined by Masahiro Motoki, Yuko Nakamura, Aoi Okuyama, Mitsuko Oka, Togo Igawa, Katsuya and Yoshiki Minato.
On the English speaking side, the likes of Kelly Macdonald, Justin Long, Will Sharpe, Charlie Creed-Miles and Tony Pitts line up across a bitter divide as the ramifications of the murder erupt across the globe from London to Toyko.
Check out the images below for our exclusive first look.
GIRI/HAJI airs on BBC Two from October in the UK and internationally on Netflix in early 2020.
