Genre: Drama
Actor: Akari Takaishi, Ayumu Nakajima, Daiken Okudaira, Denden, Go Ayano, Hana Kino, Hiroshi Tachi, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Kotone Hanase, Lily Franky, Mai Fukagawa, Masami Nagasawa, Nana Mori, Ron Mizuma, Ryusei Yokohama, Shinobu Terajima, Shun Sugata, Suon Kan, Takuya Wakabayashi, Tetsushi Tanaka, Yuina Kuroshima, Yukiya Kitamura
Director: Michihito Fujii
Everyone has those days where nothing goes right, but no one’s having as bad of a day as detective Yuji Kudo is in Hard Days. It isn’t just that nothing goes right– everything goes wrong, and he’s just a hair away from losing it all each time. This Japanese adaptation might take a slightly more serious tone than the South Korean original, but it does retain its ridiculous escalation of increasingly terrible things that could possibly happen, with Junichi Okada and Go Ayano letting loose in their detective characters’ morally dubious behavior. Hard Day is a decent watch, if a bit bloated, especially for those familiar with the story.
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Actor: Akira Emoto, Go Ayano, Hayato Isomura, Junichi Okada, Kurumi Shimizu, Maho Yamada, Mario Kuroba, Ryoko Hirosue, Ryusuke Komakine, Takashi Yamanaka, Taro Suruga, Tetta Sugimoto
Director: Michihito Fujii
Between 2017’s Death Note and this year’s critically acclaimed One Piece, it’s been a hit or miss for Netflix when it comes to live action anime adaptations. The latest one is YuYu Hakusho, whose supernatural scrimmages influenced 90s action manga. Yusuke Urameshi maintains that classic 90s delinquent with a heart of gold in the modern era now, and it’s easy to root for him because he shares the same intentions as anyone else would. The fights are fantastic, with Robot Communications at the helm, and the spirit world looks and feels so intriguing, even for viewers unfamiliar with the original story. However, with only five episodes, amounting to only five hours, it’s too short of a time to flesh out so many of the manga’s full ensemble. YuYu Hakusho might have the visuals, but fans of the original might be let down by the live action time spent with their favorite side characters.
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Ai Mikami, Go Ayano, Goro Inagaki, Hiroya Shimizu, Jun Shison, Kanata Hongo, Keita Machida, Kenichi Takitoh, Kotone Furukawa, Meiko Kaji, Sei Shiraishi, Shuhei Uesugi, Takumi Kitamura