The title of ¨Invisible Us¨ says it all

More than a murder mystery, this miniseries is about the alienation of young adults within Japanese society. An incisive, well-written and well-acted but depressing tale that follows a reporter as she discovers not only the roots of the crime she’s investigating, but also that almost all her former classmates are already to at least some degree disillusioned with their lives only 8 years after graduating from high school. What keeps this series from being overwhelming dark is that in reconnecting and finally being honest with each other, several of these old friends manage to find glimmers of a way forward.

This is not a light easy watch and perhaps not to everyone's tastes. But after a slow start, I thought it one of the best Japanese series I've watched recently.

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Begins well but loses focus

I finally managed to finish this series, which turned out to be yet another drama that after a promising start slowed to a crawl and lost its way as the season went on (which helps explain why it took me so long to finish).

It was at its best when focused on the intrigue and suspense surrounding the two female spies/assassins who have infiltrated the Gong palace. Will they be found out? Will they work together or against each other? Will they persevere with their dedication to their original mission once they develop relationships within the palace? Will they discover the truth about their own pasts?

If only the plot didn´t keep meandering into long aimless overly dry pseudo-mystical monologues and conversations that don't go anywhere, when it’s not getting sidetracked into a rather predictable and poorly developed storyline centered on sibling rivalry and power struggles among the Gongs. As if that weren't enough, the drama ends on something of a cliffhanger, failing to provide an unambiguous conclusion.

At least most of the fight scenes were fairly good.

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