Netflix Just Quietly Released Its Best Show of 2025 With 100% on RT, and You Didn't Even Notice
It's a touching J-drama that will definitely touch your heart.
Netflix's new series, Asura, is another adaptation of Kuniko Mukoda's book: a miniseries was released in 1973, and a full-length movie in 2003.
The show is interesting because of the famous name of the director – Hirokazu Koreeda has long since established himself as one of the most important Japanese masters of our time.
The director has both the Palme d'Or and an Oscar nomination under his belt. In recent years, Koreeda has not limited himself to the festival circuit, but has also diversified his filmography with series that can be recommended to anyone with a soft spot for Japanese culture.
With Asura, Koreeda turns to his favorite topic of family: the director's works often touch on fragile and strong family ties.
What Is Asura About?
In 1979, four sisters gather for dinner: widow and ikebana teacher Tsunako, housewife and mother of two Makiko, librarian Takiko, and waitress Sakiko.
Takiko has learned that her 70-year-old father has a mistress. The woman tells her sisters everything, and they decide to hide the truth from their mother. Their father's betrayal affects the sisters' lives in one way or another.
Asura Is a Very Nuanced and Meditative Series
Koreeda masterfully draws out the details of the sisters' lives: the women gather at their parents' house, sort out old things, call each other at every opportunity, share innermost secrets and harbor bitter grievances.
Some viewers may be put off by the slow pace of the narrative, but it is precisely the slow pace that allows the director to look at the heroines from different angles, to observe the development of their personal lives, and to give each of them a chance to reveal her multifaceted character.
Asura Is More of a Strong Family Drama Than an Intricate Detective Story
Asura breaks expectations: the series begins as a detective story about an attempt to unravel a father's secret, but quickly turns into a classic family drama.
Koreeda is not interested in keeping up the intrigue; it is much more important for the author to pay attention to the smallest nuances that make up life and allow the audience to really connect with the characters.
Over the course of seven episodes, Koreeda ponders the consequences of parental actions on children, the complexities of sisterhood, and the pain of betrayal. But at the heart of the narrative is a woman's rage, buried deep inside and pent up by years of silence.
Asura Is the Biggest Hidden Gem on Netflix Right Now
Among Netflix's high-profile projects, Asura will predictably get lost in the shuffle and become a hidden gem on the streaming service.
But you're unlikely to be disappointed by meeting Tsunako, Makiko, Takiko, and Sakiko: it's a special pleasure to watch the sisters share lunches and dinners, during which they burst into laughter, ponder marriage, and simply enjoy food.