Unnatural (TV Mini Series 2018) Poster

(2018)

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9/10
Unnatural
morning-81113 April 2020
The unnatural death of a corpse sets off a series of reverses, combining suspenseful suspense with intriguing social questions. She is economically independent, internally free and honest. Isn't she what many of us girls want to be today? It is more necessary to learn how to be independent and open-minded than to learn how to dress and make up. In particular, the phrase "a good meal and a good night's sleep are better than time for despair" can almost be regarded as a panacea. Anyway, when I saw this sentence, I felt a sharp blow in my heart. Life, the time wasted in confusion, despair and loneliness, there is no need, this time is really not as good as a good meal, a good sleep, give yourself a good reward.
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7/10
Stranger deaths
tenshi_ippikiookami13 April 2018
"Unnatural" is your typical procedural, with a body per episode, some character development, and your team interacting with each other while the plot of the episode develops. However, the setting, acting, and touch make this show really enjoyable, even if not particularly original.

The show centers on UDI, the Unnatural Death Investigation unit, an organization that works to discover the truth behind unnatural deaths that occur in Japan. Japan being a country where people are not normally buried, but cremated, which means you cannot go back to those bodies to do another autopsy. The UDI has a couple of lead forensic surgeons, Mikoto Misumi and Kai Nakado, and a group that works around them.

As said above, each episode offers a case, even though there is an overall arc that offers a particular mystery related to one of the characters, and some other mysteries and plot threads that will be developed little by little. The cases are not particularly surprising or original, but they are engaging enough and offer a couple of surprises along the way. The fact that the group has only a short time before the families want to cremate the bodies adds a countdown to the proceedings that make it more nail-biting (even if we have to suffer the 'character-running-to-stop-a-body-of-being-cremated' moment here and there).

The best of the show, however, are the characters and their interactions. Satomi Ishihara is particularly good here, her acting fitting the character better than in some of her other dramas. But the package around her, with Yutaka Matsushige or Masataka Kubota, really helps. Their interactions, banter, and how they are developed is the highlight of the show, with some very touching moments. Yes, the show may try to manipulate the viewer with the music and some particular plot twists, but when you care about the characters and it does it not in an intrusive (or very intrusive) way, you won't care much.

If you want a mystery of the week, with funny characters, and some feelings thrown into the mix, you may enjoy "Unnatural". A good one.
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8/10
Dear show creators, for the love of goodness please make a season 2
Glue2Screen17 September 2022
I went into this not expecting too much. The premise was interesting but didn't feel new. I am very glad to be fully wrong about my initial thoughts and expectation.

Unnatural was a very engaging series filled with mystery, great character chemistry, superb acting & very genuine interaction between the characters. I absolutely loved the way the characters bantered and joked with each other. It felt very real and not forced.

The mystery and crime solving kept me glued to the screen. I binged the entire 10 episode in 2 days and really wanted more.

Honestly a great series and I really wish there were more episodes.
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10/10
You should check it out!
kellysff_200618 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
My favourite Japanese TV mini series so far, you're not gonna miss it! UDI, the Unnatural Death Investigation, an organization that works to discover the truth behind unnatrual deaths that occurred in Japan. The main cast Satomi Ishihara, great performance in this TV show and I wanna check more works of her.
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The warmth of many episodes of science and justice brought tears to my eyes.
g-878779 May 2020
Surprisingly nice! The script solid plot development is reasonable, the reversal of the publicity particularly is attractive. In a word, under the banner of indifference and suspense, we are trying to explore the "future science" of forensic medicine itself, and the ethical and moral issues arising from it. There is no absolute right and wrong and justice, but science itself.The warmth of many episodes of science and justice brought tears to my eyes.
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10/10
The best one so far
troskoeka7 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
As a person who frequently adores Asia, I have some background in watching Japanese, Chinese and Korean dramas. But this series called "Unnatural" made my standards rise a lot. The plot is quite simple: there is an investigation agency with forensic experts who determine the cause of death. However, the causes are extremely unexpected. For example, there is a serial killer that kills people using methods whose names match the alphabet (formic acid is for F, suffocation is for S, etc.). Another case is the boy who called the investigation agency to confess to a murder and started live on the social network, forcing the main character to solve the cause of the death online through a camera. The plot twists make it impossible to skip a moment, and the ending changes your opinions about many things, such as friendship, morals, and life overall. I think I will rewatch it for the 3rd time now and I assure you that you won't waste your time watching "Unnatural"!
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8/10
Worthseeing
madbird-612439 January 2019
Not the best forensic expert drama, compared to kdrama Investigation Couple. But I would say it is above average and worth seeing.

Each epd the expert is handling a different case. The pace is quick. The story behind each case is intricated and enchanting. Only that when comparing to Investigation Couple, the facilities and setting of the forensic lab is not so authentic.

The drama is centered on the work of female lead, a forensic expert. She is pretty and is acting well. One of the special point of this drama is that she is a private expert, whereas all other forensic expert drama are on government forensic doctors. The cases she handled are all not easy cases.

The part on male lead is not as much. He is a queer guy, not handsome but acting is ok.

On the whole, still an outstanding medical drama worth seeing.
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10/10
Why Autopsies Are So Necessary!
spasek7 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This is a fascinating look into the jobs of coroners and forensic scientists in Japan, where the fewest amount of autopsies are recorded of all developed countries in the world. Most death reported as "accidental" or by "natural causes" are never autopsied, thus leaving the door wide open for murderers. You can't help but speculate how my deaths might be attributed to murder. Most bodies are cremated before they can ever reach an autopsy table, and there are many hurdles that must be jumped through, such as getting family consent.

Misumi Mikoto is the idealist coroner who firmly believes that her job brings piece of mind as well as closure and truth to the cases she works on. She works at UDI (Unnatural Death Investigations), a company subsidized by the government. They don't necessarily work on police cases but as a private company that is paid by people who want further investigations done. She is the #2 coroner with a troubled past. While her job doesn't pay much, she's very good at what she does. She also tends to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Mr. Nakado is the #1 coroner of the group, and we find out that he's been suffering in anguish for over 8 years since his girlfriend was found dead in a scrap pile. He somehow performed the autopsy himself (not sure how anyone would be able to do that). After finding a "goldfish" imprint inside of her mouth, he firmly believes his girlfriend was murdered and possibly by a serial killer. He tries to check every body he can find for the same "goldfish" evidence with the hope of catching the killer. He barks at everyone, notoriously renowned for calling people, "stupid." He's incredibly smart and gifted despite his sour demeanor.

Finally, we have Kube Rokuro who is the new part-timer, who has a desire to be a forensic doctor. However, we quickly find that he's working at UDI under false pretenses (selling the secrets and stories of what happens at UDI) to a local newspaper, which acts more like a tabloid. However, after finding himself engrossed in the job as well as being smitten with Dr. Mikoto, we begin to wonder how Rokuro will be able to get out of his dilemma, if at all.

The series is an important one. Japan is a generally peaceful country where people try their best to live in harmony. They don't like to "rock the boat" and will do nearly anything to maintain that harmony, even it means avoiding any kind of confrontation. However, true harmony can never be achieved by turning your back to what is going on; by avoiding confrontation. How can harmony be experienced at the expense of others? I can't be. It's an impossibility, and this is largely the reason why this show exists. With only 170 coroners in Japan, they're desperately trying to get more as well as to change the government policies surrounding autopsies and why they are so vitally important.

While the serial killer story was a fascinating one, my favorite episode was actually the bullying, or as the boy rightfully called it, "Death by Bullying." This was an especially powerful episode that brings a world-wide problem to the forefront. The UDI group race to solve the "murder" of a young high school teen in order to prevent the death of another. However, we quickly find that nothing is as it seems, and the school as well as the other students involved, realize their horrible mistake; allowing the bullying to happen. Yes, where bullying takes place, everyone is involved, and everyone is responsible. I truly hope people take this episode to heart.

There was only one season of this fantastic show, which is easily better than any "CSI" series I've seen, and should be given more seasons. I sure hope a second season is in the works! Not only is the science fascinating but you gotta love the people of UDI!
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8/10
Someone dies somewhere everyday
alaningle77 May 2024
In Japan a new department called Unnatural Death Investigation carries out autopsies on people who have died under suspicious circumstances. The main star of the series is Mikoto Misumi (Satomi Ishiihara) whose family died when she was a child in tragic circumstances. She works alongside another forensic investigator who was a suspect in his girlfriend's death many years earlier and is bitter and twisted. Alongside this dynamic we see the work of the team as they investigate strange and unusual deaths and how they struggle to find the cause. I found it an enjoyable series with interesting side characters and good acting with just a hint of gore which I was thankful for taking into account their job. I was surprised to learn how few autopsies are actually carried out in Japan and how this seems to be accepted the population.
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5/10
Worth Watching
ramkoil22 August 2021
Japanese shows are becoming more and more like western shows were they seem to have a need to be lecturing you about a social issue rather than telling you a story or engage you emotionally. This one is not a bad one worth a watch Satomi is not so versatile but shed does a OK job. Stories are not bad, so worth a watch. In response to the reviewer who turns the drama review to a social commentary, please leave political and social comments out of here, if we wanted to get into that we would watch a documentary, (why do some women have to turn everything into being independent makes me think these women intrinsically feel weak so they need to keep talking about it!)
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