Unnatural

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.

There are many forensics drama I'va watched, but I think this dorama has unique cases for each episodes, hence the title really describes what this drama want to tell 'Unnatural'. What I like about japanese drama is that they don't need a complicated story to make it interesting. That's why eventhough we don't learn forensics or understand how medical field works, we still be able enjoying the contents. I wish they make new seasons, because following their cases is so fun. Another note is that there are some scenes where they show the details of the corpse body but it's not that much, so if you have weak stomach, it's still bearable I think.

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!)

Even though I'm not a fan of series involving death, corpses, etc I had nothing else to watch so I decided to give it a shot. And after reading some reviews about how heart warming it was. Well it's true, I wasn't expecting not to freak out by dead bodies and constant talk about dying but it happened. This series manages to make the grotesque less unsettling by how it portrays it, and I wish more series were like that.

I was also amazed by some story details, like "how did the writers come up with that!?" went through my mind a lot. Maybe because I don't normally watch shows like that, I found the story very intriguing and engaging.

All the actors were good, a guest actor in one of the cases is one of my favorites, and the female lead even though drop dead gorgeous was very convincing as a coroner and as emotional as needed.

A second season would be nice but part of what makes Japanese shows great is that they're only one season!

"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.