There’s something thrilling about unflappable protagonists working in their specialty. If they’re insulted, libeled, told to stop, refused resources, or their life put at risk, they still get the work in front of them done because it needs doing and if they get it right, it means helping people. Medical coroner Misumi Mikoto is a very believable hero because the solution to each mystery she faces is always just hidden behind the work. She runs a team that autopsies odd deaths, an experiment in Japan, which has a low autopsy rate.
The forensics in “Unnatural” don’t take place in million-dollar, set designed, “CSI”-style labs. The office they work in is tight and cluttered. The drama doesn’t hinge on “Eureka!” moments of realization by a troubled genius. Instead, likable but flawed characters debate and consider each others’ points as conversations weave between cause of death and what to have for lunch.
Showrunner and writer Nogi Akiko has a way of evoking a real office with all its limitations and eccentricities, and populating it with charming, unique characters who exist with one foot in a very recognizable, practical take on reality and the other in a sharply-edited, dramatic, TV-ready one. They make sense in a world that balances both modes.
Ishihara Satomi acts Mikoto as someone who’s sociable but likes to keep her social circle small. By others’ measures, she’s a bit geeky and directionless in her personal life, but her life is what she believes in doing. When doing that work she has a calm tenacity fueled by an idealistic streak that’s easy to admire. She contends with a cantankerous senior coroner, a boss who’d rather cook than play bureaucratic politics the office needs, an inexperienced assistant, and her blunt best friend Yuko – she’s often ready to throw an insult or confront someone when Mikoto would find a more diplomatic way.
The pace of the dialogue is sometimes lightning-quick, which can be challenging with subtitles. I feel no shame in occasionally scrubbing back 10 seconds to re-read a bit or so I can watch the performance more closely. It’s worth it because when the writing is this good, actors like these can work magic with it.
There are a lot of times when I feel I’m watching something more akin to “The West Wing” than to Western medical dramas. A lot of that’s the balance between the drama and comedy in a professional environment, but there are other pieces that factor into that comparison:
Nogi’s portrayal of the field she’s covering is deeply informational. First off, science isn’t treated as magic here. Things aren’t made up. Occasionally, they’re sped up, but Mikoto works in a building full of labs and her boss is owed a lot of favors, so I can buy that. But the science is explained, and the crutch of DNA that mystery shows lean on for big reveals is treated as one of many factors that all have to fit in order to draw a conclusion. That one big reveal other shows rely on is just a step along the way here, until all the clues fit alongside each other to make sense.
The social commentary in “Unnatural” is just as piercing as Nogi’s police procedural “MIU404”. She’s extremely critical of police departments’ weaponization of arrests, tendency to bully witnesses, and desire to take the route toward the easiest conviction rather than the right one. If a local medical school doesn’t give police the conclusions they want, or it’s far and the police don’t want to drive it that day, they’ll just skip the autopsy even if it’s needed. She backs up her criticisms with information, and houses it within characters having to work their way around these obstacles or deal with their fallout.
Nogi also has rare ability to write media reaction. Mikoto’s biggest hurdle is often being a woman in this field. It impacts how many of those outside her profession find it unseemly, and how those linked to her profession judge her as less capable. She’s torn down in a court case for her professionalism being “hysterical”, while a man walks all over the proceedings and is shown deep respect for his outburst.
“Unnatural” came out in 2018 in Japan, but aside from some niche availability, its arrival on Netflix is the first time it’s hit a major streaming service in the U.S. Don’t at all be dissuaded from the show being six years old. Our police procedurals may be new, but are largely stuck in modes that are 20 years moldy.
In fact, despite dropping in 2018, “Unnatural” has the best take on the COVID pandemic that I’ve seen…you know, the one that started two years later? East Asia has had to deal with these outbreaks before we had to face one in the U.S., but what’s impressive is how fully Nogi breaks down the political and media discourse that surrounds it. Those in power obfuscate to protect themselves rather than clarify to mitigate others’ risk. Corporate interests trump human ones. Doctors fight tooth and nail to get accurate information out while the media obsesses over a blame game instead. Panel shows break down portions of blame to turn pandemic debate into entertainment. If writers warn of what’s to come, this is some of the most impressive writing I’ve seen. I’d have room to be awe-struck by how prescient Nogi’s writing is if I weren’t so chilled by it.
“Unnatural” is a mystery, so characters face a life-or-death moment now and then. What I like is that the series isn’t interested in making these into expensive, overdramatic set pieces. Instead, it maintains its tight character focus. Characters make the smartest decisions they can with the tools they have on hand, and trust their team to make similarly smart decisions with the information they have. No one becomes a stereotype or an action hero – characters simply double down on who they’ve always been and do the work that gives themselves the best chance of surviving. It’s rare a writer looks at a set piece, declines to show it to you, and decides what’s more exciting is how capably these characters can avoid it. And when you can write like this, she’s absolutely right.
Larger series arcs are introduced not through towering reveals or mustache-twirling villains, but through character stories that intertwine and build episode to episode. It makes us understand the practical elements that feed these arcs. Nogi doesn’t have to declare their importance or cheat them in if she’s simply enabled us to see how those elements have grown over time.
There are some filmmakers and writers who become appointment viewing. Nogi Akiko is one of them. “Unnatural” is phenomenal. The mysteries are good and the process for solving them is more complex and realistic than what we usually get. The social commentary is some of the best I’ve seen worked into a series, using a lighthearted, optimistic tone to constantly work loose biting systemic criticisms. There’s a very empathetic eye for finding what’s human in every character despite how different they all are, which makes their stop-and-start bonding feel real in both its honesty and awkwardness. The dialogue is constantly interesting and edifying, and the humor is on point and endearing. I haven’t talked nearly enough about Ishihara Satomi, who realizes in Mikoto a deeply interesting and admirable character, someone who’s idealistic, more than capable enough to back it up, and never stops god damn trying even when others tell her to knock it off.
“Unnatural” is on Netflix, or can be watched free with ads on Viki TV, which specializes in East Asian series.
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Gabriel Diego Valdez 