The Asian influence of Netflix
Netflix has recognized the growing popularity of Korean and Japanese manga and drama in the Western world and has made efforts to attract a new audience to its platform. In addition to adding popular anime titles like Naruto, HunterXHunter, and Attack on Titan to compete with platforms like Crunchyroll and ADN, Netflix has also started producing its own Asian content.
Subscribers have been introduced to Korean films like Okja (directed by Bong Joon Ho and starring Ahn Seo-hyeon, Tilda Swinton, and Jake Gyllenhaal), Japanese sci-fi series like Alice in Borderland (created by Shinsuke Sato with Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya), and the Korean phenomenon Squid Game (created by Hwang Dong-hyeok with Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon), among others.
Netflix shows no signs of slowing down and continues to offer new films and series produced by their Korean and Japanese teams. The recent series The Glory has been well received and now it’s time for Family in Flames to shine.
Family in Flames: the Japanese drama of the summer?
While not everyone may be a fan of this genre, revenge stories have long captivated audiences. Previously dominated by big-budget American productions, revenge stories are also extremely popular in Asian productions. Netflix aims to introduce viewers to the Japanese talent in this genre with their new original series: Family in Flames.
Based on a manga known as Burn the House Down, this Netflix series follows Anzu Murata, a young girl whose family home was burned down during her childhood, supposedly because of her mother’s actions. Convinced of her mother’s innocence, Anzu becomes a governess at her childhood home, determined to find clues to prove her mother’s innocence and even uncover her stepmother’s guilt.
The eight episodes of Family in Flames are already available on Netflix, and many viewers have been unable to stop watching until the end of the season. Directed by Yûichirô Hirakawa, this Japanese series showcases actresses Mei Nagano and Kyōka Suzuki in the roles of Anzu and Makiko, respectively. If you want a preview of what the series has to offer, you can watch the trailer with subtitles in our automatic player above. Let us know in the comments if you enjoyed it.