This six part series is mostly set in an all-girls Japanese high school. Students aren't too welcoming when Maki Togawa transfers in to their school. There is something rather strange about her from the start... and that is before black blood drips from her nose! Soon after her arrival very disturbing things start to happen. Aoi falls from the roof and crashes onto a concrete table in front of her friends; she is twisted and broken but still alive; within a couple of days she seems fully recovered. Student Kaoru Isozaki learns that Maki had been killed in an accident before her father, Doctor Akihito Seto, treated her with an experimental procedure. She contacts journalist who helps her find out more. As the series progresses it becomes clear that Maki is infecting other girls leaving them prone to violence and virtually immortal.
Usually gory, genuinely disturbing horror is restricted to films so it was nice to get a six part series that contains such material. It does of course mean it won't be for everybody as there are a lot of very gory moments from start to finish. The story is effective with a good reason given for Maki's condition and the way she spreads it. It develops at a good pace leading up to an impressive finale when the school girls are isolated in remote area during the annual field trip. The cast, mostly members of idol group AKB48, do a fine job even if they are clearly a bit old to be playing high schoolers. Most notable are Mayu Watanabe who is very likeable as Kaoru and Sakura Miyawaki (of HKT48) is delightfully scary as Maki. Tetsuya Bessho also impresses as Dr Seto; probably the series' most real main character. The series has a great look and style... in some ways it felt like a 'live-action anime' rather than a typical live action series. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to horror fans looking for something a little different.
This was the first Japanese series to be aired as part of UK Channel Four's 'Walter Presents' strand of foreign dramas... on the strength of this I hope it isn't the last.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
