‘Invisible’ (2022) Netflix Series Review - A Soap Opera Type Detective Show

Invisible is a 2022 Japanese Drama series that revolves around the detective Shimura and his involvement with a crime contractor supposedly known as the Invisible. It has a brooding Shimura who has a past that he's still being punished for by being demoted from his original position. 

The show begins when he finds himself caught up in an explosion at a major circle. After the explosion, the flashy electronic billboard near the location is hijacked by the supposed culprit who asks the police to hand Shimura over. This causes quite a stir about Shimura everywhere in social media and in social detective unit circles. The culprit looks like an iteration of the famous Invisible Man as they take away the famous cloth from their skin, there's just nothing but transparency. 

After getting back to the station we learn more about Shimura's history and his past with the current chief. 
Essentially after a bit, through a lot of hassle, Shimura finally is able to meet this person called the Invisible, who is somewhat of an urban legend in the police department. With blonde hair and a smug grin, she reveals secrets about what caused the explosion through a tale of clues from words.

That's what the show works with for the entirety of its run. Invisible is believed to be the connection, the contractor between the underworld and everything else. These contractors per se are able to control information that's passed. Invisible here, uses her invisible status to reveal new information every day. And detective Shimura is kept focused on it by having him given bits and pieces to solve the murder of a close one name Anno. 

The show has a plot that is lengthy to explain yet not something that feels complicated to any extent when you watch the actual show. The show very early on has a very melodramatic feel to it. It feels like a soap opera drama from the very first juxtaposition between Shimura and Invisible Kiriko. It reminded me in certain ways of the film Vikram Vedha. Since the setup is similar.

Invisible is a criminal who sets riddles for Shimura and watches from the other side of the bars. She reveals important things, and Shimura deals with them through issues and gets his required resolution. Like Vedha however, she asks more of Shimura than what meets the eye. She wants Shimura to look at the paths of evil and good with a little more patience.

That becomes the main theme of the show I felt as we swiftly move through the characters dealing with morality. The line between evil and good is overstepped. Shimura being considered a man who gets what he needs by any means possible is the perfect candidate for this. As he was demoted due to his past and violent tendencies.

The plot is very soap opera type and so is the show but it still works to some extent and doesn't feel bad. The music has some stranger designs but everything else is pretty decent for its production value. The detectives are cool, and I definitely enjoyed the overall slow. I'd suggest you watch it if you're interested in anime films and would want to try to be like them. 

Final Score – [7/10]
Reviewed by - Aayush Chaurasia
Follow @AayushC44 on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times