The plotline of MIU 404 is about the Mobile Investigative Unit (MIU), which attempts to solve the cases within only 24 hours. MIU comes under the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. A new member is selected in MIU named Shima Kazumi. He is a perfect detective with all the necessary skills. However, he lacks in one aspect; trusting people. Upon order, he partners with a police officer Ibuki Ai, who is quite the opposite from him and lacks experience as a detective. This Japanese series is about these two working together to solve the cases within 24 hours, with a deadline of 4 days.
The Feel-good part
MIU 404 has a very well-written storyline with a solid social message of ethics and morals. It’s always good to watch a well-made series with good morals! The bromance in this series is top-notch. MIU 404 has one of the best OSTs and the background music goes well with the scenes and very naturally complements and enhances the impact of the scenes.
The Disappointing Factor
There are not many disappointing factors in the Japanese drama MIU 404. However, the pace and storytelling in the early episodes seemed quite random and insignificant which might make one lose interest in the series. However, as the story progresses, these random and little details summarize up to the bigger picture.
In-Depth Analysis
MIU is a unit of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that attempts to solve cases within 24 hours as every MIU team have only four days to solve a case. If failed to do so, the case gets transferred to the other Metropolitan Police Department’s specialized investigative unit. Shima Kazumi is the newly appointed detective of MIU, he is required to find a partner for himself but due to his nature of not trusting people, he fails to do so. He gets ordered to partner up with Ibuki Ai, a police officer lacking experience and knowledge though he is in an excellent physical condition. Before this, Ibuki Ai had applied for MIU but wasn’t selected. Ibuki Ai’s nature makes Shima Kazumi more nervous. Together they solve the cases.
Star Power
The main characters of MIU 404 are Ibuki Ai and Shima Kazumi played by Ayano Go and Hoshino Gen respectively. The supporting cast includes Okada Kenshi as Kokonoe Yohito, Hashimoto Jun as Jinba Kouhei, Aso Kumiko as Kikyo Yuzuru, Kanai Yuta as Itomaki Takashi, Watanabe Keisuke as Kojima Yukai, Sakata Tadashi as Taniyama, Suda Masaki as Kuzumi, etc.
Overall Opinion
Overall, MIU 404 can be considered one of the best Japanese series in the mystery genre. The series has a pinch of every element to be an entertaining watch, and it offers comedy, mystery and bromance, which makes it the perfect detective series. The scriptwriter, Nogi Akiko is famous for writing a good storylines with characters that show growth over the series, and for MIU 404, too, she didn’t disappoint. We recommend you watch MIU 404 if you would like to watch a good mystery drama.
