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What would you do if one day you woke up with a silk bag over your head, chained to a strange dining room table with a bunch of other women? That oddly specific scenario is what Netflix’s latest international drama, Re:Mind, follows. If you can get past the disturbing and fetish-esque undertones of the drama’s premise, Re:Mind stands as solidly disturbing and thrilling mystery that’s perfect for a weekend binge.
There’s a light-hearted and playful tone that accompanies many Japanese properties that can sometimes be distancing to American audiences. It’s something that anime is practically known for at this point, and it’s a tone that that some of Netflix’s other acquired Japanese originals, like Million Yen Women and the wonderful Atelier, possess. Re:Mind isn’t like that. From the moment the first classmate wakes up in a panic to the mid-episode opening episode, which isn’t dissimilar to some of Big Little Lies‘ more poetic moments, the drama in this series is tense. These young women don’t know why they’re in this bizarre form of torture or who’s behind it, and the audience knows even less. In that regard, the series stands as a solid mystery series.
However, in our current political and social landscape, it’s hard for Re:Mind to not leave a questionable taste in some people’s mouths. After all, this is a series that starts with 12 high school girls being kidnapped and proceeds from there. The series never pretends that these women are anything but victims — none of them seem to want to be there, and from the first few episodes I saw, the imprisonment is not one member’s direct “fault.” But there is something that feels uncomfortably exploitative and sexually charged about the series’ premise.
That being said, the actual execution of the series is good. As mentioned before, the central mystery is well-hidden and well-executed, the acting is good, and the cinematography and set design is beautiful. There’s an intricacy to Re:Mind that’s worth exploring, and with only 13 episodes with a running time of about 30 minutes each, you can dive into this twisted world pretty easily.
