Oguri Shun is hands down one of my most favorite J-actors and it’s only fitting that my favorite cop procedural in recent years has him headlining in a performance that really sticks with me long after. It’s been three years since the supernatural-tinged investigative J-dorama BORDER aired and I had long despaired of a much needed second season, but lo and behind a carrot has been thrown as BORDER 2: Penance is airing this Sunday October 29th as an SP (special).

Reuniting Shun with a talented supporting cast of Aoki Munetaka, Haru, Furuta Arata, Takito Kenichi, Hamano Kenta, and Nomaguchi Toru, the SP continues from the cliffhanger ending scene of BORDER when Shun’s ghost-seeing detective with a bullet in his brain makes a Solomon’s Choice type decision that is both right and wrong when he apprehends a perp (see the silhouette in the poster). If you haven’t watched BORDER I highly recommend, it’s dark but really well-paced and smartly written, with a bit of scare thrown in just perfect for close to Halloween watching. Continue reading →