Netflix greenlights Japanese thriller Burn The House Down

Netflix is expanding its slate of Japanese-language series with an adaptation of the manga Burn The House Down, per The Hollywood Reporter. The mystery thriller, created by artist Moyashi Fujisawa, is set to hit the streamer in 2023.

“The Netflix series, like the manga, will tell the story of Anzu Murata, a young woman who infiltrates the house of the wealthy Mitarai family as a housekeeper in order to reclaim the life that was taken from her,” according to the synopsis from THR. “She is greeted by the beautiful and impeccable second wife of Mr. Mitarai, Makiko, and undertakes a mission that will reveal the secrets behind a shocking fire that took place 13 years ago.”

Yuichiro Hirakawa (The Promised Neverland, Group Demotion) has signed on to direct the adaptation from screenwriter Arisa Kaneko (Orange, An Incurable Case of Love). Mei Nagano is set to play Anzu Murata with Kyoka Suzuki co-starring as Makiko Mitarai. Shinichi Takahashi serves as executive producer on the project with Kei Haruna also producing, per THR.

Netflix has been expanding its repertoire of Japanese live action series, including Burn The House Down and Yu Yu Hakusho. However, it also hasn’t given up on its attempts at English language versions of beloved Japanese properties (even after the lukewarm-to-outright-cold reception of its adaptations of Cowboy Bebop and Death Note). The Duffer Brothers have announced yet another Death Note, and the streamer seems to have invested a lot in the upcoming One Piece series. Netflix is clearly determined to keep riling up long-standing fandoms until something finally works.

Still, if the English speaking audience can “overcome the one inch tall barrier of subtitles,” as Bong Joon-Ho put it, there’s a wealth of other manga adaptations available that may prove to have a better success rate.