This Netflix Drama By Hirokazu Kore-eda Still Has A Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score — Here’s Why You Should Watch It

Asura might have flown under your radar, but it hasn’t slipped past critics. Discover why it still holds a perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating.

By
Koimoi.com Team
- June 18, 2025 | 11:01 AM IST
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Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of the most popular directors of these times. His works have found a cult-like following over the years, and they continue to garner applause from those who like all things storytelling. Kore-eda’s movies have found global fame and acclaim owing to their slice-of-life themes, a soft yet deep lens to look at the interwoven complexity of relationships, and stories that resonate beyond time.

In 2025, he presented a new work from his lens – a seven-episode Japanese family drama named Asura, based on the novel of the same name. The show was released on Netflix in January, and it ranked atop the popularity charts instantly upon its release. This family drama tells the tale of four sisters in 1979 Tokyo when they find that their aging father has had an affair and might have a young son. As the four women try to unravel the truth, their personal lives are also affected, and several secrets are revealed.

Asura is based on Kuniko Mukôda’s novel and a 1979 Japanese drama of the same name. It has been about five months since the drama premiered on Netflix, and it has continued its streak of a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Surprisingly, the drama went largely undetected upon its premiere. It was found and loved by that particular section, which regularly indulges in Japanese content, follows the director, and is also abreast with the latest releases.

If you have also kept the drama on your watchlist and not yet begun, then here’s why you should watch director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest offering, Asura.

5 Reasons to Watch Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Asura

1. Four sisters, as different as four individuals can be!
   The drama follows four sisters, each with a different temperament. These sisters have different opinions on almost every topic, and they often quarrel over these differences, too.
2. Aging parents, filial piety
   As the sisters come to terms with the reality that their parents have now aged and need renewed support, their filial piety also stands to be tested when they discover their father’s extramarital affair. They begin to question if their father truly deserves their support. They also begin to see the affair as a cheating not only on their mother as the spouse, but also on them in the capacity of being the daughters.
3. A tale of feminism is central to the drama
   At the drama’s core, the story is all about feminism if one takes a closer look. When the sisters band together to come to terms with their father’s new life with a new woman, their beliefs on marriage and relationships are also put to the test. Underneath the moral dilemma stands a stronghold of their feminist values, where they continue to find support within themselves and each other.
4. Coming together, despite all odds
   After the girls find out that their ageing father has had an extramarital affair, they come together and keep their differences aside. They do it to protect their mother and prevent the family from falling apart further.
5. Are they really ‘Asura’?
   The men in the drama deem the women as ‘Asura,’ meaning demi-gods with great power. These ‘Asura’ are mythologically known to be evil incarnate and extremely troublesome figures.

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s works have always managed to secure a niche angle in each story that strikes at the most relatable and vulnerable spot in the audience’s mind. These stories crafted by the filmmaker work as a lens to the humans around us and the society that we live in. Asura might have flown under your radar, but it is time you give this feminist piece of family drama a try!

Watch the trailer for Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Asura on Netflix here:

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