"INFLUENCE" is a truly impressive title.

Despite its short length of only five episodes, the drama deals with themes such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and guilt in a nuanced, respectful manner. The three main characters, Yuri, Satoko, and Maho, feel multi-faceted and three-dimensional. Although they all clearly have their flaws, the drama still manages to evoke sympathy and understanding for their actions through its immersive and detailed storytelling.

It carefully crafts each character's personality and background to give the viewer an insight into the girls' motivations and intentions, yet it never seeks to excuse any of their actions for pity points from the viewer. The goal of the drama was never to depict three "badass murderous women." Instead, it shows three morally grey women who made poor life choices due to parental neglect and the expectation to "mind your own business" and "keep face" that is so ingrained in the Japanese society. Now, they not only have to carry that guilt until the end of their lives, they are also stuck in a perpetual cycle of murder and death until one of the characters, Yuri, eventually chooses to break said cycle by sacrificing her own future.

At no point did I feel like the friendship between Yuri, Satoko, and Maho felt unnatural or inauthentic or found myself wondering why they chose to do the things they did. The writing, acting, and production are incredible and I can highly recommend this drama to anyone who wants to see a female-led mystery that also addresses heavy topics and offers up valuable criticisms on society.