Japanese Crime Novel ‘The Aosawa Murders’ Set for Limited Series

A riveting murder-mystery based on a prize-winning Japanese crime novel is at the heart of the upcoming six-part series “The Aosawa Murders,” a buzzy U.S.-Japan co-production that’s being pitched this week at Rome’s MIA Market.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Japanese writer Riku Onda, the show is produced by Jonathan Kier of Upgrade Productions, the L.A.-based company launched in 2021 by the ex-Sierra/Affinity president Kier and former Disney Plus and Netflix executive Matt Brodlie, and Takeo Kodera of Japanese publishing house and media giant Kadokawa.

The series begins in 2004, when freelance writer Yuko arrives in the beautiful coastal city of Kanazawa to investigate the infamous “Aosawa Case,” a mass poisoning that occurred in 1973 when 17 members of the wealthy Aosawa clan died after drinking poisoned sake and soft drinks during a family celebration.

There she meets Makiko Saiga, the secretive author of “The Forgotten Festival,” a book based on the murders. But when the writer reveals little about the notorious case, Yuko decides to delve into the past herself, seeking out the elusive Hisako Aosawa — who, as a blind 12-year-old girl, was the only family member to survive the incident — and hoping to shed light on a dark episode that only grows more mysterious the further she digs.

First published in Japan in 2005, where it won the Mystery Writers of Japan Award for best novel, “The Aosawa Murders” instantly captivated Kier, who read the English translation when it was released in 2020 to critical acclaim.

The veteran producer said he was drawn to Onda’s evocation of the “beautiful,” “mysterious,” brooding region where the story is set — a place he likened to the Pacific Northwest and coastal Maine (noting that Onda, fittingly, has been described as the “Stephen King of Japan”). The book also opened the door for a collaboration with his longtime friend and business associate Takeo Kodera, whose Kadokawa publishing house owns the rights to the novel.

“We had talked about finding ways to work together and finding something to do in Japanese,” Kier said. With Kodera and his colleagues at the publishing giant increasingly looking to adapt their catalog into English, Kier asked his Japanese counterpart if the company wanted to come on board to co-produce the show.

The series’ intricately crafted story — described by a New York Times critic as a “stubbornly nonlinear novel” when it appeared on the newspaper’s list of the Best Books of 2020 — spans six episodes, flashing back and forth in time as Yuko tries to unravel the mystery of the mass poisonings. The show is written by Naoko Adachi, who Kier described as “one of the biggest TV writers in Japan.”

“It’s been really amazing working with her,” he said. “It’s all Japanese creatives, and we hope to bring an international perspective to the development process.”

That’s been the core principle of Upgrade Productions since it launched in 2021 with backing from German powerhouse Constantin Film and an eye toward developing and producing premium local-language productions for a global audience.

“We’ve been looking for projects that we feel also have an international accessibility, so that if they’re produced and they work in their country of origin…we work with a local producer to make it something that’s accessible to international audiences,” said Brodlie. Of “The Aosawa Murders,” he added: “I was really excited to be jumping into something that already is a proven property that has both Japanese domestic and international appeal. And people know about it.”

The duo said the crime drama could also get a boost from the dramatic success of FX’s smash hit, feudal-era Japan-set “Shōgun,” a critical and audience favorite that also shattered records when it scooped 18 Emmy Awards this year.

“‘Shōgun’ performing so well at the Emmys was real validating to see,” said Kier. “Seeing something like that do so well was great, and it bodes well for ‘Aosawa’ and the other Japanese projects that we’re working on.”

The MIA Market takes place Oct. 14 – 18 in Rome.