Though Influence is centered on multiple murders committed by the three main leads, it isn't a high-octane thrill ride but rather an observation on friendship and how it crumbles and rebuilds itself in the midst of heinous acts committed with good intentions.

Not only is the story intriguing and takes many unexpected turns in its short 5 episodes run but it's also very well produced and well-acted. Admittingly, I haven't watched very many J-dramas, but I was glad that I took a chance on Influence because it really raised the bar for me. I especially loved the effort that the production team put into making the 1980s flashbacks look real. The set and costume designs along with the exterior shots were all top-tier.

The only places where the story fell short was minor plot inconveniences. It annoyed me to no end that Maho was at the crime scene of Yuri's murder. Thematically, it makes sense because Yuri starts to realize in that moment that Maho deceived her but in context, Maho should not have been anywhere near the crime scene. Frustratingly, it was later revealed by Detective Natsume that Maho has an alibi, which was not only false but obviously a thoughtless plot contrivance by the fact that they never specified what Maho's "alibi" was.

There was also the instance in which Yuri seems surprised that Satoko didn't know that Yuri killed her husband, despite Maho specifically telling her that Satoko didn't know. These scenes were written in simply for dramatic effect but thankfully, they didn't come aplenty. Just a few head-scratching moments that takes away from an otherwise EXCELLENT series. However, there is concern that since the show is very much dramatic and lacks humor or romance, there's little rewatch value. The most exciting parts were the plot twists but during a rewatch, you'll already know everything that's going to happen. The best thing to gain from a rewatch would be the handful of genuinely sweet/heartwarming friendship moments between the three girls.

I highly recommend Influence.