Recently I have been trying to explore new content in terms of entertainment and media and Girl From Nowhere, a Thai Netflix web drama is one of the results of the process. Complimentary to my natural preference for dark and gritty content, Girl From Nowhere is a starkly dark anthology with supernatural elements, which tries to explore the themes of right and wrong, justice, morality and evil. Though not perfect in terms of both writing and execution, the series certainly captures and sustains the attention of the audience throughout its two seasons. So please join me as I delve into the “crusades” by Nanno, the girl from nowhere.

Plot

To avoid any major spoilers, I will give a brief version of the events that occur during the series. The series follows a seemingly young protagonist, Nanno, when she appears as a new student in various unrelated schools; the one aspect connecting them all being that they are corrupted in some way, depending whether it is because of the staff or the students themselves. Nanno acts as a punisher of wrongdoings, making those who have done the misdeeds face appropriate repercussions of their actions. Some of these incidents include bullying others by graffitiing the bathroom wall with insults, grooming by staff/authority, sexual assault, teenage pregnancy or even murdering a classmate out of jealousy.

The second season follows roughly the same framework but with an introduction of a new character, Yuri. It is plainly obvious that Yuri is Nanno’s adversary, in a sense that she seems determined to prove to Nanno that Yuri’s own method of justice is quicker and more satisfying. Both the characters clash consistently during the season as the nature of the problems tackled gets darker and bloodier. The drama ends with a scene open for interpretation as Yuri and Junko (another twisted character) walk by a road after “killing” Nanno, while a figure watches them from the rooftop of a building (the figure seems like Nanno).

Main Characters

Nanno

Though the origins are not specifically described, Nanno is a supernatural, immortal entity with unearthly presence embodying the concept of Karma. As the audience observes throughout the anthology, Nanno dons the hat of a judge giving Karmic punishment or retribution to the wrongdoers. It is important to note though, that she is not a God, nor a Hero. In fact, she is an extremely morally grey character to the point of being almost morally black. Yet, the audience finds or rather I found myself rooting for her throughout the series as she brings chaos in the lives of the people who need to be “punished”. At he same time, She tempts and indirectly encourages others to act on their dark thoughts to see how far they will fall down the ladder of morality.

Nanno makes an interesting protagonist because the audience cannot completely understand her nature. On one hand she punishes the wrongdoers in the most inhumanly way possible and thrives on the impending doom of people, as their insecurities and dark desires dictate them to do the worst possible crimes. One the other hand though, she helps the innocent people who get caught up in the circumstances created by either her or other people. As the series progresses, we see Nanno’s increasing intensity of retribution as she navigates her own diminishing morals.

For the majority of the drama Nanno is portrayed as cold, heartless, devious and borderline genius as she casually and intricately plans the chaos she would impose on the wrongdoers. She molds her outward personality according to the situation, making the audience and the characters in the series feel confused about her true nature. She does not feel any regret nor remorse for the extreme actions she takes while “punishing” people. However, as the series progresses, the audience is given some moments where they can peep into the “human” emotions of Nanno (like infatuation, love, empathy and guilt) as she interacts with certain characters. The last scene where Yuri “kills” Nanno seems like a metaphor for the fact that due to Nanno’s increasingly diabolical actions and now being able to experience human emotions, she has turned into a mortal being, “killing” her own immortal existence.

Nanno undoubtedly is a riveting protagonist and her character is enhanced by Kitty (Chicha Amatayakul) through her enigmatic performance.

Yuri

A human turned supernatural entity, Yuri can be considered as the other side of the coin. Though she possesses similar qualities to Nanno, Yuri’s personality is completely different. (I will not reveal how, because it will ruin the plot, but) Yuri and Nanno become adversaries in the first episode of the second season. The rest of the season follows the battle of wits and many times of blood, between the two characters as they navigate through different stories of other students in various schools.

The character of Yuri is just as complex as Nanno’s. Yuri embodies the concept of revenge, vengeance and ultimate destruction. A charming and seemingly friendly girl, Yuri does not do subtle. She is completely reckless, rash, ruthless and cunning. While Nanno also possesses half of these traits, Yuri is more explosive in nature. She feels extremes of human emotions and expresses them in the most destructive ways possible.

The most important difference between Yuri and Nanno seems that Nanno, even if her methods are unconventional and horrific, never actively seeks to destroy people. She dangles the bait of their desires, insecurities and twisted thoughts while she waits patiently till they are hooked on the line. Then she shatters them completely. Yuri on the other hand, actively draws out people who have done something wrong and makes a bloody, gory mess. She doesn’t wait around for the people to dig their own grave, she digs their graves herself.

Another difference is that while the consequences “bad” people face due to Nanno are what she believes to be justice, whereas the consequences “bad” people face due to Yuri are what the victims believe to be justice. Though it is not a major difference, it tries to delve into the perspectives and perceptions of various people on the concept of justice.

Yuri, played by Nink (Chanya McClory) is definitely a worthy adversary to the drama’s protagonist.

Themes

As mentioned previously, the anthology explores the themes of right-wrong, evil, justice and morality. The series, through the actions of Nanno, Yuri and other major-minor characters tries to find answers to questions such as :

1. How evil a “good” person can be?
2. Do “good” people realize the consequences of their miniscule wrongdoings?
3. How evil does a person have to be to be considered “evil”?
4. How do emotions like insecurity and envy make even the “good” people commit heinous deeds?
5. Are “bad” people capable of having redemption?
6. What constitutes justice and who gets to decides that?
7. What is considered moral and can morality and justice go hand-in-hand?
8. And ultimately, Who is right between Nanno and Yuri? Both? Or no one?

Writing and Direction

The series is not perfect in terms of both writing and direction. As there is no linear plot, it can get a bit confusing at times to follow the story. A few scenes and minor characters seem unnecessary to the plot and at times no explanations are given for the actions committed by the characters including the protagonist and the antagonist. Some plotlines are underdeveloped that leave room for speculation which can be good or bad, depending on the perspective.

Each episode is directed by a different person making the series an interesting study of various techniques and approaches in execution of the script. It is no surprise, that the drama has many highs and lows in terms of cinematography, handling of the camera, music and perspective.

Parting Thoughts

Even with its apparent flaws, I would say that the drama has been successful in grabbing and keeping my attention and interest to a point that I felt compelled to discuss it. If you are a fan of dark, creepy thrillers and complex characters along with an appetite for finding answers to some unsettling questions; I would highly recommend this Thai anthology on Netflix – Girl From Nowhere.

What are your thoughts on this dark, thrilling anthology? Which aspect did you like the most? The characters, the plot, the direction or the conflicting themes?