Kim Seok, a detective from Seoul, puts out his hand. Inose, from Tokyo, declines the handshake. The trailer for The Blue Road, premiering on Netflix Nov. 20, puts the reason they have to work together next to the reason it will be difficult. Similar murders occur in Korea and Japan. The clues cross a border before either detective is willing to trust the other. When will the two finally share what they know?

A man standing outside a building and facing a group.넷플릭스

A promotional still from The Blue Road.

Inose first encounters Kim Seok as a man to follow

According to the Busan International Film Festival synopsis, Inose spots an unknown man while investigating a Tokyo crime scene. He follows him before learning he is Kim Seok, a Korean detective sent to work on a joint investigation. Their relationship begins with one man treating the other as a person of interest.

The two detectives walking side by side in an alley at night.넷플릭스

A promotional still from The Blue Road.

When Son Suk-ku and Eita Nagayama share the frame, watch who makes the first move. Kim Seok offers his hand. Inose makes it clear he wants to catch the killer and leaves the hand hanging. They seem to agree on where the investigation should end. What they’re willing to share on the way there is a separate question.

A man standing in the middle of a crowd.넷플릭스

A promotional still from The Blue Road.

A man studying an object under blue light.넷플릭스

A scene from the investigation in The Blue Road.

The same method points beyond one city

The main trailer released by Netflix on Nov. 5 shows contorted bodies, cryptic messages and another case. A clue that appears to belong to Tokyo connects with events in Korea. Similar methods still leave the investigators with something to prove. Keep track of where each clue was found and which detective had a chance to interpret it.

The trailer points to 2002, when Korea and Japan co-hosted the World Cup. The poster puts Japanese signage behind Kim Seok and Korean signage behind Inose. It gives you an early hint that each man will have to work beyond his familiar streets. Watch whose police information each of them can draw on as the case moves between Seoul and Tokyo.

A person looking to one side on a street at night.넷플릭스

A promotional still from The Blue Road.

Three people in an office with desks and paperwork.넷플릭스

A look inside the investigation team’s office in The Blue Road.

Three people to watch alongside the detectives

Kim Shin-rock plays Li Yoon-ok, a Korean businesswoman in Japan who asks Kim Seok how much he’s prepared to risk. Jung Jae-young plays Seo Hyun-tae, a man from Japan’s criminal underworld who comes face-to-face with Kim Seok. Choi Sung-eun plays government agent Yoon Soo-kyung, who clashes with Inose. The promotional material leaves their choices open. Look at who each person questions and what information they might have.

Two people facing each other in a crowd.넷플릭스

A promotional still from The Blue Road.

Kim Seok and Inose standing close, face to face.넷플릭스

A still of Kim Seok and Inose in The Blue Road.

If you watched D.P., compare where the two partnerships start

The Blue Road adapts the comic of the same name by Kwon Ga-ya and Keishi Edogawa. Director Han Jun-hee and writer Cho Yu-jin adapted it for the screen. In Han’s D.P., two people also set out in pursuit, but they start with an assignment from the same organization. The Blue Road puts the detectives in separate institutions. Compare the instructions each receives and the moment they decide to act on their own judgment.

The series appeared first in the festival’s On Screen section. A scene experienced on a cinema screen may land differently in a series watched across several evenings. When the scene changes, notice whether the detectives are looking at different things even when they’re in the same room. Remembering who saw something first can help you follow clues across the cities.

The two detectives against different streetscapes.넷플릭스

Promotional artwork for The Blue Road.

Should you read the comic first? Read it ahead if you want to compare how the series handles the characters and settings. Stop at the official trailer and character guide if you want to follow the partnership without knowing the outcome. You don’t have to guess where every trailer shot will appear in the series.

A poster with the title and both detectives.넷플릭스

The official poster for The Blue Road.

The trailer shows graphic crime scenes. If you’d rather avoid those images, start with the character guide and check the viewing rating on the Netflix title page.

Watch for the first time the two men bring what they know to the same table. That’s when the separate cases in two cities can start to look like one investigation.

Watch The Blue Road on Netflix