Penance

Penance

God may forgive you, but she never will.

Created by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

On WOWOW Prime

20121 season5 episodes61 min7.6 / 10

A dark, spiritually-inflected revenge tragedy that interrogates guilt, trauma, and the corrosive power of a mother's curse across a small village's fractured community.

The murder of a young girl shocks a small Japanese village, and the victim's mother is distraught when the classmates her daughter was playing with all claim not to remember the identity of the killer. In her anger, she puts a curse on them.

Questions people ask

  • Is Penance easy watching? No. Less comforting than 100% of series.

  • Does Penance leave you hopeful? No. Less hopeful than 100% of series.

  • Is Penance sad? Yes, very. More sad than 99% of series.

  • Is Penance scary? Yes, very. More frightening than 98% of series.

  • Is Penance violent? Yes, very. More violent than 92% of series.

These describe how the series comes across across its whole run, compared with other well-known series. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked episode by episode, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

59/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this series gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Familiar shape, done well.

Rarity74

How unlike any other series this one feels

Surprise56

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love47

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like Penance

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Penance

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Penance, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Penance, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Penance, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

Share thisXBlueskyReddit