Vivant

The best Japanese series on Netflix. Magnificent landscapes in the desert and in Mongolia, a scenario full of twists and turns that are sometimes far-fetched but we get caught up in following the story. Very good actors. A production with nods to Kurosawa, Hiroshi Abe who plays Nozaki seems the reincarnation of Toshiro Mifune, Beki seems to be a character from Ran and the Japanese ambassador is filmed in a close-up at the end like a Kurosawa heroine. The other characters are just as interesting and even the love story between Yusuke and Kaoru seems a necessary part of Asian series. Despite the criticism, I find that the script holds up, the direction and the photography are excellent. When is season 2?

Vivant, the 2023 Japanese TV series on Netflix, is nothing short of a masterpiece. Its captivating storyline, stellar performances, and impeccable cinematography make it a must-watch. The series effortlessly weaves together drama, suspense, and cultural nuances, creating a truly immersive experience. Vivant stands out as a shining example of top-tier entertainment, leaving audiences eagerly anticipating each episode. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a brilliant and emotionally resonant television journey. I hope they will make this type of series in the nearest future so the whole world could enjoy it.

The series is set over three countries, Japan, Mongolia and the imaginary Balka which is home to a major but mysterious terrorist organisation. An ordinary businessman Yusuke Nogi played by Masato Sakai is suspected of transferring billions of yen incorrectly to a foreign company and he is tasked with recovering it. The story then involves so many twist and turns as he falls deeper into a dark world that it's difficult to keep track of who is good and who is bad. The actors all do a sterling job particularly the lead who seems meek and mild but you soon realise that he is certainly not that. The real star of the show is the scriptwriters who lead you down many different paths and make this an entertaining watch.

I just have finished only the first episode and wanted to write this appraisal for the Actors here. First of all, great job to the Mongolian actors, especially Chingis and Jamin. But the dialogue and language skills of the main actor and actress is remarkable. Of course they had accents, more noticeably in English, but who cares about that, it is a Foreign language after all. But their Mongolian was almost perfectly done. Especially the intonations, emotions and feelings. A bit more meaning and feeling missed but that is just nitpicking. As well, great job on the localization, changing the labels, uniforms, license plates and few other things and managed to turn locations in Mongolia feel somewhat culturally same but identically different. Kudos 😉💪.

Edit: Ohhhhhh my god, ohhhhhhh my god, the bloody Wooden Toilet scene! I grew up having a phobia on falling accidentally into a Wooden Toilet (Modon Jorlon in Mongolian) 🤢🤢🤢. Brilliantly done. "Yellow teethed homeless guy" should have his own series 😂.

A good show. There seems to be some bad reviews and I'm sure these people only completed watching 1 episode which has become a disappointment for the IMDB website overall!

Anyway, a very good show and this is a very interesting series to watch and is sure something different from the usual extensive K Drama romance or the gun fighting drama shows!

One disappointment is the the switch from a funny to a dangerous character for the lead actor as it lost its fun side and become a more serious of a show, including the romance parts!

Overall, a good watch, entertaining, if there is a season 2, why not 😁