User reviews

The nomad's desert scene is so beautiful and desperate, and Rachmaninov makes it even more stunning. This is a very streamlined work that many details or foreshadowing scene are just presented by some simple clips. Very clean but definitely clear enough for audience to understand. The first 4 episodes are a little flat, but it turned very captivating from episode 5 in my opinion. There were no nonsense plots from the beginning to the end. Haven't seen an impressed Japanese series for a while and the cast is no joke! All are performed so well. Love Doramu who always repeated the last words. So cute!

The main characters that stoled this show are Nozaki, Chingiss and Bekis. Their presence is what made this show. Nogi's character didn't really fit the bill as a secret agent. They were trying to make him the japanese version of Johhny English. The actor would have been more suited for a role in maybe a Japanese revival of the hit US series Three's company as Mr. Furley as he looks just like him. Getting on to the story. The first couple of episodes were slow but then started to pick up. The scenery was beautiful and the acting of both chingiss and Noazaki were stellar. Both actors were properly picked for their respective roles as was the actor who played Bekis later on. A definite must watch even though the ending wasn't what should have been.

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.

Love it!

Give it a go! I absolutely adore how the author has written the storyline, a lot of the story scenes were unexpected in a good way. It's full with twist and mystery that just keep you going.

The first 5 episodes were a bit slower to build up the plot, once it hits episode 5 onwards, the story gets more and more captivating and interesting.

The acting was so good! The calibre of the actors is exceptional which helps to bring the TV show to life.

Unlike other Japanese dramas that can be over exaggerating at times, this movie is down to earth and the making of it is intelligent.

I hope there is a season 2!

No Spoiler Review

The pace of the plot progression is very appropriate (unlike many Japanese shows that are very slow, and become boring); certain unnecessary scenes are just skipped, expecting the audience to understand, which audience definitely can do.

The entire plot is very well-written. The characters in the story make real and intelligent decisions and choices (unlike some tv shows or movies had characters make unreal and illogical choices, in order to advance the story in certain direction, which made those shows unconvincing);

As a result, the story develops very organically and the plot-twist are very natural as well. There are hints, easter eggs, foreshadowing for the attentive viewers. Absolutely great show, and highly recommend it.

The shooting technique and camera movements are too rough. Unable to showcase the strengths of the storyline and engage the audience; the standard should not be like this. The filming technique for action suspense seems quite unskilled. The dubbing and music fail to immerse the audience and do not convey the atmosphere of the scene.

It wastes the skills of professional actors, giving the overall production a sense of wastefulness due to various unprofessional aspects.

The actors are top-notch, but the filming techniques lack immersion. Filters, camera movements, background music, and overall flow noticeably lack quality and feel awkward. It seems the director's style doesn't suit the storyline, impacting the integrity of the work. Handing it over to another director might result in a better outcome. It's a shame considering the excellent acting and storyline.

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?

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 😂.

Not your typical JP drama - the characters, the settings and plot twists kept me on my toes every episode! Went in at episode 1 expecting some mediocre story line but man by end of the episode I was intrigued. Not to mention the all-star castings - the acting is guaranteed good and apparently the show was filed in Mongolia which really has an exotic feel compared to the typical JP/KR drama on Netflix. If you like spy movies with lots of twists and turns then this is a must watch. An interesting take and a real effort from JP producers. Highly recommended. I wish there are more episodes but the length is spot on (10 epi only).

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.

The plot doesn't make much sense. Why would any of this realistically be happening. Who would risk their life for a company? It's just all a little silly for a serious drama. Also when the actors attempt to speak in a different language it sounds awful. The inflection sounds off and it sounds like they are stumbling through their lines. The main character is also highly unlikable. I was not rooting for him. He was unreasonably annoying. This nonsense drama will fill your time and there are some notables actores in it, however, it's not that good. I would save your time and choose something else. There are far better Japanese dramas to watch.

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 😁

If this were made to be a satire with a lot of humour, it might have worked. Too bad it was made to be a drama/action/thriller/(fantasy) because I simply cannot take it seriously.

If others can believe such ridiculousness as was presented in episode 1, then perhaps they can watch the rest of the drama. For me, I am dropping it.

What I liked:

• Hiroshi Abe

What was unbearable:

• the main characters, Businessman Nogi and Doctor Yuzuki.

• Masato Sakai plays the bumbling idiot well, but the character is too obnoxious
• what is with the over-acting from Fumi Nakaido?

> her character is supposed to be a highly trained doctor > being able to hold down a job in a foreign country and culture means she should have the temperament and experience to behave more rationally and sensibly

• an incompetent businessman from Japan knows an American CIA agent? And is like a brother to him? When he can barely speak English properly? (the ridiculousness continues)
• an ordinary businessman goes on such a tricky and dangerous mission in a foreign (fictional) country that is rampant with corruption *alone*

> without any aid from the Japanese Consulate > without any aid from a local guide > without even so much an an interpreter (because let's assume that people everywhere can understand the Japanized version of their language)

• portrayal of most foreigners (natives of Balka) as antagonists, while all the protagonists are all Japanese)

The first episode was so poorly executed in every department that I could not bring myself to continue watching this series. Sad waste of time, money and talent. I very much wanted to like this series because of the hype and actors involved. I've seen many films and TV series featuring Masato Sakai who I think is such a great actor if you like his kind of thing. But unfortunately in this series or at least what I could see from the first episode it seems that something has gone embarrassingly wrong. I wonder what he himself thinks of his performance and of the series? I guess you win some and you lose some as the saying goes.