67
285
11
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
3
"Penetrate the paper with your gaze"
I was perusing Netflix’s offerings and saw an image of Yakusho Koji for Vivant’s advertisement. That was honestly enough for me to jump into the drama without knowing what it was about. Full disclosure for his other 12 fans, Koji doesn’t really show up until episode 8. Until then I had to rely on Abe Hiroshi and Mongolian actor, Barslkhagva Batbold, to keep me entertained. Sakai Masato’s performance as Nogi Yusuke was hit and miss with me.
Nogi Yusuke is in deep doggy doo doo at his company when $100,000,000 is “accidentally” transferred to a business in Balka instead of the agreed upon payment of $10,000,000. Nogi heads to Balka in an attempt to retrieve the 90 million. From there he becomes entangled with a Japanese policeman, a Japanese doctor, a mute Balkan child with a heart condition, a mute Balkan agent, a relentless Balkan policeman, a whole heap of spy trouble, a terrorist organization, and a personified inner critic he talks aloud with. Throw in a few daddy issues and that about rounded the drama out.
Sakai Masato initially played Nogi for laughs as the businessman stumbled cluelessly about. This kind of wide-eyed childish character is the type I rarely connect with. Ham-fisted clues were not hard to pick up on as the innocent Nogi bumbled through Balka. Nikaido Fumi had the thankless role of the often annoying and selfless doctor, Kaoru. As her character calmed down and was thrust into the love interest role, she became less important to the story. I could detect no romantic chemistry and the 20-year age gap seemed wider in this drama. Despite his naïve persona, Sakai looked every bit of 50 or older which proved problematic with another age gap he was involved in. Abe Hiroshi swaggered his way through as the extremely confident policemen/agent with a 100 watt smile. I enjoyed Matsuzaka Tori’s turn as Nogi’s work buddy Kurosu. As I mentioned, Yakusho Koji is one of my favorite actors. He did what he could with his pivotal role even when his character was reduced to monologuing or giving ridiculous reasons for his actions. Was there a problem with two of the actors’ speaking abilities which caused the producers to make them both mute?
The Mongolian scenery, especially the desert, was stunning and often a backdrop for characters behaving inexplicably. The music was mostly pleasing relying heavily on classical tunes and a version of The Incredibles theme song. When you hear Wagner, you know they are going with the overly dramatic music. I may not have bought the romance but I really liked one of the enemies to friends relationships. The twists and cliffhangers were somehow predictable and at the same time fun.
The episodes were long and the first ep dragged almost causing me to drop it. I’m glad I stuck with the drama because even with ridiculous plot armor, unbelievable spy and political intrigue, family drama, and fantastical chase scenes I enjoyed Vivant right up until the last episode when they zapped all the pleasure out of it with long moralizing and nationalistic speeches. I feel like this review is too negative because I actually binged the heck out of Vivant. Cheese and small doses of implausibility don't bother me, and if not for the eye-rolling final episode I would have rated it an 8.0. If you are looking for a realistic spy drama or a self-acknowledged spoof of one, this isn't it. Vivant did try to step out of the usual comfort zone of office and home which I was quite pleased with.
24 June 2025
A few spoilery thoughts below:
****Spoiler talk****
Nogi’s mental illness was never properly addressed and was left untreated. He quite obviously talked to and argued with himself even in public spaces which made me wonder how he became a spy in the first place. Also, a petty observation, Nogi was supposed to be gifted with languages and I understood maybe a third of his English. Yusuke looked more like a brother to Beki than a son which did jostle my immersion into the story fairly often. I was thrilled when it was finally revealed that he was Vivant so that Nogi could back off of the clumsy routine. But that ending with Beki made no sense to me whatsoever.
Nogi Yusuke is in deep doggy doo doo at his company when $100,000,000 is “accidentally” transferred to a business in Balka instead of the agreed upon payment of $10,000,000. Nogi heads to Balka in an attempt to retrieve the 90 million. From there he becomes entangled with a Japanese policeman, a Japanese doctor, a mute Balkan child with a heart condition, a mute Balkan agent, a relentless Balkan policeman, a whole heap of spy trouble, a terrorist organization, and a personified inner critic he talks aloud with. Throw in a few daddy issues and that about rounded the drama out.
Sakai Masato initially played Nogi for laughs as the businessman stumbled cluelessly about. This kind of wide-eyed childish character is the type I rarely connect with. Ham-fisted clues were not hard to pick up on as the innocent Nogi bumbled through Balka. Nikaido Fumi had the thankless role of the often annoying and selfless doctor, Kaoru. As her character calmed down and was thrust into the love interest role, she became less important to the story. I could detect no romantic chemistry and the 20-year age gap seemed wider in this drama. Despite his naïve persona, Sakai looked every bit of 50 or older which proved problematic with another age gap he was involved in. Abe Hiroshi swaggered his way through as the extremely confident policemen/agent with a 100 watt smile. I enjoyed Matsuzaka Tori’s turn as Nogi’s work buddy Kurosu. As I mentioned, Yakusho Koji is one of my favorite actors. He did what he could with his pivotal role even when his character was reduced to monologuing or giving ridiculous reasons for his actions. Was there a problem with two of the actors’ speaking abilities which caused the producers to make them both mute?
The Mongolian scenery, especially the desert, was stunning and often a backdrop for characters behaving inexplicably. The music was mostly pleasing relying heavily on classical tunes and a version of The Incredibles theme song. When you hear Wagner, you know they are going with the overly dramatic music. I may not have bought the romance but I really liked one of the enemies to friends relationships. The twists and cliffhangers were somehow predictable and at the same time fun.
The episodes were long and the first ep dragged almost causing me to drop it. I’m glad I stuck with the drama because even with ridiculous plot armor, unbelievable spy and political intrigue, family drama, and fantastical chase scenes I enjoyed Vivant right up until the last episode when they zapped all the pleasure out of it with long moralizing and nationalistic speeches. I feel like this review is too negative because I actually binged the heck out of Vivant. Cheese and small doses of implausibility don't bother me, and if not for the eye-rolling final episode I would have rated it an 8.0. If you are looking for a realistic spy drama or a self-acknowledged spoof of one, this isn't it. Vivant did try to step out of the usual comfort zone of office and home which I was quite pleased with.
24 June 2025
A few spoilery thoughts below:
****Spoiler talk****
Nogi’s mental illness was never properly addressed and was left untreated. He quite obviously talked to and argued with himself even in public spaces which made me wonder how he became a spy in the first place. Also, a petty observation, Nogi was supposed to be gifted with languages and I understood maybe a third of his English. Yusuke looked more like a brother to Beki than a son which did jostle my immersion into the story fairly often. I was thrilled when it was finally revealed that he was Vivant so that Nogi could back off of the clumsy routine. But that ending with Beki made no sense to me whatsoever.
Was this review helpful to you?
