The Japanese series Human Vapor, with director Yeon Sang-ho serving as executive producer, has been released on Netflix today (July 2).
Based on the legendary 1960 Toho tokusatsu film The Human Vapor, this new eight-part series reimagines the original world with an entirely original story.
The project is a gripping crime thriller created by director Yeon Sang-ho—known for Train to Busan, The Face, COLONY, and the Netflix series Hellbound—who served as executive producer and screenwriter, and director Katayama Shinzo, who has masterfully depicted the darkness of the human psyche in the streaming series Gannibal and the film Siblings of the Cape. The series has garnered significant attention even before its release, as the Korean production company WOWPOINT collaborated with Japan's Toho to plan and produce this Netflix Japan series.
The story follows a detective and a reporter tracking a mysterious entity known as the Human Vapor, who commits pre-announced serial murders. Shun Oguri stars as detective Kenji Okamoto, who is on the trail of the case, while Yu Aoi plays reporter Kyoko Kono, who is chasing the truth. Suzu Hirose and Kento Hayashi appear as a pair of video creator siblings, delivering unconventional performances that heighten the tension of the series.
Additionally, Yutaka Takenouchi completes a powerful character as a businessman and former yakuza. The mysterious monster, the Human Vapor, is played by model UTA, who makes his acting debut in this role. He is expected to drive the core tension of the work with his overwhelming presence and eerie atmosphere.
Alongside the release, Netflix officially announced that the classic hit Ellie My Love by the iconic Japanese band Southern All Stars has been used as the key song that runs through the heart of the series.
The inclusion of the music was actively pursued by the production team following a recommendation from executive producer and screenwriter Yeon Sang-ho and co-screenwriter Ryu Yong-jae.
Furthermore, Human Vapor features VFX by Shirogumi, the studio behind the first Japanese film to win the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Godzilla Minus One. By combining a crime thriller genre with a monster realized through cutting-edge visual effects, the series has attracted great interest since its production stage for its scale and high quality, which is rare for Japanese video content.
As the interests of the police, media, video creators, underworld forces, and the elite become intricately intertwined around the pre-announced murder cases, Ellie My Love serves as a crucial key, offering a new kind of genre entertainment never experienced before.
Human Vapor is available to stream on Netflix starting July 2.
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(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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