[Sportschosun Jiyoung Cho] Netflix's series "Human Vapor," led by Yeon Sang-ho as executive producer and written by Yeon Sang-ho and Ryu Yong-jae, with direction by Shinzo Katayama, meets viewers around the world today.
"Human Vapor" has been reborn as a completely original eight-episode story based on the world of the original work. Yeon Sang-ho, who has delivered a string of globally talked-about titles such as the films "Train to Busan," "The Ugly," and "Colony," as well as the Netflix series "Hellbound" and "Parasyte: The Grey," served as executive producer and screenwriter. Shinzo Katayama, who has sharply portrayed the darkness within human nature through the streaming series "Gannibal" and the films "Siblings of the Cape" and "Missing," directed the intense crime thriller. The project drew attention even before its release because Korean production company Wow Point joined forces with Japan's Toho to plan and produce a Japanese Netflix series.
The story centers on a detective and a reporter tracking the mysterious Human Vapor, a being behind a series of predicted murders. Shun Oguri plays detective Kenji Okamoto, while Yu Aoi takes on the role of reporter Kyoko Kono, both delivering a strong presence. Suzu Hirose and Kento Hayashi appear as video-creator siblings, raising the tension with bold performances unlike anything they have shown before. Yutaka Takenouchi also creates a striking character as a former yakuza-turned-businessman. Model UTA makes an acting debut as the enigmatic figure Human Vapor, bringing overwhelming presence and a bizarre atmosphere that is expected to drive the drama's core tension.
With the release of the series, Netflix officially announced that Southern All Stars' classic song "Ellie My Love" was used as the key song that captures the essence of the production.
The use of the song came about after producer and screenwriter Yeon Sang-ho and co-writer Ryu Yong-jae recommended it, prompting the production team to actively pursue the idea. Long loved as one of Japan's signature songs, "Ellie My Love" serves as an important device linking the truth behind the events and the relationships among the characters, adding depth to the narrative.
On the song choice, Yeon Sang-ho said, "While discussing with Ryu Yong-jae what kind of music could play an important role in 'Human Vapor,' Ryu suggested Southern All Stars' 'Ellie My Love.' From that point on, the various emotions of 'Human Vapor' and the unique feeling of 'Ellie My Love' matched so perfectly that the song became the central emotion of 'Human Vapor,' and I listened to it while writing the latter half of the script. In the end, 'Ellie My Love' became not just an insert song, but the core emotion of the rebooted 'Human Vapor.' I truly want to say that the meeting between 'Human Vapor' and 'Ellie My Love' was destined."
"Human Vapor" also features VFX by Shirogumi, the studio that won Japan's first Academy Award for visual effects for the film "Godzilla Minus One." Combining a crime thriller with the mysterious Human Vapor rendered through cutting-edge visual effects, the series has drawn strong attention from the production stage for its scale and high level of completion, which are rarely seen in Japanese screen content.
As the story unfolds, the interests of the police, the media, video creators, underworld forces, and the powerful become intricately entangled around the predicted murders. "Ellie My Love" serves as a decisive key, delivering a fresh kind of genre entertainment unlike anything audiences have experienced before.
Netflix said, "Please see for yourself what kind of synergy emerges when stunning visuals meet a timeless classic."
Based on Toho's legendary 1960 special-effects film "The Human Vapor," directed by Ishiro Honda, "Human Vapor" stars Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi, Suzu Hirose, Kento Hayashi, UTA, and Yutaka Takenouchi. Shinzo Katayama of "Siblings of the Cape" and "Missing" directed the series, while Yeon Sang-ho of "Train to Busan," "Peninsula," "The Ugly," and "Colony" served as executive producer. It will be released worldwide on Netflix on the 2nd.
Jiyoung Cho, soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
