Back in 1960, Toho – the studio behind the Godzilla franchise – brought the world a sci-fi thriller called The Human Vapor, which was directed by Ishirō Honda and boasted special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, both of whom are best remembered for their work on Godzilla. More than sixty years later, the concept is getting a series reboot, as Toho has teamed with Wow Point and the Netflix stream service for Human Vapor. All eight episodes of the show will be available to watch as of July 2nd, and a trailer can be seen in the embed above.
What is Human Vapor about?
Directed by Shinzo Katayama from scripts written by Yeon Sang-ho and Ryu Yong-jae, the series has the following synopsis:
Kenji Okamoto, a detective on suspension, is recruited to hunt down the criminal behind a series of unprecedented murders. It all starts when a college professor suddenly swells and explodes on live television. Before anyone can process this bizarre event, a man calling himself the Human Vapor (UTA) announces that he will perform a series of murders, sending society into a great panic. Kenji and reporter Kyoko devote themselves to uncovering the truth and catching the culprit, who seems to be mocking the authorities as they struggle to close in on him. With each new killing, he corrodes society with a formless, pervasive fear.
Netflix adds that “VFX by the Academy Award-winning team Shirogumi that amazed the world with its work on Godzilla Minus One is combined with an extraordinary sense of scale, represented by grand car chases.” The show is expected to provide “a visual experience of a new dimension that far surpasses past Japanese drama series.“
Shun Oguri takes on the role of Kenji Okamoto, with Uta as the human vapor and Yu Aoi as Kyoko. Suzu Hirose, Kento Hayashi, and Yutaka Takenouchi are also in the cast.
Yeon Sang-ho, the director of Train to Busan, serves as showrunner and executive produced Human Vapor alongside Minami Ichikawa, Keiji Ota, Hisashi Usui, Yoshihiro Sato, Nen Hyo, and Ryoji Kure. Sokichi Onoda and Yoomin Hailey Yang are the producers.
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