| Director: | Katsuo Fukuzawa Yōhei Miyazaki Akiko Kato |
| Starring: | |
| Narrated: | Megumi Hayashibara |
| Composer: | Akira Senju |
| Country: | Japan |
| Language: | Japanese |
| Num Episodes: | 10 |
| Producer: | Kazutaka Iida Miyuki Ogata Kaori Hashizume |
| Runtime: | 54–108 min |
| Network: | TBS Television |
Vivant (ヴィヴァン, stylized as VIVANT) is a TBS drama that started airing on 16 July 2023, starring Masato Sakai.
The screenplay was written by Katsuo Fukuzawa, who is also the director. Fukuzawa was also director of Hanzawa Naoki and Black Pean.[1] The storyline was not revealed until the first episode aired.[2] By air time, the cast also was still being revealed. The drama has as co-stars Hiroshi Abe, Fumi Nikaido, Tori Matsuzaka, and Koji Yakusho.[3] Additional cast members include Kento Hayashi, Ryo Ryusei, Rin Takanashi and Rei Dan.[4] At the end of the first episode, the appearance of Arashi's Kazunari Ninomiya was revealed.[5] [6]
Yusuke Nogi, Chief of Energy Development Division 2 at Marubishi Corp., finds out that an erroneous transfer of US$100 million (=13 billion yen) has been made, as he is suspected of being the one who did it. With the information given by his friend in the CIA, Nogi sets out to search for the culprit. That takes him to the fictional Republic of Balka, in central Asia. When he is confronting Al-Zaer, suspected of converting the stolen money into diamonds. Al-Zaer asks Nogi if he was "Vivant", leaving Nogi looking confused. Al-Zaer surprisingly sets off a bomb strapped to his body, to evade capture by the police. Nogi is suspected by the local police of causing the explosion, which he barely escapes. He is rescued by a new character who had been trailing him, Inspector Nozaki, attached to the Japanese Embassy. They end up at the hospital where a third Japanese person works, Dr. Yuzuki. In the hospital, the police are looking for Nogi and Nozaki, and, together with Yuzuki, all three are arrested and driven away. But, in reality, they are being rescued by Nozaki's friend Drum. Still pursued by the police, they all manage to arrive at the Japanese Embassy the capital, where they are exempt from arrest.[7] [8] Inside the Embassy, Nozaki continues trying to understand the mystery of the word "Vivant", and comes up with a different reading: "Beppan", meaning "another group". However, this "another group" could mean a government agency not officially recognized, a secret identity (as in a spy), or a different personality, this last one something that could be of importance, given the "other" Nogi that has appeared in front of only him.[9] Back in Japan, Nogi and Nozaki enlist the help of Shōta Tōjō, a Detective in the Cybercrime Division of the Metropolitan Police. They discover the origin of the theft of funds, but Nozaki assumes that the one who supposedly made it could not have done it, because of his lack of expertise in the area of computers.[10] But they continue to dig through the information, and it is revealed that the one that actually did the transference is a hacker by the name of Riho Ohta, a member of the company's finance department, who received instructions from Isao Yamamoto. Nogi discovers the image of Yamamoto in a photo, and learns he is a monitor of a terrorist group called "Tent" that is targeting countries around the world, with Japan as their next target. Yamamoto tries to escape, but ends up being tied up. Shun Kurosu appears in front of Yamamoto, and reveals he is part of Beppan, as is his senior, Nogi.[11]
Nozaki, continuing his investigation on "Beppan", "Tent", and all things related, discovers Yamamoto's body hanged, along with a suicide note. When he finds out no surveillance cameras are active, he begins to become suspicious about Nogi, since he knew about Yamamoto's identity. Both Nogi and Nozaki go to Balka, the first (as Beppan) under the guise of a Marubishi Shōji business trip, the latter seeking the help of Balkan police. Nogi secretly follows Nozaki to get information about Ali, GLF'S CEO and revealed Tent senior executive, and gets to him, before Nozaki. Since Nozaki couldn't get to Ali, he begins to investigate Nogi, and the result just adds to the mystery behind Nogi (or Hayato Tango, as revealed by Nozaki's contact at the FBI). Nozaki learns that young Nogi was raised in an orphanage, and later trained at a military school, graduating with high notes. Nozaki heads to Nogi's family home, and talks to his uncle, Hiromichi. Nogi's father, Suguru, was a policeman that took his family to Balka on an Agricultural mission after retiring from police service. Nogi's mother was killed there trying to protect him (a recurring memory of Nogi), and his father was believed to have died in a civil war. Hiromichi shows Nozaki a katana sword, that has been in the family for generations, holding the family crest... which is also the symbol used by Tent. Somewhere else, Nogi had Ali bound, and threatens him with killing his family for information on Tent's leader. Nogi shows Ali a photo, and Ali tells Nogi that that is Nogōn Beki, Tent's leader. But that is not the only thing. After seeing another photo Nogi has below the first one, the one of his own family, Ali asks him why he had a photo of a young Beki, revealing that Nogōn Beki and Suguru Nogi are the same person. After that, the image of a meeting room is revealed, with Beki at the end of a conference table, and his son (Ninomiya, his name still not revealed), sitting next to him, asking "Father, are you sure you want to start?". The scene zooms out to reveal the Tent logo / Nogi family crest on the wall.[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
Tent starts its members' conference, revealing a money skimming. Beki kills the embezzler in one stroke of a katana.Nogi frees Ali and his family, asking to forgive him for doing what we did, for it was the only way he could ensure a favorable result. After seeing Nogi's true intentions, before leaving, Ali hands Nogi a piece of paper with a set of numbers on it, which he has to decipher in a short time.In a hotel room in Saudi Arabia, Nogi reflects on his past life, causing a conflict between him and his alter ego (F). F was born out of Nogi's necessity to be strong due to the circumstances he was living in at the time. F calls Nogi an idiot for believing Beki is still the man who was his father, and tells him he should kill him, but Nogi says he wants to meet and talk with him, for he is his father, even if he is the leader of Tent. F says that what Nogi seeks from Beki (love), he already has in Yuzuki and Jamin, the Balkan girl that (with her father) had saved him when he first went to Balka. Now they were being protected by him.Sakurai confirms to Nogi that he is being investigated by Nozaki. Nozaki learns that Suguru Nogi was, in fact, one of his seniors in the police. While Ohta is received by Kurosu, after freeing her from jail, and starts working with him on the number list (a QR code), Yuzuki is in the hospital where Jamin is being operated on. Nogi sees them and has a flashback of his own family. Time is running out for both sides, but end up favorably.Nozaki has Nogi followed and Ohta's building surveilled. Ohta threatens to kill herself, sure that they are friends of Yamamoto, who assaulted and took advantage of Ohta. But Nogi and Kurosu show her what really happened and prove to her that Yamamoto is also their enemy. Shinjō arrives at the apartment and rings the bell, alerting Nogi. At the insistence, Ohta opens the door, and Shinjō serves her a search order, but finds nothing, except Nogi "ready to eat". Shinjō reunites with Nozaki, who is sure there is a secret room.There is a meeting at the bidding venue of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Nogi's section and another district's business (Kurosu's) are awarded, and the meeting ends, with the person in charge telling the named companies' people to stay. Nogi, Kurosu and other 4 people are the only ones remaining. The venue's doors are closed, and the true meeting starts, with the entrance of Sakurai.[19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27]
Beppan's members introduce themselves to the group, and then start working together on what Nogi has learned about Tent, including that the leader, Nogōn Beki, is his father. Analyzing Tent's communication records, Beppan discovers that the Russian anti-government group, Vostania, and Nokor, Tent's second-in-command, had a planned meeting near the Russian border in Balka. Nozaki, working with both the Japanese and the Balkan police, follows Nogi, who the police believe could be involved with Tent, putting a tag on him, but Nogi discovers it. With an elite team, Nogi ambushes Vostania's troops, and then disguise themselves to liaise with Tent. Nogi captures Nokor pulling his gun, but instead of shooting Tent's men, he shoots his own team. Nokor looks on with disbelief. As the Tent team counters, Nogi confesses "I am Beki's son". As the police closes in, Nokor whisks Nogi and an injured Kurosu to Tent's hideaway. Inside a cell, Kurosu's anger boils over at Nogi, who reveals his attack on their allies was motivated by a longing to see his father, Beki. But just as tensions peak, Tent's enigmatic leader, Beki, emerges. It is a reunion four decades in the making as Nogi faces his father. As a testament to his betrayal, Beki demands Nogi shoot Kurosu. Nogi's attempt fails, and as they grapple with the situation, there's news that an aircraft carries the remains of team members Nogi had shot. Beki intervenes. Nokor employs a polygraph to extract further details from Nogi. A poignant story from Nogi's childhood prompts Beki to order a DNA test, confirming Nogi as Beki's son, Yusuke. Subsequently, Kurosu is transferred to an unknown location. After showcasing an impressive IQ of 137, Beki shows Nogi Tent's confidential books. The records unveil that Tent's shadowy military outfit funds its activities through terror and crime, funneling its dark earnings into running several orphanages. At one such institution, Nogi, having uncovered the director's corruption, earns Beki's trust, signified by a pristine white emblem known as "Dale," akin to Nokor's. Scrutinizing the financials, Nogi discerns that Tent had escalated its terror operations three years prior, aiming to acquire expansive lands in northwest Balka.
Determined to unearth the rationale behind Tent's covert land dealings in northwest Balka, Nogi is enlightened by Beki: A seismic event had uncovered a rich vein of 99% pure fluorite deep underground. Beki's ambition is to seize this land, pre-empting governmental and foreign claims, and redirect mining revenues to sustain the orphanages. Armed with inside intel from Kurosu's business dealings, Nogi proposes a novel fundraising method via credit trades instead of their usual terror tactics. With Beki's endorsement, the venture thrives. Seeking deeper insights into his newfound lineage, Nogi delves into Tent's origins. Beki reminisces about Tent's inception, intertwined with tales of his beloved wife, Akemi. He concedes past resentments towards Japan's Public Safety Commission but assures Nogi there's no vendetta targeting Japan. However, a twist emerges: Intel on the fluorite, known only to Tent's top brass and Nokor's confidante Gobi, has leaked to Balka's government. The arrival of Nogi seems to correlate with these breaches. Moreover, the supposed 'terminated' teammates by Nogi's hand are alive, recuperating in Japan. Confronted by Beki about his true mission, another voice cautions against invoking "F." Unfazed, Nogi confesses, leading a wrathful Beki to unsheathe his blade.[28]
Beki uses the Katana to cut Nogi's bindings, signaling him to be released. Everyone's taken aback. Nokor asks why he's helping a traitor. Beki reveals he figured out that Nogi was undercover in the tent, even fooling their allies because of his special skills. Before heading to BalKa, Jamīn had mentioned to Nogi that Beki was a "good person" after seeing a photo of him. This made Nogi curious about the tent's true agenda. He tipped off Nozaki about potentially playing both sides and had entrusted him with taking care of another member he'd shot for the infiltration. When Beki questions Nogi's true motives, Nogi says he thinks the tent will quit its terroristic ways if they get the rights to mine fluorite, and he's willing to help secure those rights.[29]
Foreign Minister Waniz offers Nokoru a deal: give 25% of the fluorite mining rights to the government and their partner, Oliva Chemical, and in return, they'd share their mining expertise and sales routes for free. But once the deal's signed, Waniz brings in his insider, Gobi, pushing for a joint development led by the government, Berelle Industries, and Oliva Chemical with 55% of the mining rights. But Nokoru, always one step ahead, ropes in Nishioka from Oliva Chemical and claims back the rights, asserting a total of 60% mining ownership. Waniz then plays his trump card, exposing a shady link between Muruder and the tent. He argues that no one will accept a project tied to a terror group and threatens to take it by force if needed. Just then, Beki steps in, declaring Balka's intent to cherish its diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds and promote wealth equality. Backed by the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice, orphanage-raised Chingis nails Waniz with bribery charges, using a video of him pocketing under-the-table money from Nishioka, which Nozaki had sneakily captured.[30]
Having promised Nozaki he'd surrender to the authorities in return for brokering a deal with Nishioka, Beki announces the tent's dissolution and is transferred to Japan. Yet, with a little help from Shinjo, a mole in the police force, he breaks free. Bent on revenge, Beki targets the home of Shiro Uehara, a key figure from the Balka civil unrest 40 years ago, joined by Batraka and Piyo in the assault. But Nogi, always vigilant, takes a shot, thwarting him. In his final moments, Beki tells Nogi, "You're what I'm proud of." Nokor, having learned from Nogi that Beki's gun was empty, surmises that Beki had come prepared to face death. He shares plans to honor Beki with a grave in Balka. Nogi responds with a thoughtful phrase, hinting that it's not yet time to pay respects. Meanwhile, Nozaki's busy ensuring stories align, painting the scene of a fire at his house as a suicide attempt by Beki's group. Mission accomplished, Nogi heads back to Kanda Myojin Shrine. There, he's warmly welcomed by Yuzuki and Jamīn. But their reunion is short-lived, as he's alerted to an emergency call-up from "F" for another mission.[31] [32]