Vivant

Yusuke Nogi, an employee in Ryosho's Energy Development Division, notices a staggering accounting error when ten times the agreed down payment is wired to GFL, the firm contracted to build a solar plant in a Balkan republic. Branded as possibly complicit, Nogi travels to the region to recover the roughly $90 million difference. With help from a CIA contact named Sam, he follows leads that suggest the missing funds were converted into diamonds and smuggled by a terrorist figure called al-Zaer. The series tracks Nogi as he pieces together financial records, local power plays, and clandestine operations, and he moves through layers of bureaucracy, private security, and intelligence networks.

Vivant premiered in 2023 under the direction of Katsuo Fukuzawa. It was created by Chonmi Ri, Hayato Miyamoto, and Nana Yamamoto, and stars Masato Sakai, Hiroshi Abe, Fumi Nikaido, Tori Matsuzaka, and Kazunari Ninomiya. It aired on Japanese television domestically.

Audience polling gives the show a 7.35/10 average based on 23 votes. The series balances corporate malfeasance with espionage, and it raises repeated questions about ethics, national interest, identity, and the cost of secrecy. The pacing favors focused, tense scenes over long exposition. Viewers differ.

The high-profile cast, especially Masato Sakai and Hiroshi Abe, helped the series reach audiences beyond typical domestic drama viewers. Its Balkan setting and a plot that ties energy development to illicit finance generated discussion in online communities about geopolitical risk, supply chain vulnerability, and corporate accountability.

There are no major international award wins widely reported for Vivant. It received mentions in some domestic year-end lists and roundups, and performances by Sakai and Abe drew notice among viewers and commentators, with many pointing to the chemistry between the leads and the show’s morally gray situations.