Human Vapor is the newest addition on Netflix and has already hit the Global Top 10 list for non-English television. The show has gained over 24.3 million hours of viewing.
The show is inspired by the 1960 Toho cult film of the same name and borrows its supernatural concept to create a new story. The story is a mix of political conspiracy, crime, body horror, and science fiction.
The show opens with a well-known television professor who is in the middle of a live interview. An unseen force suddenly overtakes him, causing his body to violently explode on air. That specific horrifying moment introduces the show’s central threat. A mysterious being known as the Human Vapor is capable of transforming into gas and killing anyone.
The case is taken over by detective Kenji Okamoto (Shun Oguri), and the journalist Kyoko Kono (Yû Aoi), who witnessed the attack firsthand, begins her own investigation. The two share a complicated past, and as more bodies are found on the way, their separate investigations start to intertwine.
As the story progresses, what appears to be a supernatural killer case gradually reveals itself to be something much bigger. It is revealed that there is some connection between the Human Vapor and a secret organization called White Center. The organization is connected with corrupt politicians, organized crime, law-enforcement cover-ups, and a long-buried meteorite disaster.
Unlike many modern remakes, this one does not disappoint the fans. The creator of the Human Vapor show plays smartly and simply avoids recreating its source material. Compared with Ishirō Honda’s 1960 original film, which follows a man transformed into a gas-based being after a failed scientific experiment who then uses his powers to commit robberies.
Rather than relying on nostalgia, writers Yeon Sang-ho (known for Train to Busan and Hellbound) and Ryu Yong-jae create an entirely new story that is centered around corruption, power, and revenge. Human Vapor keeps the core supernatural concept but tells an entirely different story, expanding it into a sprawling conspiracy thriller.
As the show continues, the cast expands to include journalists, corrupt officials, yakuza members, fame-chasing live streamers, and survivors tied to White Center. But there is never a moment where it feels like a distraction. Each new character adds another piece to the growing conspiracy and how it expands naturally across all eight episodes.
Visually, the series relies on a mix of practical effects and CGI to bring his gaseous transformations to life. The quality of the digital effects varies from scene to scene, but the show consistently finds clever ways to build tension.
