As we hit the midway point of Toho and Netflix’s sci-fi mystery, we find something of sudden shift in our regularly scheduled programming that finds the show taking a whole new viewpoint out of nowhere. While the puzzle-solving aspect of deciphering the who, what, why and where of the Human Vapor is still intact, the powers that be have decided to make the potentially jarring choice to temporarily ditch all of its main characters and secondary plot threads in favour of introducing two entirely new faces trying to crack the enigma of the vaporous killer.
It’s a risky move, because after spending three whole episodes following both detective Kenji Okamoto and reporter Kyoko Kono as they try and crack the case, the complete rug pull of basing an entire episode around two misfit livestreamers could be in danger of confusing, frustrating, or downright infuriating viewers who are caught out by the rather unsubtle change. However, hang in there, because not only do we get more, shocking revelations concerning the Human Vapor, but Fujita and Kaho Fujikawa prove to be quite the sleuths in their own right.
While we previously left Kenji and Kyoko clearing up another one of the Human Vapor’s murders after a Yakuza crime boss became his latest victim, we take a quick jaunt back in time to see what two entirely new characters have been up to. Fujita and Kaho Fujikawa are a couple of siblings who keep to themselves and are trying to find fame and fortune through their struggling livestream horror channel, The Terror Zone. Brother Fujita is socially awkward and despises the poor life that he and his sister are forced to lead, while Kaho is withdrawn because she’s massively self conscious of the birthmark that covers half of her face. However, the two have an unbreakable bond that kicks into high gear when they discover a lead to the whereabouts of the Human Vapor.
After watching a DVD of a music video featuring J-pop band, Dream Succubus, performing a song called “Bakuretsu Aishuteru”, Fujita notices that in one of the shots, the Human Vapor is visible in one of the windows of the abandoned warehouse where it was shot. Realising that they’re in with a chance to make their livestreaming channel finally successful with this information, they post it, only to get a meager handful of hits. However, they do get an offer from the mysterious “dadashow”, who wishes to pay them handsomely for any more details.
Snapping into detective mode, the brother and sister team start to backtrack in an attempt to discover the location of the warehouse used in filming. First faking an interview with eccentric director, Goro, and then tracking one of the equally weird band members back to a club where they discover the video’s original cameraman, the siblings not only locate the warehouse, but find the Human Vapor too. However, things aren’t what we first assumed about the misty marauder as he’s not only in a petrified state, but he’s also triggered by the playing of a certain song. Is the Human Vapor actually the brainwashed weapon of someone else; and who is the mysterious benefactor who calls themselves dadashow?
There’s a sense that with such a large shift in the show’s status quo, Human Vapor has reached something of a make of break moment. While both co-writer Yeon Sang-ho and director Shinzo Katayama are obviously looking to keep us on our toes with such an audacious shift in focus, it runs the very real risk of switching us off entirely. If I’m being honest, I initially came pretty close to zoning out myself as not only does the show demand that we suddenly empathise with entirely new characters, but it does so immediately after a previous installment that proved to be the season’s best. Simply put, going from a special effects laden, car chase setpiece to a whole new plot line that requires introductions to fresh characters could have been disastrous, and yet despite the break in momentum, “Terror Zone” ultimately ends up being a fun place to be.
I would say that the decision to abruptly focus all of the episode entirely on two character only briefly seen in a couple of episodes means that we have to start an entirely new angle on the investigation into the Human Vapor mystery, but when you realise that the entire show seems to be a ode to figuring out X-Files-style problems, it does make thematic sense. However, while the show seems dead set on coming at this Humor Vapor conundrum from multiple angles, there’s a massive risk that comes with flipping an entire season on a dime.
It admittedly took me a little while to adjust to the changes and the fact that the show was essentially starting from scratch by turning the clock back to the time of the first murder meant that we’re going over some already familiar territory. It also took me a little longer to fix onto the wavelength given out by the two new – and very strange – lead characters; but while a lot of “Terror Zone” proves to be unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, the second half of the episode yanks it out of the three-star range and comfortably back into four. With the focus now on the determined Fujita and the terminally shy Kaho, not only does the humor content increase thanks to cheeky pisstakes of J-pop bands (stay tuned during the end credits to get the entirety of the Bakuretsu Aishuteru music video), but the rather sad lives of the media obsessed siblings actually add a great amount of heart to the show. Not only did Fujita and Kaho gradually grow on me as the episode went on, but it’s fairly interesting to see yet another angle of the titular mystery cracked from scratch. Of course, just like any good mystery show, any answers lead to yet more bizarre questions, and it seems everything we thought we knew about the Human Vapor is false.
Discovered in a petrified, statue-like state, it seems that the Vapor has been programmed to attack his targets by a Rube Goldberg style set up that activates him like a sleeper agent with the playing of a particular song by the Japanese band, Southern All Stars. As revelations go it’s huge, as it means that the Vapor is only a tool in someone else’s agenda and the finger of suspicion falls on an unlikely party when it’s revealed that the interested party known “dadashow” who claims to be willing to pay the siblings for the Vapor’s location is none other than Kyoko. Does this mean that she’s actually in this far deeper than she previously let on, or is this just the reporter once again getting to the bottom of a story by extreme means? We’ll find out soon enough; but Terror Zone deserves top marks for pulling off such a risky move.
While at first it seems that the writers have outsmarted themselves with such a ballsy choice (literally a third of the episode is arguably unnecessary if we’re being scientific about it), the introduction of two random, puzzle-solving weirdos not only proves it’s worth by the end, but even has us stumbling upon yet more startling revelations. It’s nice to know that a show called Human Vapor is able to successfully shift forms at will.
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