“Just a Family Feud”: As VIVANT Wraps Its First Half, TBS Gets a Surprising Bonus

The first half was all about infighting within the family

It has been a month and a half since Season 2 of “VIVANT” (TBS) began airing.

The previous season generated unprecedented excitement and even became a social phenomenon, so expectations for Season 2 were high, with strong ratings anticipated. But now, a somewhat unsettling atmosphere seems to be surrounding the series.

Airing in 2023, “VIVANT” was unlike any other commercial network drama that had come before it. At the time, the production budget for a one-hour episode of a terrestrial TV drama was around ¥30 million, while “VIVANT” was produced with a budget of ¥100 million.

TBS also put considerable effort into promoting the series. Although commercials aired frequently, absolutely nothing was revealed about the plot or the characters’ roles. Even searching for what the title “VIVANT” meant or what the word referred to yielded no answers. Viewers could not get “VIVANT” out of their heads.

Once the show began airing, it took on the appearance of a drama designed for viewers to analyze and speculate about, but its developments repeatedly overturned their predictions. The mystery of who exactly the protagonist was only deepened. Even so, from the middle to the latter part of the series, the pace suddenly accelerated, and the mysteries were gradually unraveled. It was a highly entertaining production packed with the appeal of a drama: mystery, suspense, and flashy action.

As a result, the final episode of Season 1 posted a record rating of 19.6%. Furthermore, the final scene hinted at a sequel, leading viewers to believe that Season 2 would be produced relatively soon. Yet the announcement of the sequel came only last June, after a wait long enough to even exceed those expectations.

Season 2 was finally launched with great anticipation—or so it should have been. The premiere got off to a strong start with a high rating of 18.8%, but ratings steadily declined afterward and are now hovering just around the 15% mark.

So what exactly happened? In this day and age, popularity cannot be measured by TV ratings alone, but is it fair to assume that viewers have started tuning out? We spoke with Harumi Nakayama, a film journalist who is also a drama watcher.

“Early on, there was simply too much information, with F, the alternate personality of protagonist Yusuke Nogi, played by Masato Sakai (52), as well as Drum’s (Tomie Drum, 34) voice app. I think this technique was used to explain the events of Season 1, but I personally found it annoying and was one of the people who dropped the show at that point. It feels like the bad side of Katsuya Fukuzawa’s work, which is often criticized for trying to do too much and cramming too much into the story, came out here.

Another factor is the presence of Kotaro Shinjo, played by Ryo Ryusei (33), who is revealed to be a traitor within the Public Security Bureau. The story was driven by the effort to uncover his betrayal, but in the end, it was like, ‘Wait, this is just infighting within the family!’ The selling point of this drama was supposed to be its enormous scale, set across Asia, but I think that diminished the sense of anticipation for Season 2. I believe these two factors caused many viewers to drop the show.”

YouTube’s peak concurrent viewers surpass 100,000

Even so, maintaining ratings in the 15% range can be considered an achievement, but—

“Once you make it past the point where you might otherwise drop the show, it finally starts getting interesting. You can start enjoying the process of analyzing the story, wondering whether Mamoru Nozaki, played by Hiroshi Abe (62), is really a traitor and whether he is connected to Chinese public security authorities. Bringing China into the story, especially at a time when it is such a sensitive subject for Japan, is quite a bold move. As Nozaki’s presence has grown larger, there has also been less explanation involving F and Drum, making it easier to concentrate on the drama.” (Nakayama)

She then added:

“Relatively speaking, ‘VIVANT’ has not generated much buzz overseas. The reasons are that there is simply too much exposition, while the succession of betrayals and brutal torture scenes have become formulaic. In overseas productions, spies are simply killed off without much ceremony. Since they went to the trouble of filming overseas, I think the series would feel more dynamic if it incorporated more action that made better use of the locations.” (Nakayama)

She suggests bringing back the sense of scale seen in Season 1. So how is TBS viewing the current situation?

“To be honest, we were surprised when the ratings dropped in Episode 2. There was a sense of shock within the company, too. But we’re going to turn things around from here. The atmosphere within the network remains just as lively, and employees often talk about VIVANT among themselves. Sales of the show’s original merchandise are also doing well, and products such as ‘VIVANT Manju’ stamped with the word ‘Beppan,’ as well as ‘VIVANT Sable’ and ‘VIVANT Chips,’ are extremely popular. The manju are currently sold out. When we bring them along when visiting sponsors, they’re very well received. They’ve been a big help to our sales efforts.” (TBS source)

There is also another unexpected ripple effect.

“Apparently, the radio program ‘Villains’ Conference Room,’ which is currently airing, has been generating quite a buzz.” (The aforementioned source)

“VIVANT: Villains’ Conference Room” is a tie-in program that airs on TBS Radio at 11 p.m. on Sundays. The three villains who were purged by Nogi in Season 1—Takaya Sakoda (49), Yamato Kawachi (47), and Toru Baba (38)—serve as its hosts. After watching the drama, they discuss their impressions, analyze this and that, and devise plans to get revenge on Nogi.

Apparently, it has become even more popular than the drama itself. Footage from the radio booth is also streamed on the official YouTube channel, where peak concurrent viewership has surpassed 100,000. On X, “#VillainsConferenceRoom” has even trended, making it a welcome byproduct for the network.

In Episode 6, a new character named Ryu Minshuen (Liu Mingxuan), played by Sakai, made his appearance. Not only does this involve Sakai playing three roles, but the development also surprisingly casts him as both the protagonist and an antagonist. In Episode 7, Nogi decides to travel overseas to rescue the Beppan members. Will the story finally deliver the kind of grand-scale, Asia-set action seen in Season 1?