Human Vapor – Review | Netflix Series

HUMAN VAPOR on Netflix is a Sci-Fi Thriller series from Japan. It comes from the creator of Train to Busan and the Netflix series Hellbound. The first episode opens and ends with a bang to set the tone, but it is also a little slowburn in an unexpected way. Read our Human Vapor series review here!

HUMAN VAPOR is a Netflix series from Japan. If the title sounds familiar, it may be because you’re familiar with the 1960 movie The Human Vapor, also from Japan, which was also covered in Elvira’s Movie Macabre in 1983. Admittedly, these may sound like ancient references, but they are classics.

Anyway, this sci-fi thriller series from Japan has eight episodes. It could be a limited series, or we’ll get plenty of seasons. It’s on Netflix, so who knows?! Even if it’s a hit and on the Top 10 (yes, I’m thinking of The Boroughs and First Kill), it could be cancelled for any number of strange reasons.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that this is a high-quality production and you should check it out on Netflix now. Just don’t expect this to be over with its first season or to get another couple of seasons. Oh yeah, I am feeling a little bitter about Netflix and their cancelling shows left and right. Can you tell?!

Continue reading our Human Vapor series review below. Find it on Netflix now.

Gorgeous sci-fi thriller fantasy setting

First of all, I must mention that the opening scene reminded me so much of Disclosure Day. The scene where Emily Blunt is arriving late to her shift as a weather forecaster. In Human Vapor, the character arrives just in time for an interview.

As similar as those surrounding and moments leading up to the big reveal scene were, the actual scenes differ a lot. And yet, both scenes are meant to get the proverbial ball rolling for the main plot.

With Human Vapor, the scene escalates wildly into a death on live TV. Or, actually, not just “a death”, but a professor who appears to be attacked by some sort of smoke and then explodes. Yes, blood and tissue land everywhere and on everyone.

Not least the woman we’ve been following as she rushed to do the interview.

What comes next is a video sent to all major news outlets in Tokyo. In the video, a man takes responsibility for the murder and promises more are to come. The killer is someone who can turn into gas and refers to himself as “The Human Vapor”.

Oh yes, this is a revenge story

The man, who will be interviewed and speak more about his plans, is the result of a secret project. When we see him turn into gas, it’s also very clear that this is a very violent experience. He seems to deteriorate in a way that appears to be extremely painful.

As with many human experiments, the test subjects were discarded after they were no longer of use to the researchers. Well, “The Human Vapor” is here to seek vengeance for all of them. Including for himself!

In the Human Vapor series, we follow the TV reporter from the opening scene and a police detective. The two already know each other, so they do collaborate in several ways while also having their own rules.

Now, you may wonder why this killer is announcing his plan ahead of time, but as this is about revenge, he wants people to understand his actions. Also, he can turn himself into a gas, so they can’t easily detain or even catch him.

Leading the cast of Human Vapor are actors Shun Oguri and Yu Aoi as a detective and a reporter, respectively. Also, we have UTA in the title role, while Suzu Hirose and Kento Hayashi play livestreaming siblings in pursuit of their claim to fame. Finally, Yutaka Takenouchi also plays a key role in the series.

Watch the Human Vapor series on Netflix now

As already mentioned, Human Vapor is based on the Japanese movie The Human Vapor (directed by the original Gojira director Ishiro Honda and written by Takeshi Kimura) from 1960. Toho’s legendary 1960 film is now rebooted across eight episodes. This marks the first collaboration between TOHO and Netflix, but it appears more is in the pipeline.

The Korean production company WOWPOINT is also involved. They previously produced the movies Colony and The Ugly. And yes, we’re getting an entirely original story, as this has been reimagined by Yeon Sang-ho and Shinzo Katayama. Both are familiar names to fans of genre productions from South Korea and Japan.

The writer and executive producer is Yeon Sang-ho. He has made some huge global hits, including the zombie movie Train to Busan, the awesome Netflix series Hellbound (which this one did remind me of), and Parasyte: The Grey.

The director of the series is the visionary Shinzo Katayama, who you may know from his work on the Hulu series Gannibal. If you haven’t watched that one yet, then I highly recommend giving it a shot.

I have to admit that I expected to enjoy this Japanese Netflix series more than I did. It’s not bad, not by any means, but there’s something about the pace that doesn’t work for me. It’s too slowburn during the episodes. When something wild (or explosive) isn’t happening, it almost lulls at times. I don’t get that.

And yet, I expect many genre fans will love it. As they should, because this is a gorgeous production. I just can’t help but feel that it could’ve been so much better. That’s on me, of course, but it’s the reason our rating isn’t higher, so I had to point it out.

Human Vapor premieres on Netflix on July 2, 2026.

Details

Based on: The Human Vapor (Directed by Ishiro Honda / Written by Takeshi Kimura)
Showrunner: Yeon Sang-ho
Director: Shinzo Katayama
Writers: Yeon Sang-ho, Ryu Yong-jae
Cast: Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi, Suzu Hirose, Kento Hayashi, UTA, Yutaka Takenouchi