The Days (2023) [Drama Review]

The Days; or, Anatomy of a Disaster
     March 11th, 2011. What happened in those days after that fateful date?
Japanese filmmakers are not backing down when it comes to creating international content for the Netflix platform. This year saw the release of The Days, the drama that serves as yet another retelling of the Fukushima Daiichi incident after the Fukushima 50 movie which was made just three years ago.

Release Info

Developed by: Jun Masumoto Starring: Koji Yakusho, Yutaka Takenouchi, Fumiyo Kohinata

Language: Japanese Original Title: THE DAYS No. of eps.: 8

Synopsis
On the 11th of March, 2011, the Tohoku earthquake suddenly occurred which led to the emergency shutdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant. Afterwards, a massive tsunami generated by the earthquake hits the shoreline and cuts off auxiliary power in the station. The crew is unable to monitor the reactors which are getting out of control. The station manager Masao Yoshida (Koji Yakusho) and his men do everything they can to prevent a nationwide disaster.

Boiling Point
The 8-episode drama, similarly as the feature film, was inspired by Ryūshō Kadota's book - On the Brink: The Inside Story of Fukushima Daiichi, but it also used official reports and Masao Yoshida's testimony as the source materials.

Well, if you have seen the aforementioned feature film, then you basically know the core of the story and you may even spot similar moments in both dramatisations of the event. The main difference is that Fuksuhima 50 rushes at breakneck pace to summarise everything within the two-hour runtime, whereas the drama takes the whole affair very slowly and lays out everything for you, step by step, point by point throughout eight episodes.

If you want to get to know what exactly happened at the power plant in detail, then watching the drama is the best option. Obviously, the character of Masao Yoshida is the main protagonist, but the show also provides a variety of different perspectives from other active players of the event, such as the control room operators, distraught family members, TOEPCO officials, and the Prime Minister of Japan.

I am also very surprised that the drama was shot on location in the Fukushima prefecture, which adds an additional layer of credibility. Evidently, the power plant itself does not look as it did back in 2011, so a lot of CGI compositing must have been done in the post-production process of the episodes. All in all, the nature/disaster sequences were done really well.

With regard to performances, evidently Koji Yakusho carries the emotional weight of the drama on his shoulders, and his portrayal of the station manager is more convincing than that of Ken Watanbe’s in the 2020 film. Words of additional praise also go to the legendary Fumiyo Kohinata for playing the distressed character of the Prime Minister. What is more, Ken Mitsuishi also has a memorable part as the TOEPCO’s deputy manager. Yutaka Takenouchi was also awesome as the control room team leader. You can also spot many great performers in the supporting roles, such as Kaoru Kobayashi, Kenichi Endo, and Yuriko Ishida.

Recommendations
All things considered, The Days is an extremely insightful examination of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. My only (nitpicky) complaint is the generic title that always makes me think of Yurie Kokubu’s Counting Down the Days song. Apart from that, The Days functions as a decent stylistic companion piece to HBO’s Chernobyl (2019). Big thanks to @SumiTheCat for recommending the drama on MDL. If you’re interested, you can check out her review here.
Overall score: 9/10

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