TV Review | Netflix's The Days - Future of the Force

“The Days is a serious and haunting reconstruction of the 2011’s Fukushima nuclear disaster.”

The Days is an 8-episode limited series about the Fukushima nuclear disaster from 2011. The Japanese series is now streaming on Netflix.

STORY

The Days is a reconstruction of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. On March 11 2011, the Tohoku earthquake followed by a tsunami caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The series follows what happened over the following days of the disaster. It is a dramatic event that changed Japan forever but the series doesn’t try to be melodramatic, instead it adopts an almost like documentary style. This way, The Days is able to tell the story just the way it happened with the cold hard facts. There is no sugarcoating. This is a serious series and a necessary one. It is a reminder of what happened.

The Days excels in building up the tension. The first episode is a gripping and pulsating one with the earthquake and the tsunami. While the subsequent episodes are slower. We see hour by hour, day by day how the situation evolves and becomes more and more dangerous. It is absolutely haunting.

Moreover, the series doesn’t try to put the blame on TOEPCO, the Power Plant manager or the former government. It describes how powerless they were in front of an unprecedented disaster. However, it does highlight the courage of the people who worked at the plant and did everything they could to avoid a bigger disaster than it already was. It is important to have a human dimension in this type of series. And The Days doesn’t fail in doing so.

CAST

Yutaka Takenouchi as Maejima in *The Days*, Netflix © 2023

Furthermore, this is an ensemble series as we follow different characters from the people who worked at the plant to the government and TOEPCO. Veteran actor Koji Yakusho and Yutaka Takenouchi are definitely the stand out of this cast. They respectively play the Power Plant manager Masao Yoshida and the Unit 1 and 2 shift supervisor Maejima. They deliver earnest and solemn performances while also giving heart to their characters.

VISUALS AND SOUNDTRACK

Kaoru Kobayashi as Furuya in *The Days*, Netflix © 2023

On top of that, the recreation of the earthquake and tsunami is absolutely terrifying. The shaky camera during the earthquake adds realism to the scenes. And the first-person scenes showing us what the workers see in those suits when going inside the plant is absolutely stressful. Plus, the scenes at the plant once the power is out use a minimal light. The visuals also help building the tension. There is definitely a desire to be realistic. However, there are a few questionable CG shots that look weird compared to the tsunami sequence or the explosion scenes. They also reused a few shots in some episodes. Finally, Brian D’Oliveira has composed a dark score with a heavy use of string instruments along with a small choir accentuating the gravity of the music.

VERDICT

The Days is a serious and haunting reconstruction of the 2011’s Fukushima nuclear disaster. I was 17 when the disaster happened and I remember vividly seeing the footage of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on the newschannels. But watching this series as an adult really made me realize the gravity of this event and how it changed Japan forever. I definitely think it is a must-watch.