VIVANT Director Says the Electric Saw in Episode 19 Was Real
The detail answers the question the episode left open on purpose: the noise covering Ryu's words was a real tool on set, not a sound effect, which is the kind of thing a Sunday Theater production will say out loud when it wants viewers arguing about what Ryu actually said.
Reporting from 1 source: Magmix.
Episode 19 of VIVANT's second season ended an interrogation early when Fan Linxin and her subordinates cut the chains Ryu had wrapped around the door with an electric saw. Director Yohei Miyazaki said on his own X account that the saw was real and the art department prepared it that way, which is why Ryu's scene with Nozaki reads as suspicious.
The confrontation in Episode 19 comes down to chains, a door, and a saw. Ryu wrapped the chains himself to cut off the audio and video feed in the interrogation room, angling for information about the tent from Nozaki. Fan Linxin, panicked, arrived with subordinates and cut through the chains, briefly interrupting the interrogation. Over that noise, Ryu was telling Nozaki something.
Yohei Miyazaki, who directs the series, wrote on his own X account that the crew was really cutting with an electric saw and that the art department made it work. Viewers responded with surprise at the setup and at the actors staying in character through it. The episode ends with Ryu and Nozaki heading to Elisha Mamadov.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.