VIVANT Viewers Mistake Nokoru's Tied-Back Hair For A Haircut In Episode 18
The mistaken haircut is the tell that the character's long hair has become his identifying feature, so a single tied-back shot reads to the audience as a transformation.
Reporting from 1 source: Magmix.
Episode 18 of VIVANT's second season has Nogi Yusuke, played by Masato Sakai, working with his brother-in-law Nokoru, played by Kazunari Ninomiya, on a plan to rescue five abducted Bessatsu squad members held by the Chinese intelligence organization Shinshi. In the closing scene, Nokoru steps off a private jet at Garaman Airport beside Thai businessman Chokki Thepanit, and viewers flooded social media with reactions that his long hair was gone. A side angle shows the hair is tied back.
Nokoru appears in a suit in the final stretch of Episode 18, arriving at Garaman Airport with Chokki Thepanit at 23:00 local time on June 6, 2023, as the end credits roll. To viewers, his hair looked short. Reactions piled up about Nokoru cutting his hair, becoming "just Nino-san," or mimicking Kazunari Ninomiya outright.
Look at the moment he turns to the side and the hair is only tied back. The trick of the shot is the whole story.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.