Regarding the popular Japanese drama series *Vivant* season 2, a segment depicting Chinese secret agents subjecting a Japanese spy to cutting fingers and stabbing the abdomen, methods similar to those used by occupying Japanese forces against anti-Japanese fighters, the CCTV news commented on it as cognitive infiltration, portraying Chinese as inhumane offenders and beautifying Japanese agents as righteous fighters. This also involves transplanting the brutal actions of occupying Japanese forces onto modern Chinese people. *Vivant* 2 stars Sakisaka Masahiro and Abayasu Hiroshi, depicting a covert military unit's espionage operations. Critics pointed out that the series inverts the truth, attributing the barbaric actions of occupying Japanese forces to modern Chinese, subtly beautifying overseas military actions while blurring the boundaries of the Self-Defense Forces' roles, and further spreading expansionist narratives. Indeed, a Japanese Self-Defense Forces intelligence officer even remarks that if their aircraft were attacked, Western countries would launch a massive invasion to crush them. The comments warn of systemic narrative efforts by Japan to smear China and distort history, emphasizing that "the disguised enmity packaging through entertainment is even more dangerous than naked propaganda." Netizens expressed, "This is the norm in Japan, so we must not slack off in vigilance" and suggested that efforts should focus on countering such narratives by expanding public outreach and creating more excellent works to reveal the truth.
The drama *Vivant* 2, with a starting rating of 18.8%, shattered the record for the highest initial viewership of a private TV series in 2026, sparking significant discussions online and amongst media outlets. Critics emphasized that the series distorts the moral standards of both sides by transplanting the brutal acts of Japanese occupying forces onto Chinese agents, further beautifying elements of Japanese military operations. They highlighted the need for vigilance against such narrative engineering aimed at defamation and the distortion of history.