The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods
4.2/5
Critic Rating
What if someone close to you just … vanished one day? That happens to tens of thousands of families a year in Japan, and it happened to Jake Adelstein, too, back in 2018 — when his accountant disappeared, just before tax day. Adelstein, the author of Tokyo Vice, and co-host Shoko Plambeck go in search of that missing accountant, and take us on a journey into the fascinating and bizarre world of Japan’s johatsu, or “evaporated” people. Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge – All Episodes. All at Once. Plu...
Critic Reviews
Score: 3
Gregg Stockdale • The Podcast Geek • Apr 30, 2023
"The whole culture of vanishing without a trace, particularly in Japan, is fascinating. It doesn’t always end up the way you expect. The story is like a cat and mouse, but without the mouse.There’s no real drama, and whilst the investigations into the technical aspects of making yourself vanish are interesting, it’s hard to pad them out into a compelling series."
Score: 5
Christopher P. Hood • HoodCP Blog • Feb 7, 2023
"As entertaining and well put together as the series is, it’s not easy listening in some ways due to the issues that it is covering...more than that, I think the podcast covers issues that have universal applicability when it comes to the challenges that people face in their life and so I would recommend it to everyone."
Score: 4
Ximena Smith • Stuff NZ • Jan 14, 2023
"It’s a comprehensive, whirlwind tour...At points, I felt the show could have done with a bit more signposting – there were a few occasions throughout the nine episodes where I felt a bit lost and found myself wondering whether the narrative would ever get back to the story about the missing accountant. Perhaps a tighter edit would have helped solve this issue too. Overall though, The Evaporated is a fascinating and original true-crime series that’s worth a listen during a long, lazy day at the beach this summer."
Score: 4
Joshua Dudley • Forbes • Dec 22, 2022
"Evaporated is the rare true crime podcast that begins from a first person narrative before transitioning to something like an investigative journalism podcast. Jake as a narrator is friendly and trustworthy and the co-host that he invited on to share the work of the show, true-crime creator Shoko Plambeck, provides a pleasing counterpoint to the outsider energy that American Jake brings to this mystery. They weave together interviews, mysteries, and stories of cultural traditions into an effective overall narrative that feels like lifting a window into a largely unexplained world. On the downside, the audio levels are all over the place! Sometimess when the show jumps between the various audio clips there doesn’t seem like too much of an effort to make sure the differences between audio levels aren’t so dramatic that it doesn’t grate on the ear. In other places the editing seems a bit sloppy as in when you can hear heavy crackling static from the original recording source."
Score: 4.4
Nicholas Quah • Vulture • Dec 20, 2022
"Given the nature of the project, The Evaporated largely keeps within the tradition, never fundamentally challenging the terms of that particular gaze. However, to its credit, the series does end up being interesting and less gawking than one might initially expect. As a production, the podcast is serviceable if undistinguished. The series comes from Campside Media...Unfortunately, The Evaporated doesn’t end up matching the polish of those other efforts. One thing that makes The Evaporated worthwhile is how little judgment it brings to rough circumstances, poor choices, and difficult lives. Such an outlook can only come, perhaps, from many years wandering the underworld."
Score: 4.9
Fiona Sturges • Financial Times • Dec 18, 2022
"The Evaporated taps nicely into that staple of true crime — people who disappear in mysterious circumstances — though Adelstein and Plambeck are less interested in solving missing persons cases than in understanding why and how people disappear. It also avoids the solemnity that characterises so many true crime podcasts, with Adelstein wryly reflecting on his accountant making off with his money just 10 days before his tax return was due. The series nonetheless reveals much about the human capacity for shame, something felt not only by those who vanish but by those they leave behind."
