The Silent Service

"The Silent Service" (2023) emerges as a bold critique of global power dynamics, cleverly subverting audience expectations by transforming its narrative from a straightforward military drama into a powerful commentary on international relations and justice.

The series' most daring move is its gradual revelation that the United States takes on the role of Ahab - not in pursuit of justice, but consumed by the need to maintain dominance. Unlike Melville's tale, here the hunter becomes the true monster, with the pursuit of the Kaieda serving as a mirror reflecting the darker aspects of superpower politics.

What sets "The Silent Service" apart is its unflinching examination of how military might shapes international justice. The series bravely portrays how a superpower can act as a global bully, where:

• Military superiority is confused with moral authority
• International law becomes flexible for the powerful
• Smaller nations must navigate carefully around superpower interests
• "Justice" often means whatever serves the strongest party

The submarine warfare elements serve a deeper purpose than mere military thrills. Each tactical maneuver and strategic decision becomes a metaphor for how nations must navigate the treacherous waters of international politics, where the strong make the rules and the rest must show extraordinary skill and courage to maintain their autonomy.

The series explores several provocative ideas:

• How military supremacy can corrupt notions of justice
• The thin line between maintaining order and enforcing hegemony
• The courage required to stand against overwhelming force
• The moral complexity of defying superpower authority

The underwater setting becomes particularly poignant - in the depths, where sunlight barely reaches, traditional notions of right and wrong become as murky as the waters themselves. The pressure of depth mirrors the pressure of standing against a global superpower.

"The Silent Service" demonstrates remarkable courage in challenging prevalent narratives about global power dynamics. While other military dramas might glorify superpower dominance, this series dares to question the relationship between might and right, making it not just entertainment but a vital commentary on contemporary international relations.

Forget the 1 star jingoistic reviews of this Japanese production. Yes, it moves slowly and deliberately. Yes, the details about uniforms etc may not be as exact as some viewers may demand. But for me the story is the thing.

The big bonus is Takao Osawa, the smiling buddha general of the Kingdom series of movies. His calm but decisive nature provides the bedrock of this series.

And yes, it could have been more disciplined in its editing but that's nothing new for streaming movies and TV shows these days. A little bit of patience pays off here big time. Stick with it. The rewards, while not spectacular, are worth it.

I like the series. However, there are technical issues, which I will get into later on.

First, I like the character Capt. Kaieda. His extremely calm and determined commanding style is reminiscent of Admiral Thrawn in the Star Wars universe. Thus gives great satisfaction to viewer following him.

The incident which caused the political crisis is very well processed in this title. Although the idealist visions of the Kaieda are a bit of a long shot, I guess the viewer should take it as a sci-fi title for better immersion.

I especially liked the balance expressed between nations, the frustration of the JMSDF as being a defensive force possessing weapons but their limits in making use of them is very well portrayed. On the other hand, the ease of using the force on the USN side and its aggressive attitude, especially arrogance of the president is very well presented. Even though some American commenters expressed their discomfort of witnessing USA being arrogant and being so "bullyish" against other nations, I have to disagree. This is a cold hard fact that is put on the screen American citizens must confront IMO. I can agree that the overly flamboyant and condescending attitude of US officers is a bit off the charts but, there is a merit nevertheless, a straw will show which way the wind blows at the end of the day.

Now, with the critics, I have only critics in the technical part of the series as it seems they did not consult a Navy veteran or a specialist in any way so here it goes:

1- Vessels in this series do not employ decoys of any sort although this is the number one countermeasure against a torpedo. See the movie "Crimson Tide" and understand how it is effective. Captain Kaieda employs bubble masking several times but this is usually used to disrupt sonar signature rather than a countermeasure for an incoming torpedo.

2- Vessels in this series move at extreme speeds underwater. Especially torpedoes, they move like a rocket underwater ...? Ok unless you are a Russian submarine and firing a shkwal torpedo to a surface vessel, this is not realistic in any way.

3- Torpedoes seem to be never homing but fired as more like a lance. The real power of the torpedo is not in its speed but in its stubborn homing capability.

4- Here once the torpedo misses a submarine it seems to keep going away, in a straight line. That is funny, a torpedo never goes in a straight line after it misses its target, it immediately commences a circular search pattern until it detects the submarine again.

5- A submarine can never get so close to a carrier in RL. Once it is detected, screens will move on to intercept it and detection for a submarine is usually means death in RL.

6- Having said that, a submarine's real power is in its stealthiness. This seems to be never the case in these series, vessels there never have difficulty in detecting submarines, or torpedoes, albeit this is not true. When you are detected, it is mostly game over in RL.

7- Carriers and its screens never employ helicopters in this series, they seem to rely on sonars and other means to detect submarines. However ASW Helicopters are always in the air in RL if there is a submarine threat in the region. They deploy sonar buoys and once a submarine is detected they immediately release an airborne torpedo on top of it. Helicopters are very effective because they are above the sea water not touching it, since they do not emit any vibrations into the water, submarines cannot detect them or when they do, it is usually too late.

8- Carriers and their screens seem to rely on rockets above else. Hitting a ship with a rocket is not that easy unless you fill the air with swarms of missiles. Once anti-missile rockets do their jobs, if any missiles are going by, then the phalanx (CIWS) systems finish the rest of them. Each ship has one or two as the last line of defense, and cross-firing 4.500 rounds/min. CIWS systems are quite effective.

9- When a ship is hit with a torpedo, (not on the side but usually beneath it) the air bubble generated by the explosion lifts the ship above the water and breaks its belly. This is why torpedoes are powerful, and how a one-hit usually sinks a ship. Here they hit like a regular rockets and it doesn't cause such catastrophic damage to the vessels which is not that realistic.

10 - Fleet Screens in the series do not seem to be fond of ASROC (Anti-submarine rocket) though this is the first and foremost the most effective weapon in the ASW. In the series, destroyers usually fire a hedgehog system which is more or less like a "Navy" mortar firing forward and saturating the fore space of the destroyer with straight-line diving impact-detonated explosive shells. But this is WW2 technology. Hedgehog replaced the primitive depth charges in 1942, and now ASROC replaced hedgehogs after 70's. With the ASROC, a homing torpedo is carried to a maximum distance via a rocket before entering the sea and propelling itself to the target. This saves a lot of time and limits the time of the submarine to react to it.

11- A submarine can never survive a direct torpedo hit.

12- A nuclear sub can never be as small as SEA-BAT portrayed in the series. This is a diesel submarine.

All in all, I enjoyed the series. The concept and message behind it saves the day. Technical failures did not totally ruin the experience albeit it would be perfect if the producers just did their homework and studied other titles like "Crimson tide", "the hunt for Red October", even games like "Silent hunter", "Cold waters", etc. The outcome might have been golden.

While a lot of reviews mention accuracy of props and cgi showing ships looking the same, you need to remember that this is a drama and a great 'what-if' scenario.

What's gripping is how a single submariner is attempting to make an upset in global power.

You will wonder if this is a mad attempt or an objective to meet a particular outcome.

The strategy is always one step ahead played with some great finesse.

It's a drama, so it's going to be slow but not boring.

Unlike most of the other so called good junk out there where they dive into each persons character and history just to drag out the 40 mins, this just touches lightly and is relevant to the situation.

There was no overacting and extra melodrama, or overtalked gender issues or communal suppression etc which was a relief!

Many serials I've used the forward button to skip this and finally it's 10 mins.

However this didn't let hit the forward button, which speaks for itself.

If you read novels or books then watch this.

Great plot not predictable you will keep wondering what's the next move and how will he succeed in his final objective.

Those who have criticised this drama clearly missed the point.

This is an intelligent and thoughtful drama which addresses the current balance of power in the world. That the American projection of influence is not necessarily in the interest of its allies, especially Japan, and including perhaps South Korea and Taiwan.

I found it refreshing to have an alternative view, and would encourage those fans of American military might to consider how others view this.

I was totally involved in the arguments and the standard of acting, especially from the Japanese characters was excellent. It does suffer a little in that the American characters are a little two dimensional.

It is a slow burn, but well worth the watch!