Tokyo Vice was based loosely on the first foreign reporter to work at a prestigious Japanese newspaper. Driven by ambition and a fierce intelligence, Jake Adelstein was determined to be a success. Problems arose quickly as neither his bosses nor the police officers he relied on for information had any use for a Gaijin.

This drama carries the mood of a noir between the lighting and acting. The police accept that the Yakuza aren’t going anywhere and it’s their job to work with them to keep the peace. Deadly problems begin when a gang from out of town seeks to take over another gang’s territory. Jake is slapped down and betrayed repeatedly by the police, his bosses, and the Yakuza often derogatorily called a Gaijin and other racist names. He digs in and finds leads to a series of suspicious suicides. Along the way, he attempts to make a police source out of the handsome and shady Miyamoto. But it is with the righteous and wise Katagiri that he begins to learn more about the criminal world underlying most of the businesses. Jake’s boss, Maruyama Emi, initially resents having to work with him, but slowly learns to respect his desire to uncover what is hidden beneath the police reports. Patronized by the men she works with on and off the paper, Jake treats her with respect and she finds an ally for looking for the truth. Before long, Jake has made friendly acquaintances with two other rookie reporters, a low-ranking Yakuza named Sato, and an ex-pat American with an ambition rivaling his who works as a bar hostess.

The stories in Tokyo Vice were often slow burn but never slow. The people and plots were intricately woven together and took time for the characters to discover who was pulling the strings and why. As one character said, “Everything is transactional.” People used each other for information, power plays, money, sex, and protection. Fair warning, there was no shortage of tattooed and bare bottoms. Speaking of tattoos, there was some spectacular fake ink work on display.

Tokyo Vice benefited from strong performances. Watanabe Ken can always be counted on to deliver a strong performance and he came through here as Katagiri who bravely faced down the Yakuza and also knew when to lay back and set his traps. Katagiri had a gentle side as a devoted father and husband. His home and relationship with Jake reminded me of Shimura's Detective Sato in Stray Dog. Baby Driver's Ansel Elgort, brought a twitchy energy to Jake as the character sought to make contacts and learn the truth of how Tokyo and the newspaper operated. Favors required payment, for some a lie was as good as the truth, and for others, “a path opens to the one who is honest”. Kasamatsu Sho as Sato, gave a nuanced performance as the young Yakuza who came to understand the bloody payments that would be required and also joyfully sang along with the Back Street Boys while driving in the car with Jake. A son, an enforcer, and a lover, a myriad of emotions could cross his face in a matter of seconds.

Answers were hard to come by and season 1 ended with upping the ante for everyone and leaving others in peril. I’m looking forward to where this drama takes me in season 2 if they can sustain the tension and character growth begun in the first season.

10 February 2024