Tokyo Vice

Crime dramas can be the most difficult to pull off, as they’re often riddled with overdone character tropes and predictable storylines. Tokyo Vice is an exception. A supremely slick neon-lit noir, it mostly flew under the radar when the first season arrived two years ago. Yet it’s a gripping series that will transport you into a world few have seen before, and it feels both grounded and heightened.

The realism is rooted in the source material. The series was adapted from a memoir — Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan — written by Jake Adelstein, Elgort’s character in the show. And the Japanese crime syndicates that he investigates, known as the Yakuza, are still a menacing force in the country, though their numbers are dwindling. 

The heart and soul of the story is the complex dynamic between novice American journalist Jake (Elgort) and senior detective Hiroto (Watanabe). Their odd couple pairing provides plenty of opportunities to contrast their countries of origin, their generational perspectives, and their different roles. And Watanabe steals every scene he’s in with his subtle portrayal of an incorruptible cop on a mission to bring down the Yakuza.

Rounding out the story is Jake’s romantic interest Samantha (Rachel Keller), a fellow American expat who works as a hostess in a club frequented by gangsters, including Sato (Shô Kasamatsu) a young Yakuza member whose moral ambivalence is one of the more fascinating tensions in the series.

As they all navigate Tokyo’s blood-soaked underworld, they each encounter shady characters who could either help their cause or bring them closer to their graves. It’s a tense, meticulously constructed game of cat and mouse – and season 1 strikes a balance between a layered character drama and a thriller as it builds to an explosive finale.

Season 2: Upping the Pace and the Tension

You’ll want to watch the first season before you jump in to Season 2 — or at the very least, watch the finale. The new season picks up right after, and the stakes this time are higher: Jake’s life is in real danger. The world and its characters expand — introducing us to a young mistress of a missing crime boss, a ruthless anti-corruption task force, and a teenage gang — and the action ramps without giving us a moment to breathe. It’s feels more like a blockbuster, stretched across a larger arc and 10 episodes. You’ll be relieved that the episodes are dropping one at a time (each Thursday), as you’ll welcome the break – and the next episode.

The Bigger Stakes

What drew me into Tokyo Vice was its focus on a young journalist, as I have been one — albeit in my own country. Imagine being a young expat on the other side of the world, one who sticks out like a sore thumb, dropped into the most dangerous beat at a newspaper? The stakes here are real. Journalists are getting killed in many countries today – 45 around the world in 2023.  For many Asian countries, it’s a harsh reality that goes under reported internationally. My country, the Philippines, was just ranked the 8th deadliest country in the world for journalists, according to the 2023 Global Impunity Index by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Tokyo Vice underscores the risks inherent in the profession, but it’s also a testimony to the critical importance of the fourth estate. As press freedom is under constant threat from oppressive regimes, criminal organizations, terrorism, and social media’s fake content industry, the importance of journalists working in the field, willing to take risks to uncover the truth, is made clear throughout the series.

What are critics saying?

The reviews for the second season have been overwhelmingly positive, as several top voices have lauded the stylish aesthetic, expansive narrative, and standout acting performances — from both the lead actors and the supporting cast.

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast writes, “Once again led by the charismatic duo of Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe as unlikely partners in a war nobody appears capable of winning, it remains one of the most compelling and underrated shows on television.”

Collider‘s Robert Bryan Taylor:  “The underbelly of 1990s Tokyo provides an incredibly juicy setting and Tokyo Vice makes the most of it, offering up a sprawling tale of cops, crooks, reporters, and the blurred lines between them.”