HBO Max’s Tokyo Vice focuses on American reporter Jack Adelstein’s (Ansel Elgort) time in Tokyo reporting on crime in the 1990s. Adelstein is employed by the largest newspapers in Japan and is making a mess of it. As the only gaijin (foreigner) at the paper, he is desperate to prove himself to the newspaper and his boss, Eimi (Rinko Kikuchi). He’s assigned to the crime area, which is great for him as he has an unhealthy, obsessive interest in the Yakuza (gangsters). For his career, and in order to get exclusive information, he befriends two police officers, Katagiri (Ken Watanabe) and Miyamoto (Hideaki Ito).
Adelstein frequents a hostess club in his free time where he meets Samantha (Rachel Keller), an actual member of a yakuza organization, Sato (Sho Kasamatsu). He bungles his way through Tokyo, investigating Yakuza organizations, destroying relationships, and making himself look incompetent at best.
I did read Tokyo Vice before watching this show and this series is definitely only loosely based upon the book. I did have problems with the book itself as I think Adelstein embellished his story. However, his book was far more entertaining than this show.
The entire plotline about the hostess, Samantha, was wholly uninteresting and unnecessary, slowing down the series. Whenever she came onto the screen, my finger itched to fast forward. For me, it served zero purpose. The pacing was very uneven, which resulted in a boring show. There were flashes of brilliance, the fourth episode being my favourite out of the series, which gave me hope. Sadly, that was short-lived.
Adelstein was the least interesting character in the entire series. Every time he was on screen, I reached for my phone to play a game. I can’t figure out if it was a script or an acting issue but Elgort just walked around the entire time, pouting like a kicked puppy. There was one thing that actually really bothered me. Adelstein was proficient in Japanese and went to university in Tokyo, but on his first day on the job, he forgot to use an honorific to address his boss. Now, had this guy not lived in Japan before this, it would have been understandable. I’m guessing this was thrown in to make him look like an even bigger idiot.
The other characters in the series had richer backstories than our main character. There was Eimi, the lone woman at the newspaper, a good and not so good cop, the advancing through the ranks of Yakuza, the interesting characters. Even the annoying hostess with dreams of opening her own club was more complex than Adelstein.
The strangest thing about this series was that it just ended. It wasn’t exactly a cliffhanger; it just wasn’t exciting enough. I googled, went through IMDB, and looked on the HBO Max app; sure enough, no more episodes. So, I watched this slow, unevenly paced show, and it’s left unresolved? It doesn’t seem like there will be a second season, nor should it have one. If a second season does happen, I’d be shocked.
8.2
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I’m a Data Analyst, from the land of Matthew McConaughey. I’m an avid movie-goer and love seeing films in theaters. My most recent favorite films are Good Time, Only Lovers Left Alive, TENET, and England is Mine. When I’m not at the movies, I’m either reading or watching obscene amount of true crime and historical documentaries.
I just finished to watch the 2 seasons and feel a certain affinity with these comments. Jake’s character in particular. Whatever his qualities, it’s hard to believe that a thirty-something foreigner fresh out of college (be he American), riding his bike, finds himself in the middle of Tokyo, navigating between the police and the yakuzas, and using them to write his articles…