Review by C.J. Bunce
After a solid first season, Max’s Tokyo Vice has delivered a second that was just as fun. Loosely based on journalist Jake Adelstein’s memoir working as the first American journalist for a Japanese newspaper, the first season established the characters, but left viewers guessing which supporting characters would be allowed to shine in its return. It turns out room could be made for them all, plus interesting new characters. A steady burn that saved the best for the final second season episode, Tokyo Vice finishes with even more promise heading into a forthcoming third season.
Tokyo Vice is a top tier entry among legions of TV series featuring journalism crusaders in the spirit of shows like Lou Grant to The Hour and State of Play. Although the first season alone didn’t qualify for greatness, coupled with its second it fulfills its potential. It’s All the President’s Men in 1990s Japan.
Ansel Elgort, known best as the awkward but cool star of Baby Driver, returns as Adelstein. The second season leaves behind the rookie failings of Adelstein in the first season–now he’s a savvy reporter hot on the track of taking out the loathsome kingpin of the Tokyo yakuza. Ayumi Tanida, who was the murderous King of Spades in Alice in Borderland plays Tozawa, who easily qualifies as the best villain of the year. The tension mounts as Tozawa learns Adelstein has been dating his mistress, played by Ayumi Ito.
Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim, Babel) plays Adelstein’s boss at the Meicho newspaper. The writers didn’t have much for her to do this year as all the plot threads started to unravel. More attention was given to Trendy and Tin Tin, played by Takaki Uda and Kosuke Tanaka, Adelstein’s peers. Trendy has a relationship with a man in the state department, played by Aio Takeya, one of the most intriguing characters of the season who becomes a key source in the investigation. Tin Tin began to find his own footing as a reporter, makes his share of rookie mistakes, yet he gets his own hero scene.
Straight-arrow detective Hiroto Katagiri, played by Academy Award-nominated actor Ken Watanabe fades away only to come back once the police force hires a tough woman cop who wants to take on the yakuza: Miki Maya as Shoko Nagata. As much as we want more story for returning Legion co-star Rachel Keller as Samantha, she doesn’t get much room to move the plot forward. But a new relationship allows her to go head to head with the real boss of the mob, Tozawa’s wife, played by Makiko Watanabe. Makiko leads a hefty list of badass women from the series for the season, queued up to be a major player for the third season.
Last but definitely not least is Shô Kasamatsu, who seizes the best thread of the series, back as rising yakuza leader Sato, whose struggle with new boss Hayama, played by
The least interesting hour finds Adelstein falling apart and running home to Missouri, yet it’s at least in service of the story, as it allows him to bring home a major piece of the puzzle. Yet Kasamatsu’s performance will leave mob story fans with a character as good as anyone we’ve seen from any Coppola or Scorsese movie. He’s really that riveting.
The series isn’t perfect, but in spanning an international cast and plot, it will engage viewers and keep them coming back, hungry for more and wishing that third season would arrive already. Still one of HBO/Max’s better series of the 2020s, Tokyo Vice should be considered must-see television. Catch the first two seasons now.
