When I saw Michael Mann's name associated with this, I pictured a "Miami Vice" set in Tokyo. It's also based on a true story, so I didn't have high hopes, as most true-story adaptations tend to be flat. And there's is that tired old theme of a westerner in the Far East, and the history of mediocre U. S.-Japan-cast collaborative films and TV shows. I was wrong!
Jake Adelstein is an exceptional person, as an American who immersed himself in the language, culture and current events and managed to become a reporter at the top Japanese newspaper. The show could have treated him as yet another symbol of western "exceptionalism", a white man who is "smarter" and more clever than the natives, a crusader who brings the superior western perspective to the rigid Japanese way of doing things. This could have easily been overdone, but instead, he is humbled, and at the cusp of failure, if not for the chance encounter and help from a veteran cop. It is mildly reminiscent of Endeavour.
The screenplay does well to depict the intricacies of Japanese culture, the social contracts and constraints among their media, law enforcement, and organized crime. Rather than being portrayed as being inept, negligent, or corrupt, you are given enough to appreciate how Japanese society functions and maintains balance and peace.
As with much of the story so far, the scenes, screenplay and direction are not wasted on unnecessary distractions or digressions. There are many characters and several parallel plots, but the show manages keep the story moving with excellent pacing. A pragmatic blend of English and Japanese dialog keeps the show's "authentic" feel, without making things incomprehensibly difficult to follow. Excellent show!
Jake Adelstein is an exceptional person, as an American who immersed himself in the language, culture and current events and managed to become a reporter at the top Japanese newspaper. The show could have treated him as yet another symbol of western "exceptionalism", a white man who is "smarter" and more clever than the natives, a crusader who brings the superior western perspective to the rigid Japanese way of doing things. This could have easily been overdone, but instead, he is humbled, and at the cusp of failure, if not for the chance encounter and help from a veteran cop. It is mildly reminiscent of Endeavour.
The screenplay does well to depict the intricacies of Japanese culture, the social contracts and constraints among their media, law enforcement, and organized crime. Rather than being portrayed as being inept, negligent, or corrupt, you are given enough to appreciate how Japanese society functions and maintains balance and peace.
As with much of the story so far, the scenes, screenplay and direction are not wasted on unnecessary distractions or digressions. There are many characters and several parallel plots, but the show manages keep the story moving with excellent pacing. A pragmatic blend of English and Japanese dialog keeps the show's "authentic" feel, without making things incomprehensibly difficult to follow. Excellent show!