Intense, tension filled crime drama thriller!
I had heard this was Michael Mann's latest project, and being a fan I tuned in to check it out. I was blown away. This series is like nothing else I have seen and I am eagerly awaiting season two.
Tokyo Vice is based on a memoir written by the real life Jake Adelstein and loosely follows his life as an aspiring American crime journalist trying to navigate his way through a career in journalism at a successful Tokyo newspaper when he is fresh out of school. Lots of cultural clashing for the gaijin as he fights to first get a job with the newspaper and then to keep it. He also has to find his was both within the social construct both socially and professionally as he interacts with both the police and the criminal element.
Along the way he meets Sato, a newbie to the local Yakuza organization, and Samantha, a fellow American who works as a host in a hostess bar with dreams of opening her own, socially. Professionally he meets a by the book police officer Hiroto and his own persistent boss Eimi, who patiently does the work to finally get a story published about women who have been filing complaints and then been murdered.
This is a rich and colorful story that is filled with traditions, heart and contradictions. The character building is phenomenal as is the cultural sharing. The series is predominantly in Japanese (as it should be, being set in Tokyo) with English subtitles when necessary, which lends to the feeling of immersion into the story. Tokyo itself is almost an additional character in the series.
I have to talk about the acting which really sells this series...I don't think there is a bad actor in the group, but there are some real standouts in Ken Watanabe and Ansel Elgort, who play the police detective Hiroto Katagiri and the young reporter Jake Adelstein respectively. The respect and friendship building between these two is wonderful, as is the portrayal of the difficult positions that they find themselves in...professionally, morally, etc. The big surprise for me has been the actor Shô Kasamatsu, who plays Sato. His soulful portrayal of a young conflicted Yakuza member on the rise is heart wrenching. The fact that he can pull such emotions out of a spectator to his story is a true testament to his skills as an actor.
I don't want to say any more about the story, only to say you should watch it. This is my number one recommendation of what to watch at the moment and cones with my highest level of recommendation. If you like good tv, you will like and appreciate this well written and well acted show. I am very excited to see what's in store for season two.
I had heard this was Michael Mann's latest project, and being a fan I tuned in to check it out. I was blown away. This series is like nothing else I have seen and I am eagerly awaiting season two.
Tokyo Vice is based on a memoir written by the real life Jake Adelstein and loosely follows his life as an aspiring American crime journalist trying to navigate his way through a career in journalism at a successful Tokyo newspaper when he is fresh out of school. Lots of cultural clashing for the gaijin as he fights to first get a job with the newspaper and then to keep it. He also has to find his was both within the social construct both socially and professionally as he interacts with both the police and the criminal element.
Along the way he meets Sato, a newbie to the local Yakuza organization, and Samantha, a fellow American who works as a host in a hostess bar with dreams of opening her own, socially. Professionally he meets a by the book police officer Hiroto and his own persistent boss Eimi, who patiently does the work to finally get a story published about women who have been filing complaints and then been murdered.
This is a rich and colorful story that is filled with traditions, heart and contradictions. The character building is phenomenal as is the cultural sharing. The series is predominantly in Japanese (as it should be, being set in Tokyo) with English subtitles when necessary, which lends to the feeling of immersion into the story. Tokyo itself is almost an additional character in the series.
I have to talk about the acting which really sells this series...I don't think there is a bad actor in the group, but there are some real standouts in Ken Watanabe and Ansel Elgort, who play the police detective Hiroto Katagiri and the young reporter Jake Adelstein respectively. The respect and friendship building between these two is wonderful, as is the portrayal of the difficult positions that they find themselves in...professionally, morally, etc. The big surprise for me has been the actor Shô Kasamatsu, who plays Sato. His soulful portrayal of a young conflicted Yakuza member on the rise is heart wrenching. The fact that he can pull such emotions out of a spectator to his story is a true testament to his skills as an actor.
I don't want to say any more about the story, only to say you should watch it. This is my number one recommendation of what to watch at the moment and cones with my highest level of recommendation. If you like good tv, you will like and appreciate this well written and well acted show. I am very excited to see what's in store for season two.