Tokyo Vice Season Two Early Review

The following is a spoiler-free review of the first 5 episodes of Tokyo Vice Season 2. The first 2 episodes premiere next Thursday on Max and Crave

For our review of the last episode of Tokyo Vice, click here.

The thrilling, fish-out-of-water crime drama series, based on a true story, was a nice surprise when it was first released back in 2022. Operating at an intersection between cultures, its compelling Japanese backdrop made for an interesting perspective to navigate. Unravelling a story full of twists and turns, Tokyo Vice offered so much more beneath the surface as far as its set of characters was concerned. The first season ultimately thrived off the strength of its characters, balancing them and their subplots and making the series feel more like a true character piece, despite being based on a memoir which could have easily upset that balance. A stellar cast helps to create that dynamic, while also shielding star Ansel Elgort and his flaws acting wise, primarily his lack of range. Only scratching the surface as it dove into the world of the Yakuza and their role in the seedy underbelly of Tokyo, there’s plenty more depth to that story as a cliffhanger ending left certain characters reeling and/or in serious jeopardy. Picking up the story from there, Season 2 takes that momentum and squanders it through its first few episodes by taking a step back to focus on the characters before building steam again as the season saw the crackdown on the Yakuza in full force. However, completing the task would prove to be easier said than done.

Adelstein and Katagari took some hits but they were still very much on the case against Tozawa as the former was anonymously given a video that seemingly featured the murder of Polina and could potentially expose higher ups in the Japanese government. That being said, the two would have to be smart about how they went about it as they risked flying too close to the sun, and that they did. As the Tozawa case got pushed to the backburner, the story found other avenues for Adelstein and Katagari who now had to work off the targets on their backs. Having to move on until the heat died down, some handled it better than others considering the stakes, but the push and pull between doing the right thing and protecting themselves was a constant battle. Dialing the heat back up was Deputy Superintendent Nagata (Miki Maya), a representative sent over from the National Police Agency to Katagari’s precinct to help deal with the Yakuza problem in Tokyo. Enlisting him and his unique insight, instead of his belief in balance, she believed that the best course of action was to systematically eliminate them. All the while, Adelstein couldn’t lay low as well as Katagari as he couldn’t let Tozawa go and impulsively continued to pursue his relationship with Misaki (Ayume Ito), one of Tozawa’s mistresses.

Speaking of hits, Samantha finally started her own business, thanks to the support from Ishida who had his own motives. However, the news of Polina’s death sent her on a downward spiral that forced her to reconsider that arrangement, at great risk to herself, as she tried to get under the thumb of the Yakuza. Meanwhile, those worried about Sato need not worry seeing that it would take much more than that to take him out for good. Continuing his disillusionment arc from the back end of the first season, his situation became much more complicated once his family started to get involved. Adding to that was his evolving relationship with Samantha who just wanted to be friends. He ultimately looked to protect his family and diffuse the powderkeg that was the ever-changing playing field as Tokyo’s numerous rival Yakuza factions jockeyed for position in order to survive and/or eliminate the competition and win out all as the cloud of the mysteriously absent Tozawa loomed over the final outcome.

For a series about the importance of local journalism, it was nice to see this season lean more into that angle through the work of Meicho. Trying to do the right thing for their audience in the midst of all the turmoil was certainly a challenge but they were not going to let threats from the outside keep them from the truth. The dynamic between Adelstein and Rinko Kikuchi’s Eimi was a highlight of the first season and here, she continued to be a force in that quest for the truth. However, they weren’t alone. Nicely rounding out that team was Adelstein’s friends and fellow Meicho journalists, Trendy (Takaki Uda) and Tin Tin (Kosuke Tanaka). More than just means to an end, the larger focus on the other three characters will make viewers come to appreciate them even more. While it may be dangerous, the Yakuza story was one they couldn’t ignore, even if the reach of the threat they faced went much further than they originally thought. As the chess board cleared, what looked to be an endgame surfaced, and the end of the episodes that were provided prior to release ended with one faction’s huge step towards that endgame.

On a technical level, the look of Tokyo Vice remains unparalleled. Befitting a story that operates in shades of grey within the darkness, its gloomy, neon-tinged setting is something to behold though it did offer some moments of light. Shooting in Tokyo, Japan and the surrounding area, the sense of authenticity on screen through its beautiful cinematography and production and costume design and the series’ respect for Japan and Japanese culture adds yet another level of immersion. Already doing a lot of the groundwork in the first season, that emotional connection with the characters is still there and once again carries the first five episodes despite this season’s slight change of pace compared to the first. Taking time to dive deeper into more of the supporting characters, the ensemble nature of the series is taken to another level. Everyone delivered, but in the end, it was all about Adelstein, Katagari, Samantha, and Sato.

Elgort has many qualities that result in characters that are compelling to watch. Adelstein is a flawed character and still somewhat of an enigma but his passion and youthful energy (or naive impulsiveness) made him a relatable character to watch when viewed through that lens. However, he, at times, doesn’t make it easy for viewers. When Elgort is asked to go deeper, he lack of range didn’t allow for it and it shows. Where he fails, the others pick him up. While the team of Elgort and Watanabe was another highlight of the first season, this season pushes them more individually to varying results. Watanabe’s Katagari dealt with a fair share of highs and lows as his life became a roller coaster though he was up to the challenge of that range of emotions. The ranges of Keller’s Samantha and Kasamatsu’s Sato were also pushed in similar ways with the latter being the more impressive of the two, delivering the best performance of the season thus far.

At the end of the day, Tokyo Vice Season 2 slows things down to continue to build up its strong characters and tension while maintaining much of the edge of the first.

still courtesy of Max

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.