TomOpus

I need to hurry and start this. I'm not positive it's my cup 'o tea.

DJariya

Did you ever see Black Rain with Michael Douglas or Yakuza with Robert Mitchum? It's basically a similar modern neo-noir Tokyo crime thriller. It is set in the 1990s. However, it's 90% in Japanese, so you have to pay attention and can't half watch it with your phone or iPad in your hands.

TomOpus

Long time ago back when it first hit home video. Can't say I remember much.

DJariya

Jake Adelstein, the writer of the Tokyo Vice novel and who Elgort's character is based on, announced he wrote a sequel book that will come out next year.

Twitter

Rob V

I like this show well enough. I'm on Ep 5 and it's been good, not great. My one issue - aside from the sometimes corny dialogue - is that Jake comes across as very "Steven Segal-esque"... meaning he's this outsider who is so widely accepted and respected. It just feels like an account of a story from an ego-maniac instead of a young kid who would probably be completely over-whelmed by the gravity of the situation he's in. Ansel Elgort is great, it's just the fact that he's playing a character that is somewhat unbelievable - at least to me. The story Jake uncovers is so obvious too... the dots should have been connected by his editor a long time ago.

johnnysd

Renewed for those interested.

DJariya

It was renewed on June 7th. It was mentioned on the previous page.

I’m a little surprised this series hasn’t gotten more interest here. But I guess some here just haven’t had the time yet.

Rob V

I'm not surprised it's not totally taken off... it's good, not great. It's a tad wonky with the dialog, it's a bit awkward with the relationships (the sex scenes are bad), the story definitely took 4 episodes to just get going (5 was really good) and it's heavy on the sub-titles (obviously). I think a lot of people don't want to have to turn on their brain to watch a show (or read a show). Personally, I was expecting Jake to be part of the Vice team -- more of a badass. I had no pre-conceived notion of what this show was so I had no idea he was a reporter or that this was based on a true story.

Dan1boy

Just finished the series last night. Way too many loose ends to tie up. Happy with season renewal but don't anticipate a new one until at least 2024.

DJariya

HBO Max posted a behind the scenes feature on season 1. It's about 6 minutes. Michael Mann is interviewed along with some of the cast and producers.


It's a pretty interesting watch. I always enjoy hearing Michael Mann.

Dan

Just watched the whole season. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but wish it hadn’t ended on a cliffhanger like that. I prefer self-contained seasons when possible.

Any word on this actually moving forward with a second season, or is this show officially/unofficially dead after all the changes behind the scenes at the studio?

DJariya

It’s filming in Tokyo right now. Should premiere this year.

Dan

Well that’s good to hear! Thanks!

whotony

I put this in my watch list amd then forgot about it then canceled hbo.
Oh well.

DJariya

I love this show. I know it's probably not for everyone, but I like shows that take place in dark criminal underworlds and loved that this was filmed in Japan. But, most of the dialogue is in Japanese, so it's a lot of subtitle reading.

Unless Max is too expensive for your budget, I think it's worth it with the large library of content they have. This was not an HBO show just to clarify, it was made for the streaming service.

Dan

I’m listening to the audiobook by the journalist. It’s also quite excellent so far. Funny that he pronounces his own name differently than everyone in the show does.

DJariya

https://variety.com/2023/tv/global/t...en-1235693081/


This news is about a month old. But season 2 wrapped filming before the strikes. They are in post production. One of the producers says the hope is to have the actors available at some point to promote it. Max said this was going to air in 2023, but I think it’s getting pushed to 2024. Also they apparently filmed 10 episodes.

dex14

DJariya

Excellent. Looking forward to season 2 and it's not that far off. It would have dropped a few months earlier if not for the strike.

Dan

Nice! I’m looking forward to the new season.

dex14

Feb. 8

DJariya

Looks great. I’ve been dying to see season 2. I don’t think Michael Mann has any direct involvement with season 2 since he was busy with Ferrari when this was filmed.

DJariya

Season 2 drops tomorrow at 3am ET. 2 episodes

It's a 10 episode season

DJariya

I stayed up until 2am watching the first episode. It picks up right where season 1 left off, but there is a “previously on Tokyo Vice” recap.

A lot of stuff went down. And Jake and Katagiri both got screwed over after the cover up of the tape Jake received. Sam is a total mess.

They do mention Tozawa’s trip to America that the Vice Minister was involved with. Tozawa is not in the episode.

There is a 4 minute feature in the extras section that helps add some context to all the plot and what to expect.

Also, don’t watch this episode distracted or with a device near you. It’s 90% in Japanese with subtitles. You have to pay attention.

DJariya

Alright, I finished episode 2. If you were confused about the segue from the premiere, it takes place 3 months later. It's mentioned late in the episode and in the behind the scenes feature.

I guess Jake and Katagiri are kind of laying low right now. Katagiri working in the "Complaints department"

Sam is now a full fledged Mama-San. Ohno, the architect, seems to be taking up a special interest in her.

Jake sleeping with Tozawa's girlfriend is an awful idea. That is going to bite him in the ass. But, the way she was kind of seducing him would be hard to resist.