devilshalo

Part of me would be wondering if Tozawa has a hidden camera set up in her place... guess we'll see if Tozawa ever returns for the eventual turf war with the Chihara-Kia.

DJariya

Man, a lot went down in episode 3. And judging by that ending it looks like Tozawa is back. Jake was a moron to bring Misaki to that high profile gathering.

Katagiri's new boss was pretty badass in that raid.

Samantha has some serious balls to deal with the Chihara-Kai. I when the boss said...."You're good" When she made that negotiation.

Most importantly, I love the bromance between Saito and Jake.

A friend of mine loves the show, but she had no idea it came back until I brought it up. She then watched the premiere and was totally lost since the show was off the air for 1 1/2 years

DJariya

Wow episode 5 had a crazy ending. The power is totally shifting. And damn, poor Samantha. Her club is fucked and prospective new boyfriend is out of the picture unintentionally.

devilshalo

Was surprised by the pretty graphic sex scene with Trendy and the guy from the US consulate. Don't see that too often. I'm unsure of the Chihara-Kai heirarchy.. now that Ishida is gone, what he says is that Sato would be good as oyabun, but he still answers to Hayama whom Ishida clearly sees isn't the leader he wants him to be. I think Tin Tin will eventually figure out who Jake is banging and that will come out about him and Misaki, especially since he fucked up the story about Masa's future building plans and blames Jake for it blowing up in his face.

DJariya

I think you and I are the only ones here watching this actively.

But, I know this isn't an easy show to follow with it being mostly in Japanese and some intricate plots.

DJariya

Who was that at the end of the newest episode that was in Katagiri's place? It was kind of dark, but I noticed the tattoo on his wrist. I assume he's one of the shooters? He said "Help me" So he's looking for protection?

A lot of stuff went down. With Ishida dead, Hayama is taking charge. I have a feeling we're going to see a big confrontation between Sato and Hayama. I almost want to think that Hayama orchestrated the shootout in Samantha's club because he wants to take power.

There was a 6 minute BTS feature at the end of the episode. They said the club shootout took 3 days to film and they actually used some blue screen.

I'm a little disappointed, season 2 has been out 5 weeks and it's been great, but there doesn't seem to be anyone else following along except me and devilshalo unless this show is too complex to talk about?

I've already seen a few articles saying this is the best series that you're not watching. Ugh. And it's a really expensive looking show too. I'm looking on reddit and there seems to be some people who had no idea what this show was or that season 2 was even out.

dom56

The guy in Katariri's house was one of Hishinuma's men who escape when the police raid Hishinuma's place.

devilshalo

I also have a suspicion that maybe Hayama hired the hitmen and/or is onboard with Tozawa. And who knows what Ishida said to Sato before he died. I also think when Jake returns from his Dad's birthday, Misaki will be dead. And Tin Tin pretty much got Jake back for his story like I thought, but with Samantha rather than Misaki. At that point, I'm sure he put the pieces together because of the architect. Not sure where the story is going with Emi and her brother and who was it she talked to at the end? I know it's not Baku because she suspects he's in Tozawa's pocket.

I like this series because of my fascination with Japan and I like how much this is similar to Black Rain, but with more time to form characters. I wish Ken Takakura and Yusaku Matsuda were still around to be in this series. And any kind of solid plot with Yakuza involved will hold my attention.

Noonan

I've been binging the Yakuza games recently and I feel I should start this show now. Sounds like something I'd enjoy.

DJariya

It was interesting seeing Jake spending some time with his family in this week's episode. I feel bad for his sister. She's going to be really upset that he bailed on her.

The reveal about Tozawa getting the liver transplant was in the book, but they changed it to Minnesota from Los Angeles.

Looks like Samantha is in for some tough times. Her club is shut down, no money and who would want to hang out at a club where a major Gang shootout happened with multiple deaths?

No where does Sato go from here now that Hayama banished him? And now his brother has gone full on Yakuza.

devilshalo

I sometimes forget this is set in a certain time and not in the present (from the 10,000 Maniacs song on the radio as Jake was driving with his sister.)

I think Samantha can sell the club and invest in property since she still has the architect's satchel. Her days as a mama-san are over. She couldn't protect her girls or clients.
That is some relationship that Jake has with Katagiri. Tho Katagiri is using Jake and his lust to get Tozawa.
Hopefully, Sato can unite the other gumis since they know how reckless Hayama is. His being thrown out of Chihara-Kai isn't much and it'll come out what Ishida's last words were to him.

Dan

I desperately need to catch up on this. Only watched the first episode of Season 2 so far.

DJariya

I didn’t like how the whole Hayama and Sato conflict was resolved.

Misaki is in a pretty messy situation. She can’t be with Jake, got a house from Tozawa to her Mom and is now being blackmailed by Tozawa’s wife.

Jake going after Tozawa and getting a blessing from his Dad to give him confidence to do it should be interesting.

devilshalo

I don't mind how Hayama was handled. I think most of the Chihara-Kai knew he was a shitty leader, over-reaching his authority and would eventually get most of them killed. However, that shouldn't automatically make Sato oyabun.

Samantha trying to recover her money still has me thinking she'll do something with the architect's plans.

I think the bigger issue is how many people does Tozawa have in his pocket? It's a big deal that Nagata was replaced on the investigation and the FBI chick lied about Tozawa. Makes sense that the FBI busted Tozawa rivals in Hawaii.

devilshalo

Well shit hit the fan... best episode so far. Does this have a season 3? Seems like it could possibly wrap up this season with the revelations in this episode.

DJariya

Oh my God So much stuff went down in this new episode. Probably the best of the season. I was riveted throughout.

Tozawa basically put a hit on everyone. And he's fucking pissed.

I've been trying to convince a friend at work to watch this and he wants to. But, he's so fucking behind on shows (like probably most of you here) that he hasn't had time.

and No, this hasn't been renewed for a 3rd season yet.

DJariya

The real Jake Adelstein revealed on X last week about the end of the season (No spoiler) that:

dex14

Caught up on Season 2 over the last week so I could watch the finale. Great stuff.

devilshalo

The last 2 episodes were a solid wrap up to the 2 seasons. While a lot was happening, it didn't feel rushed (like a Star Trek episode where they need to wrap everything up in the last 10 mins.) It felt natural and well paced for all of its moving parts. There is an opening for more as characters have established themselves, but the whole Tozawa story-line is complete.

DJariya

Very solid wrap up to the 2 seasons. I would love another season with more adventures of Jake and Katagiri. But, if it doesn't happen, I won't be devastated. The Tozawa arc was basically the cornerstone of the Tokyo Vice book. I read the interview on THR with JT Rogers, the showrunner, and he says he has an idea for a 3rd season if it happens. The real Jake Adelstein did write a sequel to Tokyo Vice called "Tokyo Noir" that takes place in 2008. But, it won't be released until October. So it's probably not going to be the story for a possible season 3.


Like devil, I'm also fascinated with Japanese culture and crime storylines and that's what drew me here. I was also a big fan of Black Rain, which had some similarities to this show.

I did like how it ended with Jake and Katagiri just chilling and having a drink.

Overall, I think this is probably one of the best streaming shows of the post-pandemic era.