Director Michael Mann is best known for his dramatic crime films Manhunter and Heat, in addition to developing the music-driven ’80s TV series Miami Vice. Now, the famed filmmaker returns with the long-awaited Tokyo Vice, which will be available exclusively on HBO Max. It’s a dynamic return to form for a director who hasn’t been seen on television in a while.
The project began in 2013 as a feature picture with Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter attached before languishing in development hell. It was adapted from journalist Jake Adelstein’s 2009 memoir, Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan.
To break the story, break the rules. #TOKYOVICE premieres April 7 on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/zh11hqKXkn
— Tokyo Vice on HBO Max (@TokyoViceHBOMax) March 14, 2022
‘Tokyo Vice,’ a crime drama series from HBO Max, presents a gritty and uncensored portrayal of the world’s most crowded metropolis, exposing the city’s criminal underground through the unusual and in-depth perspective of an American beat reporter. Jake Adelstein, whose fictitious counterpart is played by Ansel Elgort, wrote the memoir ‘Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan‘ in 2009.
Jake comes to Tokyo to establish a name for himself in the series, and his work as a reporter eventually attracts the attention of both the police and the yakuza. While the show is primarily on Jake, it does occasionally shift its emphasis to Samantha (Rachel Keller), a Kabukich district hostess and another American expatriate, and Sato (Show Kasamatsu), a mid-rank yakuza member who may serve as Jake’s entry point into the world of Japanese organised crime.
Here’s everything you need to know about the third episode of Tokyo Vice.
Recaps of Episodes 1, 2, and 3 of ‘Tokyo Vice’
Jake’s introduction to the sordid underbelly of Tokyo, inhabited by journalists, police officers, yakuza members, and sex workers, as well as the Japanese journalism industry, is the focus of the first three episodes of ‘Tokyo Vice.’ He is a Missouri native and the son of a coroner. As a result of accompanying his father to work, he developed a keen interest in forensic science and police investigation.
He studied Japanese literature for three years after moving from the University of Missouri to Sophia University in Tokyo. Despite failing an entrance exam, Jake is hired by the Meicho Shimbun, a well-known newspaper with a daily circulation of 12 million.
Trendy and Tin Tin, two other journalists who are both assigned to beat reporting, become great friends at work. They report to Baku, a guy with ultra-nationalist ideals, who is in charge of sub-cap Emi Maruyama.
One of Jake’s first duties is to report on a murder, but Baku chastises him for referring to the crime as “murder.” Despite this, he begins to see a link between the suspected murder and the self-immolation case a few days later, recognising that both people borrowed money from shady groups at excessive rates.
Jake tries to follow a police officer named Miyamoto at first, but the man proves to be too difficult to deal with. Finally, however, he attracts the attention of Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe), an organised crime detective working on the purported murder case.
Following an altercation at a club under the protection of their adversary, Chihara-Kai/Ishida, Jake gets the chance to accompany the cops as they raid the Tozawa yakuza family’s stronghold and capture three gang members. Jake is given permission by Katagiri to write an article about it, which becomes his first published work.
Jake meets Samantha and Sato in Kabukich, the setting for the most of the novel. The former is enigmatic about her past and appears to be saving up to settle in Tokyo. Sato is a Chihara-Kai/Ishida employee who reports to Yoshihiro Kume, who reports to Hitoshi Ishida.
Because Chihara-leader, Kai’s Koichi Tanaka, is temporarily ill, Ishida is the family’s de facto leader. Jake’s meeting with Samantha and Sato may also result in a love triangle. Matsuo, one of Samantha’s clients, shoots shots of her from afar when she is at home near the end of the episode. He appears to be a stalker at first glance, but he could be connected to her mystery history in some way.
Why Does the Yakuza Kidnap Jake in ‘Tokyo Vice’ Episode 3, Explained?
Sato atones for his error by telling Ishida about Jake, after knocking up a fellow member of his crime family for speaking harsh things about Samantha. While the whole scope of the interaction is not revealed, we may confidently presume that Sato mentions Jake’s police affiliation.
The officers came to see Ishida earlier in the show, but they didn’t eat or drink anything during their visit. This is most likely due to a culture of corruption and bribery among police officers. The officers are undoubtedly afraid that if they eat or drink with the yakuza, they would be accused of giving information to the criminal organisation.
For the time being, Ishida is unlikely to harbour any malice toward Jake. The gaijin is the one who reports on the arrests of Tozawa family members. In fact, he’ll probably try to build a mutually advantageous connection with Jake, offering to reveal the inner workings of his organisation in exchange for the reporter’s assistance with the cops.
Who Is Tozawa in ‘Tokyo Vice’ Episode 3?
The series begins in 2001 with the first episode. Later in the story, the setting moves to 1999, and the plot appears to be moving forward. Jake and Katagiri meet high-ranking Tozawa family members in 2001, who cautions him against continuing his inquiry into the family’s leader. In episode 3, the aforementioned leader makes his first appearance, and he appears to be suffering from a serious health problem.
Despite the fact that none of the characters is explicitly modelled on Tadamasa Goto, a real-life former yakuza member and putative head of the Goto-gumi family, Towaza bears some resemblance to the so-called “John Gotti of Japan,” according to series creator J.T. Rogers.
The real Jake Adelstein published an exposé on Goto in The Washington Post in 2008, stating that the FBI had helped the crime boss travel to the United States for a liver transplant at UCLA. He mentioned in the same post that he got threats for the article from Goto’s “underlings.”
Knowledge is not always power. #TOKYOVICE premieres tomorrow on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/LNdswa1i8I
— Tokyo Vice on HBO Max (@TokyoViceHBOMax) April 6, 2022
Watch first three episodes on ‘Tokyo Vice’ on HBO Max.