Summary
Tokyo Vice solidifies itself as one of the best current dramas on TV by delivering a strong sophomore season. The season is highlighted by Naoki Kubozuka who delivers an Emmy-worthy performance.
When Tokyo Vice was released on MAX in 2022, it was met with rave reviews by audiences and critics. A little over two months after the first season ended, HBO finally renewed it for Season 2. Fast-forward to February 2024, and Jake Adelstein is back trying to take down some of the biggest powers within the Yakuza.
Season 2 of Toyko Vice follows Detective Nagata, assigned to combat local gang activities that threaten the Yakuza, who are also fighting for territory. With Nagata hot on their trail, Jake is trying to seek redemption for his friend Polina, who ended up dead because of the hierarchy of power in Toyko.
The series picks up right where we left off, with Jake sharing the footage of the videotape of Polina being raped by a group of men. After showing it to Hiroto, we discover that the Vice Minister is one of the men on the tape. However, with the massive amount of power at hand, the tapes are destroyed by a fire. Although the path of redemption is halted, Detective Nagata arrives in town and hires Hiroto to help take down the local Yakuza.
As that happens, a massive turf war leads to a power struggle. First, we introduced Naoki Hayama as Ishida’s second in command and ruffled feathers with how he treats those around him. Then, after taking a brief sabbatical, Tozawa returns to his territory being raided and starts to aim for redemption.
When you have a successful first season, capturing the same magic as you did in a second is hard. J.T. Rogers and his team of writers took everything that worked in Season 1 and raised the bar. It was brilliant how they built this tensity within these characters that kept you guessing what was ahead. Also, not being afraid to kill people that you are attached to is another thing I give them plenty of credit for.
I can’t express enough how I love writers who are writing villains again in a way that makes them easy to hate. In today’s terms, writers attempt to write villains by making them slightly likable. But Rogers and his writing team wrote Naoki Hayama in a way that you detest him. Sure, he has a comedic tone to how he makes fun of those around him, but those instances don’t make you like him, but hate him more.
Naoki Kubozuka plays Yosuke Hayama. Kubozuka better be on everyone’s shortlist for Supporting Actor when the Emmys roll around because his performance is more than deserving. Another actor who showed me something was Show Kasamatsu. Kasamatsu went from such an underdog to a significant player within his arc of Sato, forcing him to play a totally different character than he did in Season 1.
An important factor when trying to build intensity in a crime series is the score. The composing team of Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans deliver that much-needed pulsating score to set the mood for audiences. Further, on the technical side of the series, the team of cinematographers captured the essence of Toyko. Shooting on location in the country helps, but how they elevate this darkness surrounding the show is excellent.
Top-to-bottom Tokyo Vice has become a must-watch series. It’s one of the more technical sound productions met with an ensemble cast that makes you want more. I’m not only impressed with what J.T. Rogers has built with Tokyo Vice but also anxious to see what is next from the creator. In the day and age of the binge-watching format, this series proves having a weekly release can still deliver gold.
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