Ken Watanabe and Ansel Elgort are two good reasons to watch Tokyo Vice, but another would be that it already looks like an intriguing story that delves deep into the underbelly of Tokyo as so many stories have tried to do in the past. Set in the 90s, the show is centered on Jake Adelstein, a reporter that is attempting to become the first foreign-born reporter to join the staff of a Japanese newspaper, and seeks to be assigned to the vice squad so that he can learn more about what goes on in the city and how it affects the rest of the world that it is still attached to. The thing about digging up dirt that even aspiring reports out to know is that one is going to get dirty one way or another. It’s a matter of whether they’ll be the one with the shovel or the one getting buried that makes all the difference. In the trailer leading into this show Jake is willing to climb into the hole, but whether he’ll be able to climb back out of it, after all, is said and done is going to be interesting to discover.
The fact that this is inspired by a true story, keep in mind INSPIRED is not the same as being the actual true story, is bound to make it feel a little more truthful in some ways. It will no doubt be embellished in a big way since stories featuring the Yakuza and their various representations throughout history have made a lot of people feel that the Yakuza is still the same shady organization it’s been painted as for so long. Many are bound to argue that the Yakuza are far different from what they’ve been thought to be for so long, but those that have followed pop culture for so long will no doubt hold out a belief that the organization is still far more than businessmen that do little more than pay their taxes and talk about the old days.
There does appear to be plenty of action as well as intrigue to go along with this story and the feeling that Watanabe will play the role of the individual that’s seen too much and has been changed by it, but has also done his best to stand against it by using said changes to keep up the work he pledged to do. In other words, he’s the grizzled cop that will do what he needs to do to get his job done and see justice done in a manner that gets things done. Elgort, on the other hand, already appears to be the type of journalist that will go the extra mile for his story and will do what it takes to get the scoop. But it’s a question of how far he’s willing to go and how much he’s willing to risk his life to get the news that he believes people will want to hear about. One of the many things about people is that they’ll almost always flock to the sight and sound of a good story that might give them the dirt on people or organizations that they want to know more about.
The reason for wanting to watch this is pretty simple since it already looks like an interesting story and on top of that, it feels like it could be another tale that might help to broaden the idea of what Japan and its underworld is all about. Or it could be another story that’s bound to give people another impression that the Yakuza is a mysterious organization that’s bound in traditions that they continue to hold onto and incorporate in their everyday lives. It’s very likely that another surge of explanations detailing how the Yakuza of today is a mere shadow of what it’s suspected to be will emerge. Whether those telling these truths are setting up a smokescreen to keep the real activities blurred and tucked up from being revealed, or if even those that deny that the Yakuza are a force to be dealt with aren’t being given the whole truth, it’s fair to say that the Yakuza’s reputation has benefited in one way or another.
Watching the trailer for this show makes one believe that things are going to take on a very familiar turn as many TV series and movies have done in the past. The big hope at this point is that it won’t be so familiar that it will be a complete wash by the time the first episode or two have been watched and reviewed. So far it feels as though this won’t happen, but as it’s already been established, there’s always a chance to muck something up. As of now though, this show already looks like it’s going to be something worth watching.
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