Max’s Tokyo Vice gets closer to its out-of-reach potential in season two

Max’s Tokyo Vice gets closer to its out-of-reach potential in season two. When the Tokyo Vice pilot directed by Michael Mann premiered in spring 2022, viewers were promised a neon-lit crime thriller set in Japan.

By Megan Sauer

What unfolded after the first episode aired was an extensive, sometimes slow drama about an American writer getting into trouble with the Japanese Yakuza. Watching the first season, it seemed like the protagonist, Jake (Ansel Elgort), disagreed with the type of show the creators were trying to create.

It lacked intrigue and was portrayed by an actor who sometimes seemed adrift.Also, everyone around Jake was significantly more interesting than the protagonist.

With the final episode of the first season, it seemed like “Tokyo Vice” would expand its scope, and fortunately, the writers have delivered on that.

The second season starts immediately where the first ended, with Jake showing his mentor Hiroto (the enigmatic Ken Watanabe) a video of the murder of club Onyx’s hostess, Polina (Ella Rumpf), by a member of the Tozawa clan.

Instantly, we dive back into this world without a moment to breathe, along with its characters.

This brisk start benefits the new pulse of the show, functioning much better than the first season.It appears the writers have finally realized that the pace for a show like this should be almost frenetic, leaving tedious exposition behind.

Another issue corrected is the problem with the protagonist, Jake. He remains a pitiable character, true in this new season.

We are still compelled to follow him in trivial tasks and through a puzzling romantic plot, but it seems the writers have realized this character doesn’t compare to any of the people he shares the screen with.

Elgort still seems half-asleep in most scenes, lacking the charisma his co-stars abundantly possess.Fortunately, he is not as strong a focal point as he was last season.

Although Jake remains undeniably our narrator, his counterparts finally get the screen time their talents deserve.

Hiroto was underutilized in season 1 but now has almost as much screen time as Jake.Space is given to supporting characters like Jake’s boss, Emi (Rinko Kikuchi), and even his friend Trendy (Takaki Uda) to build their own lives outside Jake’s perspective.

This not only allows us to care more about these characters but also enables these actors, whose talents were previously underutilized, to showcase their potential.

One of the most interesting aspects of the first season was Sato (Shô Kasamatsu), a young yakuza member whose moral struggle served as the most compelling hook of the show.

In season 2, this remains evident, but Sato’s presence no longer depends on Jake or his other white on-screen companion, Samantha (Rachel Keller).Here, he is finally allowed to exist as his own entity, letting Kasamatsu deliver the best performance of the series.

It’s nearly impossible to look away when he is present, his presence dominating the camera’s lens until he is the only visible thing on screen.His eyes and body carry a weight that mirrors that of an acting legend like Watanabe, a face so incredibly bare that you can’t help but feel you’re watching something special.

It’s almost impossible not to wish he were the main character of the series, and although he isn’t, his screen time in season 2 has thankfully increased.

Identity CrisisWhile all characters have been given more care, “Tokyo Vice’s” main problem still stands: the show doesn’t know what it wants to be.It’s still clearly taking influences that aren’t as evident as in the first season, but because it positioned itself that way in its first installment, season 2 seems to be in limbo.

The show remains captivating, but I still don’t know exactly what “Tokyo Vice” is trying to say. Instead, it feels like we’ll never truly understand “Tokyo Vice” or its position in the zeitgeist of modern television.

There are scenes scattered throughout this season that make you feel like you’re watching something special, but really, how different is this series from other shows of its caliber?

For a show that aims to trap you and transport you on a journey into the criminal underworld, the show and the world it’s trying to investigate are at odds with each other.

If given the chance, this could become a truly excellent, underrated gem, but with the current state of streaming and television, the hope for more seasons after this is not high.

There’s a cliffhanger in episode five (the last of the advance episodes shown to critics) that feels like a turning point for the series in the best possible way.

But why did it take the show so long to get here?

This instance is preceded by an intense confrontation the show would have benefited from five episodes earlier, and if given the chance to truly find its footing, hopefully, sequences like this will continue.

What this scene shows is a problem “Tokyo Vice ” still suffers from. It constantly seems on the brink of greatness, but something is still holding it back.