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When the news broke earlier this month that Japan-set crime drama “Tokyo Vice” had been canceled, it came as a blow to fans, but not exactly a surprise. For two seasons on Max, the show — adapted by showrunner J.T. Rogers from journalist Jake Adelstein’s memoir of the same name — stood out as an increasingly rare gem in a contracting, decidedly post-peak TV landscape. Starring Ansel Elgort as a fictionalized version of Adelstein, a journalist who embeds with the yakuza as a reporter at the country’s largest daily paper, “Tokyo Vice” delivered an immersive, detailed portrait of the global capital at the turn of the millennium.

Better yet, “Tokyo Vice” improved over time. Season 2 broadened the story’s focus from Jake to a larger ensemble, while also bringing his long-simmering conflict with ascendant boss Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida) to a head. The finale offered a satisfying conclusion, ending on Jake...

“Tokyo Vice” creator and executive producer J.T. Rogers had a two-season story mapped out from the beginning, so much so that he had to make sure that the first season of the Max drama seeded the details and Easter eggs that wouldn’t pay off or become important until the second season.

“The pressure for me at least was having an idea going on for a few years now and really champing at the bit to get to the places we wanted,” Rogers tells Gold Derby (watch the exclusive video interview above). “Hikari, our wonderful director on Episode 4 in Season 1, said, ‘I don’t think we have time to get that shot of the watch.’ I said, ‘You need it because 11 hours from now on television, there’s going to be a reference to it.’ So there are so many things we set up narratively, and to have the luxury...

Although the second season does not have the element of surprise, as first seasons usually do, it is easy to say that the creators of “Tokyo Vice Season 2” did an excellent job this time also, by focusing even more to the series' best aspect, its characters.

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Jake's miraculous rise in the echelons of Meicho newspaper continues, with his relationship with both his superior, Maruyama, and his colleagues, Tin Tin and Trendy, being on its highest level. Maruyama listens to him and trusts him, as do the other two actually, frequently following his advice even. Even Baku, his racist, nationalistic boss seems to have warmed up to him, at least professionally, occasionally approving even his most daring suggestions. At the same time, the reappearance of Tozawa throws a shadow over everyone, including Jake, who has started a relationship with his former mistress,...

[This story contains spoilers from the season two finale of Tokyo Vice.]

Many heroes brought down ruthless yakuza crime lord Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida) in the season two finale of Tokyo Vice.

But for many faithful fans of the Japan-set and American-produced crime drama on Max, watching Akiro Sato (played by Show Kasamatsu), the young resilient yakuza member of the Chihara-Kai clan, deliver proof of Tozawa’s treachery to the oyabuns of various clans was a greatly satisfying ending to the 10 episodes that have been soaked with violence, honor, dishonor, loyalty and betrayal.

And of all the yakuza portrayed in the series about the Japanese organized crime world, Sato was the one member who sought quiet and peace, in his own way.

Tokyo Vice fandom pages indicate that Kasamatsu’s portrayal of Sato leaps off of the screen, similar to the series’ main star Ansel Elgort, who plays real-life American journalist Jake Adelstein, who moved to Japan in the ‘90s...

Patricia Highsmith’s thrilling novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley” has been adapted for the screen multiple times since its publication in 1955, most notably in the 1999 film of the same name starring Matt Damon and Jude Law. But now the story of a con man taking over the life of the wealthy playboy he’s been sent to bring home is being given the limited series treatment, and it’s must-see TV.

Initially developed for Showtime by Oscar winner Steven Zaillian, the eight-episode “Ripley” has moved to Netflix, where the highly bingeable but tense series is able to be devoured all at once, just as it should be. Andrew Scott’s portrayal of the titular character is less charming than it is full-on sociopath, but it really works, while Johnny Flynn steps into the shoes of rich boy Dickie Greenleaf. One might quibble about the ages of the actors versus the...

Are you a fan of the gripping crime series Tokyo Vice? If so, you are probably wondering if there will be a third installment following the shocking finale of the second season. Well, you’re in luck because the creator of the Max series has, at last, opened up on the matter.

Note: Spoilers for Tokyo Vice’s Season 2 finale can be found below.

As followers of this crime drama series may recall, Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida) aspired to be the sole supreme oyabun (leader) of the Japanese crime syndicate. However, he met his violent end at the hands of himself in the Tokyo Vice season two finale, capping off his dreams.

A still from Tokyo Vice

Following the terrifying cliffhanger finale of season 2, many viewers were left wondering if the story would continue. The good news is that a third season is officially in the works, as confirmed by the creator.

[This story contains major spoilers from the finale of season two of Tokyo Vice, “Endgame.”]

Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida) had dreams of becoming the one supreme oyabun (leader) of the yakuza crime syndicate in Japan.

In the season two finale of Tokyo Vice (now streaming on Max), those dreams ended with his violent demise — by his own hands.

Initially, it appeared in the series — which is filled with twists and turns of the bloody yakuza subculture in Japan, as it’s covered by American journalist Jake Adelstein, played by Ansel Elgort, who co-stars alongside Ken Watanabe — that Tozawa played a winning hand by murdering rival clan leaders, and threatening to kill police officers and reporters (and their families) who appeared to hurt his climb to absolute power in Tokyo and beyond.

But in all the yakuza leader’s ruthlessness, Tozawa made one major misstep. He showed blatant disrespect and dishonor toward his wife, Kazuko Tozawa (Makiko Watanabe), who fell in love with...

[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Tokyo Vice” Season 2, Episode 10, “Endgame.”]

In “Tokyo Vice,” honor is a double-edged katana. On one end sits Ozaki (Bokuzō Masana), the Meicho Shimbun newspaper executive who confesses to Emi (Rinko Kikuchi) that he was the one who destroyed the Yoshino videotape — although “confesses” is too generous a word. Ozaki solves her season-long mystery without batting an eye, before mansplaining his action as if Emi is an idiot. He had to destroy the tape. If the Meicho ran a story about a government official’s involvement in the murder of a hostess, then the paper would be frozen out of government business for years. “And how would that serve our readers?” he asks. So now that Emi has brought him further evidence against prime-minister-in-waiting Jotaro Shigematsu (Hajime Inoue), proving his ties to Yakuza leader Shinzo Tozama (Ayumi Tanida), the dignified thing to do is turn over her documents to the proper parties,...

Spoiler Alert: This interview contains spoilers for the Season 2 finale of “Tokyo Vice,” now streaming on Max.

Season 2 of “Tokyo Vice,” the neo-noir crime drama set in Tokyo, Japan, and loosely based on a memoir written by journalist Jake Adelstein, has come to a close in an explosive finale that both sent off the series’ main, two-season running antagonist — and laid the foundation for what could potentially come from the Max thriller if a third season were to be greenlit.

The show stars Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe, and tells the story of a Japanese-fluent American writer (Elgort) who works his way into covering crime for one of Tokyo’s most prominent newspapers. In the process, he forges an unlikely bond with a dogged local police detective, Hiroto Katagiri (Watanabe), with the duo sharing information and working together to untangle sordid yakuza activities.

Before diving into the specifics of the finale,...

This article contains spoilers for Tokyo Vice season 2.

The second season of the acclaimed Max original series Tokyo Vice featured a bloody power struggle between different yakuza clans for control of Tokyo’s criminal underworld in the late ‘90s. At the center was Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida), the head of the Tozawa clan who viciously murders any rivals that won’t concede to his rise to power, while pulling the strings of the Japanese government and major news media outlets. Scrambling to dethrone Tozawa are investigative journalist Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort), veteran police detective Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe), and rival yakuza boss Akiro Sato (Show Kasamatsu).

In an exclusive interview with Den of Geek, Tokyo Vice creator, showrunner, and executive producer J.T. Rogers and director and executive producer Alan Poul unpack the twists and turns of season 2, explain how they set up the season’s grand finale, and reveal their...

[This story contains spoilers from season two, episode eight of Tokyo Vice, “The Noble Path.”]

In many ways, the eighth episode in the second season of Max’s Tokyo Vice could be an extension of the prior episode. And it sets the audience up for the final two installments that promise to be a violent conclusion on power, corruption, loyalty, truth and betrayal within the underside of Japanese culture, the organized crime syndicate known as the yakuza.

But toward the end of this latest hour, viewers may feel some déjà vu from the series premiere, as the events circle around to where the series began. Jake Adelstein (played by Ansel Elgort), the aggressive American journalist who writes for Tokyo’s largest daily newspaper, and Japanese Organized Crime Division Detective Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe) have their lives threatened by Yabuki (Kazuya Tanabe), the enforcer of Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida), who has risen to be the most powerful and deadliest of all the yakuza crime lords.

Hollywood’s biggest night is upon us at last. The 96th Academy Awards air Sunday at 7/6c on ABC, which is good news for “Oppenheimer” leading man Cillian Murphy, who on Monday will be able to return home to Ireland and not leave its shores for six months. The ceremony will again be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and many former winners, including Jessica Lange, Matthew McConaughey and Rita Moreno, will be on hand to help hand out this year’s awards. The evening will also include what is probably going to go down as one of the weirdest musical numbers to be featured on the Oscar stage, as someone was able to talk three-time nominee Ryan Gosling into performing the memorable hit song “I’m Just Ken” from Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” So although there haven’t been too many surprises this awards season, meaning Sunday’s telecast might be...

A huge question mark in Tokyo Vice Season 2 focuses on Shinzo Tozawa's mystery illness, and some fans may have decoded the truth behind his condition. 

Tozawa, played by Ayumi Tanida, serves as the leader of the rival clan opposing Chihara Kai's gang. 

In Season 1, Tozawa was seen struggling due to a mysterious illness that has yet to be unveiled, and the fact that his condition worsened led to his departure in the finale. 

Read full article on The Direct.

It has been almost two years since “Tokyo Vice,” a late 1990s-set crime drama following an American journalist investigating the dark and dangerous world of the yakuza, made its debut. That might not sound like a long time, but in some ways the series, which is loosely based on the memoir of Jake Adelstein, is a relic. It is one of the few remaining shows from the halcyon days of HBO Max (2020-2023). The fact it has yet to be chopped like so many other series is good news for fans of the show. Even better news is that the second season has finally arrived, with the first two episodes, “Don’t Ever F**king Miss” and “Be My Number One,” now streaming on Max.

The drama picks up in the immediate aftermath of the eventful Season 1 finale, which saw Jake (Ansel Elgort) badly beaten and Katagiri (Ken Watanabe), an...

Spoiler Alert: This interview contains spoilers from the Season 2 premiere of HBO’s “Tokyo Vice,” now streaming on Max.

“Jake is being a very bad boy…”

That’s how Ken Watanabe, who plays detective Hiroto Katagiri, described Jake Adelstein’s (Ansel Elgort) actions at the end of “Tokyo Vice’s” Season 2 premiere. The second season picks off right where Season 1 ended in April 2022 and plugs viewers back into the neon-lit streets of Tokyo’s underbelly.

Loosely based on the memoir written by journalist Jake Adelstein, “Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan,” the show follows Adelstein as he works with detective Katagiri to expose the atrocities committed by the yakuza and dismantle organized crime in the city.

The jaw-dropping Season 2 premiere, which debuted on Max with two episodes, saw Jake, the Japan-based journalist, for lack of a better phrase, “sealing the deal” with Shinzo Tozawa’s (Ayumi Tanida) girlfriend,...

It’s been nearly two years since the premiere of “Tokyo Vice,” in which director Michael Mann introduced us to yet another lonely male obsessive. As the sole Caucasian employee of Tokyo’s largest newspaper, Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort) — a real-life journalist and executive producer of the show, which is loosely based on his memoir of the same name — stood out like a sore thumb. He also acted as a Virgil guiding American viewers through the Japanese underworld at the turn of the millennium. Jake investigates organized crime via an informal partnership with Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe), a policeman who doesn’t fight the yakuza so much as help preserve the equilibrium among their competing factions. Samantha (Rachel Keller), a Mormon missionary turned apostate, served a similar purpose to Jake, but as a guide to hostess bars, a source of paid yet strictly nonsexual company unfamiliar to Westerners.

In Season...

The Max potboiler Tokyo Vice is finally back February 8 for a second season of warring gangs, comely lounge hostesses, and Ansel Elgort speaking perfect Japanese. Here, executive producer Alan Poul addresses the delay between seasons, what big story Jake Adelstein plans to work on next, and whether Tozawa’s facial spider veins will get any worse this year.

Deadline: The series last aired in 2022. Why has it taken so long for season 2 to begin?

Alan Poul: it was due to a lot of things. Remember, the first season was shot in the middle of Covid. Just when the show was airing, Warner Brothers Discovery was going through a reshuffling. Nobody wants to make a lot of decisions while everybody’s still figuring out how the chips are going to fall. So all the pickups were put on hold until the new landscape was more clear. So we aired in...

Exclusive: Aoi Takeya will make his television debut in the HBO Max series Tokyo Vice‘s second season.

He will portray the character of Jason Oki, a Japanese-American member of the US Foreign Service who gets pulled into Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort) and his colleagues’ hunt to uncover the secrets of yakuza crime lord Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida).

Tokyo Vice is loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein’s nonfiction firsthand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat. The crime drama, filmed on location in Tokyo, captures Adelstein’s daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo in the late ‘90s, where nothing and no one is truly what or who they seem.

Ken Watanabe plays Hiroto Katagiri, a detective in the organized crime division of the Tokyo Police Department who is also a father figure to Jake throughout the series as he helps guide him along the thin and...

As the credits roll on the final episode of HBO Max’s Tokyo Vice, we know that Jake (Ansel Elgort) and Katagiri’s (Ken Watanabe) quest to take down ruthless Yakuza leader Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida) is far from over. Whether HBO actually green lights a second season of this excellent, neon-tinged crime drama is another question, especially now that Warner Bros. Discovery is in charge and cleaning house when it comes to original TV programming across the media company, but it would be a shame if the story ended here. There are just too many cliffhangers to resolve.

While it’s clear that Jake and Katagiri will continue to build their case against Tozawa, thanks to a flash-forward in the opening scene of the first episode that shows the duo meeting with his men about a “story” that the Yakuza leader wants buried, we don’t know the fate...

HBO Max has released the trailer for “Tokyo Vice,” offering a first look at the upcoming crime series. Loosely adapted from American journalist Jake Adelstein’s coverage of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s operations, the series stars Ansel Elgort as Adelstein as he documents the criminal underbelly and culture of police corruption of 1990s Tokyo. Ken Watanabe also stars, alongside Rachel Keller, Ella Rumpf, Rinko Kikuchi, Hideaki Ito, Show Kasamatsu, Tomohisa Yamashita, Shun Sugata, Masato Hagiwara, Ayumi Tanida and Kosuke Toyohara.

The series was greenlit with Elgort attached as the lead in 2019. Emmy winner and acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann later joined the production, signing on to direct the pilot episode and serve as executive producer for the series. J.T. Rogers serves as series writer, creator and executive producer

“Tokyo Vice” comes from Endeavor Content and Japanese pay-tv broadcaster Wowow. Other executive producers include Adelstein, Elgort, Watanabe, Cretton, Alan Poul, Emily Gerson Saines,...

Tokyo Vice, after pausing production in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, finally will land at HBO Max this spring. The series starring Ken Watanabe and Ansel Elgort hails from creator and writer J.T. Rogers. The series pilot was directed by Michael Mann.

The second official series order from HBO Max in 2019, Tokyo Vice is loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein’s nonfiction firsthand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat. The crime drama, filmed on location in Tokyo, captures Adelstein’s (Elgort) daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo in the late ‘90s, where nothing and no one is truly what or who they seem. The series will premiere with three episodes on Thursday, April 7, followed by two episodes airing every Thursday until the season finale on April 28.

Watanabe will play Hiroto Katagiri, a detective in the organized crime division of the Tokyo Police Department who is also...

Cast is being finalized on Tokyo Vice, the crime drama loosely based on Jake Adelstein’s 2009 memoir about a crime reporter on the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat.

Series regulars added include Hideaki Ito (Tokkai), Show Kasamatsu (Flowers and Rain) and Tomohisa Yamashita (The Man from Toronto). Further additions include Shun Sugata (Tomorrow’s Dinner Table), Masato Hagiwara (Tokkai), Ayumi Tanida (The Return), and Kosuke Toyohara (Yakuza and The Family).

They join the previously announced Ansel Elgort, Ken Watanabe, Rachel Keller, Ella Rumpf and Rinko Kikuchi. Michael Mann directed the Tokyo Vice pilot and serves as an executive producer along with J.T. Rogers, Alan Poul, Jake Adelstein, Ansel Elgort, Emily Gerson Saines, Destin Daniel Cretton, Ken Watanabe, Kayo Washio, and John Lesher. J.T. Rogers created and wrote the series.

Endeavor Content and Japanese pay-tv broadcaster Wowow are producing for HBO Max. The show is expected to debut in early 2022.