TOKYO VICE – a Max series we almost forgot about. That’s the show where American journalist Jake Adelstein has relocated to Tokyo and succeeded in becoming the first foreign-born journalist in the city. Taken under the wing of a veteran detective in the vice squad, he starts to explore the dark world of the Japanese yakuza. The longer he stays, the more he delves into the corruption of Tokyo’s seedy underworld, where no one is as they seem. The detective, Hiroto Katagiri, becomes his guide and protector as they face the dangers that await.
A second season of the series has been underway since November of 2022 so the continuing story should be ready for Max subscribers soon, though nothing official has been stated as of yet. All the key players should be there. They are Ansel Elgort as Jake Adelstein, Ken Watanabe as Hiroto Katagiri, Rachel Keller as 
Samantha Porter, Rinko Kikuchi as Emi Maruyama, Shun Sugata as Hitoshi Ishida, Takaki Uda as “Trendy” Kurihira and Kosuke Tanaka as “Tintin” Shinohara. Plus, an added character has made it into the second season to join them. The “substantial role” of Shingo is to be played by Soji Arai. The character is said to be a single parent with a young son and is now an editor at a prestigious Tokyo weekly. An excellent journalist, he and Emi share a passion for the work. But as the season rolls on, their work and family lives come into conflict and Shingo and Emi are forced to make hard choices about what they value most in their lives. Perhaps he chases after a big, dangerous story tailing Jake & Hiroto?
That question and the few looming ones from the end of Season One should all be answered soon enough. The industry strikes in the U. S. have not affected TOKYO VICE so the only thing standing it its way is post-production work. We only await a release date and a trailer. We should see TOKYO VICE before the end of 2023.
