Tokyo Vice only had 2 Seasons :0

 Readers, I’ve been apprised of the fact that Tokyo Vice has only 2 seasons. I did not complete watching the 2nd season. There was a lot of fantastic acting and Michael Mann, the director, caught the feeling of the 90’s: chatter about the Backstreet Boys, one of the protagonists having a “waif”, slender and elegant look, and the way mental illness was the elephant in the room. The story, based on a book by journalist Jake Adelstein, hooked me in even though I think elements of it didn’t seem true and were sensationalized to attract viewers. One storyline, in my opinion, may not be what the author of the book really saw in his time in Japan. I can’t say for sure, but I think that particular storyline is hyped up, sensationalized, and inaccurate. It could have just been added in despite the author’s hopes. Do I know for sure? No.

I enjoyed watching the performances of many of the Japanese actors and actresses. Don’t get me wrong, the actor in the lead role was good, but I don’t think he studied the Japanese language enough. He appeared in one of the HBO behind-the-scenes features and said he studied the Japanese language for 4 hours a day. The director wanted him to study for 8 hours a day. He was smiling, but I started to form an opinion of why the Japanese actors constantly stole the show away from him. Another actress who doesn’t even look Japanese, was more captivating than him. If I recall, the actress playing the role (the character was named Samantha), talked about how she knew the Japanese language from personal experience. She had an explanation as to why her Japanese in the show sounded the way it did. Basically, the speech and accent used were those a foreigner might have.

On the bright side for the actor playing the protagonist, he was really good in the scenes where he was in the USA and spending time with his family. The actor also had credits as an Executive Producer and that’s what seems to me like a role which requires a lot of responsibility. Could that be why he studied Japanese for 4 hours instead of 8? After all, a person has to take care to not overwork. 

I’ll finish the series. Sometimes networks pull the plug and I just have to deal with it. Some days it seems like they’re pulling the plugs a lot!  I was entertained, intrigued and impressed by the acting. I hope to see the actors and actresses from Tokyo Vice again in a longer lasting series.

Tokyo Vice! Not Tokyo Drift, No - - -Tokyo Vice!

 Thanks to Tess, a Yelp Elite who lives in Los Angeles county, I found out about the show on MAX called, “Tokyo Vice.” MAX, for those of you who don’t know, is HBO. Why they changed the name is beyond me, but MAX is where you can see Tokyo Vice. I’ve never met Tess. but she is on Facebook and we’re Facebook friends and she was the one who recommended it. Trusting her because she is smart and writes good, thoughtful reviews which also include practical information as to where to park in Los Angeles, I hopped onto MAX and started watching. The show, based on a true story which has most likely been sensationalized to fit into the MAX lineup is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

I’m actually going for lunch break and watching it alone. Remember, the name of the show is, “Tokyo Vice.” The other name I mentioned, “Tokyo Drift,” is part of the Fast and Furious movie franchise from years past. I plan to update my blog with info about “Tokyo Vice,” soon. The story is about an American journalist of Jewish descent on the crime beat of the major newspaper of Japan. He speaks Japanese but does not really fit in but is very ambitious and interested in crime in Japan and the yakuza. More later.