New drama 'Tokyo Vice' is a real hit

When tackling a new job or task, many of us have probably felt like Jake Adelstein, the central character in new drama Tokyo Vice.

“The truth is, I don’t know what I’m doing,” he claims during an early episode.

The thing is, that while it’s a feeling we’ve probably all experienced, few of us have been trying to expose the machinations of the yakuza while working for a Japanese publication at the time.

But that’s the position the real Adelstein found himself in when he became the first non-Japanese reporter for Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the country’s biggest newspapers. He must have done alright, because he was employed there for 12 years before writing the memoir Tokyo Vice, in which he detailed his experiences.

The book was very well received, and the only mystery is why it took so long for it to be adapted for the screen.

Earlier this year, the eagerly awaited series made its debut in the US on HBO, and was available on this side of the Atlantic via Starzplay (which has since been renamed Lionsgate+). The BBC also announced it would eventually broadcast it, and it’s here at last – thankfully the drama is well worth the wait.

“The BBC are delighted to be the exclusive free TV home of Tokyo Vice,” claims Sue Deeks, head of Programming Acquisition at the BBC.

“With the first episode superbly orchestrated by Michael Mann, the series is a fascinating and immersive dive into the neon-lit underbelly of 1990’s Tokyo and a crime world dominated by the yakuza.”

Yes, that’s THE Michael Mann, the Hollywood director who brought us Heat, Collateral, Manhunter and Ali, who was behind the camera for the first episode – a mark of quality if ever there was one. The scripts, meanwhile, are by Tony Award-winning playwright JT Rogers.

Daniel Radcliffe was originally slated to play Adelstein, but it was Baby Driver and West Side Story star Ansel Elgort who eventually took the role; he also serves as an executive producer.

Elgort forms an excellent on-screen partnership with Oscar-nominated actor Ken Watanabe, who plays Hiroto Katagiri, a detective specialising in crimes involving organised crime. He takes Adelstein under his wing, enabling the young journalist to gain exclusive insights into Tokyo’s dark underworld.

“The position of Katagiri is like a teacher, or father, or brother,” said Watanabe when interviewed about the show by the Awards Daily website. “The 1990s are a very interesting era for the world. The change in position of society, the way companies worked, and the way people behaved. There was something careless about that time.

“It’s an interesting era to take a look at the dark side of Japan, and JT Rogers did such a great job of building up deep backgrounds for the characters. That was important to me.”

The series has been described by some critics as a slow-burner, while others have been less kind, claiming it’s dull. Whatever the case, it must have gone down well with viewers because a second run has already been commissioned.

“It’s more exciting,” promises Watanabe.

Clearly somebody, somewhere knows what they’re doing.