Acclaimed during its broadcast across the Atlantic on HBO at the start of the year, the Tokyo Vice series arrives on September 15 on myCANAL. We give you 5 good reasons to devour this exciting thriller on the Japanese mafia, here we go!
Inside Jake’s Head
Available from September 15 on myCANAL, tokyo vice immerses us in 8 episodes of 50 minutes in the daily life of Jake, a young American journalist recruited by one of the most prestigious daily newspapers in Japan.
The very first non-Japanese to be employed by this newspaper, he discovered a hierarchical and particularly codified world of work. Despite his mastery of the language, Jake is ostracized because he is a “gaijin”, an outsider.
First assigned to miscellaneous facts and petty theft, he quickly became interested in the practices of the Yakuza clans, to the point of approaching one of the most powerful families in the city, between racketeering, extortion and large-scale intimidation.
A fascinating look into the universe of the Yakuza
And if this story seems incredible, it is very true! Jake Adelstein published his book in 2009 tokyo vicea long-term investigation over nearly 10 years, which has the effect of a stone in the pond.
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By approaching a Yakuza gang like never before, he accurately describes how the clan works, and brings its practices to light. Today still an investigative journalist, he takes on the role of executive producer of the series, in order to guarantee its authenticity.
If the mafia universe is regularly staged in cinema and in series, rare are the works that manage to capture such a level of realism. Whether it’s the rituals or the elaborate hierarchy of the Yakuza clans, Tokyo Vice wants to be as close as possible to the experience lived by its protagonist.
Maximum tension
Besides the pilot made by none other than Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral), it is Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) which gives the series its rhythm and its permanent tension, with a millimetric writing and a realisation.
Jake, a bit hotheaded, does not hesitate to put himself in danger in order to unearth the scoops and contrasts with the calculated coldness of the Yakuza gangsters. Immersive, the 8 episodes are sublimated by the musical atmosphere signed Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaanscomposers for series ozark or fear the walking dead.
The polished aesthetic of 90s Tokyo
Beyond the mafia universe depicted by the series, it is a real plunge into the Japanese capital and its multiple cultures that are offered to the spectators. The series having chosen to shoot on location, with the majority of its dialogues in Japanese, the immersion in the daily life of Tokyo in the 90s is more real than life.
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Nightclubs, restaurants, luxurious lounges of the underworld or the Tokyo streets illuminated by countless neon lights: each setting visited by the protagonists is perfectly successful. Special mention in the credits of the series, a mix of genres that immediately puts you in the mood.
A perfect cast
Ansel Elgortrevealed by Baby Driver and West Side Story, learned Japanese especially for the occasion and plays Jake Adelstein on screen. Perfectly in his element, he brilliantly leads the series in this unexpected role.
To cue him, Ken Watanabestar of the Japanese cinema that we could see in Inception Where The last Samouraiplays Inspector Hiroto, and Sho Kasamatsuinterprets a Yakuza apprentice with a chilling gaze. Ella Rumpf (Severe), Rachel Keller (Fargo) and Hideaki Ito (The Doorman) perfectly round out this 5-star cast.
Tokyo Vice, two new episodes every Thursday from September 15, only on CANAL+ and myCANAL.