The TV series Tokyo Vice premiered in 2022 and garnered fans' attention, often injecting curiosity among the viewers for its story. The Max original is based on Jake Adelstein's 2009 memoir Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan, which explores the life of the reporter in a quest to dig deeper into Yazuka and other high-profile criminals in the country.
Though inspired by Adelstein's memoir, Tokyo Vice does not encompass all the elements detailed in the 2009 book.
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The series is adapted from the book, but the events captured in the Max original series are not entirely accurate. This indicates that the creators of Tokyo Vice exercised creative liberty in its production.
While talking about the story of Tokyo Vice, playwright J. T. Rogers told The New York Times that:
"Tokyo Vice’ is not biography, nor documentary...It’s inspired by real events, but it’s fiction."
Tokyo Vice focuses on how Jake Adelstein became the first American to have worked in a reputed Japanese publication, and during his tenure, he covered notable crimes for the newspaper.
What is the story of Tokyo Vice?
While Tokyo Vice is based on Jake Adelstein's memoir, the TV series did alter significant details. It features actor Ansel Elgort in the titular role of the first young American reporter to have worked in The Yomiuri Shimbun.
In the book, Jake Adelstein is as an incredibly skilled reporter who majorly covered crime reports and gradually became curious about the bigger criminal underworld of Japan.
Jake risked his life to uncover the reality of human trafficking, drug smuggling, and other crimes taking place in the country.
Even though the makers of Tokyo Vice changed the newspaper's name and the exact time when Jake began his work in Japan, the series does largely follow the actual incidents that occurred in the author's life.
Tokyo Vice showcased the time after Jake Adelstein left his home country and got his first job as a reporter in Japan. Initially, Jake faced immense criticism and embarrassment from the publication due to a factual error he made in his first story.
The reporter didn't give up and managed to acquire a great story with a known police officer in Japan who had deep knowledge about the criminals in the country, and helped Jake navigate through various challenges
How many seasons does Tokyo Vice have?
The first season of Tokyo Vice was released on Max in 2022, followed by the next installment of the TV series in February 2024.
However, the show is currently considered to have concluded with two seasons as the creator and executive producer, J.T. Rogers, and Tokyo Vice's director and executive producer, Alan Poul, stated during a meeting held by PGA in June 2024:
"We know there is more story to tell. Of course, we’ll see what the future holds, but we are indeed grateful to have been able to share this story on Max until now."
Despite the curiosity surrounding the authenticity of Tokyo Vice, the TV series succeeded on the streamer and earned Ansel Elgort appreciation for his portrayal of Jake Adelstein.
Tokyo Vice was initially planned as a film based on Jake Adelstein's memoir
Before HBO released Tokyo Vice as its original series, it was initially planned to be released as a film. However, the author suggested J. T. Rogers to helm the project.
Since Rogers grew up with Jake Adelstein and was familiar with his story and life, crafting the TV series with authenticity and engagement in mind was more straightforward. As a result, the makers shaped Tokyo Vice into an American crime drama, focusing on the reporter and his quest to discover how the Yakuza works in Japan.
Tokyo Vice is available on Max.
Stay tuned for regular entertainment!
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