Are you ready to once again dive into the underbelly of Tokyo? If yes, then continue reading to find out more about Tokyo Vice Season 2.
How will Jake Adelstein continue his relentless pursuit of truth amidst the city’s corrupt underworld? If you want the answers, then we can assure you that the viewers can expect a riveting exploration of power dynamics, moral dilemmas, and the consequences of crossing dangerous lines in the next chapter that the fans can’t get enough of! After all, how can they not when the excellent plotlines paired with a superb cast have delivered a great series?
The anticipation of next season’s comeback is not going to die down now, as the viewers are craving more to know it all! So, if you are curious to know all about the much-anticipated second season, then don’t worry. You have reached the right spot! For your convenience, we have compiled a brief summary of everything you need to know, which includes the potential release date, plotline, cast, and other details about Tokyo Vice Season 2.
Tokyo Vice Season 2 Release Date: Will it premiere in 2023?
The anticipation for the series’ official release has been building ever since it was renewed back in June 2022. So, if you are wondering the same then, we can assure you that the current reports have indicated that production for the second season which started back in November 2022 in Tokyo has officially concluded which the creators always wanted to happen to avoid any delays. Some insight into Tokyo Vice’s Season 2 production status was hinted at by Ansel Elgort who plays Jake Adelstein.
He recently shared an Instagram post revealing that he is returning home from Japan after completing season two, quoting, “See you Japan. It was a very important experience. Made many new friends and learned many new things. Thank you so much everyone from the bottom of my heart. Kinda sad but very grateful. Bye bye Japan, sayonara. I’m sad to be leaving but also happy to go back home 🙂 I was starting to feel like Japan was my home too tho.” Take a look at the post below:
View this post on Instagram
Hence, it is reasonable to anticipate that the second season will premiere soon rather than later if we look at the current production schedule. As a result, the network may proceed with post-production planning to organize the episodes by appropriately conducting editing and other components to guarantee that the episodes are created in line with requirements that favor the show’s plotlines and character arcs. All of that said, there’s definitely a chance the crime drama series will return sometime around winter 2023 on MAX, previously known as HBO Max.
Of course, this is just speculation! So the readers should take this with a grain of salt. As we are certain that more details about the official premiere date for the second season will be confirmed by the network in the coming weeks. Right now, the network might be considering revising its upcoming schedule due to the sudden changes caused by the ongoing 2023 WGA strikes, which have joined hands with the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike for the first time in 63 years, leading Hollywood to have a double strike on its hands, which has caused a bit of chaos behind the scenes.
In conclusion, it looks like the chances of Tokyo Vice Season 2 premiering in late 2023 are still on the cards, as the filming has been completed on time without any disruption caused by the strikes. We just have to wait and see what the future holds! *Finger’s Crossed*
View this post on Instagram
Tokyo Vice Season 2 Plot: What to expect?
The second season of the crime drama series, which was created by J.T. Rogers, is intended to follow the basic theme, which is based on the 2009 book of the same title as seen in the previous episodes. The series is loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction, first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat. The crime drama series, filmed on location in Tokyo, captures Adelstein’s (played by Ansel Elgort) daily descent into the neon-soaked netherworld of Tokyo in the late 90s, where nothing and no one is truly what or who they seem.
*Spoiler Alert*
The second season is also expected to continue the plot from the finale episode, “Yoshino,” which was directed by Alan Poul and written by J. T. Rogers. In the episode, the viewers got to see that Miyamoto confronts Katagiri over the surveillance footage which confirms his connection with Tozawa, and Katagiri offers him a way to make amends by feeding Tozawa misinformation. Meanwhile, Jake finds nothing on Yoshino, but Samantha discovers it is a club controlled by Tozawa.
Jake takes Samantha to Ukai Haruki and offers him meth in exchange for information on Yoshino, and he reveals that Yoshino is a boat that Tozawa uses to entertain his VIP guests, including offering Western women for sex. However, when Haruki makes a pass at Samantha, she strikes him, and they leave. Miyamoto tells Tozawa that Katagiri is bluffing and has no evidence is actually protecting Ishida, then offers to continue working for Tozawa.
Miyamoto passes information from Tozawa to Katagiri that a shipment of drugs is arriving at a port warehouse, and he suggests they catch Tozawa there.
Meanwhile, Akira approaches Samantha, saying that Polina’s abductors have asked for 10 million yen to release her. Samantha collects her savings to help free Polina. However, Akira is in league with them, and they take her money, leaving her penniless. Jake is attacked in his apartment by two of Tozawa’s men and warned off while Samantha approaches Ishida’s money lenders for a loan to start her own club, and they agree.
Sato is put in charge of the operation and tells Samantha, but as he leaves, he is repeatedly stabbed by Haruki. Katagiri waits for hours at the appointed port location, but after realizing Miyamoto is not answering his phone, he enters the warehouse. He meets Tozawa, who threatens to kill Katagiri’s family if he interferes in his business and that he has “dealt with” Miyamoto. The next morning, Jake finds a videotape outside his door showing Polina being killed on a boat after resisting a client. He takes the tape to Katagiri, who is alone since his family left town.
“We could not be more excited to bring the passionate fans of the show another season to continue this intriguing and suspenseful crime story set in one of the most vibrant and beautiful cities in the world,” said Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content at HBO Max. “Writing and then making the first season of Tokyo Vice with this remarkable group of artists was a matchless experience,” J.T. Rogers added. “So I’m over the moon that we get to keep going. I can’t wait to get back to work in Tokyo with our brilliant cast and crew. Stay tuned: there are twists and turns in the tale to come.”
Tokyo Vice Season 2 Cast: Who will reprise their roles?
The main cast members who are expected to reprise their respective roles in the second season are as follows: Ansel Elgort as Jake Adelstein, Ken Watanabe as Hiroto Katagiri, Rachel Keller as Samantha Porter, Hideaki Itō as Jin Miyamoto, Shun Sugata as Hitoshi Ishida, Shō Kasamatsu as Sato, Rinko Kikuchi as Emi Maruyama, Takaki Uda as “Trendy” Kurihira, Kosuke Tanaka as “Tintin” Shinohara and Ella Rumpf as Polina.
In the second season, there are some new additions as Aoi Takeya will portray the character of Jason Oki, a Japanese-American member of the US Foreign Service who gets pulled into Jake Adelstein and his colleagues’ hunt to uncover the secrets of yakuza crime lord Shinzo Tozawa.
Additionally, Soji Arai has also been added in the second season as he will play Shingo, the lover and former colleague at the Meicho of Jake’s supervisor, Emi. A single parent with a young son, Shingo 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.
On the other hand, Takayuki Suzuki has also joined the cast of Tokyo Vice Season 2 in a recurring role, as he will star in the series as Masahito Ohno. The character has been described as “a brilliant and charming architect, Ohno is a client at the hostess club at the heart of season two. Slowly he’s pulled into the underworld that lies behind the club, and finds himself faced with a terrible choice.”
The series crew members are as follows: From Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) and Japan TV broadcaster Wowow, Tokyo Vice hails from creator and writer J.T. Rogers. Rogers executive produces the series along with Michael Mann. Additional EPs are Adelstein, Elgort, Watanabe, Alan Poul, Emily Gerson Saines, Brad Kane, Destin Daniel Cretton, Kayo Washio, and John Lesher. Fifth Season also handles global distribution for the series.
Tokyo Vice Season 2 Episodes: Where to stream?
We want to make it clear that the exact number of episodes for Tokyo Vice Season 2 has yet to be announced by the network, along with other crucial details. But we anticipate the new season to have a similar range of at least 8 episodes with an average runtime of 54–63 minutes, just like the first season. Furthermore, we would like to emphasize that the episode count may vary depending on the theme that the show wishes to convey to the audience.
More details about the episodes, official titles, and synopsis will be revealed once the release date draws nearer in order to avoid any further spoilers. The series is available to stream on HBO in the United States and is available to stream in 4K resolution on MAX (previously known as HBO Max), as it is an exclusive series developed for the digital streaming platform. Moreover, membership on the platform is available for both the ad-supported plan and the ad-free option.
If you’re not subscribed to the Warner Bros. streaming service, you can also access the platform through Hulu with their Max add-on, YouTube TV with their Max add-on, or Amazon Prime Video with their Max add-on. The series is also available on the sibling service HBO Go, which holds streaming rights to the series in countries where either service is available, including the United States, Latin America, and certain European and Asian markets. Wowow (co-producer) holds rights in Japan.
Elsewhere, the international distributor Endeavor Content has sold broadcast/streaming rights to the series to Crave in Canada, Canal+ in France, Paramount+ in Australia, OSN+ in the Middle East and Northern Africa region, LionsgatePlay in India, and Starzplay in select European markets, including the UK and Ireland. The BBC purchased second-window rights to the series in the UK and began to air it in November 2022 on BBC One, with all episodes available on the BBC’s iPlayer service.
Max is #TheOneToWatch for every you. Now streaming. Learn more: https://t.co/C5fiK1WLBu #StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/DRSobH2JcC
— Max (@StreamOnMax) May 23, 2023
Tokyo Vice Season 2 Official Trailer: Has it been released?
Sadly, no official teaser or trailer has been released by the network, and we do not expect to see one anytime soon. In the meantime, we urge the readers to catch up with Tokyo Vice Season 1, which received daily average reception, and Adelstein’s daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo, where nothing and no one is truly what or who they seem. Moreover, Rotten Tomatoes reported an 85% approval rating with an average rating of 7.6/10, based on 61 critic reviews.
The website’s critics’ consensus reads, “Tokyo Vice‘s protagonist is its least interesting element, but the intrigue of Japan’s underworld and the verisimilitude of its setting makes for a seductive slice of neo-noir.” Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews.” Take a look at the official trailer of Tokyo Vice Season 1 to recall all the events that transpired in the last season:
Stay tuned with us for more information on Tokyo Vice Season 2 in the coming weeks. Until then, keep binge-watching the first season, and let us know what you like the most about this show.