Will the HBO Max series return for another season? Continue reading to find out more about Tokyo Vice Season 2.
Tokyo Vice is a criminal thriller developed by J.T. Rogers based on Jake Adelstein’s 2009 book of the same name, which premiered on HBO Max on April 7, 2022. The series has been well received by the audience and critics, with the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reporting an 85% approval rating with an average rating of 7.6/10, based on 40 critical 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 make for a seductive slice of neon-noir.”
Hence, it is not at all surprising given how HBO Max has lately renewed a lot of its shows due to popular demand and expanding its amazing catalog for original movies and TV series. Tokyo Vice is one of the most popular series with great potential to be expanded further for the audience and the platform, so it was an easy decision for the network to continue the series for another season.
As a result, to help you prepare for the new season, we’ve put up a quick summary of everything you need to know about the season’s release date, plot, and cast. Continue reading to learn more about Tokyo Vice Season 2.
Will there be a second season of Tokyo Vice?
Yes, it’s official that HBO Max has renewed Tokyo Vice for a second season. The series got renewed for a second season in June 2022.
Moreover, the official Twitter handle of HBO Max Nordic also confirmed the news to the fans by sharing the renewal update and quoting, “Before and after hearing #TokyoVice has been renewed for season 2!” Take a look at the post below:
Before and after hearing #TokyoVice has been renewed for season 2! pic.twitter.com/1qvSFq2g4M
— HBO Max Nordic (@HBOMaxNordic) June 8, 2022
According to Deadline, Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content at HBO Max, also shared the news stating, “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.”
“Writing and then making the first season of Tokyo Vice with this remarkable group of artists was a matchless experience,” added Rogers in a statement. “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.”
Moreover, JT Rogers, the show’s creator, issued the following statement in response to the renewal news, quoting, “Writing and then making the first season of Tokyo Vice with this remarkable group of artists was a matchless experience.”
Further stating, “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!”
Take a look at some fans’ reactions to the renewal
Season 2 ✨I'm happy!!
I want to meet Akira soon!!#TOKYOVICE#TomohisaYamashita— MOKA💗💜TY sweetie💜 (@P0409tomomo) June 7, 2022
@TokyoViceHBOMax this show is awesome 👏🏾 can’t wait for season 2
— davis j faumuina (@davisfaumuina1) June 10, 2022
HBO Max Instagram✨✨✨
We'll see you again soon Akira💜https://t.co/ujO9hJ7jgm#TOKYOVICE#TomohisaYamashita#山下智久 pic.twitter.com/iat2HtnZ5B
— ミッチェル (@aizawa_himokura) June 7, 2022
Tokyo Vice Season 2 Release Date
Tokyo Vice Season 2 is yet to get an exact release date, as the production status of the series is yet to determine the exact timing and schedule it will take to complete the series on time and how the post-production aspects will determine the estimated time frame required by the creators to issue the expected release date for the upcoming season.
If we were to guess, we think the series will come out next year, probably between early and mid-2023. Sometime around the month of April, just like the first season. On April 28, 2022, Yoshino, the final episode of Season 1, was released. The network’s renewal happened far faster than most people expected.
As a result, this is a good sign that the series will be able to finish its production on schedule and release new episodes relatively soon. Many viewers are hoping there won’t be any huge production delays in the future as they are excited to see what’s the next chapter in the life of Jake Adelstein.
Moreover, Executive Producer Alan Poul also expressed his views by stating, “The phenomenal viewer response in both the U.S. and Japan has been so gratifying. Making the show, and keeping it authentic, has been a genuine labor of love on the part of our dedicated cast and crew, and we’re thrilled to be able to carry the story forward.”
Endeavor Content’s Joe Hipps, EVP, TV, also shared the renewal update and stated, “Fans around the world have shown up for this authentic and propulsive story about the underbelly of Tokyo and the Yakuza. JT, Alan, John, and the rest of the team will expand on the world they built to deliver a staggering season 2! We look forward to collaborating on the second season with our incredible partners at HBO Max and WOWOW.”
Tokyo Vice Season 2 Plot
The premise of the series follows, “Jake Adelstein, an American journalist, relocated to Tokyo in 1999 and must pass a written exam in Japanese to be considered for a position on the staff of a prominent Japanese newspaper. He becomes their first foreign-born journalist and works his way up from the bottom. Taken under the wing of a veteran detective in the vice squad, he starts to explore the dark and dangerous world of the Japanese yakuza.”
Tokyo Vice Season 2 is expected to expand further on this established premise and continue the plotlines from the finale episode of the Season 1, where the viewers got to see that “While Samantha risks it all for Polina’s safe return, Sato is forced to mix business with pleasure; as Katagiri devises a plan to finally take down Tozawa, Jake is confronted by the crime boss’s men.”
Hence, Tokyo Vice Season 2 is expected to continue the story in terms of characters and plotlines for another season starting from this precise moment of the finale episode to pick up any potential loopholes and cliffhangers. All of the previous episodes have set the tone for the season, which will develop and expand in ways that will entice viewers to watch the show.
We would also like to highlight that the actual number of episodes in Tokyo Vice Season 2 has not yet been declared as the audience awaits the announcement of episode descriptions and titles for Season 2. On the other hand, we can anticipate at least 8 episodes similar to Season 1, which were titled and released on the following dates:
- S1E1: “The Test” – April 7, 2022
- S1E2: “Kishi Kaisei” – April 7, 2022
- S1E3: “Read The Air” – April 7, 2022
- S1E4: “I Want It That Way” – April 14, 2022
- S1E5: “Everybody Pays” – April 14, 2022
- S1E6: “The Information Business” – April 21, 2022
- S1E7: “Sometimes They Disappear” – April 21, 2022
- S1E8: “Yoshino” – April 28, 2022
Check out some of the exclusive featurette released on HBO Max’s official Youtube channel that brings light to the craft of the series and gives viewers glimpses of Karl Greenfeld as he shares his experience as a co-producer and writer on the series.
In the following clip, Eriko Yamaguchi discusses her experience as a dialect coach, which was essential for getting it perfect for the actors because dialect plays a key role in the series and how viewers would interact with these characters.
Finally, Hiroshi and Minako Takebayashi discuss their experiences as series tattoo artists and how they created some of their best work for the show.
Tokyo Vice Season 2 Cast
The main cast of the series from Season 1 is expected to reprise their roles for the upcoming season to continue the tale and their respective characters’ arcs. Meanwhile, we can expect that the main and some recurring cast members of the show will reprise their roles in the forthcoming season.
The main cast of the series includes the following:
- Ansel Elgort as Jake Adelstein, an American journalist from Missouri who moves to Tokyo
- Ken Watanabe as Hiroto Katagiri, a detective in the organized crime division
- Rachel Keller as Samantha Porter, an American expatriate living in Tokyo who makes her living as a hostess in the Onyx Club of the Kabukicho district
- Hideaki Itō as Jin Miyamoto, a vice squad detective
- Show Kasamatsu as Sato, a Yakuza enforcer
- Ella Rumpf as Polina, an Eastern European migrant, and a struggling new hostess at the Onyx Club with Samantha.
- Rinko Kikuchi as Emi Maruyama, Adelstein’s supervisor
- Tomohisa Yamashita as Akira, Polina’s boyfriend who works at a Host Club
We’d like to point out that As of June 14, 2022, the network has yet to make any additional casting announcements. Tokyo Vice Season 2 may introduce some new cast members as well as the withdrawal of some existing characters too.
Is there any trailer for Tokyo Vice Season 2?
No, HBO Max has yet to release an official teaser or trailer for Tokyo Vice Season 2. In the meantime, watch the official trailer for Season 1, which shows that this exclusive HBO Max series is based on Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat, starring Ken Watanabe.
The drama captures Adelstein’s daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo, where nothing and no one is truly what or who they seem.
Where can you stream Tokyo Vice Season 2?
Tokyo Vice Season 2, when available to stream, will only be accessible on HBO Max as it is an exclusive series developed for the digital streaming platform. Moreover, all the episodes of Season 1 are now available to stream on the platform.
Get lost in the nightlife. All episodes of #TOKYOVICE are now streaming on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/bCC9n2WMPb
— Tokyo Vice on HBO Max (@TokyoViceHBOMax) May 19, 2022
The membership of the platform costs $10 per month (or $100 per year) for the ad-supported plan and $15 per month (or $150 per year) for the ad-free option. The viewers can choose the membership plan according to their preference and stream the vast catalog that HBO Max has to offer its users with tv-series and movies ranging across different genres.
Tokyo Vice Official Synopsis
The official synopsis of the series, according to HBO Max, states, “A young American journalist faces the dark reality of asking too many questions. Tokyo Vice is a new drama series based on Jake Adelstein’s gripping novel, recounting his true-life experiences as a crime beat reporter in 1999 Tokyo.”
Catch up on the previous season while you wait for more Tokyo Vice Season 2 updates.