'Tokyo Vice' Episode 6 Review: Jake seems to get a big break, lands in trouble over it
'Tokyo Vice', a show that initially seemed to be a slow-burner can no longer be called so as it swiftly heads towards its finale. Beginning with Jake trying to make amends with Samantha, Episode 6 sees the former getting more deeply entrenched in the world of the Yakuza.
After his attempts to fix things with Samantha go in vain, Jake starts looking for the creative brains behind the popular Yakuza magazines, or Yak Mags as they're called. Parallelly, we also see Sato process the events that transpired in Episode 5 of 'Tokyo Vice', which ended with an attack on the Chihahara-Kai clan. Though Ishida and Sato made it out alive, the latter ended up killing someone and he can be seen reeling from it in Episode 6. As a penalty for the attack, Tozawa pays ¥100 million but that doesn't suffice and he is made to go on his knees, supplicating as a form of apology.
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Jake gets to meet one of the Yak Mag writers, and he also tries to get Misaki, a hostess that Tozawa is interested in, to answer a few questions, but is rebuffed by her. He later receives a tip-off from Ishida that Tozawa is bringing in a large shipment of meth to Tokyo and this makes him rope in Miyamoto, after being turned down by Eimi and Katagiri. However, when the police raid the shipment the following day, there are no traces of drugs there and this once again dents Jake's stint at the Meicho Shimbun.
Titled 'The Information Business', Episode 6 of 'Tokyo Vice' ends with the revelation that Miyamoto was influential in making the shipment disappear. He's also shown disclosing to Tozawa that Jake was the one who approached him with information about the shipment.
As an episode, 'The Information Business' is one of the briskest ones that 'Tokyo Vice' has to offer. Switching rapidly from one storyline to another, it manages to never feel rushed while maintaining a pace that is rather fresh for a series that has been taking its time to unfold. Ansel Elgort continues to surprise us as Jake Adelstein, who is finding out that he cannot trust anyone entirely in Tokyo. While enough has been told about the other stars, Episode 6 sees Ayumi Tanida steal the spotlight as Shinzo Tozawa. His portrayal of an ailing gangster trying to seize power before his death is one that is truly beginning to define the show. With just 2 episodes left, 'Tokyo Vice' continues to be a gripping multi-layered watch that is steadily being set up for an explosive pay-off. Everybody has something to lose and only time will tell who makes it out.
New episodes of 'Tokyo Vice' drop Thursdays on HBO Max