Tokyo Vice (TV Series) Yoshino (2022) User Reviews

Polina, wherefore art thou Polina?

[bosporan · 9/10 · 28 April 2022]

Things get ever more complicated and dangerous for Samantha's Polina search, her naïveté puts her in jeopardy. Tozawa puts everyone under pressure through threats and violence both implied and actual and Katagiri devises a perilous plan.

There are numerous deliciously elaborate and interwoven threads spinning now, this is edge-of-the-seat, can't-wait-'till-next-time TV.

Season 2?

[alanschulman · 9/10 · 30 April 2022]

I loved this series. I thought episode 8 was terrific but cliffhanger? I wasn't expecting that. Let's hope there will be a season 2. That could be problematic as HBOM will now be owned by Discovery. Will season 2 be green lit by the new owners?

A Little Trouble In Big Tokyo

[douglasmcbroom · 8/10 · 28 April 2022]

Treachery abounds in this episode-the best of the series, thus far.

Sato (Shô Kasamatsu) continues his journey as the heart and soul of the series. Miss I've Got It All Under Control Samantha (Rachael Keller) misses an obvious set-up. Never have the talent deficiencies of Ansel Elgort been more obvious than in the post crystal meth scene. It's a tribute to the overall quality of this series that I despise the lead actor, but still remain hooked. (Your welcome KRhea33). Katagiri (Ken Watanabe) gets played by Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida).

Well written with a stunning development. Suspensefully directed by 'Six Feet Under' creator and Executive Producer for this series, Alan Poul.

Hmm

[bbevis-47954 · 6/10 · 6 May 2022]

After watching this episode, I didn't think it was the finale because it never tied back to the events of the first episode. Why would the writers have that scene in the first episode and then not return to it by the last? Who knows how long it will be until Season 2 arrives and nobody knows if it will be greenlit? Yoshino did not feel like a finale and there should be at least two more episodes in season one to end things properly. Tokyo Vice is a decent show but if this is all we're left with I can't recommend it.

Too good to be true

[huskydad · 6/10 · 22 January 2024]

I knew it. I knew it was too good to be true. I've been disappointed by watching shows that try to be artistic instead of storytelling. So I come across this and for 7 episodes this show fit like a glove. I just kept wondering when it will go off the rails and it never did! Well, until the closer.

In this season finale I could see the actors acting. How did that happen? Characters started be different than they were 1 - 7. Even the annoying smoking every scene was different. (Surprised some of the fight scenes don't stop mid way so they can light up.)

So much left in mid air with no good feeling of some things were wrapped up. Just more questions, to many discombobulated story lines. How did they get me to feel so negative in just one episode? In short, that sucked. The 6 rating is from the residue of the first 7. Otherwise this gets a 3.

Not a great final episode, but I liked the season.

[jeroen-106 · 5/10 · 21 May 2022]

This is not an episode that provides closure to this season. It's shot as if there is going to be one or two more. Very odd as I never have seen this issue with other shows, unless they cancelled it half-way which has been a very rare occurrence.

What bothered me;

• Hiroto and Samantha are written as smart, thoughtful people who think strategically. Both are suddenly acting in very native manner; Hiroto goes to a dock in the middle of the night taking a lot of risk and exposing his move, Samantha brings her entire savings to a deal and gets screwed over without thinking of a contingency plan.

• Sato stabbing came out of nowhere. I didn't even recognize the perpetrator nor did I understand the motive until I looked it up and it referred to something that happened too long ago for the viewer.

• A glaring writing mistake: the episode did not tie back to the first episode which opened with a scene that I expected to complete in this episode and answer our questions. What happened? Did they forget?

• The acting of Paulina was pretty bad in this episode, even though we see her "through VHS". Overall I noticed a little bit of a decline in performance in this episode, although not a huge difference, set aside Paulina.

This episode is pure fiction not rooted in any reality

[JurijFedorov · 7/10 · 15 April 2024]

This episode is fully illogical. Everything up to this was realistic, but this episode has no logical consistencies. For example, the blonde woman is dating a big shot yakuza who doesn't mind hitting people to get them to talk or give him money. Then he hits a young prostitute guy who works in a club to get info from him about a missing woman. The friend of the blonde woman. The young guy is extremely afraid. Later the same young guy sets out to steal money from the blonde without even hiding the fact he did it. Clearly this would mean certain death. Yet she never tells her boyfriend anything and instead borrows money from his mafia clan in the very next scene. Makes no sense as the young guy is clearly extremely afraid of the mafia and would never even think about robbing her. Furthermore, he should have waaay more money than the blonde so setting up a way to make her bring him money to pay off other people to bring back her friend makes no sense. He should have enough to pay the people at any rate. And she could have gone to the cops or told her boyfriend about it at any point. Heck, if he went with her they wouldn't dare to rob her. Robbing her at any rate knowing who she is dating is insane. These men are already pretty rich. Why would they rob the girlfriend of a top ranking yakuza member just for extra profit? Also, they could have shown us how she told her boyfriend about it and then he can't help as he is stabbed and falls unconscious. They have the stabbing scene anyhow so why not use it as part of the plot. Instead they just have her not ask for help ... because reasons. Even though we have just seen her take advantage of him 10 times over to use his connections and power for any small favor. Whatever she asks for she gets except this one single case where ALL her money is stolen then she finally doesn't ask for help. The one time she actually does need help.

The whole harbor event makes even less sense. Why is a top ranking detective going out alone to track down a drug smuggling ship? That would never in a million years happen in real life. And then the yakuza boss threatens him? That would land him directly in prison no questions asked. Instead the detective is now too depressed to act? Makes no sense. Try to threaten a top ranking FBI agent in USA and see what happens. Would he go home and cry alone? The whole episode is a bunch of weird scenes like this that make zero sense and then a constant talk about how they can't call the cops because clearly cops don't care about a random foreigner who was kidnapped. Keep in mind she has model looks and would be a huge story in ANY country. The cops not caring about her makes zero sense. Maybe if she was an old foreign woman or a man that would make some sense.

huh.... what did I just watch?

[ecsecs-91225 · 3/10 · 10 August 2022]

A great series with a baffling final episode. I'm guessing production was interrupted due to covid lockdown. That's the only explanation for the excellent wide angle cinematography and immersive scenery integrated with the story telling of episodes 1-7, reduced to sitcom zoom ins for episode 8. Aside from that did the writing staff abruptly change as well? What happened to the events of episode one and the two year flash back? Even more puzzling this last episode had every character's intelligence and sophistication established throughout diminished.

Samatha getting took for all her savings from that sleaze ball? The character they established would have seen his scam coming a mile away. Then her solution, go into business with Chihara-Kai.. I mean her whole reason to own a club was INDEPENDENCE! And no way the old man signs off on that if Sato is not on board. To add insult Sato is to oversee the operation.. I'm no crime lord but even I can see this recipe of a doomed business venture.

Detective Hiroto, where to start.. I'll just say it was an ill conceived plan to begin with but to walk into an ambush with NO BACK UP, and where was the camera equipment they discussed? I mean even if a drug deal went down as planned, what exactly was Hiroto going to do all by himself? Then there's the threat on his family, how unoriginal and cliche was that. If that's all it took Tozawa could have played that card all along.

Polina.. after all the build up of her disappearance they wrap up her death on a VHS tape that literally materialized out of thin air (LAZY).

Sato's throw away demise.. a random stabbing with no explanation, really? For many he was the show, I mean talk about a lack of creativity. This series attracted many because of the crafty way events unfolded with thorough explanation. Finished watching hours ago and still scratching my head. And his recruit, what a waste of time that was. Sending him on his way with some cash, equally as dull.

A follow up season could rectify some of what happened with the finale but the series has lost much of its well earned credibility.

A new Director and Writer ruined the last episode!

[arcticmn · 1/10 · 30 June 2022]

Visually: The series had suuuperb visual storytelling and directing for episodes1-7. Unfortunately for the last episode they switched to an american director and the show suddenly started being 80% portraits close ups with too many cuts. You won't even know it's shot in Tokyo - all the beautiful architectureand city shots are gone and instead it lloks like a bad Nerflix soap opera.

Story: I won't spoil it, but also for the last episode there is a new writer adapting the book for television. Unfortunately this puts the nail in the coffin. The story is blunt, unimaginative, and disappoints on so many levels. Forget the discret smart humor, the intensity of plot - It's cringe to watch tbh.

For me this was one of the best shows of the last years (episodes 1-7). Reminded me of the Wire and Sopranos in so many ways. If you like the show do yourself a favor and just skip this episode and hope that for s2 they will bring back the japanese staff.

This episode ruins the series

[cuvtixo-13 · 5/10 · 30 April 2022]

One star, as an earlier reviewer had, is a little too harsh but, considering how well the series was going, it's not only a bad episode but it has potentially ruined everything that's come before. This is a "Game of Thrones" series ending type of disaster. Did the producers run out of money? Did the real Yukuza order them to tank the series?

Indeed, as mentioned, in this one Samantha's naïveté puts her in jeopardy. Except, we've spent several episode's establishing Samantha isn't naive! Actually, about half of the main characters suddenly become very naive. Sorry if that's a spoiler, it shouldn't be, except that's actually the entire plot of this episode.

If Samantha was played entirely differently in earlier episodes, this one may have worked. I'll probably give this series more chance, as I think the next episode may be the last. But, I may not. This one is that bad!

PS I didn't realize this might be the end of Season 1. That makes this even sadder.

Mehh

[markoperosevic94 · 3/10 · 28 December 2022]

This series is good and got me hooked up pretty fast but the season finale was such a letdown. Are we supposed to believe that someone 'smart' like Samantha falls for that guy's story, Akira or something? Man I was cringing so hard, you'd have to be a complete idiot to fall for that, but anything for the sake of the plot I guess. It is becoming really predictable. And what about the first scene of the episode 1? You don't put something like that at the start of the season if you're not gonna reveal it in that same season, what's the point!?

And this girl Polina, I mean she's been cringey for the most of the season but that last scene was unbearable. She was cursing in this awful pronunciation of Serbian/Croatian, and up until that point I thought that she was either Russian, Ukrainian or Polish because it's a popular name in those countries, and I guarantee you, you will never meet someone named Polina in Serbia or Croatia or anywhere in Balkans. Why not just give her a name typical for those countries, there are plenty of beautiful ones. But again, anything for the plot I guess. (Polina sounds exotic, and we are supposed to perceive her as such I GUESS)

I don't know, like I said I was really hooked up on this show and somehow this last episode made me lose a bit of an interest in it.

Great dissapointment

[andreas_svendsen-31355 · 1/10 · 27 June 2022]

This is not worthy a final episode. Nothing is solved, just like a normal episode in which you want to see the next...just that it isn't one. Know a new season will follow but a final episode in a season should at least offer some kind of crescendo.

No spoiler alert in this episode except for that nothing really happens.

Disappointing

[Deemarx · 2/10 · 5 May 2022]

The scene in the beginning of the season, two years from the events depicted in the series, was not elaborated. All events shown in this season were a continuation to the flash back at the first episode.

Nothing significant actually happened in this season. The plot was not tied just to force viewers to watch another season. There is no excuse for this, just bad writing.

I'm done Are people this stupid?

[lunga · 1/10 · 29 April 2022]

A compelling story so far, but this episode has gone off the rails. The first seven episodes make every effort to prove how smart the lead characters are and in one episode they flush it all down the toilet.

This is how with one episode you ruin the whole series, thanks, u guys...

[dangeshu · 4/10 · 30 April 2022]

How is this possible, are you kidding me? The writers have messed up the whole series with one and final episode. I didn't notice such a bad acting from all of the actors during first 7 episodes. The final one not only puts every character in a place in story where they never should have been, but reveals every flaw of this show that the crew hid before, or maybe they just did a good work on every episode but the final. Haven't they done screening of the finale? I mean, you should definitely notice this is so bad that you just can't ignore it. I'm kinda mad and disappointed. NO to second season after this disaster.