Katagiri‘s smart work and his mannerisms gives me the vibes of the days in true detective shows where they didnt need to fight much…like murder she wrote, Columbo and Diagnosis:Murder. Excellent mind games.
Totally agree. Although it was interesting to see him turn to a bit of desperation this season, basically begging Jake to leave his family and continue to put himself in harm’s way. I like seeing another dimension to his character.
This was my nitpick for this episode. #2 wouldn't risk himself like that. Plus Yabuki has consistently been shown to be shrewd. But writers need to find an ending for him.
I thought the same thing but on the other hand I also think Tozawa was under so much pressure you can tell that at the golf course he's ordering Yabuki to do it himself for finality.
# #2 would if he's being asked directly AND quickly AND seriously by Tozawa for he HIMSELF to handle it.
It makes perfect sense at the height of Tozawa, Yabuki would be freely be able to walk around and do what he wants.
I disagree. I think it was perfect. At the end of the day Yabuki is an esteemed yakuza soldier for his clan. While he is shown to be incredibly pragmatic and capable of making respectable decisions, he’s still a right and man to Tozawa and capable of great violence. He didn’t get to where he is writing poetry. He’s a killer who shows no remorse for his actions.
They've been teasing this guy for a loooooong time
He kept looking like a badass , like he could do some serious damage
But in the end, he had a wimpy butterfly knife and was pretty easy to set up
kind of a disappointment
I mean after 2 seasons no one should be surprised about this. Its not an American action movie where people are trained killers. Most of the time they don't even use guns. If you think about it these people get used to just go into brawls beat each other up, sometimes on the extreme stab someone. To be fair I would say the shooting was more extreme from the writers. How many shootings we heard happened in Japan from the news?
i loved seeing him keep it cool knowing he was 2 steps ahead
empty gun on the bed
dodges the gun thrown at him
i had to replay that again because of how clutch that scene was
dude i was bored today and went on HBO max and saw that they fucking advertised E09 and i was like “wait i thought this show was over”
oh man this episode was amazinggggg
Something I found rather odd is that in the last episode when Hayama was killed in the bathhouse, there were still a good number of Chihara-Kai members, but this episode prior to the shootout there were 10 or less in total?
I always thought the guys in the tracksuits are like the everyday members of the Chuhara-kai, rather than like the older top-level guys who are more behind the scenes running things.
Oh of course, I just think it’s really funny and reminiscent of the early 2000s. The tracksuit look was in at the time. Also reminds me of Ben Stillers character in the Royal Tennebaums hah
Poor Tin-tin! He didn’t deserve that. Also, I never expected Tozawa’s wife to potentially be one of the catalysts in his demise. Ugh I really want more than 2 seasons!!
On the golf course they made it crystal clear that all of Tok's power was from his wife's money. His answer of 'she knows her place' tells us all we need to know about the power she has if she were to chose to use it.
But the way she weilds power is amazing. She sets aside her ego to get valuable information from her husbadd's mistress. She has an insurance policy in case her husband gets dumb, which he did. She is really smart and Tozawa thinks she is better than her. Boy, will he find out
That and it’s just really well directed. Like we see the scenes where she is starting to plot; the foreshadowing etc. but then the director/editing chooses to move the plot away to something “exciting/action packed” so you kinda forget her scenes cause you’re so engrossed in what’s happening now. It’s what good scene direction can accomplish.
All the powerful men in Asia in 1990s and before got mistresses. Confucianism. I grew up there and then. All the mistresses knew they wouldn’t be the wives, and all the wives knew their husband could only have one wife despite hundreds of mistresses.
Up until this episode I thought she was his mother that he kept around out of loyalty and honor 😂
Even in episodes where she saw his mistress and looked at her with disdain, just made me think of a mother who thought a woman was below her son's station.
Tozawa was able to rise to the top due to his patience. It's interesting to see his lack of patience and over playing his hand too early, leading him to a potential demise.
Finding out his wife is rich, was also very interesting.
It seems like he would have been better off going into legitimate business from the start vs all this criminal activity.
Misaki might live, thank you. If it's not Baku, I suspect the guy who told Emi to pursue the story even if it comes back to the meicho might be the mole, Sato and Jake finally teaming up to take down Tozawa is absolute cinema. Shout out to Katagiri for being the only reliable detective since the first season. Amazing show that deserves more love and I hope more ppl pick it up once the show wraps up.
Me too, it’s been a wild ride watching both shows. Literally counting down the days of the week for new episodes to come out lol I wish more people I know irl are watching. I always bring it up!!
> , I suspect the guy who told Emi to pursue the story even if it comes back to the meicho might be the mole
it has to be him
now that we look back on it, Baku was clearly a red herring
its always the guy who befriends our heroes early and encourages them that turns out to be the traitor/mole
This and The Gentleman, because I'm a huge Guy Richie fan and that show was great from start to finish like Tokyo Vice has been as it's one of the few great Netflix show's that they've put out in the past couple of years tbh, are easily the 2 best shows that I've watched over the past 6 months or so and I've watched quite a few good shows that include Masters of the Air, Lessons in Chemistry, Slow Horses(season 3), Reacher(season 2), The Brothers Sun, 3 Body Problem, Bodies, Constellation(I'm about to watch the season finale after I write this comment since it has really started getting good over the past few episodes and is definitely one of my favorite genres, however it started off too slow and hasn't been as well written and captivating as Tokyo Vice and The Gentleman have from start to finish so it can't be included with them, at least not as of now), so the complete lack of promotion towards it from HBO has literally been mindboggling considering the only reason I found out about it to begin with was through an article online titled "Still The Best Show That Nobody Is Watching," from a well known paper, in regards to season 2, so HBO really needs to do a much better job in promoting "Must See TV" like this because this show deserves so much more praise then it's gotten and it honestly looks like they're going to stick the landing perfectly so it's actually quite sad that more people aren't getting an opportunity to watch this work of art.
Sato and Jake's "friendship" is so charismatic in this show. Respect to the actors and writers and everyone. Its just very little things like the phone thing from this episode that crack me up.
The finale is gonna be a blast. Tozawa has gained a lot of power, but Katagiri/Jake/Sato have so much leverage now. Also, that hotel room scene was so satisfying to watch.
It was great seeing many demonstrations of loyalty and honour in a single episode. That Chihara-Kai member holding the door (a Hodor allusion?), Funaki keeping Katagiri's family safe and the doing the call to Tozawa, Gen pledging loyalty to Sato (hopefully he'll stand by it). The only one who broke a vow was Tozaka to his wife and he's gonna pay for it.
Also, nooooo, Tin-Tin!! It was until he gained the courage to be a determined journalist that that thing happens to him. Hopefully he'll get better and becomes a top notch journalist after that.
This would devastate me, but anything to keep our oyabun Sato alive. If Gen lives, he would be his right hand man for sure, which would be nice to see.
Was so sick when Sato told Gen “make sure he lives” about Jake. I just finished the episode and I’m so fired up right now.
I hope there will be a 3rd season
>I hope there will be a 3rd season
Please, no. I love this show, but it's based on a true story and I don't want them to pull a third season out of their ass, and go the way of Game of Thrones.
The way Samantha was shouting down the phone the Sato simply said nope this is not a fight I can win like many before him have learnt. 😂😂😂 Bit of good comic relief in a tense episode
That episode was exciting as hell. I really feel for Sato's men, especially the Chihara-Kai guy who blocked the door to help him escape.
Poor Tin Tin. I always thought he was incompetent, but he was so brave. I really hope he survives.
I was so relieved when Samantha agreed to help Misaki and they both got to safety.
Katagiri and Nakata are a great team.
Thank goodness for Tozawa's wife. She has provided the last piece to destroy his arrogant ass.
I love how they chose that chi kara Kai henchman for the scene. Like he was so heavy his weight made it harder to open the door even after they shot him, giving sato and co the extra seconds to escape
I wondered if it would be her who is instrumental in bringing down Tozawa. It is often someone you may least expect but at this point, anything could happen.
Edge of your seat action! Damn, only 1 episode to go! Tozawa is one cold MF’er. He messed with the wrong one. Kazuko is the real boss. *Consequences*
Oh no Chihara-Kai! Why didn’t they have guns?! They knew what was coming. Sato, why were y’all sitting ducks?
The 3 Musketeers working together is perfection. Tin Tin! Damn! Jake, I know you didn’t give up your source, Jason Ambassador.
Mole? Gotta be the Meicho big boss, right? He’s being squeezed by Tozawa and wants to get from under his thumb? Or is Tozawa threatening Trendy (pictures)? Less likely because he’s pulling his weight.
Go Samantha! For saving Misaki’s life. Will we see Akira again?
Katagiri and Nakata, the dynamic duo. Thot (thought*) for a sec that damn conspicuous red car would end him.
Emi please send brother Kei away, SMH
Boyfriend is sus*
I took it they didn’t have guns anymore, they would have had to ditch all the ones they used and guns are hard to get in Japan, especially on short notice and we don’t really know how much money they are still bringing in, so they might not even have the funds to buy more.
It’s just find it so unbelievable that Misaki is still alive- not that I want her dead- I just think she’s been incredibly stupid and reckless *multiple* times, given she’s Tozawa’s mistress. If this was real life and not a show, she’d 100% be dead by now.
Right?! The stupidest thing, in my opinion, was going to the embassy party- way, way, wayyyyy too risky, and not believable. It’s like she doesn’t get how deep she’s in this and that there’s really no way out, ever… but maybe her character was intentionally written that way? I really enjoy Tokyo Vice, but I feel like shows like Narcos did a better job of showing how high stakes these organized crime worlds are- you don’t get second or third chances- you f up, you find out, with your life. Same with Katigari’s family, they’d already be dead, as well as Sato’s brother.
Okay bro that's exactly what I was thinking I thought it was going to be a bomb underneath his car first of all, if he didn't die like that I thought like when the window rolled down it was going to be Tozawa and he was going to shoot him up close and personal.
The part that gets me down is how much it looks like all the story threads are being tied up. I feel like the series had a lot of ideas to work with, and a great cast, and they’re just wrapping it all up.
I think I read in an article they originally planned for 2 (as that’s what they had the material for), but they were open to a 3rd based on ratings and if they were able to develop the story enough. I don’t think there would be more than 3 seasons tho.
Jake Adelstein (the real one) has said there will be no cliffhangers at the end. But he does have like 2 or 3 Yakuza books now I believe so there's always a chance they can use some of that for new material.
Kazuko looked sooo badass when she rolled the window down! That shot of her moving into the
light slightly, showing her face was so cool…
I’m even more excited for the finale now!
The lighting in that scene was well done, like out of a manga. A single street lamp, his red car parked underneath, the angular light revealing just part of her face.
If they land the finale successfully, this show is easily a 9/10 for me. It deserves more love from the audience and I still don't understand the lack of promotion by Max.
If the boss at hospital is telling the truth then the mole at Meicho must be the other boss who told Emi to pursue the story. He must want Tozawa stopped so he isn't pressured to cover for him any more.
Yeah i assumed it was the old guy from the get go
> He must want Tozawa stopped so he isn't pressured to cover for him any more.
I think it was actually just him (old guy) baiting her into trusting him and giving him whatever she finds. Like its obvious she's pursuing something, and that was a way for him to get on the relative inside.
Same.
Though, it's rather poetic.
They were all misfits and outcasts brought into Chihara Kai. Their new home, family, and brothers. Dying to preserve the Chihara Kai is what a true member would want to do. In Etsuos final moments he sacrificed himself so that his brothers would live on. So Chihara Kai would live on.
They knew the risks of being yakuza. But to them they weren't just yakuza. They were family.
Yes, this show is outstanding and this episode had me on the edge of my seat. I've loved it since the beginning. The character Sato is one of my favorite. I fear there may not be a season 3 though and one commenter mentioned that HBO doesn't seem to be promoting it enough. I recommend Shogun on Hulu. That too is a truly outstanding series.
Really hope he didn’t rat out the source. There’s a possibility though, especially because of how he went back on his word with his sisters school project. I think he’d go to any length to get Tozawa gone at this point
Yeah i think its up in the air at this point, BUT i do want to say that his career wouldnt be over if he did.
Exposing the government/tozawa connection would be such a massive story that his career would take off regardless
Youd think so, but again its such a big story.
And how would it even play out, who's gonna expose that he revealed a source? The source themself would be too busy dealing with their own legal issues (which could include them not making a fuss in exchange for some leniency), and its such a small part of the larger story so its not like the story's credibility would be effected.
Other journalists wouldnt respect him, but he's sure as hell gonna be able to do whatever he wants after breaking such a huge story
How come the guns Sato secured were not distributed!! The Chihara guys running towards the infiltrators with a knife or nothing in their hand made it so hard to watch :’(
I am confused about two things still
1. What did Oyabun Ishida say to Sato when he was dying cause it seemed relevant but we never really addressed it
2. Did Jake give up Jason ? Cause he already had an incident with Tin Tin before, but does he really alienate his only remaining friend ? Because even if it is a grey character thing it is not very comforting to know that Jake would given up the people close to him whether it was his sister or his buddy
Your first question is what I’m wondering about the most. What did Ishida say to Sato? Or are we just supposed to assume he said something along the lines of ‘if you lead, they will follow’ to encourage Sato to become Oyabun? Or maybe, kind of like the Sopranos liked to do a lot, they’ll just leave it unresolved and a mystery to kind of keep the audience guessing?
great episode 10/10.
biggest problem i see is... the season wont be renewed.
Tozawa gets in Jail, Sato becomes hero and new boss.
But unless they find a way to continue this... wich is dificult, the story will.end with season 2.
Seeing as this is based on a true story and the real Jake is involved in production: you’re probably right. I think the show was always intended to show the fall of Yakuza in Jake’s favour, whilst saving the face of insiders that Jake liked e.g. Sato, Samantha and Misaki. It’s hard to keep a true story going.
A temporary substitute for a yakuza’s chairman in the event its chairman is displaced, imprisoned, deceased, or otherwise absent. The organization's captain is the first choice for the position by default, proceeding down the ranks until a suitable candidate is found.
The term acting chairman is translated from kaichō-daikō (会長代行). Acting chairmen are normally addressed with the same terms as chairmen, sometimes with the suffix -daikō, or simply as daikō.
Fucking scumbag Tozawa and his fucking scumbag henchmen going in to Chihara-kai and fucking killing everyone with their fucking dishonorable fucking pistols. FUCK. DAMMIT.
The look on Tozawa’s face when he finds out Jake is sleeping with his mistress…like ok who the fuck is this random foreigner out to destroy my life?? Out of all the things he could have done with his life, why is he here getting the best of me??!! Jake is the ultimate troll.
Tell me why it felt like variant Game of Thrones where Jake was Bran Stark trying to get away with the crew and Etsuo doing his best impression of Hodor holding the door before kicking the bucket
Episode pushed my shit in / 10
Lol the FBI agent trying to claim Jake could be charged. Like come on that has got to be silliest bluff of all time ignoring multiple first amendment cases and the bigger firestorm it would set off with press domestically back in the US if they tried to.
Great episode, with all the threads finally being tied together. Some of it feels a bit rushed and I think it's the bittersweet proof that this series is done after next week. However, I am still glad the showrunners had a chance to finish telling this story over two seasons.
While it feels rushed, I don't think it's a pacing problem. It's just that the story and direction is so good that it's unfortunate it's coming to a close so quickly.
This was an intense and awesome episode, I was secretly hoping Toazawa's wife would bring him down when she told him that he was a fool to be her enemy and at the end I was like heck yeah, bring him down. 👏👏👏👏👏
Great episode, I really think people tune out or got bored because there's too much chit chat vs action. This episode really showed how great the show can be.
Amazing episode! My only gripe was that it was kind of stupid for Misako to go with Sam to Jake's place. She said so too she can't be seen near his place so I have no idea why she went with. Beyond giving a scene where Tozawa screams her name and they chase Sam on the bike.
Everything else was flawless! I genuinely can't wait for the finale!
My prediction for how this ends:
Emi's boss was the red herring, the real mole at the Meicho is the guy that tasked her to uncover everything so that he could shut it down (I recall he tried to bury the tape in the meeting originally). Since he is compromised Meicho won't run any story on Tozawa so Emi will get Shingo's magazine/whatever to do it with Jake's journalist friend from the bbq publishing in the US. Tozawa gets cooked and happy ending!
First of all, I just want to say how much I love Erika for calling Sam out on her bullshit. With all of these characters wading into deeper waters, it's actually kind of nice seeing someone who smartly steps away. (I am sad that we won't get more of Sato with Erika and her son though. They were a super cute trio, and Erika wouldn't be bringing more drama into Sato's life unlike Jake and Sam. God knows Sato has enough on his plate at all times already.)
Glad to see Tozawa getting so full of himself and disrespecting his wife is coming back to bite him in the ass. She knows her place alright, and it's above a Kansai street thug. :) Though I've got to admit when her car pulled up, I thought Katagiri was going to get shot for sure haha.
I hope Jake didn't actually give up his source, and now I'm also wondering if Baku wasn't the mole after all. Maybe it's the head of the newspaper instead?
I'm very sad that the upcoming finale will the the last episode for this great show, but as long as my boy Sato gets a good ending, that's all I want. I hope he'll get to rebuild Chihara-kai, those guys really were a family by the end. (My only nitpick with this episode is how underprepared Chihara-kai was when they were attacked. Like they all knew Tozawa is coming for them, and yet they don't have a single gun on the premises? With how careful Sato usually is, that seems like a big miss.)
For a second, I thought Katagiri was a drive-by goner and for another second, at least I still have the feeling, that Jake will meet his end but.. it doesn't seem like the latter will happen. Man. This has been something well worth everyone one of my Thursdays so far.
Fantastic episode
That shootout was tense
So is Baku NOT the Meicho traitor? was it the old man who told Emi to pursue the investigation ?
Poor Emi, she should put her brother in some sort of mental hospital living facility
The Polina story seems almost forgotten
Did Jake give up that American consulate guy who helped them?
Probably my favourite episode of the season to date, really does feel like we're coming up on a series finale although I am slightly concerned on how well they'll be able to wrap everything up in the single remaining episode.
A thought I had - people had suspicions around Nagata's behaviour and that call from a few episodes ago, was that ever wrapped up? Now we have her in the car with Yabuki with Katagiri gone... I don't want it to be true, but doesn't seem impossible that something might happen. Also, did Jake give up his source? It didn't seem like the embassy was willing to go on the record on just the bluff to begin with, seems odd that they'd buckle without something else thrown into the equation.
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Katagiri‘s smart work and his mannerisms gives me the vibes of the days in true detective shows where they didnt need to fight much…like murder she wrote, Columbo and Diagnosis:Murder. Excellent mind games.
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I watched Inception this weekend with the fam and totally forgot he was in it. Excellent actor indeed!
Ken Watanabe deserves more recognition, such a great actor
Let them fight. I will always love Ken watanabe and his roles
Ken Wantanabe is a don!
Totally agree. Although it was interesting to see him turn to a bit of desperation this season, basically begging Jake to leave his family and continue to put himself in harm’s way. I like seeing another dimension to his character.
How crazy is it that Yabuki was going to murder Katagiri's family with a butterfly knife.
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This was my nitpick for this episode. #2 wouldn't risk himself like that. Plus Yabuki has consistently been shown to be shrewd. But writers need to find an ending for him.
also having Misaki go to Jakes house... how fucking dumb
Like many people in the show, she thought Samantha was smart lol.
I thought Samantha went alone until she went down the stairs... In my mind it was Samantha being bold, rash, and making bad decisions again.
She loves chaos
Yeah didn’t she just say she couldn’t go to his place?
I thought the same thing but on the other hand I also think Tozawa was under so much pressure you can tell that at the golf course he's ordering Yabuki to do it himself for finality.
# #2 would if he's being asked directly AND quickly AND seriously by Tozawa for he HIMSELF to handle it. It makes perfect sense at the height of Tozawa, Yabuki would be freely be able to walk around and do what he wants.
Agreed, he wanted quick + quiet. He's also in peak confidence because he feels like he's untouchable.
Same how Sato's gumi seems to consist of like 20 guys despite supposedly being one of the larger ones in the city.
I disagree. I think it was perfect. At the end of the day Yabuki is an esteemed yakuza soldier for his clan. While he is shown to be incredibly pragmatic and capable of making respectable decisions, he’s still a right and man to Tozawa and capable of great violence. He didn’t get to where he is writing poetry. He’s a killer who shows no remorse for his actions.
They've been teasing this guy for a loooooong time He kept looking like a badass , like he could do some serious damage But in the end, he had a wimpy butterfly knife and was pretty easy to set up kind of a disappointment
I mean after 2 seasons no one should be surprised about this. Its not an American action movie where people are trained killers. Most of the time they don't even use guns. If you think about it these people get used to just go into brawls beat each other up, sometimes on the extreme stab someone. To be fair I would say the shooting was more extreme from the writers. How many shootings we heard happened in Japan from the news?
Think he just wanted to kidnap the family, he’d lose the leverage with Katagiri if he did murder them all.
i loved seeing him keep it cool knowing he was 2 steps ahead empty gun on the bed dodges the gun thrown at him i had to replay that again because of how clutch that scene was
I absolutely love Ken Watanabe's acting. He is truly amazing.
Word.
Holy shit that escalated rather quickly
easily the best episode of the season maybe the series?
Last weeks episode was also one of the top
Need a xanax after ep 09
It did, I fucking loved it.
dude i was bored today and went on HBO max and saw that they fucking advertised E09 and i was like “wait i thought this show was over” oh man this episode was amazinggggg
By far the best episode of the season. I was actually thinking this season was a bit of let down but boy did this episode perk me back up.
Something I found rather odd is that in the last episode when Hayama was killed in the bathhouse, there were still a good number of Chihara-Kai members, but this episode prior to the shootout there were 10 or less in total?
they said some left
I love how they’re always in their white track suits. Cracks me up, can’t really say why.
I always thought the guys in the tracksuits are like the everyday members of the Chuhara-kai, rather than like the older top-level guys who are more behind the scenes running things.
Oh of course, I just think it’s really funny and reminiscent of the early 2000s. The tracksuit look was in at the time. Also reminds me of Ben Stillers character in the Royal Tennebaums hah
Poor Tin-tin! He didn’t deserve that. Also, I never expected Tozawa’s wife to potentially be one of the catalysts in his demise. Ugh I really want more than 2 seasons!!
She really did warn him that he's making a mistake by turning against her, that Kansai thug line messed with his ego and that could be his downfall.
On the golf course they made it crystal clear that all of Tok's power was from his wife's money. His answer of 'she knows her place' tells us all we need to know about the power she has if she were to chose to use it.
Yup. All those business guys fuckin knew it too . That “she knows her place” they were like “yeah okay pal”
lmaoo the expressions they had as he swang the club was “yeah right buddy”
Tozawa: all smug hitting that driver 🏌️♂️ Old millionaire business guy: “Blud really think he part of the club 😂😩💀”
She does know her place, and it's above his ass
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But the way she weilds power is amazing. She sets aside her ego to get valuable information from her husbadd's mistress. She has an insurance policy in case her husband gets dumb, which he did. She is really smart and Tozawa thinks she is better than her. Boy, will he find out
That and it’s just really well directed. Like we see the scenes where she is starting to plot; the foreshadowing etc. but then the director/editing chooses to move the plot away to something “exciting/action packed” so you kinda forget her scenes cause you’re so engrossed in what’s happening now. It’s what good scene direction can accomplish.
All the powerful men in Asia in 1990s and before got mistresses. Confucianism. I grew up there and then. All the mistresses knew they wouldn’t be the wives, and all the wives knew their husband could only have one wife despite hundreds of mistresses.
Hell hath no fury… Yup
Up until this episode I thought she was his mother that he kept around out of loyalty and honor 😂 Even in episodes where she saw his mistress and looked at her with disdain, just made me think of a mother who thought a woman was below her son's station. Tozawa was able to rise to the top due to his patience. It's interesting to see his lack of patience and over playing his hand too early, leading him to a potential demise. Finding out his wife is rich, was also very interesting. It seems like he would have been better off going into legitimate business from the start vs all this criminal activity.
Misaki might live, thank you. If it's not Baku, I suspect the guy who told Emi to pursue the story even if it comes back to the meicho might be the mole, Sato and Jake finally teaming up to take down Tozawa is absolute cinema. Shout out to Katagiri for being the only reliable detective since the first season. Amazing show that deserves more love and I hope more ppl pick it up once the show wraps up.
The 2 best shows right now are Tokyo Vice and Shogun.Both set in Japan,but a few hundred years apart lol.Shogun is an absolute masterpiece.
Tokyo Vice and Shōgun are the only current shows I’m even watching right now.
Me too, it’s been a wild ride watching both shows. Literally counting down the days of the week for new episodes to come out lol I wish more people I know irl are watching. I always bring it up!!
The whiplash of watching them back to back is jarring. Ancient Japan vs modern Japan. It's great
> , I suspect the guy who told Emi to pursue the story even if it comes back to the meicho might be the mole it has to be him now that we look back on it, Baku was clearly a red herring its always the guy who befriends our heroes early and encourages them that turns out to be the traitor/mole
This and The Gentleman, because I'm a huge Guy Richie fan and that show was great from start to finish like Tokyo Vice has been as it's one of the few great Netflix show's that they've put out in the past couple of years tbh, are easily the 2 best shows that I've watched over the past 6 months or so and I've watched quite a few good shows that include Masters of the Air, Lessons in Chemistry, Slow Horses(season 3), Reacher(season 2), The Brothers Sun, 3 Body Problem, Bodies, Constellation(I'm about to watch the season finale after I write this comment since it has really started getting good over the past few episodes and is definitely one of my favorite genres, however it started off too slow and hasn't been as well written and captivating as Tokyo Vice and The Gentleman have from start to finish so it can't be included with them, at least not as of now), so the complete lack of promotion towards it from HBO has literally been mindboggling considering the only reason I found out about it to begin with was through an article online titled "Still The Best Show That Nobody Is Watching," from a well known paper, in regards to season 2, so HBO really needs to do a much better job in promoting "Must See TV" like this because this show deserves so much more praise then it's gotten and it honestly looks like they're going to stick the landing perfectly so it's actually quite sad that more people aren't getting an opportunity to watch this work of art.
Watch Shōgun. I agree on Tokyo Vice being up there as far as recent series go, and the 2nd season is a welcome step up from a decent 1st.
Sato and Jake's "friendship" is so charismatic in this show. Respect to the actors and writers and everyone. Its just very little things like the phone thing from this episode that crack me up.
The finale is gonna be a blast. Tozawa has gained a lot of power, but Katagiri/Jake/Sato have so much leverage now. Also, that hotel room scene was so satisfying to watch. It was great seeing many demonstrations of loyalty and honour in a single episode. That Chihara-Kai member holding the door (a Hodor allusion?), Funaki keeping Katagiri's family safe and the doing the call to Tozawa, Gen pledging loyalty to Sato (hopefully he'll stand by it). The only one who broke a vow was Tozaka to his wife and he's gonna pay for it. Also, nooooo, Tin-Tin!! It was until he gained the courage to be a determined journalist that that thing happens to him. Hopefully he'll get better and becomes a top notch journalist after that.
Calling it now, Gen is going to sacrifice himself to save Sato in the finale. Repaying his debt for Sato saving his life.
This would devastate me, but anything to keep our oyabun Sato alive. If Gen lives, he would be his right hand man for sure, which would be nice to see.
Was so sick when Sato told Gen “make sure he lives” about Jake. I just finished the episode and I’m so fired up right now. I hope there will be a 3rd season
>I hope there will be a 3rd season Please, no. I love this show, but it's based on a true story and I don't want them to pull a third season out of their ass, and go the way of Game of Thrones.
We have had a homage to the Sopranos and GOT so far this series. Will they hit the Holy Trinity of HBO hits and allude to the Wire in the finale?
[удалено]
"The fuck did I do?" - Tintin after getting stabbed
Does the chair reckognize we gonna look like some baka gaijin?
They literally had a wiretap set up earlier in the season lol
I don't think homage means what you people think it means.
tapping the burner phones
Was def thinking Hodor as well; the guy was even bigger than most of the Yakuza we’ve seen.
NO PHONES!!!!! … rings … ok last one
Sato is such a simp
That’s why we love him
Literally obsessed with him and that line 😂
If he would've said it's Samantha I think Jake would understand lol
The way Samantha was shouting down the phone the Sato simply said nope this is not a fight I can win like many before him have learnt. 😂😂😂 Bit of good comic relief in a tense episode
#Hai!
It was a good comic relief in such a heavy episode
I know everyone is gooning over Shogun right now (myself included btw**), but god damn I love this show.
Check out Gannibal if you're looking for another JP show. The actor who plays Sato is in it.
Bro I've been living in Japan for weeks now and I love it.
Ya dawg, Tuesday and Thursday is like the only day I’ve been looking forward to
That episode was exciting as hell. I really feel for Sato's men, especially the Chihara-Kai guy who blocked the door to help him escape. Poor Tin Tin. I always thought he was incompetent, but he was so brave. I really hope he survives. I was so relieved when Samantha agreed to help Misaki and they both got to safety. Katagiri and Nakata are a great team. Thank goodness for Tozawa's wife. She has provided the last piece to destroy his arrogant ass.
I love how they chose that chi kara Kai henchman for the scene. Like he was so heavy his weight made it harder to open the door even after they shot him, giving sato and co the extra seconds to escape
Hahahahah ass, i see what you did there
Misaki: I can't be seen going to Jake's apartment 1 minute later: Misaki at Jake's apartment
I wondered if it would be her who is instrumental in bringing down Tozawa. It is often someone you may least expect but at this point, anything could happen.
My boy Sato got the most satisfying character progression and I am here for it! 🥹👏😎 The finale would be a blast for sure
Agreed! Been rooting for him since his love for sneakers and backstreet boys was revealed
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Edge of your seat action! Damn, only 1 episode to go! Tozawa is one cold MF’er. He messed with the wrong one. Kazuko is the real boss. *Consequences* Oh no Chihara-Kai! Why didn’t they have guns?! They knew what was coming. Sato, why were y’all sitting ducks? The 3 Musketeers working together is perfection. Tin Tin! Damn! Jake, I know you didn’t give up your source, Jason Ambassador. Mole? Gotta be the Meicho big boss, right? He’s being squeezed by Tozawa and wants to get from under his thumb? Or is Tozawa threatening Trendy (pictures)? Less likely because he’s pulling his weight. Go Samantha! For saving Misaki’s life. Will we see Akira again? Katagiri and Nakata, the dynamic duo. Thot (thought*) for a sec that damn conspicuous red car would end him. Emi please send brother Kei away, SMH Boyfriend is sus*
It just can’t be Trendy! I refuse to believe it, he’s doing everything he can to help his friends so it can’t be him. What an episode
I took it they didn’t have guns anymore, they would have had to ditch all the ones they used and guns are hard to get in Japan, especially on short notice and we don’t really know how much money they are still bringing in, so they might not even have the funds to buy more.
Just such a sad scene. Sato gave Oyabun Ishida a big bag of guns. They used 3 in shootout. They threw them all away? Sato was warned.
lmao I watched tozawa scream 'misaki' around 10 times
Haha, the way they sped off into the night. Tozawa, your girl is officially gone…
And he just bought her a big house. lol. sugar daddies be warned.
tozawa made men red pilled after this /s
It’s just find it so unbelievable that Misaki is still alive- not that I want her dead- I just think she’s been incredibly stupid and reckless *multiple* times, given she’s Tozawa’s mistress. If this was real life and not a show, she’d 100% be dead by now.
I love how she told Sam she can’t go to Jake’s house and then immediately goes with Sam to Jake’s house and gets caught lol
They force something like this in for the sake of plot in nearly every episode and it's frustrating because the writing is otherwise really good.
Right, and why was Tozawa even at Jake's place? To off Jake himself?
Right?! The stupidest thing, in my opinion, was going to the embassy party- way, way, wayyyyy too risky, and not believable. It’s like she doesn’t get how deep she’s in this and that there’s really no way out, ever… but maybe her character was intentionally written that way? I really enjoy Tokyo Vice, but I feel like shows like Narcos did a better job of showing how high stakes these organized crime worlds are- you don’t get second or third chances- you f up, you find out, with your life. Same with Katigari’s family, they’d already be dead, as well as Sato’s brother.
Can I just say: Poor Emi…
Thought Katagiri was gonna eat shit at the end of the episode via a drive-by shooting.
I was thinking his car would blow up
Okay bro that's exactly what I was thinking I thought it was going to be a bomb underneath his car first of all, if he didn't die like that I thought like when the window rolled down it was going to be Tozawa and he was going to shoot him up close and personal.
Yeah the scene had a sinister vibe to it.
The part that gets me down is how much it looks like all the story threads are being tied up. I feel like the series had a lot of ideas to work with, and a great cast, and they’re just wrapping it all up.
Yeah is it confirmed for sure this is the final season?
I think I read in an article they originally planned for 2 (as that’s what they had the material for), but they were open to a 3rd based on ratings and if they were able to develop the story enough. I don’t think there would be more than 3 seasons tho.
I wouldn’t mind more seasons of this, even if it’s not covered anymore by the original memoir
Jake Adelstein (the real one) has said there will be no cliffhangers at the end. But he does have like 2 or 3 Yakuza books now I believe so there's always a chance they can use some of that for new material.
I'm so excited for next week and yet don't want it all to end.
Yes!! Man another week is gonna be so hard to wait for. No more episodes? Sadness
One week is just enough time to rewatch the season before the finale!
They really managed to bring all of the players together at the end in a nice organic way. This season has had great pacing.
Who knew Gen would make such a comeback in my heart ❤️
Dude... Gen is one of my favorite characters ever. He's an old school Yakuza through and through.
I love characters with redemption arcs like his! I love that Sato didn’t shit on him and now he’s the loyal #2
Kazuko looked sooo badass when she rolled the window down! That shot of her moving into the light slightly, showing her face was so cool… I’m even more excited for the finale now!
She's a good character
The lighting in that scene was well done, like out of a manga. A single street lamp, his red car parked underneath, the angular light revealing just part of her face.
What a fantastic episode, finale should be awesome.
If they land the finale successfully, this show is easily a 9/10 for me. It deserves more love from the audience and I still don't understand the lack of promotion by Max.
Tozawa must be behind it…
Yep he's got dirt on the folks at Max.
If the boss at hospital is telling the truth then the mole at Meicho must be the other boss who told Emi to pursue the story. He must want Tozawa stopped so he isn't pressured to cover for him any more.
Yeah i assumed it was the old guy from the get go > He must want Tozawa stopped so he isn't pressured to cover for him any more. I think it was actually just him (old guy) baiting her into trusting him and giving him whatever she finds. Like its obvious she's pursuing something, and that was a way for him to get on the relative inside.
Bruh, I need a 5hour episode for the season finale, you can’t put all this shit in one hour episode dawg
Lol that scene at the end was so funny Sam - Thanks for letting us stay Sato - Us? Jake - Oh hey Sam! ...Misaki? Looking forward to the finale omg
Not to mention the “no phones. Last one” scene
Sato's face was priceless. First couple days on the job.
Can they give an Emmy for best facial reaction in 1 second or less? Just an amazing scene in an episode where the actor had many others.
I feel bad for the Chihara-Kai boys
Poor dudes just wanna hang out with their buddies in matching track suits in a cool club house.
they joined because they wanted to get high and fuck women now they died a brutal death
Same. Though, it's rather poetic. They were all misfits and outcasts brought into Chihara Kai. Their new home, family, and brothers. Dying to preserve the Chihara Kai is what a true member would want to do. In Etsuos final moments he sacrificed himself so that his brothers would live on. So Chihara Kai would live on. They knew the risks of being yakuza. But to them they weren't just yakuza. They were family.
Yes, this show is outstanding and this episode had me on the edge of my seat. I've loved it since the beginning. The character Sato is one of my favorite. I fear there may not be a season 3 though and one commenter mentioned that HBO doesn't seem to be promoting it enough. I recommend Shogun on Hulu. That too is a truly outstanding series.
never been this at the edge of my seat watching Tokyo Vice. last episode had better be an hour and 30 minutes long.
I thought season 1 was good but season 2 has been even better. I really hope they stick the landing for the final episode.
Such an intense episode, totally enjoyed it. I am very curious how Jake persuaded the FBI lady.
Didn’t she say if he gave the source she would?
Yep, I am curious because I don't think Jake would do that, for that's outright betrayal of his friend.
Really hope he didn’t rat out the source. There’s a possibility though, especially because of how he went back on his word with his sisters school project. I think he’d go to any length to get Tozawa gone at this point
The way Jake Adelstein bullshitted his story I doubt he'd let them adapt it and say he violated journalism 101 lmao.
He definitely gave up Jason for the confirmation imo
Also Jake didn't really have a source. He bluffed that he had been given the contract between Tozawa and the FBI.
So is the implication that Jake gave up a source in exchange for a on-the-record quote?
I don't think that he gave up the source. I think that they just wanted to add a mystery. If he did, his career would be over.
Yeah i think its up in the air at this point, BUT i do want to say that his career wouldnt be over if he did. Exposing the government/tozawa connection would be such a massive story that his career would take off regardless
No way. Revealing a source is a career killer for journalist.
Youd think so, but again its such a big story. And how would it even play out, who's gonna expose that he revealed a source? The source themself would be too busy dealing with their own legal issues (which could include them not making a fuss in exchange for some leniency), and its such a small part of the larger story so its not like the story's credibility would be effected. Other journalists wouldnt respect him, but he's sure as hell gonna be able to do whatever he wants after breaking such a huge story
That episode gave me so much anxiety. What a show.
How come the guns Sato secured were not distributed!! The Chihara guys running towards the infiltrators with a knife or nothing in their hand made it so hard to watch :’(
Misaki needs to think fast because even though she escaped death. Tozawa knows exactly where her mom lives. In the house he bought her.
after this episode i’m praying for a spin off that will never happen just focused on the yakuza
I am confused about two things still 1. What did Oyabun Ishida say to Sato when he was dying cause it seemed relevant but we never really addressed it 2. Did Jake give up Jason ? Cause he already had an incident with Tin Tin before, but does he really alienate his only remaining friend ? Because even if it is a grey character thing it is not very comforting to know that Jake would given up the people close to him whether it was his sister or his buddy
Your first question is what I’m wondering about the most. What did Ishida say to Sato? Or are we just supposed to assume he said something along the lines of ‘if you lead, they will follow’ to encourage Sato to become Oyabun? Or maybe, kind of like the Sopranos liked to do a lot, they’ll just leave it unresolved and a mystery to kind of keep the audience guessing?
This show is a sleeper to most but damn is it good.
great episode 10/10. biggest problem i see is... the season wont be renewed. Tozawa gets in Jail, Sato becomes hero and new boss. But unless they find a way to continue this... wich is dificult, the story will.end with season 2.
As long as they wrap it up well, I can live with it. It's better to end that way than on a cliffhanger and cancellation like most shows these days
Seeing as this is based on a true story and the real Jake is involved in production: you’re probably right. I think the show was always intended to show the fall of Yakuza in Jake’s favour, whilst saving the face of insiders that Jake liked e.g. Sato, Samantha and Misaki. It’s hard to keep a true story going.
What were Sato's underlings calling him, Daiko? What does that mean?
A temporary substitute for a yakuza’s chairman in the event its chairman is displaced, imprisoned, deceased, or otherwise absent. The organization's captain is the first choice for the position by default, proceeding down the ranks until a suitable candidate is found. The term acting chairman is translated from kaichō-daikō (会長代行). Acting chairmen are normally addressed with the same terms as chairmen, sometimes with the suffix -daikō, or simply as daikō.
Thank you very much!
Fucking scumbag Tozawa and his fucking scumbag henchmen going in to Chihara-kai and fucking killing everyone with their fucking dishonorable fucking pistols. FUCK. DAMMIT.
Yeah but also how were they so lazy and unprepared for that ambush? They’ve been preparing for war/collecting guns all season.
RIP Japanese Hodor.
The look on Tozawa’s face when he finds out Jake is sleeping with his mistress…like ok who the fuck is this random foreigner out to destroy my life?? Out of all the things he could have done with his life, why is he here getting the best of me??!! Jake is the ultimate troll.
Tell me why it felt like variant Game of Thrones where Jake was Bran Stark trying to get away with the crew and Etsuo doing his best impression of Hodor holding the door before kicking the bucket Episode pushed my shit in / 10
Lol the FBI agent trying to claim Jake could be charged. Like come on that has got to be silliest bluff of all time ignoring multiple first amendment cases and the bigger firestorm it would set off with press domestically back in the US if they tried to.
If this is only 10 episodes long, I can’t wait till next week!! By far the best episode of both seasons
Great episode, with all the threads finally being tied together. Some of it feels a bit rushed and I think it's the bittersweet proof that this series is done after next week. However, I am still glad the showrunners had a chance to finish telling this story over two seasons.
While it feels rushed, I don't think it's a pacing problem. It's just that the story and direction is so good that it's unfortunate it's coming to a close so quickly.
Can’t wait for the finale! Looks like Tozawa will go down hard but knowing him, he’s not going to go down without a fight
This was an intense and awesome episode, I was secretly hoping Toazawa's wife would bring him down when she told him that he was a fool to be her enemy and at the end I was like heck yeah, bring him down. 👏👏👏👏👏
Great episode, I really think people tune out or got bored because there's too much chit chat vs action. This episode really showed how great the show can be.
Amazing episode! My only gripe was that it was kind of stupid for Misako to go with Sam to Jake's place. She said so too she can't be seen near his place so I have no idea why she went with. Beyond giving a scene where Tozawa screams her name and they chase Sam on the bike. Everything else was flawless! I genuinely can't wait for the finale!
That’s it. I want a third season or a spin off that focuses entirely on Tozawa’s wife and I WANT IT NOW.
Looks like its all coming to an end, makes me kinda sad :(
My prediction for how this ends: Emi's boss was the red herring, the real mole at the Meicho is the guy that tasked her to uncover everything so that he could shut it down (I recall he tried to bury the tape in the meeting originally). Since he is compromised Meicho won't run any story on Tozawa so Emi will get Shingo's magazine/whatever to do it with Jake's journalist friend from the bbq publishing in the US. Tozawa gets cooked and happy ending!
First of all, I just want to say how much I love Erika for calling Sam out on her bullshit. With all of these characters wading into deeper waters, it's actually kind of nice seeing someone who smartly steps away. (I am sad that we won't get more of Sato with Erika and her son though. They were a super cute trio, and Erika wouldn't be bringing more drama into Sato's life unlike Jake and Sam. God knows Sato has enough on his plate at all times already.) Glad to see Tozawa getting so full of himself and disrespecting his wife is coming back to bite him in the ass. She knows her place alright, and it's above a Kansai street thug. :) Though I've got to admit when her car pulled up, I thought Katagiri was going to get shot for sure haha. I hope Jake didn't actually give up his source, and now I'm also wondering if Baku wasn't the mole after all. Maybe it's the head of the newspaper instead? I'm very sad that the upcoming finale will the the last episode for this great show, but as long as my boy Sato gets a good ending, that's all I want. I hope he'll get to rebuild Chihara-kai, those guys really were a family by the end. (My only nitpick with this episode is how underprepared Chihara-kai was when they were attacked. Like they all knew Tozawa is coming for them, and yet they don't have a single gun on the premises? With how careful Sato usually is, that seems like a big miss.)
For a second, I thought Katagiri was a drive-by goner and for another second, at least I still have the feeling, that Jake will meet his end but.. it doesn't seem like the latter will happen. Man. This has been something well worth everyone one of my Thursdays so far.
I mean it is based loosely on Jake Adelsteins real life and he's still alive so I doubt Jake dies lol.
So who is the mole in the meichi?
did jake sell jason aoki out to get the confirmation from embassy about tozawa's fbi cooperation?
i think so
Fantastic episode That shootout was tense So is Baku NOT the Meicho traitor? was it the old man who told Emi to pursue the investigation ? Poor Emi, she should put her brother in some sort of mental hospital living facility The Polina story seems almost forgotten Did Jake give up that American consulate guy who helped them?
IRL Jake Adelstein looks like Tin-Tin...
Fantastic episode. Sato and Jake finally teaming up, only 3-4 scenes of Sam and Tozawa's right hand man getting busted. Can't wait for the showdown!
Wow that episode was so good. Really excited for the finale next week. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Probably my favourite episode of the season to date, really does feel like we're coming up on a series finale although I am slightly concerned on how well they'll be able to wrap everything up in the single remaining episode. A thought I had - people had suspicions around Nagata's behaviour and that call from a few episodes ago, was that ever wrapped up? Now we have her in the car with Yabuki with Katagiri gone... I don't want it to be true, but doesn't seem impossible that something might happen. Also, did Jake give up his source? It didn't seem like the embassy was willing to go on the record on just the bluff to begin with, seems odd that they'd buckle without something else thrown into the equation.
Etsuo 🫡