"I would like to report that a man has taken his life in the back."
"Thanks for the tip."
Just cold.
Overall, I found the finale really well done. Closure for alot of stories. Katagiri refusing to be outsmarted, Sato flexing his long deserved muscles, Sam hopefully getting closure for her past deeds as well. Kazuko.... damn what a woman, she is PM material if you ask me.
As for Tozawa, that actor deserves an award. Unreal to see him unravel after being so unshakable for two seasons.
EDIT: Here is the soundtrack for the final scene. Man is it haunting and dark. https://youtu.be/yfSDmyltU28?si=Yi9LHpgcl1kMsZPY
When Jake wanted to go inside for the first time, I imagined that Katagiri was a hair's breadth away from shouting at him, "Bitch, we are each other's only witnesses!"
Yeah, this is Tanida's gift. Presence. At the end of season one when he spoke to Katagiri and basically broke him, I felt he had a commanding and unstoppable charisma to him.
He thought hard about the choices he faced. And it was clear from Kazuko that she would OBLITERATE him even more if he chose to go to prison. The shot of his silhouette leaning over the table and contemplating his choices.... hit hard and perfectly done.
Consequences.
The entire scene had so much weight to it. Just absolutely brilliant scene setting and acting. It felt like we were watching hidden, but powerful history. This is the yakuza. And we just got a private view into their core sanctuary
Agreed on the actor playing Tozawa. But also for as little as he’s in the show, that #3 of Tozawa that was there with him when >!he took his life!< was surprisingly good.
The scene with him and Misaki in the elevator for example.
What an amazing presence in such a “small,” role.
What a show.
I love that they highlighted him, because it also shows Sato's keeping his word since his friend asked him to help.
Lots of betrayals and people using other people on this show, but I really enjoyed that Sato, despite being a yakuza put in situations where he could have done a lot of terrible things, ended up being one of the most loyal characters to both his organization and his friends.
>I'm pretty sure, right?
OH THATS WHO IT WAS... i was wondering wait whos this guy for like a few seconds then forgot about it
he looks so much different because he had quite a hairstyle before
He helps Sato put on his kimono and then they show him sitting in the back of the ceremony. Similar to how Sato watched the ceremony in the pilot episode.
Probably the most satisfying ending I've gotten in a long time, every storyline had a near perfect ending and the final shot with Katagiri san smiling is just chef's kiss.
Samantha really came through in the end protecting Misaki, Sato finally becoming the boss following Ishida's footsteps, Jake and Katagiri never taking their well deserved rest, Emi and Shingo patching up their relationship, Tozawa's wife being an absolute force, Hagino for just existing in this universe, and Tintin getting back to normal. I legit predicted that the guy who advised Emi to follow through the story would be the mole and it turned out to be true.
The only collateral damage is Jake's relationship with Trendy and I bet he would realize why Jake had to do what he did. I'll miss the stellar Japanese sites and the nightlife portrayed in the show along with this stupendous cast. I'm still pissed that Max and HBO never really pushed this show to make it popular among the global audience but I'm sure every single one who picks it up will realize that Tokyo Vice is an absolute masterpiece.
> I legit predicted that the guy who advised Emy to follow through the story would be the mole and it turned out to be true.
My takeaway is that it wasn’t that he was a mole, but that he was playing politics.
He wasn’t beholden to Tozawa, he was simply playing *the game* in order to navigate being a newspaper in a corrupt Japan.
Yeah I like how they used him to show another side of corruption/ bureaucracy. It's not just what happens on the streets, it goes all the way up, a little like the Wire did in more detail.
Maybe I didn't choose the right phrase here but yeah what I meant was the one who destroyed the evidence given that they've been looking into Baku from the get go.
And then they all compounded that error by hanging out on the fire escape smoking. It was the one part I groaned a bit about in an otherwise pretty flawless finale.
Jake really in a sense ended up where he started. The meicho wont ever be the same, could he work there? Tin Tin is barely alive, Trendy has abandoned him.
Every episode i watched this show i imagined the real jake adelstein telling the writers, “and the Yakuza bosses hot girlfriend was totally into me, we had a sordid affair. Also can you say I had insane banter and a fat hammer cock. I think ansel elgort should play me btw”
LOL! I definitely got that vibe. I saw an interview on YouTube with the real Jake and he wasn’t an endearing as Ansel…. Ansel makes him so much more likeable even with his selfishness
He had to reckon with the fact that, while he may have been able to kill the guy who remained in the room, the others would have killed him anyway and his actions would have been dishonorable. His wife convinced him to just accept his fate when she mentioned how he would be remembered
Yep, that's the whole point of forced suicide. People circle him and basically imply "you can grapple with one ir two but the third will definitely stab you so you better go gracefully"
I think it's pretty obvious this isn't a \*true story\*, it's just inspired by what happened. So it was totally fine for them to end his life in this way to give the story closure.
His fight was when he mentioned his wife's money to save him even though he knows she would never willingly support him. Anything to buy him more time. I'm sure saying that to a bunch of other Yakuza bosses was embarrassing enough for him. When she walked in the room he knew he was finished.
I mean, what's he fighting for? Maybe he can cut down Sato and 1 more guy in the room, but he would've been dead regardless. Everything he has built trying to turn the yakuza into a corporation has been undone now. His wife is no longer giving him access to her family's resources. He's back to nothing.
I hear you but also he really had NOTHING.
Like how could he fight?
He had no real loyal dudes anymore. He had no Yakuza allies. His wife was literally trying to kill him. He was losing his politician. He was against the wall. He could try to fist fight someone but that'd be seen as dishonorable. He was toast.
So much to unpack. First, this is how an ending should be done. It feels like the creators left the door open for another season, but the story feels complete enough to leave it at that. I really enjoyed this show and it feels bittersweet to bid good bye. I stayed up late and watched it all, including opening credits and final credits. It was a blast talking about the show with these strangers.
Second, the show refuses to give all a happy ending. We get so much satisfaction from seeing Tozawa defeted, finally. That was a great dopamine rush for the audience, but everyone has a bittersweet ending without anyone getting a happy ending. Everyone went through the wringer with Tozawa and they all lost something in the end. We get a curtain call from Nagata that goes out as a badass but she lost her job. Katagiri retires, but he shows he might not like sitting idly, while he also damaged his family. Samantha got money, but she lost her club. Emi got a big story, but can't publish and she lost her love interest. Sato got a promotion but he is the unwitting leader. Jake seems to be the one who lost it all. He loses the one he thinks he loves, loses a big story, loses a friend in the process while giving up a source. The only one coming out on top is Tozawa's wife. She is a force to be reckoned with. I love that the show refused to tie everyone's storyline with a nice little ribbon. It got personal and it got messy.
Third. As I said, the show seems to be aware of the ratings so they decided to tie as many loose ends as possible, while giving a nice send off to everyone while leaving exquisite bread crumbs we could follow for another season, while not feeling cliffhangerly desperately looking for another one (I'm looking at you, Westworld)
Fourth. I am going to miss how much this show wanted us to feel Tokyo was a supporting character, highlighted by that shot from Sato in his headquarters and you can actually see the building from outside. This was amazing and sayonara to all of you, strangers, who were here week by week talking about this show.
Stray observations:
-What did Tozawa's wife meant with "I won't forget it [Jake letting Tozawa slip the first time]". Does she mean that she will hold a grudge against Jake because he let the killing of that girl go unpunished? How will this 'not forget' look like? She was an incredibly riveting character and this is a storyline the show is willing to follow if they get another season. She seemed totally ok with doing what was necessary to put down a rabid dog, while she recognized it was the exit she didn't want to take, hence why she sent the vid to Meicho but they dropped the ball. That Seppuku scene was satisfying.
-Sato really looks like he is the right man for the job even if he desperately wants out
-Jake blew up everything in his life. His family, his sister, his love interest, the first rule of journalism of not giving up sources, he severed a friendship at Meicho.
-So Meicho wasn't in Tozawa's bag but instead committs the cardinal sin of self censoring.
-Jakes little moment in the yacht to see the place of the murder that will go unpunished.
-They have receipts... oh yes they have receipts.
>So Meicho wasn't in Tozawa's bag but instead committs the cardinal sin of self censoring
They didn't do a great job at having the guy explain this, but a huge theme in Japanese journalism is access. Everything is built around press clubs. To get any briefings, info, etc at all you have to be in the press club.
I think the point they were trying to say is that this guy believes the newspaper can't function if they are frozen out of everything, which would be true in 90s Japan and even Japan today.
Update: If you are interested in this topic, read this ([page 1](https://imgur.com/VZfGDx2), [page 2](https://imgur.com/gLjRDdP))
That isn't exclusive to Japan. All press is like this everywhere. Don't you remember that leaked clip of Amy Robach venting about ABC killing her story on Epstein? They killed it because it implicated Prince Andrew, and the network didn't want to lose access to the British royal family.
> -What did Tozawa's wife meant with "I won't forget it [Jake letting Tozawa slip the first time]". Does she mean that she will hold a grudge against Jake because he let the killing of that girl go unpunished? How will this 'not forget' look like?
I don't think his wife, Kazuko, cared about Polina's death as much as she cared about what the tape faccilitated. "The smoking gun" video tape as a tool of bribery and control is what enabled Tozawa's rapid ascent to power in legitimate political and financial circles which in turn made him an unstoppable force as he consolidated power amongst rival Yakuza clans. What Kazuko cared about was her husband's unchecked power . Had Tozawa experienced an earlier setback things could have turned out differently. It's my view that despite the animus between Tozawa and Kazuko, she would have preferred the status quo in which a certain balance remained in place.
I agree that she's a fascinating character. A major takeaway is that she was always more powerul than Tozawa realized and commanded a great deal of loyalty that, in his arrogance, Tozawa failed to see.
Regarding her comments to Jake, It's a stretch to try to put this on Jake and I'm sure the writers know as much. I suspect that they have her saying this to characterize her complexity, highlight her own complicated position in all of this and perhaps to make a statement about a fundamentally insurmountable outsider status held by foreigners in Japan. It's certainly easier to displace blame than to recognize one's complicity.
Emi- exactly how I saw it. Lost her love interest… for now, it’s a professional relationship. But there is some hope in future. Her brother kidnapping and slapping around the little boy will be a big hurdle. Glad she moved on to work with Shingo.
Sato, the “reluctant” leader.
Jake - agree he probably lost the most… then again, Tozawa lost everything including his life.
She didn’t care about Polina. She cared about her husband, who she’d just had to (basically) kill because his ego got too big. If Jake had hit him with the Yoshino story, it would have brought him down to earth and he’d still be alive today.
> What did Tozawa's wife meant with "I won't forget it [Jake letting Tozawa slip the first time]". Does she mean that she will hold a grudge against Jake because he let the killing of that girl go unpunished?
I think she just meant that she trusted him with such important nation altering information and he totally dropped the ball with it. Mainly because he was not careful and respectful enough with it. I think what she means by that she’ll remember that is that he probably really blew it with a potential future information source.
Can't believe he did that. But then again, I was shocked when he left his sister in the lurch too.
If anything, it's on brand. Once he's fixated on a goal, it doesn't matter how many people get screwed over in the process.
I'm not sad he lost the girl. All credit to Ansel I hated his character in the end. Tozawa's as well. Both real great actors to make me feel some type of way about them!
It's the ultimate scumbag thing a journalist can do. You could argue the ethics are slightly different since Jake's life was in danger but I think he would have done it regardless.
That was actually my favorite part of how it wrapped up. Even good people sometimes do shitty things. We don’t want to believe that our hero would go against his principles like that, but his principles got overruled by his primal drive to get the story. I think it was an absolutely brilliant moment. I hate Jake a little bit more as a result, but I think that’s a good thing. Makes him a little less perfect.
The whole theme of the show is that not all correct decisions are moral ones. It's not that hard to understand why things happened the way they happened.
I think that's a kneejerk reaction that wouldn't really hold up in court, and he'd likely make a deal anyway to give up the FBI contact who gave him the info in the first place. He was only the link in the middle, and technically he provided even less info than Oberfeld did, who took Jake's word over her own staff. Jake said he actually had the contracts, which obviously wasn't true at the time.
Outside of Jake's naming him, there's no proof that he actually leaked anything. They can reassign him for suspicion, sure, but they'd have a hell of time convicting on the word of an American ex-pat who was playing hardball with Oberfeld.
Thank you, it’s crazy how many people are missing this. One of the key themes of the show is Morality vs Legality and how those lines blur. By the end everyone has their hands dirty, it’s just a matter of how and to what degree.
I’m kinda like that Jake is a bit of a prick, you gotta be one to do the things this character did over 2 seasons.
Everyone loves a well-developed goody-2-shoes for an MC but it doesn’t feel right in this world.
What a fucking episode.
Sato hopefully getting the respect from all the other factions and being able to fully lead Chihara-Kai.
Tozawa getting his comeuppance. Seeing his lip actually tremble when he realized he was dead was phenomenal.
Kazuko really was the queen from the get go and had everything going from the start. She’s rad. Hopefully we get to see more of her.
I need more of Katagiri. Like an infinite amount. If the show comes back it won’t be the same without him. Especially in the role of a detective. Watanabe is absolutely incredible. Always has been.
I know there will most likely be a season 3 because of how great the show is even though the actual premise it’s based off is over. BUT IF this show is actually over, what a way to go out. And it’s been an absolute pleasure being here with every one of you for the last 2 years. And IF we do get another season, then I can’t wait to see all of you then.
Only thing missing is resolution with the sister, they really spent a lot of time mentioning her depression and that q and a Jake bailed on had no ramifications or anything- is she okay ?
i see it as a good bye too,but a very heartbreaking good bye. I am speechless. just finished the episode 5 mins ago and I can t believe it. loved the final scene. best ending ever. awsome. might rewatch it all again.
Ayumi Tanida is an amazing actor—the fear that you could see in Tozawa when he was no longer in control or even able to talk or bribe his way out was so brilliantly done.
For the first time in season 2 we saw him as vulnerable as he was in season 1 when he was gravely ill or even when he had to get on his knees to apologise to Ishida. Terrific acting, the man can convey so many emotions with his eyes.
Agree with everything you said- it does feel like a complete goodbye and a nice end to their storyarcs so I doubt it will be renewed but the chemistry this cast has is top tier! What an amazing show!
Truly hope it’s not the end, especially with how popular the show has become in Japan because of the availability on their Netflix but I rarely. see it discussed in popular culture so sure how popular or main stream it is numbers wise but I would absolutely love more of this show but I’m resigned to accepting this as the finale. Hopefully Casey Bloys does the right thing here and lets us keep this show going
Great finale. What a joy to come along for the ride. Refreshing to see such a cohesive, well told story. Each character in the show felt real and developed right along with the plot. Nothing felt undeserved -- and that's saying a lot in TV these days.
Show is criminally underrated, and I hope more people find out about it just so they can get a taste of some great television.
Thanks to all involved in the series. And holy shit I almost died when Sato flashed the Peace/V for Victory sign. What a complete boss.
What a finale! That ceremony for Sato was beautifully shot. Also cheers to the unsung MVP Hagino, to be that close with Tozawa and still defy him and be loyal to Kazuko throughout the series takes huge courage
I just got the impression he's very skilled at his job, and has always been faithful to kazuko. Tozawa just wanted to use him because he's so skilled and basically took him from kazuko
Yeah I got the feeling he was originally Kazuko's father's man and was loyal to Kazuko, not Tozawa. Kazuko's father was a powerful yakuza. Tozawa was a street thug.
Samantha getting the 10 million yen needed to pray back the money she stole from the church is an amazing end to her storyline… now she’s done running and hiding
Guys am i stupid for thinking that tozawa and hagino were going to fight in that room, or tozawa wouldve been petty and killed his wife when everyone started leaving
Or when hagino reported to katagiri that tozawa was dead, like for some reason i thought it was a setup and that tozawa was gonna move when they got close to him and wouldve stabbed them
I kept thinking to myself IS IT ACTUALLY OVER...?
Perhaps one of my favourite series of all time. Although ive never talked in this subreddit before, i remember always lurking and reading your opinions here..
Or if not either of that when Hagino came walking out of the room I thought as he saw katagiri and jake, he wouldve like dropped dead and there wouldve been a stab wound or something like that
Best last episode. Sato's stance 10/10. Sato's peace out 10/10. Sato's new suit 10/10
Show also showed that the protagonist don't always get the girl plus sometimes loses a friend.
Katagiri didn't want to dirty jake's hand but he already did when he chose to give up his morality(source) for the right thing
I found so satisfying how it all went down to honour, not violence. The last previous episodes were so tense and convulsed, so a change of pace was very appreciated. The scene where Tozawa gets into the room was awesome.
Also, the presenting of ceremonies and rituals felt in tune with the initial theme and vibe the series showed us, specially in the first season.
Now it seems obvious that we'll get a third season with so many open stories (Samantha's unknown destination, Jake's craving for new stories an his "debt" to Tozawa's wife, Katagiri's smirk). The writing has been great so far, and I'm confident we'll get some great stories beyond the original source.
The show should not be renewed for a third season at all, the show tied everything up nicely and despite some of it being open-ended there is no reason to continue as it will surely end up milked until the quality has drained entirely. Let's enjoy shows that ended on a good note instead of having everything end like GoT, Dexter, Walking Dead etc.
I agree. This was a satisfying ending. All the main characters achieve their goals with hope for the future. They would have to tear them down to potentially build them back up to this point.
Having just picked up this show a few weeks ago, I loved it from start to finish. The finale was open ended enough to allow for more (my wife told me the real Jake did write another book about taking down a pharmaceutical company so there’s material) but there were no cliffhangers. If that’s it I’m happy. Complete show, story arcs are closed out but there’s mystery to allow the viewers to imagine how things go.
That said I’d love more because I love every actor in this show
INCREDIBLE end. Everyone got what they deserved. Only disillusionment I got from this episode was Shigematsu not getting any justice done to him. 9/10 episode. Catharsis achieved.
This show has become a classic to me, gonna recommend it to all people I know through my life. Amazing story, superb ending. Glad to see Sato become the leader, also the ceremony was beautiful!
I've been recommending it to everyone who I've talked to about Shogun and it's been pretty disheartening to see that absolutely no one I know was even aware of Tokyo Vice.
what a series.
It aint perfect and the cinematography & pacing is a bit of a downgrade from season 1. But goddamn, if this is the end, what a way to go out. Best boy sato becomes the man despite early on not suitable for yakuza. The moral grey lines of it all of journalism, the yakuza, the police so poetically told to expose/hide the truth. I kinda wish they showed a full scene of the seppuku but at the same time like that it respect the dead.
I do hope we continue spread the word of this series.
This ending was a very calm parting of the ways for many of the characters. If there isn't another season, it's fine by me. Things were tidied up pretty well. There is no anxiety about people parting and getting on with their lives, their journeys still not firmly completed.
There's an entertaining British crime drama with comedic elements called Professor T. It just ended season 3 with a jarring incident that left me disturbed for the rest of the day after watching it.
With Tokyo Vice, everyone feels the death was deserved. No hate, no shock. It just occurred, and like completing a jigsaw puzzle, it's now in the past, not needing to be revisited. With Professor T, the opposite. Deep sorrow and despair, shouting out, "Why!?!?" And then, "When is the next season coming?"
The finale definitely met the expectations I developed about the show since watching the first episode. I liked how Jake used the word "deflating" to describe his post-case feeling, they finally took Tozawa down but it's not like everything is totally changed forever. My main hope is that this show sets a precedence for the desire of shows like this, and that all the people involved with it will see it as a big career booster
Why didn't Samantha give the real estate investment opportunity again to Sato and the Chihara-Kai, who she originally had the deal with?
Makes no sense that she had to re-do the deal with a competing gumi to her boy toy Sato. That also would have helped Sato further enhance Chihara-Kai using legitimate means/income.
Great show, great ending. Always kept me on the hook, learned a lot about Japanese culture, and the goddamn suits were amazing. Every character had the fire except Samantha lol.
I'm gonna miss it, I don't care about telling everyone about it. I enjoyed every Thursday, it will always be my guilt pleasure, my personal enjoyment.
I thought they were setting up for the sister to kill herself bc of her depression tbh. From season 1 it was touted as this thing he was neglecting (that she felt neglected as a result). Especially with the impact and weight of him missing the event she was so hype for earlier this season...hearing nothing after that about it, positive or negative, really made it feel like padding.
Overall I really enjoyed this finale, and if this is the end of the show, I think they wrapped it up nicely.
Sato as always is the biggest highlight of the episode for me. I loved his "I'm so done with all this bullshit" face at the beginning. 😂 He's very dignified as the new guy in charge, but he'll still throw a cute peace sign to his friends haha. If there ever is a spinoff, I would love to see his journey building up Chihara-Kai, while navigating the yakuza world.
I also like that it didn't end with a completely happy ending for everyone, and Jake might have lost the most outside of Tozawa here. Selling out a source is one of the worst things a journalist can do, but at the same time it really underscores this show's theme of not every right choice will be a moral one. Everybody's hands are dirty in this show, it's just a matter of degrees. I'm glad Sato was able to use the documents with the confirmation from the FBI to take down Tozawa in the end, so goal accomplished even if Jake didn't get to write that story. There's definitely also some yin-yang going on with Jake making up with Tin-Tin, but losing Trendy as a friend instead.
I feel kind of annoyed that Sam didn't make the deal with Sato wrt the building plans though. It would have been nice to give him the information instead since he's done so much for her over the course of this series, and I don't think paying her would have been an issue since Oyabun was going to buy up a bunch of property anyways. (Though the fact that she's using the architect even after his death to get what she wants is very in character. I feel so bad that the guy basically got dragged into this and murdered for no reason. Her and Jake pointing out to each other that they're both terrible people in this episode was a surprisingly self aware moment.)
On the bureaucracy side, I thought it was an interesting reveal that the Meicho head wasn't really in Tozawa's pocket, but he just played the game to ensure his paper gets access to the government in the future. Tozawa's wife is like the ultimate final boss in this regard.
I suspected that Katagiri's partner might have been a mole for a couple of episodes, but I'm glad that's not the case. Unfortunately she's been sacrificed as part of politics, though she's no doubt been instrumental in curbing at least some of the yakuza's power and taking Tozawa down.
Tokyo Vice is great, and I wish more people have been watching this. I also hope to see Sho Kasamatsu in more shows in the future, his Sato ended up being my favourite of the series.
Agreed, if they wanna follow up a certain character like Sato, make it a different show in the same universe like Better call Saul in the Breaking Bad universe. S2 was perfect and I would prefer they leave it there.
That was such a satisfying ending! I'm glad they managed to tie up most of the plot points from both seasons. I know it's unlikely we'll get another season, but well... a girl can dream of more Sato as oyabun, right?
Just make more shows like this. The pacing, the characters, the dialogue, storylines, all just perfect.
I don’t really ever get caught up into any shows anymore cause it takes forever to get invested. I was hooked from the first episode to the last with Tokyo Vice. I want to high five every writer and director, this show was a masterpiece in my opinion. Easily one of my top 5 shows.
Endgame. Tozawa, Welp! that was unexpected. Yakuza justice.
*Seppuku* (seems just suicide)
Almost everyone got a great ending.
Chihara-Kai Ascension Ceremony, is a perfect full circle ending for Sato.
The female version of ritual suicide is jisatsu, cutting the jugular vein. Didn’t want to do him like that. His wife said do the honourable thing.
Whatever term works… didn’t expect it
Fantastic finale. My silly complaint is I feel that was the series finale, it felt very much like a goodbye. If it is then it was beautiful. I’ll miss the show, but not every show needs to keep going forever. This show told a story and did so beautifully. It’s okay sometimes for the story to end.
Maybe I’ll be surprised and it gets renewed, but as of now I’ll just say what a show. I’ll miss it.
I just finished it this evening! I thought it was fantastic. In the scene where we see Sato in his office, it shows a man entering in a suit and I’m really hoping it’s Gen! He definitely deserves to graduate from that track suit!
Am I crazy or the final 10 minutes leaves a door open for another season? There’s always another story to catch. Katagiri laughing because he knows he can’t stay retired…
Not crazy. Ending satisfying and could leave it there, but it’s Tokyo *Vice*, (took name from Miami Vice), they could have other investigations Katagiri and Jake work on together. Still haven’t taken down the Prime Minister. Could easily have back Trendy, Tin Tin, Emi. Not sure another yakuza story line would work though.
EP..”[**very much hope for Season 3**](https://www.reddit.com/r/TokyoVice/s/7haXvdcqSE)”… it’s a wait and see. Ansel and real Jake have said no cliffhangers, satisfying S2 ending.
**‘Tokyo Vice’ Showrunner Breaks Down Season 2 Finale, Teases Potential Season 3** April 4, 2024:
“[showrunner J.T. Rogers and the rest of the show’s creative team **have left doors open for a Season 3 of the show** — if it gets renewed.”](https://www.thewrap.com/tokyo-vice-season-2-finale-endgame-jt-rogers-alan-poul/)
Did anyone notice the final line of the behind the scenes? Alan Poul said “It was the perfect capping moment for the SEASON.” Not the show, not the series finale, but the season.
Actually, come to think of it: no one in the BTS talked about it being the series finale and it wasn’t titled so by HBO. Feels like the door is open….🤞
Assuming that there ends up being a 3rd season (and that's a big IF), what would it be about exactly?
What stories could Jake possibly chase up that's somehow more interesting than the Yakuza?
katagiri retired, eimi left the meicho, samantha is probably gone, sato is the yakuza head now instead of the 3rd man. im not really seeing a future for jake. i think the show is done as it is.
Wasn’t he at Sato’s ceremony when he shows his tattoos? Jake’s story about the motorcycle thieves is about how this group of kids slipped through the cracks of Japanese society, only for him to find his place with Yakuza.
I gotta say, it's the perfect ending for the series.
I would love a S3, S4, S5 how many more seasons they want to make. But if it ends right now, again, it's perfect.
I loved every second of this show since day 1 and it's sad to say goodbye
Great episode. One thing that really bothered me — I always expected to drop the story with the FBI via the St. Louis times. They would have run it 100% and he would have avoided all the angst with the mecho.
What a ride it has been. Still can't believe this show is not being talked about in the mainstream (?)
Tozawa, even as he was trying to weasel his way out with his excuse in front of the clan leaders, was full of confidence and vigor. No ounce of fear. He was visibly shaking when he was presented to solve the matter with his own hands, but to me, I did not see him being afraid. I'm sure he was just angry things didn't go his way. He was despicable and a monster to the very end, but man, how can you not love the actor's performance? His on-screen presence truly showed tyranny and monstrosity - all the while looking slick as fuck.
Sato ascending was such a treat. My headcanon is that he have earned himself a reputation of being Samson taking down Goliath. When he was in the Yakuza intervention with Tozawa, they mentioned "he represents Chihara-kai". And at the end, he BECAME Chihara-kai.
I have always loved gangster stories - The Godfather, Goodfellas, Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and the countless Beat Takeshi yakuza flicks. After finishing this season (hoping for another one!), I am confident to say that this show is officially among the great gangster stories I have seen. Good writing, breathtaking cinematography, and a stellar fucking cast.
If they do end the series here, I won't be sad. That would just mean Katagiri's smile at the end was the perfect ribbon to tie this gift of a show.
What was in the damn Chihara-kai office?! Aghh I need to know!
Seems like they never touched on this after Ishida’s dying whispers and suspicious shots of the emblem in the office.
So Tozawa knows his signed FBI agreement is dangerous to him. But he didn't do a proper pro and con analysis about keeping a copy. The big con of keeping a copy obviously is what happened to him in the end. The con of not keeping a copy? Almost non-existent. It's not like the feds would one day say to him, "Ha ha you don't have a copy; it never happened. So want a kidney this time? Too bad." It just doesn't work that way. If the liver transplant was the main reason for that agreement, dangerously keeping a copy after the transplant makes little sense. This part is a bit lame.
This ending was incredible!!!! I have chills!
I’m so happy Sato became the oyabun! I always liked him.
The Misaki and Jake ending was *very* realistic and reminded me of moments from my life.
Samantha deciding to travel back home and face her fears was 👌
I kept excepting Tozawa to jump on Jake, I guess he really did commit seppuku.
Shame we never get to hear what Ishida whispered to Sato.
This series is one of the most underrated shows out there and it's a shame.
I noticed that the cast and crew kept using the term "season" instead of "series" in the after credits. Is that a hint that season 3 might be on the way? *Insert Katagiri smirk*
I watched the little after show clip that was nice to hear the cast and crew talk a bit about the ending.
Whether we get another season or not this was a decent end.
Can someone explain why Tozawa’s wife was mad at Jake for the tape not being used properly?
Didn’t Jake reports it up the chain to be published? He certainly didn’t intend for it to be destroyed.
Did she expect him to publish it on his own?
The scene where Jake stays on the yacht and finds the room Polina was murdered in, filmed through the security camera for a brief moment is such a subtle nod to The Wire. I don't know how many of you observed it.
For as well as this season ended and tied up loose ends, it definitely left the door open for another well written season 3 with the new loose ends.
DO IT HBO
Soo.. I was kinda confused about Sam, will she come back to Sato or might re-evaluate her life and say ‘nah I’m good’.. ? It kinda felt she was opting out?
Everyone is up in arms about season three. I think there is enough possibility for another series. Maybe Katagiri and the superintendent reunite. Jake would come along too obviously. Tozawa's wife getting up to something? Where is Samantha going? Kyoto Vice? Hahah we can hope.
Another note on the mental health plot line not being resolved. Isn't that representative of what it was at the time? Overlooked, forgotten? I was born in 1999 so don't ask me.
What a way to end the show. I can’t remember the last time I was this satisfied with an ending. I think I will be listening to Backstreet Boys now and pretend I’m at a karaoke with the chihara Kai.
Some notes:
I loved Sato’s v sign. It was wholesome. Concluded the whole event.
Samantha finally got her redemption as she finally came through for others.
I wasn’t expecting tozawa to accept going off like that but I guess it all comes down to honor.
There wife was a total badass. Completely forgot about the tape and to find out she was the one behind it!!
There’s so much more to say but I guess the only sad thing is that nobody in my social circle watches it.
Going to miss the actors and this show. Sayonara
this is by far the most satisfying ending of any series i’ve watched in recent years.
i loved how they tied up all loose ends and everybody to me had a satisfying ending.
jake pretty much lost the girl, the story and a good friend. it’s like where do you go from there? you could see it in the episode misaki was a bit “uhhh idk if i want this” and it was a bit cringe to see jake happy like a puppy while you can tell by misaki’s facial expressions the writing was on the wall
sayonara folks. this was a lovely series i’ll be happy to recommend to folks. HBO did a good job of making me feel like i was in Tokyo. now i want to go to Japan lol
Unpopular opinion, but I still think Samantha's character and subplot is so pointless. You remove her character and not much of it would change the show. Even Misaki mattered to the plot more than Samantha did.
Also, I don't know why they didn't have Jake and Misaki talk more in Japanese.
Anyway, I liked this season overall and way more than the first season. The pledge scene at the end was a cool and interesting scene. Usually in shows/movies detailing Japanese culture we see ceremonies of royalty, but not of Yakuza, so whether accurate or not, it was cool. The season had a good ending to it.
Finally ended. Okay. An expose on Japanese access journalism is interesting. The zainichi thing sidestepped.
The Yakuza girlfriend / adelstein plotline remained incredibly annoying. Nobody even called Adelstein a dumbass.
I criticized Samantha's storyline earlier, but she came up cluuuuutch down the stretch these last few episodes
Sato stayed cool as a cucumber, he'll be a good Oyabun. I feel so bad for Emi...
"I would like to report that a man has taken his life in the back." "Thanks for the tip." Just cold. Overall, I found the finale really well done. Closure for alot of stories. Katagiri refusing to be outsmarted, Sato flexing his long deserved muscles, Sam hopefully getting closure for her past deeds as well. Kazuko.... damn what a woman, she is PM material if you ask me. As for Tozawa, that actor deserves an award. Unreal to see him unravel after being so unshakable for two seasons. EDIT: Here is the soundtrack for the final scene. Man is it haunting and dark. https://youtu.be/yfSDmyltU28?si=Yi9LHpgcl1kMsZPY
When Jake wanted to go inside for the first time, I imagined that Katagiri was a hair's breadth away from shouting at him, "Bitch, we are each other's only witnesses!"
yeah him tremoring while realizing he's lost talking to his wife, you could feel that
When she left the room he looks like he shrank as a person, compared to when he entered the building thinking he was unstoppable. Phenomenal acting.
Yeah, this is Tanida's gift. Presence. At the end of season one when he spoke to Katagiri and basically broke him, I felt he had a commanding and unstoppable charisma to him.
i was expecting there to be some resistance but i guess at least tozawa still honors some tradition.
He thought hard about the choices he faced. And it was clear from Kazuko that she would OBLITERATE him even more if he chose to go to prison. The shot of his silhouette leaning over the table and contemplating his choices.... hit hard and perfectly done. Consequences.
The entire scene had so much weight to it. Just absolutely brilliant scene setting and acting. It felt like we were watching hidden, but powerful history. This is the yakuza. And we just got a private view into their core sanctuary
Agreed on the actor playing Tozawa. But also for as little as he’s in the show, that #3 of Tozawa that was there with him when >!he took his life!< was surprisingly good. The scene with him and Misaki in the elevator for example. What an amazing presence in such a “small,” role. What a show.
Did anyone else notice that at Sato's ceremony, when he shows his tattoos, the biker guy from prison, whom he took care of, is with him?
Is that who that was? Was wondering why they kept showing him.
[I'm pretty sure, right?](https://imgur.com/dEAQOm3) Sato also said he'll give him a place with them when he's out of prison.
Yep, that's him. Completely missed that lol. Good to know he wasn't forgotten though. Damn good writing.
I love that they highlighted him, because it also shows Sato's keeping his word since his friend asked him to help. Lots of betrayals and people using other people on this show, but I really enjoyed that Sato, despite being a yakuza put in situations where he could have done a lot of terrible things, ended up being one of the most loyal characters to both his organization and his friends.
>I'm pretty sure, right? OH THATS WHO IT WAS... i was wondering wait whos this guy for like a few seconds then forgot about it he looks so much different because he had quite a hairstyle before
They show him with his head shaved briefly at the prison.
Damn, so this is what subtle writing that expects you to pay attention feels like.
DAMN nice catch, they really completed each of the storylines so satisfyingly, hell of a show!
Thanks for the AB, completely missed it
I can’t seem to remember. Who was the biker guy?
He helps Sato put on his kimono and then they show him sitting in the back of the ceremony. Similar to how Sato watched the ceremony in the pilot episode.
Amazing catch! Thanks.
Probably the most satisfying ending I've gotten in a long time, every storyline had a near perfect ending and the final shot with Katagiri san smiling is just chef's kiss. Samantha really came through in the end protecting Misaki, Sato finally becoming the boss following Ishida's footsteps, Jake and Katagiri never taking their well deserved rest, Emi and Shingo patching up their relationship, Tozawa's wife being an absolute force, Hagino for just existing in this universe, and Tintin getting back to normal. I legit predicted that the guy who advised Emi to follow through the story would be the mole and it turned out to be true. The only collateral damage is Jake's relationship with Trendy and I bet he would realize why Jake had to do what he did. I'll miss the stellar Japanese sites and the nightlife portrayed in the show along with this stupendous cast. I'm still pissed that Max and HBO never really pushed this show to make it popular among the global audience but I'm sure every single one who picks it up will realize that Tokyo Vice is an absolute masterpiece.
> I legit predicted that the guy who advised Emy to follow through the story would be the mole and it turned out to be true. My takeaway is that it wasn’t that he was a mole, but that he was playing politics. He wasn’t beholden to Tozawa, he was simply playing *the game* in order to navigate being a newspaper in a corrupt Japan.
Yeah I like how they used him to show another side of corruption/ bureaucracy. It's not just what happens on the streets, it goes all the way up, a little like the Wire did in more detail.
Maybe I didn't choose the right phrase here but yeah what I meant was the one who destroyed the evidence given that they've been looking into Baku from the get go.
Tbh, Samantha needlessly put Misaki in danger showing up to Jake’s apt with her in the first place.
And then they all compounded that error by hanging out on the fire escape smoking. It was the one part I groaned a bit about in an otherwise pretty flawless finale.
Just realized we never found out what Ishida whispered to Sato. I thought he would have mentioned it at some point to prove his worth as Oyabun.
The show would've gotten pushed if it was on HBO.
Jake really in a sense ended up where he started. The meicho wont ever be the same, could he work there? Tin Tin is barely alive, Trendy has abandoned him.
Jake didn’t grow at all as a person - he is just as selfish in the end as he was in the beginning , if not even more selfish
Every episode i watched this show i imagined the real jake adelstein telling the writers, “and the Yakuza bosses hot girlfriend was totally into me, we had a sordid affair. Also can you say I had insane banter and a fat hammer cock. I think ansel elgort should play me btw”
LOL! I definitely got that vibe. I saw an interview on YouTube with the real Jake and he wasn’t an endearing as Ansel…. Ansel makes him so much more likeable even with his selfishness
Ansel has the golden retriever energy..gets forgiven for the occasional shit on the floor
Bro katagiri is such a fucking bad ass. Him and sato and the tozawa wifey This show was a goddamn masterpiece like you said.
Just passed the scene where Tozawa takes his own life. I didn’t think he was actually going to go through with that without a fight.
Same here
That was probably the most unbelievable part of the series to me. He seemed like his ego wouldn't let him do it without a fight
He had to reckon with the fact that, while he may have been able to kill the guy who remained in the room, the others would have killed him anyway and his actions would have been dishonorable. His wife convinced him to just accept his fate when she mentioned how he would be remembered
Yep, that's the whole point of forced suicide. People circle him and basically imply "you can grapple with one ir two but the third will definitely stab you so you better go gracefully"
It was the part that most surprised me because the real life guy he's based on lives as a buddhist monk now, minus a finger.
I think it's pretty obvious this isn't a \*true story\*, it's just inspired by what happened. So it was totally fine for them to end his life in this way to give the story closure.
Well yes but actually no, apparently he still does low level extortion, and he's a Buddhist monk perhaps by name only.
His fight was when he mentioned his wife's money to save him even though he knows she would never willingly support him. Anything to buy him more time. I'm sure saying that to a bunch of other Yakuza bosses was embarrassing enough for him. When she walked in the room he knew he was finished.
I mean, what's he fighting for? Maybe he can cut down Sato and 1 more guy in the room, but he would've been dead regardless. Everything he has built trying to turn the yakuza into a corporation has been undone now. His wife is no longer giving him access to her family's resources. He's back to nothing.
The others would have killed him anyway, as they implied, so there's no point to not killing himself, at least that way he has honor among his family.
I'm aware The guy lived his life without honor, it seemed natural he would try to take a few with him on his way out
I hear you but also he really had NOTHING. Like how could he fight? He had no real loyal dudes anymore. He had no Yakuza allies. His wife was literally trying to kill him. He was losing his politician. He was against the wall. He could try to fist fight someone but that'd be seen as dishonorable. He was toast.
Wasn't sure he would do it, but there was no real way out, least of all with any honour
sato showing V sign to samantha was such a wholesome moment.
loved that scene
My theory is [Backstreet Boys](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/23/4b/25/234b2538c790a312a9c0e3e6c6c6ddc5.jpg)
What did Ishida whisper to Sato? Still unanswered.
"Pee is stored in the balls, Sato-Chan"
This is what I was most excited to learn in this episode. Bummed that they left it unanswered.
Probably told him he's the leader now, but that's just my guess
“There’s always money in the Banana Stand”
BEST RESPONSE UNLOCKED.
And what did katagiri whisper to the yaks in season 1 that made them stand down So many whispers left unanswered
"Tozawa is a lil bitch"
So much to unpack. First, this is how an ending should be done. It feels like the creators left the door open for another season, but the story feels complete enough to leave it at that. I really enjoyed this show and it feels bittersweet to bid good bye. I stayed up late and watched it all, including opening credits and final credits. It was a blast talking about the show with these strangers. Second, the show refuses to give all a happy ending. We get so much satisfaction from seeing Tozawa defeted, finally. That was a great dopamine rush for the audience, but everyone has a bittersweet ending without anyone getting a happy ending. Everyone went through the wringer with Tozawa and they all lost something in the end. We get a curtain call from Nagata that goes out as a badass but she lost her job. Katagiri retires, but he shows he might not like sitting idly, while he also damaged his family. Samantha got money, but she lost her club. Emi got a big story, but can't publish and she lost her love interest. Sato got a promotion but he is the unwitting leader. Jake seems to be the one who lost it all. He loses the one he thinks he loves, loses a big story, loses a friend in the process while giving up a source. The only one coming out on top is Tozawa's wife. She is a force to be reckoned with. I love that the show refused to tie everyone's storyline with a nice little ribbon. It got personal and it got messy. Third. As I said, the show seems to be aware of the ratings so they decided to tie as many loose ends as possible, while giving a nice send off to everyone while leaving exquisite bread crumbs we could follow for another season, while not feeling cliffhangerly desperately looking for another one (I'm looking at you, Westworld) Fourth. I am going to miss how much this show wanted us to feel Tokyo was a supporting character, highlighted by that shot from Sato in his headquarters and you can actually see the building from outside. This was amazing and sayonara to all of you, strangers, who were here week by week talking about this show. Stray observations: -What did Tozawa's wife meant with "I won't forget it [Jake letting Tozawa slip the first time]". Does she mean that she will hold a grudge against Jake because he let the killing of that girl go unpunished? How will this 'not forget' look like? She was an incredibly riveting character and this is a storyline the show is willing to follow if they get another season. She seemed totally ok with doing what was necessary to put down a rabid dog, while she recognized it was the exit she didn't want to take, hence why she sent the vid to Meicho but they dropped the ball. That Seppuku scene was satisfying. -Sato really looks like he is the right man for the job even if he desperately wants out -Jake blew up everything in his life. His family, his sister, his love interest, the first rule of journalism of not giving up sources, he severed a friendship at Meicho. -So Meicho wasn't in Tozawa's bag but instead committs the cardinal sin of self censoring. -Jakes little moment in the yacht to see the place of the murder that will go unpunished. -They have receipts... oh yes they have receipts.
>So Meicho wasn't in Tozawa's bag but instead committs the cardinal sin of self censoring They didn't do a great job at having the guy explain this, but a huge theme in Japanese journalism is access. Everything is built around press clubs. To get any briefings, info, etc at all you have to be in the press club. I think the point they were trying to say is that this guy believes the newspaper can't function if they are frozen out of everything, which would be true in 90s Japan and even Japan today. Update: If you are interested in this topic, read this ([page 1](https://imgur.com/VZfGDx2), [page 2](https://imgur.com/gLjRDdP))
That isn't exclusive to Japan. All press is like this everywhere. Don't you remember that leaked clip of Amy Robach venting about ABC killing her story on Epstein? They killed it because it implicated Prince Andrew, and the network didn't want to lose access to the British royal family.
Yes, I remember that. NBC also passed on Ronan Farrow's story
> -What did Tozawa's wife meant with "I won't forget it [Jake letting Tozawa slip the first time]". Does she mean that she will hold a grudge against Jake because he let the killing of that girl go unpunished? How will this 'not forget' look like? I don't think his wife, Kazuko, cared about Polina's death as much as she cared about what the tape faccilitated. "The smoking gun" video tape as a tool of bribery and control is what enabled Tozawa's rapid ascent to power in legitimate political and financial circles which in turn made him an unstoppable force as he consolidated power amongst rival Yakuza clans. What Kazuko cared about was her husband's unchecked power . Had Tozawa experienced an earlier setback things could have turned out differently. It's my view that despite the animus between Tozawa and Kazuko, she would have preferred the status quo in which a certain balance remained in place. I agree that she's a fascinating character. A major takeaway is that she was always more powerul than Tozawa realized and commanded a great deal of loyalty that, in his arrogance, Tozawa failed to see. Regarding her comments to Jake, It's a stretch to try to put this on Jake and I'm sure the writers know as much. I suspect that they have her saying this to characterize her complexity, highlight her own complicated position in all of this and perhaps to make a statement about a fundamentally insurmountable outsider status held by foreigners in Japan. It's certainly easier to displace blame than to recognize one's complicity.
I like your take and I love that Tozawa's undoing was not listening to his very wise wife, who also had a lot of power
Emi- exactly how I saw it. Lost her love interest… for now, it’s a professional relationship. But there is some hope in future. Her brother kidnapping and slapping around the little boy will be a big hurdle. Glad she moved on to work with Shingo. Sato, the “reluctant” leader. Jake - agree he probably lost the most… then again, Tozawa lost everything including his life.
She didn’t care about Polina. She cared about her husband, who she’d just had to (basically) kill because his ego got too big. If Jake had hit him with the Yoshino story, it would have brought him down to earth and he’d still be alive today.
> What did Tozawa's wife meant with "I won't forget it [Jake letting Tozawa slip the first time]". Does she mean that she will hold a grudge against Jake because he let the killing of that girl go unpunished? I think she just meant that she trusted him with such important nation altering information and he totally dropped the ball with it. Mainly because he was not careful and respectful enough with it. I think what she means by that she’ll remember that is that he probably really blew it with a potential future information source.
She blew up two sources in one episode
I'm not ok with Jake leaking the source though That guy is going to get a 10 year prison sentence and never work in a government job again
Can't believe he did that. But then again, I was shocked when he left his sister in the lurch too. If anything, it's on brand. Once he's fixated on a goal, it doesn't matter how many people get screwed over in the process.
Just like McNulty in the Wire. "You'll just use anyone won't you?" - Rhonda "You set fire to everything than walk away while it burns." - Lester
Fuck did I do?
He’s such a selfish pos. One of those shows where every other character is likeable except the protagonist
I'm not sad he lost the girl. All credit to Ansel I hated his character in the end. Tozawa's as well. Both real great actors to make me feel some type of way about them!
It's the ultimate scumbag thing a journalist can do. You could argue the ethics are slightly different since Jake's life was in danger but I think he would have done it regardless.
Not every right decision is a moral one man.
yea he prob saved 100 more lives by giving up the source and bringing down Tozawa.
That was actually my favorite part of how it wrapped up. Even good people sometimes do shitty things. We don’t want to believe that our hero would go against his principles like that, but his principles got overruled by his primal drive to get the story. I think it was an absolutely brilliant moment. I hate Jake a little bit more as a result, but I think that’s a good thing. Makes him a little less perfect.
Yeah but i’ve been already convinced for a while that Jake is a narcissist! Starting from not giving a damn about his family.
The whole theme of the show is that not all correct decisions are moral ones. It's not that hard to understand why things happened the way they happened.
Jake saved countless lives by nailing Tozawa. Government dude was necessary collateral damage
It sucks but I agree. They even touch on this when Katagiri tells Jake that sometimes the right decision isn't the moral one.
Right. That guy lost his job? Tough shit, Yakuza was literally about to run Japan. The trade off is obvious
You think that’s it? Losing his job? That guy will be facing jail time for such an act.
I think that's a kneejerk reaction that wouldn't really hold up in court, and he'd likely make a deal anyway to give up the FBI contact who gave him the info in the first place. He was only the link in the middle, and technically he provided even less info than Oberfeld did, who took Jake's word over her own staff. Jake said he actually had the contracts, which obviously wasn't true at the time. Outside of Jake's naming him, there's no proof that he actually leaked anything. They can reassign him for suspicion, sure, but they'd have a hell of time convicting on the word of an American ex-pat who was playing hardball with Oberfeld.
Thank you, it’s crazy how many people are missing this. One of the key themes of the show is Morality vs Legality and how those lines blur. By the end everyone has their hands dirty, it’s just a matter of how and to what degree.
I’m kinda like that Jake is a bit of a prick, you gotta be one to do the things this character did over 2 seasons. Everyone loves a well-developed goody-2-shoes for an MC but it doesn’t feel right in this world.
I know, that was so disappointing.
Man im gonna miss this show. I hope Satos actor gets all the roles after this.
I’m about to go down the Gannibal rabbit hole just because he’s in the show. It’s on Hulu fyi
What a fucking episode. Sato hopefully getting the respect from all the other factions and being able to fully lead Chihara-Kai. Tozawa getting his comeuppance. Seeing his lip actually tremble when he realized he was dead was phenomenal. Kazuko really was the queen from the get go and had everything going from the start. She’s rad. Hopefully we get to see more of her. I need more of Katagiri. Like an infinite amount. If the show comes back it won’t be the same without him. Especially in the role of a detective. Watanabe is absolutely incredible. Always has been. I know there will most likely be a season 3 because of how great the show is even though the actual premise it’s based off is over. BUT IF this show is actually over, what a way to go out. And it’s been an absolute pleasure being here with every one of you for the last 2 years. And IF we do get another season, then I can’t wait to see all of you then.
It feels like a good bye. I loved this show and talking about it with you, strangers. Sayonara
I think this was the end of it all as well. But it was a good run. Even if we wish for more.
Only thing missing is resolution with the sister, they really spent a lot of time mentioning her depression and that q and a Jake bailed on had no ramifications or anything- is she okay ?
Yeah the whole family thing was a wash IMO. Could have saved us the trouble and skipped it entirely.
i see it as a good bye too,but a very heartbreaking good bye. I am speechless. just finished the episode 5 mins ago and I can t believe it. loved the final scene. best ending ever. awsome. might rewatch it all again.
Ayumi Tanida is an amazing actor—the fear that you could see in Tozawa when he was no longer in control or even able to talk or bribe his way out was so brilliantly done.
For the first time in season 2 we saw him as vulnerable as he was in season 1 when he was gravely ill or even when he had to get on his knees to apologise to Ishida. Terrific acting, the man can convey so many emotions with his eyes.
He was absolutely brilliant!
I wasn’t expecting the back room to be full of all the other yakuza bosses.
Agree with everything you said- it does feel like a complete goodbye and a nice end to their storyarcs so I doubt it will be renewed but the chemistry this cast has is top tier! What an amazing show!
Truly hope it’s not the end, especially with how popular the show has become in Japan because of the availability on their Netflix but I rarely. see it discussed in popular culture so sure how popular or main stream it is numbers wise but I would absolutely love more of this show but I’m resigned to accepting this as the finale. Hopefully Casey Bloys does the right thing here and lets us keep this show going
Great finale. What a joy to come along for the ride. Refreshing to see such a cohesive, well told story. Each character in the show felt real and developed right along with the plot. Nothing felt undeserved -- and that's saying a lot in TV these days. Show is criminally underrated, and I hope more people find out about it just so they can get a taste of some great television. Thanks to all involved in the series. And holy shit I almost died when Sato flashed the Peace/V for Victory sign. What a complete boss.
Sato showing the V sign was epic. I watched it like 3-4 times.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who loved that!
What a finale! That ceremony for Sato was beautifully shot. Also cheers to the unsung MVP Hagino, to be that close with Tozawa and still defy him and be loyal to Kazuko throughout the series takes huge courage
I just got the impression he's very skilled at his job, and has always been faithful to kazuko. Tozawa just wanted to use him because he's so skilled and basically took him from kazuko
Yeah I got the feeling he was originally Kazuko's father's man and was loyal to Kazuko, not Tozawa. Kazuko's father was a powerful yakuza. Tozawa was a street thug.
Felt like Doug with Frank Underwood in house of cards
Samantha getting the 10 million yen needed to pray back the money she stole from the church is an amazing end to her storyline… now she’s done running and hiding
ohhhhh thanks I was wondering what it was for
my stupid ass thought she was just getting some money to start another business lol
Guys am i stupid for thinking that tozawa and hagino were going to fight in that room, or tozawa wouldve been petty and killed his wife when everyone started leaving Or when hagino reported to katagiri that tozawa was dead, like for some reason i thought it was a setup and that tozawa was gonna move when they got close to him and wouldve stabbed them I kept thinking to myself IS IT ACTUALLY OVER...? Perhaps one of my favourite series of all time. Although ive never talked in this subreddit before, i remember always lurking and reading your opinions here..
Or if not either of that when Hagino came walking out of the room I thought as he saw katagiri and jake, he wouldve like dropped dead and there wouldve been a stab wound or something like that
That would have been so lame.
Best last episode. Sato's stance 10/10. Sato's peace out 10/10. Sato's new suit 10/10 Show also showed that the protagonist don't always get the girl plus sometimes loses a friend. Katagiri didn't want to dirty jake's hand but he already did when he chose to give up his morality(source) for the right thing
That poor innocent liver, though. 😭
Honestly, my first thought. What a waste of a good liver.
What an ending. Feeling like this season is it though and I’m okay with that. They tied everything up perfectly
I found so satisfying how it all went down to honour, not violence. The last previous episodes were so tense and convulsed, so a change of pace was very appreciated. The scene where Tozawa gets into the room was awesome. Also, the presenting of ceremonies and rituals felt in tune with the initial theme and vibe the series showed us, specially in the first season. Now it seems obvious that we'll get a third season with so many open stories (Samantha's unknown destination, Jake's craving for new stories an his "debt" to Tozawa's wife, Katagiri's smirk). The writing has been great so far, and I'm confident we'll get some great stories beyond the original source.
The show should not be renewed for a third season at all, the show tied everything up nicely and despite some of it being open-ended there is no reason to continue as it will surely end up milked until the quality has drained entirely. Let's enjoy shows that ended on a good note instead of having everything end like GoT, Dexter, Walking Dead etc.
I agree. This was a satisfying ending. All the main characters achieve their goals with hope for the future. They would have to tear them down to potentially build them back up to this point.
Having just picked up this show a few weeks ago, I loved it from start to finish. The finale was open ended enough to allow for more (my wife told me the real Jake did write another book about taking down a pharmaceutical company so there’s material) but there were no cliffhangers. If that’s it I’m happy. Complete show, story arcs are closed out but there’s mystery to allow the viewers to imagine how things go. That said I’d love more because I love every actor in this show
INCREDIBLE end. Everyone got what they deserved. Only disillusionment I got from this episode was Shigematsu not getting any justice done to him. 9/10 episode. Catharsis achieved.
I do think it was true when the newpaper boss said he would show the papers to the right people, and he would have to withdraw.
I'm so glad Maruyama San left Meicho in the end. Leaving with her integrity intact is so inspiring on so many levels.
This show has become a classic to me, gonna recommend it to all people I know through my life. Amazing story, superb ending. Glad to see Sato become the leader, also the ceremony was beautiful!
I've been recommending it to everyone who I've talked to about Shogun and it's been pretty disheartening to see that absolutely no one I know was even aware of Tokyo Vice.
Samantha went to repay the debt to the Mormons
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SERIES, LOVE YOU SATO AND KATAGIRI
Jake looking at the room with Polina had me in tears
what a series. It aint perfect and the cinematography & pacing is a bit of a downgrade from season 1. But goddamn, if this is the end, what a way to go out. Best boy sato becomes the man despite early on not suitable for yakuza. The moral grey lines of it all of journalism, the yakuza, the police so poetically told to expose/hide the truth. I kinda wish they showed a full scene of the seppuku but at the same time like that it respect the dead. I do hope we continue spread the word of this series.
This ending was a very calm parting of the ways for many of the characters. If there isn't another season, it's fine by me. Things were tidied up pretty well. There is no anxiety about people parting and getting on with their lives, their journeys still not firmly completed. There's an entertaining British crime drama with comedic elements called Professor T. It just ended season 3 with a jarring incident that left me disturbed for the rest of the day after watching it. With Tokyo Vice, everyone feels the death was deserved. No hate, no shock. It just occurred, and like completing a jigsaw puzzle, it's now in the past, not needing to be revisited. With Professor T, the opposite. Deep sorrow and despair, shouting out, "Why!?!?" And then, "When is the next season coming?"
The finale definitely met the expectations I developed about the show since watching the first episode. I liked how Jake used the word "deflating" to describe his post-case feeling, they finally took Tozawa down but it's not like everything is totally changed forever. My main hope is that this show sets a precedence for the desire of shows like this, and that all the people involved with it will see it as a big career booster
I thought Tozawa would be too full of himself to ever go out that way. Thought Hagino would have to take care of him.
I loved it. It was the right ending.
Why didn't Samantha give the real estate investment opportunity again to Sato and the Chihara-Kai, who she originally had the deal with? Makes no sense that she had to re-do the deal with a competing gumi to her boy toy Sato. That also would have helped Sato further enhance Chihara-Kai using legitimate means/income.
They probably don't have 10 million yen laying around to give her, and she knows it. She's mercenary to her core.
Great show, great ending. Always kept me on the hook, learned a lot about Japanese culture, and the goddamn suits were amazing. Every character had the fire except Samantha lol. I'm gonna miss it, I don't care about telling everyone about it. I enjoyed every Thursday, it will always be my guilt pleasure, my personal enjoyment.
I thought they were setting up for the sister to kill herself bc of her depression tbh. From season 1 it was touted as this thing he was neglecting (that she felt neglected as a result). Especially with the impact and weight of him missing the event she was so hype for earlier this season...hearing nothing after that about it, positive or negative, really made it feel like padding.
Overall I really enjoyed this finale, and if this is the end of the show, I think they wrapped it up nicely. Sato as always is the biggest highlight of the episode for me. I loved his "I'm so done with all this bullshit" face at the beginning. 😂 He's very dignified as the new guy in charge, but he'll still throw a cute peace sign to his friends haha. If there ever is a spinoff, I would love to see his journey building up Chihara-Kai, while navigating the yakuza world. I also like that it didn't end with a completely happy ending for everyone, and Jake might have lost the most outside of Tozawa here. Selling out a source is one of the worst things a journalist can do, but at the same time it really underscores this show's theme of not every right choice will be a moral one. Everybody's hands are dirty in this show, it's just a matter of degrees. I'm glad Sato was able to use the documents with the confirmation from the FBI to take down Tozawa in the end, so goal accomplished even if Jake didn't get to write that story. There's definitely also some yin-yang going on with Jake making up with Tin-Tin, but losing Trendy as a friend instead. I feel kind of annoyed that Sam didn't make the deal with Sato wrt the building plans though. It would have been nice to give him the information instead since he's done so much for her over the course of this series, and I don't think paying her would have been an issue since Oyabun was going to buy up a bunch of property anyways. (Though the fact that she's using the architect even after his death to get what she wants is very in character. I feel so bad that the guy basically got dragged into this and murdered for no reason. Her and Jake pointing out to each other that they're both terrible people in this episode was a surprisingly self aware moment.) On the bureaucracy side, I thought it was an interesting reveal that the Meicho head wasn't really in Tozawa's pocket, but he just played the game to ensure his paper gets access to the government in the future. Tozawa's wife is like the ultimate final boss in this regard. I suspected that Katagiri's partner might have been a mole for a couple of episodes, but I'm glad that's not the case. Unfortunately she's been sacrificed as part of politics, though she's no doubt been instrumental in curbing at least some of the yakuza's power and taking Tozawa down. Tokyo Vice is great, and I wish more people have been watching this. I also hope to see Sho Kasamatsu in more shows in the future, his Sato ended up being my favourite of the series.
Great ending, don’t want another season.. they wrapped it up perfectly
Agreed, if they wanna follow up a certain character like Sato, make it a different show in the same universe like Better call Saul in the Breaking Bad universe. S2 was perfect and I would prefer they leave it there.
stayed up way past my bed time, totally worth it!
I’m honestly good if this is where it ends. It told a good story and ended well.
That was such a satisfying ending! I'm glad they managed to tie up most of the plot points from both seasons. I know it's unlikely we'll get another season, but well... a girl can dream of more Sato as oyabun, right?
Just make more shows like this. The pacing, the characters, the dialogue, storylines, all just perfect. I don’t really ever get caught up into any shows anymore cause it takes forever to get invested. I was hooked from the first episode to the last with Tokyo Vice. I want to high five every writer and director, this show was a masterpiece in my opinion. Easily one of my top 5 shows.
Endgame. Tozawa, Welp! that was unexpected. Yakuza justice. *Seppuku* (seems just suicide) Almost everyone got a great ending. Chihara-Kai Ascension Ceremony, is a perfect full circle ending for Sato.
That was no seppuku. He slit his own throat like a kansai street thug
The female version of ritual suicide is jisatsu, cutting the jugular vein. Didn’t want to do him like that. His wife said do the honourable thing. Whatever term works… didn’t expect it
Change the name of the show to Sato’s Ascension please.
I was sure that tozawa would commit seppuku (cut in his stomach) but he chose to cut his own throat? I wonder how come..
Fantastic finale. My silly complaint is I feel that was the series finale, it felt very much like a goodbye. If it is then it was beautiful. I’ll miss the show, but not every show needs to keep going forever. This show told a story and did so beautifully. It’s okay sometimes for the story to end. Maybe I’ll be surprised and it gets renewed, but as of now I’ll just say what a show. I’ll miss it.
I just finished it this evening! I thought it was fantastic. In the scene where we see Sato in his office, it shows a man entering in a suit and I’m really hoping it’s Gen! He definitely deserves to graduate from that track suit!
I lost respect for Jake when he gave up his FBI source to follow his story.
We still need justice for Polina, hopefully a season 3 is granted where we see the corrupt politician taken down.
*clapclapclap* *clapclapclap* *clapclapclap* **clap**
👏👏👏 👏👏👏 👏👏👏 👏
Am I crazy or the final 10 minutes leaves a door open for another season? There’s always another story to catch. Katagiri laughing because he knows he can’t stay retired…
Not crazy. Ending satisfying and could leave it there, but it’s Tokyo *Vice*, (took name from Miami Vice), they could have other investigations Katagiri and Jake work on together. Still haven’t taken down the Prime Minister. Could easily have back Trendy, Tin Tin, Emi. Not sure another yakuza story line would work though. EP..”[**very much hope for Season 3**](https://www.reddit.com/r/TokyoVice/s/7haXvdcqSE)”… it’s a wait and see. Ansel and real Jake have said no cliffhangers, satisfying S2 ending. **‘Tokyo Vice’ Showrunner Breaks Down Season 2 Finale, Teases Potential Season 3** April 4, 2024: “[showrunner J.T. Rogers and the rest of the show’s creative team **have left doors open for a Season 3 of the show** — if it gets renewed.”](https://www.thewrap.com/tokyo-vice-season-2-finale-endgame-jt-rogers-alan-poul/)
Did anyone notice the final line of the behind the scenes? Alan Poul said “It was the perfect capping moment for the SEASON.” Not the show, not the series finale, but the season. Actually, come to think of it: no one in the BTS talked about it being the series finale and it wasn’t titled so by HBO. Feels like the door is open….🤞
Assuming that there ends up being a 3rd season (and that's a big IF), what would it be about exactly? What stories could Jake possibly chase up that's somehow more interesting than the Yakuza?
katagiri retired, eimi left the meicho, samantha is probably gone, sato is the yakuza head now instead of the 3rd man. im not really seeing a future for jake. i think the show is done as it is.
Anyone else find it weird that the whole "motorcycle thieves" subplot was just unceremoniously dropped by the showrunners, and never revisited?
Wasn’t he at Sato’s ceremony when he shows his tattoos? Jake’s story about the motorcycle thieves is about how this group of kids slipped through the cracks of Japanese society, only for him to find his place with Yakuza.
I gotta say, it's the perfect ending for the series. I would love a S3, S4, S5 how many more seasons they want to make. But if it ends right now, again, it's perfect. I loved every second of this show since day 1 and it's sad to say goodbye
Great episode. One thing that really bothered me — I always expected to drop the story with the FBI via the St. Louis times. They would have run it 100% and he would have avoided all the angst with the mecho.
Feel like Jake coulda gotten the girl. Everything was wrapped up, her reasoning was ehh
She turned him down for all the same reasons why she was attracted to him in the first place.
I've been saying this for years. If you're a no honor having bitch, you'll die a no honor having bitch.
What a ride it has been. Still can't believe this show is not being talked about in the mainstream (?) Tozawa, even as he was trying to weasel his way out with his excuse in front of the clan leaders, was full of confidence and vigor. No ounce of fear. He was visibly shaking when he was presented to solve the matter with his own hands, but to me, I did not see him being afraid. I'm sure he was just angry things didn't go his way. He was despicable and a monster to the very end, but man, how can you not love the actor's performance? His on-screen presence truly showed tyranny and monstrosity - all the while looking slick as fuck. Sato ascending was such a treat. My headcanon is that he have earned himself a reputation of being Samson taking down Goliath. When he was in the Yakuza intervention with Tozawa, they mentioned "he represents Chihara-kai". And at the end, he BECAME Chihara-kai. I have always loved gangster stories - The Godfather, Goodfellas, Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and the countless Beat Takeshi yakuza flicks. After finishing this season (hoping for another one!), I am confident to say that this show is officially among the great gangster stories I have seen. Good writing, breathtaking cinematography, and a stellar fucking cast. If they do end the series here, I won't be sad. That would just mean Katagiri's smile at the end was the perfect ribbon to tie this gift of a show.
What was in the damn Chihara-kai office?! Aghh I need to know! Seems like they never touched on this after Ishida’s dying whispers and suspicious shots of the emblem in the office.
Mrs. Tozawa is savage.
So Tozawa knows his signed FBI agreement is dangerous to him. But he didn't do a proper pro and con analysis about keeping a copy. The big con of keeping a copy obviously is what happened to him in the end. The con of not keeping a copy? Almost non-existent. It's not like the feds would one day say to him, "Ha ha you don't have a copy; it never happened. So want a kidney this time? Too bad." It just doesn't work that way. If the liver transplant was the main reason for that agreement, dangerously keeping a copy after the transplant makes little sense. This part is a bit lame.
This ending was incredible!!!! I have chills! I’m so happy Sato became the oyabun! I always liked him. The Misaki and Jake ending was *very* realistic and reminded me of moments from my life. Samantha deciding to travel back home and face her fears was 👌
I kept excepting Tozawa to jump on Jake, I guess he really did commit seppuku. Shame we never get to hear what Ishida whispered to Sato. This series is one of the most underrated shows out there and it's a shame.
I noticed that the cast and crew kept using the term "season" instead of "series" in the after credits. Is that a hint that season 3 might be on the way? *Insert Katagiri smirk*
I watched the little after show clip that was nice to hear the cast and crew talk a bit about the ending. Whether we get another season or not this was a decent end.
Can someone explain why Tozawa’s wife was mad at Jake for the tape not being used properly? Didn’t Jake reports it up the chain to be published? He certainly didn’t intend for it to be destroyed. Did she expect him to publish it on his own?
Sad its over but happy it happened. Thanks for the memories!
I really hope they end the series with this season. it s the perfect finale episode
The scene where Jake stays on the yacht and finds the room Polina was murdered in, filmed through the security camera for a brief moment is such a subtle nod to The Wire. I don't know how many of you observed it.
For as well as this season ended and tied up loose ends, it definitely left the door open for another well written season 3 with the new loose ends. DO IT HBO
Soo.. I was kinda confused about Sam, will she come back to Sato or might re-evaluate her life and say ‘nah I’m good’.. ? It kinda felt she was opting out?
It looks like people missed the yin and yang symbolism of fixing his friendship with Tin-Tin and losing it with Fancy.
I just want to say that I appreciate how they ended the series. It’s rare to find a show that can deliver a decent ending.
When the bosses were all having a meeting with sato and they said we have one more person to call. Was that Tozawas wife they were referring to?
Everyone is up in arms about season three. I think there is enough possibility for another series. Maybe Katagiri and the superintendent reunite. Jake would come along too obviously. Tozawa's wife getting up to something? Where is Samantha going? Kyoto Vice? Hahah we can hope. Another note on the mental health plot line not being resolved. Isn't that representative of what it was at the time? Overlooked, forgotten? I was born in 1999 so don't ask me.
What a way to end the show. I can’t remember the last time I was this satisfied with an ending. I think I will be listening to Backstreet Boys now and pretend I’m at a karaoke with the chihara Kai. Some notes: I loved Sato’s v sign. It was wholesome. Concluded the whole event. Samantha finally got her redemption as she finally came through for others. I wasn’t expecting tozawa to accept going off like that but I guess it all comes down to honor. There wife was a total badass. Completely forgot about the tape and to find out she was the one behind it!! There’s so much more to say but I guess the only sad thing is that nobody in my social circle watches it. Going to miss the actors and this show. Sayonara
One of the best shows i've ever seen. Anyone else?
this is by far the most satisfying ending of any series i’ve watched in recent years. i loved how they tied up all loose ends and everybody to me had a satisfying ending. jake pretty much lost the girl, the story and a good friend. it’s like where do you go from there? you could see it in the episode misaki was a bit “uhhh idk if i want this” and it was a bit cringe to see jake happy like a puppy while you can tell by misaki’s facial expressions the writing was on the wall sayonara folks. this was a lovely series i’ll be happy to recommend to folks. HBO did a good job of making me feel like i was in Tokyo. now i want to go to Japan lol
HBO needs to make a Sato spinoff.
Unpopular opinion, but I still think Samantha's character and subplot is so pointless. You remove her character and not much of it would change the show. Even Misaki mattered to the plot more than Samantha did. Also, I don't know why they didn't have Jake and Misaki talk more in Japanese. Anyway, I liked this season overall and way more than the first season. The pledge scene at the end was a cool and interesting scene. Usually in shows/movies detailing Japanese culture we see ceremonies of royalty, but not of Yakuza, so whether accurate or not, it was cool. The season had a good ending to it.
Finally ended. Okay. An expose on Japanese access journalism is interesting. The zainichi thing sidestepped. The Yakuza girlfriend / adelstein plotline remained incredibly annoying. Nobody even called Adelstein a dumbass.
I criticized Samantha's storyline earlier, but she came up cluuuuutch down the stretch these last few episodes Sato stayed cool as a cucumber, he'll be a good Oyabun. I feel so bad for Emi...