I AM WARHOL
Veteran
I thought Jake had a reason to not like his family. All along he was just an angsty white boy
Tokyo Vice - Season 2 (HBO MAX/2.8.24)
- Thread starter jay211
- Start date
There's some good elements here. Interesting how well some of the family dynamics work. The party scenes. Him with his Dad. And how the show feels a little more authentic on that level, and better, more grounded.
even if some of the plot devices are a little contrived. The sister is not only suicidal, and needs in person treatment- but she needs him to appear for an in person interview at her school. uh huh.
and I wouldn't want them to contrive it anymore, but the solution is so obvious, to say "I have a family commitment" and will be on the next flight out after. but regardless, some other things that weren't done well:
none of the violence has any teeth. Not sure if this is intentional artistic choice, or just someone who doesn't know how to shoot it. That shooting in the car seemed to have Gomorrah influences, but doesn't wear them well enough. Not bloody or realistic enough. The music was good.
The Vacheron watch that allows the whole process to be streamlined, and the idea that the doctor would be wearing a 250k watch as his everyday work watch, going to surgery. uh huh. Saw that call back as soon as I saw the watch. Or the idea that no one else in his social circle would know what a Vacheron is.
The scene with Hayama, always a pretty bad character. Had some tension, but felt closer to like a grade school bullying than Yakuza violence. The directing and lighting is excellent though. The writing has declined. The plotting is very amateur level, and I think the first few episodes of Season 1 pointed away from that and into a more reflective show, that wasn't just averagely plotted gangster shyt. But the last two of Season 1 were more like these ones.
To me, it seems like it's a show runner issue, and HBO execs. Add a gay romance. Add some drama. Suicidal sister. Love affair. A brother in trouble. A brother gone the wrong way. What happens is the show abandons these subplots as soon as they hit their mark. Let s make this appeal to more people.
think of the level of tension in Season 1: Episode 1, when they were just having a meeting at the hotel, or the Yakuza ceremony, without any of the extra drama. The tension in that last scene the initiation is dialed so high, with barely any dialouge. it's all in the music, and the tension of the actors.
even if some of the plot devices are a little contrived. The sister is not only suicidal, and needs in person treatment- but she needs him to appear for an in person interview at her school. uh huh.
and I wouldn't want them to contrive it anymore, but the solution is so obvious, to say "I have a family commitment" and will be on the next flight out after. but regardless, some other things that weren't done well:
none of the violence has any teeth. Not sure if this is intentional artistic choice, or just someone who doesn't know how to shoot it. That shooting in the car seemed to have Gomorrah influences, but doesn't wear them well enough. Not bloody or realistic enough. The music was good.
The Vacheron watch that allows the whole process to be streamlined, and the idea that the doctor would be wearing a 250k watch as his everyday work watch, going to surgery. uh huh. Saw that call back as soon as I saw the watch. Or the idea that no one else in his social circle would know what a Vacheron is.
The scene with Hayama, always a pretty bad character. Had some tension, but felt closer to like a grade school bullying than Yakuza violence. The directing and lighting is excellent though. The writing has declined. The plotting is very amateur level, and I think the first few episodes of Season 1 pointed away from that and into a more reflective show, that wasn't just averagely plotted gangster shyt. But the last two of Season 1 were more like these ones.
To me, it seems like it's a show runner issue, and HBO execs. Add a gay romance. Add some drama. Suicidal sister. Love affair. A brother in trouble. A brother gone the wrong way. What happens is the show abandons these subplots as soon as they hit their mark. Let s make this appeal to more people.
think of the level of tension in Season 1: Episode 1, when they were just having a meeting at the hotel, or the Yakuza ceremony, without any of the extra drama. The tension in that last scene the initiation is dialed so high, with barely any dialouge. it's all in the music, and the tension of the actors.
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FInally all caught up. Hitting that dude in the neck, on the opposite side of the car, while on a bike, and hitting noone else is crazy, lol
But I feel like Emi-san setting up ol boy for the "tell you the wrong information so I can tell who the mole is" trick.
Also, they got some cuties in this show...Erika, Tozawa's lil harem
But I feel like Emi-san setting up ol boy for the "tell you the wrong information so I can tell who the mole is" trick.
Also, they got some cuties in this show...Erika, Tozawa's lil harem
DeeezNuts
All Star
Caught up.. Jake is a piece of shyt.. as much as his lil sis looks up to him… to dip out on her like that.. and then she has mental issues.. no job would make me bail out of my fam like this.. I mean I have no sisters, only brothers but all the same.. his fam ain’t shytty … he’s just a piece of shyt son/brother… anyway.. I wonder wtf Sato going do.. I think the new shytty Oyabun going have sato brother body him… cuz son really a piece of shyt .. putting the lil brother against big bro
I feel like Hayama gonna get clipped cause he's too much of a goon. He feels like Gyp from Boardwalk Empire
yeah, didn't even fully catch that enough to note, but you are exactly right -- they fired across the car (with an automatic weapon) and hit the informant, and no one else. It just seemed amateur directing to me.
Notice, the pilot was so great because Michael Mann directed it. And I hear Mann is the one who added the Yakuza ceremony. Michael Mann is a master at his craft. They need him back.
not cool leaving his sister like that
Right. I think he's still involved, you can kinda see the conflict in show directions. It lurches between tones, the style is consistent, but the tones veer from almost comical to overwrought to pretty solid. The opening shot this season was excellent. The settings almost always look beautiful when shot at night.
and as an EP, his role is probably limited.
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Super Cheech
I Feel So Westcoast
Jake is a selfish POS
Just like the white bytch
Just like the white bytch
They're selfish and lack foresight. It's like they both come from naive American suburbs to come deal in the underworld is this other country. Just no street smarts. Especially a lack of ability to logic through situations/scenarios
So many characters really pissed me off this episode.
Hayama stay on his irrational bullshyt and suddenly the entire clan is inline
Jake and Samantha being all about me CACs
Also Sato's fukkin brother!!!
This is the kind of episode that when I hear the show was only meant for 2 season. Being okay with that.
The show is great, just this was a very frustrating episode for me.
Hayama stay on his irrational bullshyt and suddenly the entire clan is inline
Jake and Samantha being all about me CACs
Also Sato's fukkin brother!!!
This motherfukker just comes right in and jumps the entire "young boy" hierarchy? This alone should have the entire Chikara Kai being like WTF are we doing just trusting Hayama with absolute power. There is nothing about Sato's brother getting this kind of attention other than Hayama being on some fukk shyt.
This is the kind of episode that when I hear the show was only meant for 2 season. Being okay with that.
The show is great, just this was a very frustrating episode for me.
So many characters really pissed me off this episode.
Hayama stay on his irrational bullshyt and suddenly the entire clan is inline
Jake and Samantha being all about me CACs
Also Sato's fukkin brother!!!This motherfukker just comes right in and jumps the entire "young boy" hierarchy? This alone should have the entire Chikara Kai being like WTF are we doing just trusting Hayama with absolute power. There is nothing about Sato's brother getting this kind of attention other than Hayama being on some fukk shyt.
This is the kind of episode that when I hear the show was only meant for 2 season. Being okay with that.
The show is great, just this was a very frustrating episode for me.
it's nonsensical and only make sense as plot developments to generate conflict. The Hayama character is almost a caricature. It's dumbed way down from the first 5 episodes of season1. Probably HBO marching orders from Zsaalav's team. All these shows start to resemble marvel movies. it's not by accident.
the idea that they take some school kid geek and use him as a crash dummy shooter makes no sense either, when his value as the show itself went out of it's way to explain was in his "computer skills" for white collar fraud.
with better writing and the same actors, you could generate tension and conflict with Sato just having a younger brother, who looks up ot him. But, when shows go awry they dial up all the drama to a 10. Not only is he joining, he is turned against Sato! and turned into a killer! And will be tasked with killing his own brother! and he has to kill Sam! Will Sato choose his brother or his lover? it's hysterical in it's melodrama.
and while the show in it's first season mostly, ep 1-6, tried to show more grounded portrayal of the YAKUZA, that explored their traditions, this one seems to have almost entirely dropped that, not enough of an expert myself, but thats my impression.
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All the things I've come across say it's only 2 seasons. But, I won't put it past HBO to decide it gets good numbers on MAX to give it an extension.