Tokyo Vice on CANAL+: The true story that inspired the Yakuza event series

Tokyo, 1990s. Jake, a young American immigrant in Japan, has worked as a reporter for one of Japan’s most prestigious daily newspapers, with a daily circulation of several million copies. Despite the difficult integration, his insatiable thirst leads him to be interested in the criminal networks that control the city: the dreaded Yakuza gangs.

Approaching one of Tokyo’s most powerful clans, Jake discovers the workings of a ruthless and ultra-codified world controlled by a sacred hierarchy. But getting as close as possible to the gang is not without its dangers, and a journalist might ruffle some feathers there…

With a pilot signed by none other than Michael Mann (Heat, Bail), Tokyo Vice is a veritable concentrate of tension and suspense. Its sophisticated aesthetics, unique atmosphere of 90s Tokyo and immersion in the darkness of the mafia are all good reasons to indulge in the 8 episodes of this series, available on myCANAL.

As unbelievable as it may seem, the story depicted in Tokyo Vice is inspired by the book of the same name, which was written by Jake Adelstein himself. In 2009, after a decade of investigation, he sheds light on the activities of Tokyo’s criminal underworld. The publication of his memoirs has a seismic effect and involves many Yakuza criminals, often with the complicity of the authorities.

Jake Adelstein comes from the American “New Journalism” movement, which is characterized by careful writing, offering a novel-like investigation, often told in the first person.

Still active today, Jake Adelstein has become a true expert on Japanese society and acts as a consultant for various media outlets and continues to publish his romantic explorations. For the Tokyo Vice adaptation, he also serves as executive producer, a true guarantee of authenticity and realism.

On screen, it’s Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver, West Side Story) who lends his qualities to Jake, and the least we can say is that he invested a lot: in addition to learning Japanese for the role, the actor settled in the country for several months , in order to be immersed in its culture as much as possible.

While some elements of the series differ from the book, such as the name of the daily newspaper he works for or the names of the criminals, the creators of the series worked hard to maintain the original plot, in particular choosing to shoot entirely in Tokyo.

Tokyo Vice, two new episodes every Thursday, only on CANAL+ and myCANAL.