Michael Mann’s HBO Max series ‘Tokyo Vice’ winning strong early reviews

Tokyo Vice, Michael Mann’s crime drama based on Jake Adelstein’s memoir of the same name, is set to premiere on HBO Max this Thursday. So far, it’s been a hefty amount of thumbs-up from critics of all sorts, calling it an intriguing, sizzling, and gripping adaptation of the crime journalist’s time in Japan.

The series, set in the late 1990s, will star Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver, West Side Story) as Adelstein, who has been recruited to join the ranks of the fictional Meicho Shimbun newspaper (based on the real-life Yomiuri Shinbun newspaper), becoming the first foreigner to do so. He soon becomes acquainted with the twisted, sordid world of the yakuza after finding a confidant and friend in organized crime detective Hiroto Katagiri (played by Ken Watanabe).

Variety‘s Daniel D’Addario was one of the first to praise the film, stating that the film’s central character conflict has especially primed the series as a leading newcomer of the crime drama genre.

The pilot so effectively conjures the disorientation and novelty of a new place that the fish-out-of-water storyline feels somewhat new.

Ben Travers of IndieWire showed slightly less love for the series, raising concerns that the pacing may not satisfy the broadest array of consumers, while still noting its presence as a noir series and the untapped potential that it still has plenty of time to exercise.

Perhaps most notable about the first five episodes is their actual genre. Despite the title, the show is more “The Insider” than “Miami Vice.” It’s not a detective yarn as much as an investigative journalist drama.

And as far as Collider‘s Remus Noronha is concerned, Mann has hit a bullseye with this series, praising its deftly-utilized tension, an engrossing plot, and a cast of dizzyingly complex characters.

Conflicts are defused by a whispered word and a nod, not a noisy gunfight. This way, the focus is on the more intimate moments, like a night of partying with a new friend or finding common ground over music, fashion, and manga.

The first three episodes of Tokyo Vice will premiere on April 7th, with following episodes released weekly, two at a time, up until the season finale on April 28.