This series made me feel claustrophobic with the narrow alleys and small living space, the sense of nascent despair is well captured as is the hierarchical stoic nature of Japanese life and love well portrayed, especially the near desperation to make a success of things for those living in Japan.
This police procedure drama and the political necessity to ignore the invasive criminality, principally created by the Yakuza, is an excellent backdrop for the two flawed main characters, both seemingly heading for self destruction. The use of both the Japanese and English language is well done, though I suspect not quite authentic for the times.
As an HBO Max release Tokyo Vice is a surprisingly refreshing change, being mostly free of the usual diversity edict and just tells a well written thriller, so I recommend this show, especially if you are a fan of Ken Watanabe and Michael Mann.
My rating is 8 out of 10.