Tokyo Vice sheds spotlight on the surge of Japan’s stories across Indian streaming 

Tokyo Vice, a new series on Lionsgate Play, brings back the charm of noir drama topped with classic journalism. JT Rogers has created this series with Jake Adelstein, the American (foreigner) reporter in Japan’s top newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun. Based on his memoirs, Tokyo Vice- An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan, the series captures it’s non-inclusive culture and its nuanced social code of conduct effectively. Adelstein interacted with Yakuza, the secretive but well-entrenched mafia and worked closely with reliable police officers. He gets a third eye view to the workings of Japanese crime and police that few others have had access to. With top directors of American and Japanese origin stepping in to direct episodes, this drama offers rare insight on how crime works in the Land of the Rising Sun. It has a white person worldview, yet, underlining the fact that being Gaijin (foreign) can be a stumbling block while operating in Japan, the series increases its resonance and appeal.

Tokyo Vice is amongst a unique lineup of stories that offer facets of Japanese life and culture in recent years. A relatively tiny nation, amongst the world’s most developed and most expensive places, Japan holds unusual influence over cultural, fashion and food trends worldwide. Preceding the Korean phenomenon, Japan has always held an independent and intriguing space in the finer aspects of life. This explains the growing interest in films and TV that are set in Japan, revealing lesser-known sides to this nation.

There’s Giri/Haji, a series about a police officer, at a moral crossroads when his brother joins Yukuza. It expands its scope when the protagonist moves to London for a short period of time. Here he joins up with a British female police investigator. Contrasts in Western culture and in interactions between foreigners and Japanese people drives the choices of this series’ key characters.

The foreigner experience in Japan has made for a range of films in the West. Lost in Translation, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson is the best example of Tokyo acting as a backdrop in self-discovery for two people from a very different, more open culture. Both find a bit of love, life and make memories. Similarly, Tokyo Project, a short film featuring Elisabeth Moss and Ebon Moss-Bachrach works with the template of love and letting go, of momentary pleasure, with Tokyo providing a stunning backdrop to its story. And there’s The Last Samurai by Edward Zwick, a poignant, visually arresting drama set in early modern times. Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe lead a fine cast of performers in this beautifully retold story about the admiration and affection that an American develops for the intricate, perfection driven culture of Japan and the Samurai. This film echoes a grudging respect that Japan has commanded amongst western people historically.

Dramas based in Japan go beyond crime. Drive My Car , this year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film, is a touching story of loving the memory of someone that is dead. Ryusuke Hamaguchi has built upon an unnamed relationship that a playwright and director forges with a female chauffeur. The film sets a high bar in visual narrative, production value and believable characters. Drive My Car represents the new age cinema voice of Japan, one that transcends languages with it’s sophisticated storytelling.

The Naked Director, a Netflix backed series, is another unseen side of Japanese life. The porn industry here has been active and has diversified into forms of animated porn like manga and hentai. A provocative filmmaker who wanted to revise the perception of porn, Toru Muranishi makes for an uncommon protagonist, in this series which is an acquired taste but one that tells an important story. Comedic and filled with explicit scenes, this series has poignant stories about characters that work in pornography; and builds upon human stories. It takes an evolved approach to attempt a seasonal drama on the making and re-making of a specific form of pornography. If one can look beyond the core content, the Naked Director has a relevant and touching story about the rise and certain fall of a self-obsessed, creative man.

Marriages and disappointments make for the core of Fishbowl Wives, a Japanese drama adapted from a Manga series. While some have found the mix of multiple characters in a tightly written episode somewhat confusing, Fishbowl Wives captures the conflict and disillusion of marriages effectively. Here wives aspire to make more liveable choices and deal with preconceived notions of marriage in their own way. The story is structured around caring for a goldfish, which makes an interesting premise for the lives of different characters to weave in.

Japan has a painful, recent past linked to war crimes, atrocities in South East Asia and the unimaginable, damning price of losing a world war after facing nuclear bombs. What followed as the historic Tokyo Trials, where Japanese army leadership and bureaucrats were sentenced to death or life imprisonment, first established the term Victor’s Justice. Tokyo Trials, an indulgent but well written limited series on Netflix focuses on discussions and conversations that a panel of reputed judges from across the world held before dispensing their verdict. Featuring Tim Ahern, William Hope, Paul Freeman and the late Irrfan Khan among others, the series is directed by two directors known for independent cinema (Peter Vierhoff and Rob W King). Their approach to this complex and difficult historical moment is patient and open-minded, which reflects in the series’ execution.

Drawing for myths and legends of Japan is also The Terror: Infamy, a series about a ghost that crosses over to North American shores from the old world of Japan. While this series plays to the gallery with it’s horror trope, the series captures old beliefs and practices that have a hold over Japanese life till date.

Japan is unique in sound, sights, stories, food and fragrance. It draws filmmakers and storytellers into its uncommon ways of life. With OTT bringing together films and shows from anywhere to common platforms, more stories with roots in Japan will find their place on our screens.

Archita Kashyap is an experienced journalist and writer on film, music, and pop culture. She has handled entertainment content for broadcast news and digital platforms over 15 years. 

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