Tokyo Vice – Season 1 Episode 6 “The Information Business” Recap & Review

The Information Business

Samantha’s past is catching up with her in episode 6 of Tokyo Vice, and threatens to derail her present. As she contemplates her next move, Jake visits her. He apologizes for last night when he lashed out at her.

Samantha accepts his apology but dismisses him when he reminds her of Sato’s work of line and asks her to be careful. After Tozawa’s unprovoked attack on Ishida, Sato, who now has a higher status in the clan, looks to hurt Tozawa. He visits one of the mechanics on the flight that is used to transport unwanted substances into Tokyo.

He confirms that a shipment of meth is being brought into Tokyo the next day. Jake hunts for a new story. While going through Yak magazines, he notices a recurring name profiling Tozawa: Ukai Haruki. Jake deduces Ukai is Tozawa’s publicist and plans to get more information from him disguising himself as a fellow fan. Ukai is wooed by Jake. He presses on the issue of Tozawa’s slew of girlfriends and learns that one of them disappeared after talking to the press. He follows his current girlfriend.

Tozawa is called into the meeting of the Yakuza Council. He offers a hundred million yen to Ishida as compensation. But Ishida chooses only to take half, and compels him to beg for forgiveness on his knees. In despairing humiliation, Tozawa has no option but. Samantha faces a similar fate against Matsu. It turns out that he was not hired by the church but by Samantha’s father, which has her even nervier. She reluctantly agrees to 10 “sessions” with him to make him go away.

Chairman Nakahara of the Council is actually shown to be complicit somehow in Tozawa’s plans. He gives him an ultimatum to not make any more mistakes. Sato, Kobayashi, and Ishida discuss the shipment’s information. Kobayashi feels they shouldn’t make a move; Sato agrees with him. Ishida asks Sato to stay back and asks him about it in person. He also consoles him for the reeling effects of his first kill. Sato has a better plan.

They visit Jake and give him the information. Tozawa and Misaki share a conversation where the former tells the latter that he knows she doesn’t love him. He threatens to kill her if she cheats on him. Jake visits Hiroto’s house to pass on the information. Hiroto is of the opinion they must probe into it more and not make a rash decision. Akira and Polina mark their three-month anniversary with a party, against Polina’s wishes. Samantha reveals to Sato about Matsu and his ask. Jake visits Emi at her house and sees her brother, Kei. He does not welcome Jake but Emi manages the situation.

She advises him to go to another cop to authorize a search and asks him not to reveal Kei to anyone at the office. Jake goes to Miyamoto instead the next morning. He convinces him to conduct a search. At the airport, the police do not find anything. He blasts out at Jake and says no cop will talk to him ever again. Hiroto reaches the scene and insults Jake for not listening to his advice. Sato pays a visit to warn Matsu about pursuing Samantha. In a fit of rage, Sato kills Mastu without hesitation.

Although they did not find drugs, Baku asks Jake to write a story about the police’s botched-up job. Eimi angrily orders Jake to write the report when he protests. At the Onyx, Sato reveals to Samantha that he killed Matsu. Just then, Jake walks in, accusing Sato of sabotaging his career by giving him a false tip. It is finally revealed why the drugs weren’t found: Miyamoto works for Tozawa. The tip wasn’t bad; the cop was. Miyamoto gives Tozawa the name of the tipper as well. Jake seems to be in a whole lot of trouble now.

The Episode Review

The intense and shocking end elevated the level of the episode. The longest at more than an hour, “The Information Business” does a terrific job of merging the various character storylines into one central one. This convergence was expected but the manner in which the team manages it is outstanding. ‘Tokyo Vice’ was guilty in the previous episodes of patronizing its source material. Although the trend wasn’t damaging, it put the viewer off course.

But this episode captured the essence of what it all means. It reaffirmed the power and value of information; the very lifeblood of reporting and crime. The creators and writers had a great take on how perversely information can be used, its deceptive and elusive nature, and that putting your trust into someone requires immense calculation in this line of work.

Miyamoto, Jake, Ishida, and Matsu represent different streams of how it is commoditized and fiercely preserved. “The Information Business” is actually the pillar of ‘Toyo Vice’ and Adlestein’s book.

Along with this change, there were marked alterations to the various character arcs as well. Sato’s is turning out to be similar to Michael Corleone’s. Thrust into a world where he does not belong. He could have an entire spinoff where this connection can be explored and probed. Samantha is becoming more unlikable with every episode. Or maybe she is not but this ambiguity is defining. You just cannot figure out if she’s genuine or not. Miyamoto, who seemed like a friend, turned out to be a foe. The game of lies has just begun, it seems.

It is difficult to predict in which direction the upcoming episodes will go. The pace has just started to pick up. But I have a feeling it is not going to end well for some.