Any of you expats in Tokyo who have seen this miniseries yet? (Or anyone else for that matter!?)
Supposed to have lots of shots of “inner” Tokyo neighborhoods and is about an US expat working as the first gaijin at a big Tokyo newspaper in the late 90s, who gets himself a bit too close to the yakuza.
Michael Mann is producing and has directed the first episode.
(No spoilers please! Have only seen two episodes myself 
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first I’ve heard of it…sounds like a plan though
not an expat but just here to say its an excellent show. very recommended. do not understand why people are into ansel elgort tho.
Yeah, he comes across as a bit goofy at times… but maybe that is what the character he portrays was/is like!?
So basically this is a screen adaption of Jake Adelstein’s book. I would describe Adelstein’s reputation among us expats to be, how should I put this, “mixed”.
My response when another friend asked:
Holy crap, they are making a TV show from Jake Adelstein’s book?
So that book - it’s pretty sensationalist. In other words, should make for good TV.
As for the veracity…
If the show is about Tokyo but focuses almost entirely on a couple foreigners… that would be in line with my expectations.
That said, the most important thing:
Miami Vice didn’t need to be real to be awesome. Regardless of Adelstein’s veracity, I think this has all the makings of great TV.
Oh man, that’s a can of worms right there… have only scratched the surface. Thanks for providing some background (was kinda hoping that some of you expats would 
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Well, yeah, it’s made for Western audiences, but, that said, the majority of dialogue is in Japanese, and there are only three or four gaijin with important roles. Of course, the main Japanese character is played by probably one of the most recognized Japanese actors in the West, Ken Watanabe.
That! I am a big fan of Mann’s style, especially “Heat”, which is a master piece.
As one of my favorite authors, Nadine Gordimer once said, nothing factual I write or say will be as truthful as my fiction.
There’s underlying truths to the story, that’s what counts.
Besides, most memoirs belong in the fiction aisle. So what? A good story is a good story.
Why ruin a good story by letting the facts get in the way 
Yep. Adelstien may be full of shit in terms of his claims, but this is going to be great TV, maybe partially because of that. And Mann is the perfect director/producer.
Ken Watanabe is the icing on the cake.
Can’t believe babydriver is speaking Japanese lol. So far so good though.
Plus, I mean, come on. It’s Tokyo Porn. That never hurts.
season finalé last night - overall very good show. 8.3/10. hopefully we get a season 2.
Oh really that was a season finale? When will they complete the scene at the very beginning? Well it did say 2 years earlier.