Tokyo Vice: Season 1

"Slick but slow."

"If you can get past its white-saviour complex (and the actor embodying it), J.T. Rogers' investigative drama makes for a sharp and engrossing crime story."

"A significant new entry in the crime-drama canon."

"This is a decent show, but one that feels like it would be much better if it were willing to be more Japanese."

"Compelling crime drama with acres of strangeness..."

"(This) wannabe hardboiled drama is really as cute as Ansel Elgort’s face..."

"(Tokyo Vice) avoids some stranger-in-a-strange-land clichés, but suffers from a milquetoast centerpiece."

"Worth the investment, at least if you’re inclined to enjoy leisurely neo-noir."

"The lush look and cultural immersion make for a gripping drama, though Ansel Elgort is more of a blank slate than a charismatic lead."

"I found it satisfying in its deliberate pacing, and the characters absorbing enough to warrant my time. But it’s easy to imagine others feeling a bit restless."

"Tokyo Vice represents a modern-day apotheosis of the white saviour narrative, updating some of its tropes while subverting others."

"Viewers have to care about the hero. And that’s tough when his inner life is given minimal attention."

"The unwritten rules are different in this underground, and Tokyo Vice orchestrates a special thrill in trying to get them on paper."

"The kind of sprawling crime drama that actually lives up to the label of ‘prestige’ TV."

"Nice city, shame about the Western saviour narrative..."