Episode 7

Sometimes They Disappear is the seventh episode of the first season of Tokyo Vice.
==Synopsis==
Jake struggles to regain his footing after the botched raid, while Samantha grows increasingly desperate to find Polina. Sato feels the pressure of his elevated standing in Chihari-Kai.Official Tokyo Vice Synopsis from Max website
==Summary==
Polina sits at a table while listening to a Japanese cover of Sixpence None the Richer's song, Kiss Me, on her music player. A black limousine pulls up, and the chauffeur opens the door for her, allowing her to enter it, and drives her to someplace.
Switching to a local harbor, the dead body of the mechanic is seen floating frontward in the water. A coroner identified the mechanic's body as Tsutomu Makita, and the coroner informed Hiroto that he worked at the same airport that the officers raided the month before. The coroner thought it'd be best to inform Hiroto of this connection to him, and he'd later be seen driving down the highway with a pensive look on his face.
At an undisclosed location, a Chihara-Kai member drags the bloodied and bruised casino owner named Naito-san and stops when Sato is seen. With a lit cigarette in his mouth, Sato douses Naito with gasoline. Sato then threatens to set him on fire, but Naito concedes to signing the paperwork. Ishida is then seen alongside Kobayashi, and he claims that the Chiharu-Kai will not only be co-owners of Naito's casino, but he'll also rent all equipment from the Chiharu-Kai. Ishida also asks Naito who exactly gave him the money to start his business, and Naito answers it was his. Which, Ishida confirms and claims that when you affiliate with his clan, you do it for life.
Once that was settled, Ishida asked if there were any issues from Tozawa and followed up with if he knew they were the ones who leaked the info. Kobayashi denied it and believed he might suspect they did. Pleased with what he heard, Ishida orders Sato to tell his men not to do anything that'd upset the peace between the boys, or else they'll have to answer him. Sato understands and closes the door to the car he entered.
A police officer talks to Jake on the phone and takes a message from him for Hiroto. The officer delivers it to Hiroto, citing he's tried to make contact with him all month. Hiroto thanked the officer, and after reading the message from Jake, he tossed it away into the trash bin.
Later, in his superior's office, whose name was Ohara, Hiroto confirms to Ohara that he interviewed the mechanic, Tsutomu Makita, a month before he was found dead. It's also revealed that he interviewed all the staff there, straight down to the cleaning crew. When asked why, Hiroto claims he believed Jake received a tip from Ishida about the drug shipment. Ohara mentions that despite the tip, no drugs were found, but Hiroto claims that true as that may be, it doesn't change the possibility that they weren't simply found. This leads Ohara to ask his angle, and Hiroto asks for a favor.
A press conference is held at the police station, and Emi is seen hurrying over to it, and she joins up with Trendy and Tin-Tin. When she asked what the purpose of the press conference was, Tin-Tin informed her that it was an impromptu one held by the vice department. The head of the department, accompanied by several division members, including Jin, led the conference. It started with the department head detailing an update on Kaori Shoda, whose dead body was found on November 13th. Apparently, Jin found evidence of her murderer in their apartment, and the department head wanted to end it there, but Emi asked if there was a connection between the victim and the murderer. However, the head dismisses it, and the conference ends there and then. Upset by the abrupt end of the conference, Emi leaves, making Tin-Tin curious as to why she is so agitated.
Meanwhile, Jin gets a round of applause from his peers in the office area, and one of them informs him that a newspaper outlet wants a statement from him, but he flips it off. As his peers laugh at Jin's gesture, a superior orders Jin and two others named Chiba and Sakita to come into his office. The superior discloses that the Organized Crime Division asked for their help building up a case against Tozawa. All but Jin were surprised by the news, and the superior noted his surprise as well, citing they'd collected enough evidence to build a strong case to arrest Tozawa. Jin asks what evidence they have, but the superior answers that the division keeps it to themselves and mentions that Hiroto was leading the investigation. Jin looked unnerved as his superior ordered the three to cooperate with the division.
Samantha shows off the construction work for her hostess club to Luna. As she explains the work progress to Luna, she tries to convince Luna to join her club when it opens. However, Luna politely declines, claiming she's not being judgemental or careful since new places pose great risks. Although Samantha continues to try to persuade Luna, she mentions that Samantha's "boyfriend" would expect a cut or take over her club completely. However, Samantha argues that she and Sato keep their work and personal lives separate. This prompts Luna to claim that something like that is now impossible, and Samantha quizzically asks what she meant by that. Luna dodges the question and leaves.
That night at the Onyx club locker room, Samantha tries to contact Polina, but doesn't answer her phone. After Samantha leaves a message for Polina on her voice mail, another hostess enters the locker room asking for help since Polina's regular Hasegawa is looking for her and threatens to leave. Hence, Samantha leaves with the other hostess to assist her.
Later that night, Sato and Samantha sit at a restaurant bar, and Sato asks her about any new happenings at the club. Taking a drag from her cigarette, Samantha answers nothing, and Sato follows up with what was Luna's answer to her proposal. Samantha initially plays dumb with the question but answers that Luna would consider it. Their subject then changes to Polina, whom Samantha is worried about Polina, who hasn't answered her phone all day. She contacted a friend of Polina's named Miralina to hear if she'd had contact with Polina, but she answered that she hadn't, not since last week. Sato comments that perhaps Polina wanted to be alone, and when asked why, he answers that sometimes people need some alone time to think things over. However, Samantha still expressed concern for Polina and then asked how Sato's work was going, to which he answered the same.
Emi is seen entering a restaurant where she sits with Jin, and they have a grilled meat lunch together. She thanked Jin for responding to her call and also gave him an apology for the airport raid report. Jin brushes it off, and Emi asks him if it's true that he received a two-week suspension because of it. To that point, Jin comments how one moment he's labeled as a fuck-up for the botched airport raid, and the following week he's heralded as a hero, for "some girl's" murderer.
The last comment upsets Emi as she corrects him of the victim's proper name, Kaori Shoda, age 24, who lived alone in Jiyugaoka. She follows up with her hobbies of collecting eyeglass frames and her love of shoujo manga. Taking Emi's retort as a challenge, Jin offers her more information on the case if she's willing to pay for their lunch. Emi questions the validity of Jin's offer, but he encourages her to ask what she wants to know before he changes his mind. Hence, Emi states that reports noted Jin arrested Kaori's ex-boyfriend Sachihiro Jo and asked if he could confirm it. Pulling out a cigarette, Jin responds if he can, the Meicho, Emi asks if that's a yes, and Jin nods his head.
Emi continued asking if it was true that a colleague of Shoda had said that Shoda had complained to her local police station multiple times about being stalked and threatened by her ex-boyfriend. Again, Jin confirms, and Emi asks him, if that were the case, why wasn't he arrested beforehand? With a curt tone of voice, Jin spouts that the police don't arrest every lovesick weirdo who gets complaints filed against them. So, Emi questions if a man's word is greater than a woman's, and Jin confirms it, while also citing it's a problem.
With that line of questioning done, Jin cites his own interest in asking her a couple of questions. Jin asks that the Organized Crime unit are preparing to arrest a Yakuza boss, known to have been strong-arming their way through Tokyo. Emi quizically blurts out Tozawa's name, and Jin asks her if she's heard anything concerning it. However, Emi asks why she'd know anything about it, and Jin mentions that Jake may know and is "tight" with Hiroto, but Emi claims Jin should ask Jake himself. Realizing he's reached a dead end, Jin suggests that Emi try the short ribs and leaves.
Jake is seen having sex with a prostitute and stops midway when he receives a call from Emi, who notes she's been having difficulty trying to reach him in recent times. When asked where he is, Jake lies, claiming he's with a source at the moment. Emi then asks if he's heard anything concerning Tozawa being formally charged. The question shocks Jake, who claims he doesn't, and Emi explains that Hiroto apparently has new evidence against Tozawa. As Jake continues his conversation with Emi, his prostitute tries to make out with him. Jake then asks about the new evidence; however, Emi doesn't know about it, but intends to ask around about it. Emi then inquires if Jake knows about the arrest of Shoda's ex-boyfriend, Jo, to which he answers yes and is sequentially assigned to investigate it further. Emi believes the case is intertwined with other cases she's working on. Jake agrees, and after he hangs up on Emi, he continues his romantic acts with his prostitute.
Outside, Jake wears a pair of sunglasses and smokes a cigarette, and while walking down the street, he runs into an old friend of his, Dave Fisch, from Rock Bridge. Dave lovingly embraces Jake, who stoically reciprocates, and he asks Dave why he is in Japan, to which Dave answers he's a tourist. When Dave asks Jake, he answers he works as a newspaper reporter in Japan. Jake also notes how perplexed he is by Dave's appearance, finding it difficult to grasp whether or not he's real or not. Hence, Dave sings one verse of the song, Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better), and Jake sings the next verse. Despite the auspicious occasion, Jake tries to end things there, but Dave gives Jake his number and invites him to call him that night. Jake makes no promises, but says his goodbyes to Dave, who shouts, "Go Bruins", and while walking away, Jake fist bumps the air in response.
Meanwhile, at the Chihara-Kai HQ, members Yuta, Gen, and Taro play a game at a table and discuss some themes in The Matrix as they're served tea from the new recruit Koji. When Gen asks Taro to demonstrate to Yuta what it's like after one takes the "Red Pill". Yuta reenacts the scene where Neo learns "Kung-fu". Sato then enters the room and returns the shoebox with Ishida's shoes inside of it to Koji. He remarks that there's a mark on there and, despite Koji, claims it wasn't there before. Sato accepts no excuse and orders him to redo it. Gen then asks him if Sato has seen the movie The Matrix, and Sato answers that he has. Gen then asks him if he would take the Red Pill or the Blue Pill, and he answers, whichever one would make him shut up and return to work. The response makes Yuta and Taro giggle, but they stop when they see Gen's face.
At Polina's apartment, Samantha searches through Polina's belongings as her roommate watches. Samantha asks the roommate if she really hasn't seen Polina since Friday morning, which the roommate confirms. Apparently, Polina tried to pack the roommate's Prada for a trip, which Samantha asked for more about, but the roommate didn't know anything else. However, the roommate was sure Polina would be back because she had left her belongings behind.
Somewhere in the Police HQ, Jin finds Hiroto by the cigarette vending machine and approaches him, noting the last time they spoke was during the drug bust fiasco at the airport. After claiming they should make peace with the other, Jin plainly asks Hiroto if he has evidence to arrest Tozawa. Hiroto calmly answers yes, and Jin notes his pleasure in hearing that while following up, stating that Ohara has spoken to his division concerning it. Jin asks if anyone else has approached him about the case, but Hiroto says no one other than him. When asked about what evidence he has about the case, Hiroto leads Jin to the interrogation room.
In said room, Hiroto talks about the airplane mechanic Tsutomu Makita, who worked with the Organized Crime unit, as Jin looks through a folder containing Tsutomu's coroner images. Jin scoffs that Hiroto didn't show this evidence to him sooner, but Hiroto claims it doesn't matter any longer since he has enough evidence to arrest Tozawa. Hiroto then asks Jin if he has anything to add, but Jin doesn't. Jin then claims that the airport fiasco would've been avoided if Hiroto had simply told him about this in the first place and hopes they do things "right" this time around. Jin then comments that together, they can take down Tozawa as Jin has his cigarette lit by Hiroto. He then asks Hiroto where the evidence is being held, and Hiroto answers that it's in lockdown in the basement and lists the types of evidence related to the case that's down there. Although Jin asks to see it, Hiroto refuses, saying no one will see it until the case is ready to be presented, and Hiroto then leaves.
Polina's boyfriend Akira gets his hair done at a salon as he talks to someone about a Piaget gift one of his girls gave him. Samantha then enters the place and demands to know where Polina is. On the other hand, Akira plays dumb, claiming he doesn't keep track of every girl he's gone out with. Samantha then mentions she has been gone for four days and should be concerned since she won't be able to pay for luxury tastes. However, Akira doesn't care because many women who'd pay for his expensive tastes. Sick and disgusted by Akira's attitude toward her, Samantha leaves while she's mocked goodbye on her way out by the other hostess men there.
Inside his apartment, Jake contacts Emi to inform her that Shoda had filed three complaints against her boyfriend, none of which weren't followed up on, and she was later murdered. Jake's comments on what had happened paint a nasty picture. Emi states that it fits the algorithm she's been dealing with about police ignoring warning signs about women being mistreated and then later they die. Jake then asks if Emi has heard anything about the Tozawa case, but Emi dismisses it as a non-priority case that they have and hangs up on him.
Within Ishida's office, Ishida sits in a room with two police officers along with Sato, where the police officers enjoy the tea Ishida has served. As Ishida and the officers talk about baseball, Sato receives a call from his younger brother, Kaito.
Switching to a hospital, Sato meets with Kaito and learns that their father had a minor stroke while he was working at the docks unloading fish from the boats. Sato looked at his bedridden father, who was asleep and on oxygen while his wife sat beside him. Despite the stroke being minor, their father's right side was paralyzed because of it, and the doctors claim he'll need to have therapy done. Their mother then spots Sato and confronts him, saying that only family is allowed there. Kaito tries to interject, but his mother silences him. Sato then offers to pay for the bills he'll accrue for the therapy, personal care, etc., but his mother scoffs at the offer and, after smacking followed by pushing him, demands he leaves. With that, Sato leaves and receives a phone call from Samantha.
That night in his apartment, Jake tries to contact Hiroto at his home, but his daughter Natsumi answers it. Jake asks if her father is home, and she says that she can't say he is, even if he is, which he wasn't. Amused by Natsumi's innocence, Jake asks if her father is still upset with him, and she answers yes and hangs up on him. Disappointed with his attempt to reconnect with Hiroto, Jake looks at the paper that his friend Dave gave him and dials the number on it.
Late at night, Hiroto leaves the police station and drives away in his car as Jin watches from afar.
Meanwhile, Tozawa receives an injection from his doctor behind his back. After being told, it'll take a few hours to take effect. Tozawa, accompanied by his second-in-command, Yabuki, heads to a room where he receives a standing innovation from the people there because it is his birthday. The MC then thanks everyone for attending Tozawa's 52nd birthday party and then hands the mic over to Tozawa, who thanks everyone for being there. He notes the different groups of people there, and after giving a toast, he takes a seat as the singer there continues to sing, but becomes irked when Jin arrives.
Jake and Dave are shown at a restaurant enjoying themselves by talking about the old times they had back in school. Dave also reveals to Jake that he decided to take a year off before heading to grad school; he then asks how his family has been and notes his sister's condition. However, this question upsets Jake as he demands to know where Dave heard it from. Dave says that in Columbia, people talk, and Jake retorts that they should keep their mouths shut. Reclaiming his composure, Jake apologizes for his outburst and says that his sister Jessica is doing fine. Jake then offers to show Dave what he calls the coolest place in Tokyo, and Dave happily agrees.
Jake took Dave to the electro-rave club, where Jake had Dave meet him on the dance floor while he got some drinks. In the middle of this, Jake saw Misaki with a friend of hers and approached Misaki while asking her why she didn't have a bodyguard with her. Misaki retorts, asking if she needs one, which Jake claims he figured she was followed a lot, and she answers that if she were, then she wouldn't be talking to him. Taking a hint, Jake leaves, saying he'll see her on the dance floor.
Elsewhere, Akira and his hostess co-workers try to hook up with some potential female clients until Samantha and Sato arrive, where Sato gets physical with Akira. They demand to know where Polina is; at first, Akira plays dumb, but after Sato roughs him up, Akira confesses that Polina came into a lot of debt, so the manager takes it from there. Though Samantha curses Akira, they head into the club and confront the manager, who is with one of the hostesses there. They demanded to know where Polina was; however, the manager refused to answer in front of Samantha, who was upset by this, but Sato told her to wait outside.
On Jin's side, he talks to Tozawa about how Hiroto has the evidence against him in lockdown. So, Tozawa orders Jin not to steal the evidence, but to make copies of whatever documents Hiroto has on him, and Jin calls the idea crazy. Tozawa then warns the detective, but Jin retorts that he's put his job on the line for him, but no longer wishes to continue his relationship with him. As Jin tries to leave, Tozawa claims that if he goes down, so will Jin. Turning around, Jin is told by Tozawa that if he does this one final thing for him, they're done.
On Sato's side, he learns from the manager that she hands off the ladies in debt to someone else, and after a while, they return. 
Sato's attempt to impose himself on the manager is met with a scoff since the manager doesn't find him intimidating at all. However, out of pity, the manager told him Polina was sent to Yoshino by the Tozawa. Even though Sato claims that the manager affiliating with the Tozawa is a breach of contract, the manager claims she pays her fees on time, and soon enough, the Tozawa clan will take over Tokyo.
Sato then leaves the club, regroups with Samantha, and informs her that Polina was taken to Yoshino, which is half a day away to the west. As the two walk and talk, Sato informs Samantha that Tozawa's men are in the club and that his being there could cause trouble between him and the Tozawa clan. The two then argue over their relationship, which had changed since the night Jake tried to confront him. It gets contentious, and the two seemingly break up after this, but not before Sato warns Samantha that Tokyo is dangerous and that people disappear. Sato then leaves Samantha, who watches him as he leaves her.
Back to Jake's side, he reconnects with Dave, who is having a blast at the club. Jake then spots Misaki in the crowd, and the two start to dance with each other.
Returning to Tozawa's side, he becomes weaker and gradually more malaised. The turning point for him was when he spoke to Vice-Minister Shigematsu, which at first was pleasant, but he then talked with his aide, who said that he wouldn't be able to grant his request. Tozawa is then overcome with vertigo-like symptoms and faints on the ground. His subordinate Yabuki tries to help him while his wife comes to his side, but Tozawa calls out to his girlfriend, Misaki, much to her chagrin.
Switching back to Jake's side, he sits with Misaki, while Dave and a friend of Misaki sit on the opposite side from them at a penthouse restaurant. He talks to Misaki and learns that she's a former model, but it takes a turn when Jake asks Misaki about how she met "him" without mentioning his name. Upset by the question, Misaki thought that Jake had an underhanded reason to ask that, but Jake was sincere in his curiosity about her. Hence, Misaki claims that Tozawa came along when her modeling career became less interesting to her.
When Jake asks her if she loves him, Misaki spots three of Tozawa's when coming their way, and when they see her, they try and apprehend her, claiming Tozawa wants to see her. Dave steps in and tries to stop them, but one of Tozawa's men holds a knife to Dave's face, while another restrains Jake while he tries to reason with the man. However, Misaki stops him and asks to leave; once Misaki leaves the scene with Tozawa's men, Jake asks if Dave and Misaki's friend are alright. They say they are, and they decidedly leave the place.
Walking down the street, Jake buys a newspaper's morning edition, and one of the articles is titled "Female Murder Case: Did Tokyo Police Ignore Warning Signs?". Jake would then visit Emi's house and show her the article that was featured on the second to last page. He compliments the title; however, he chides that it was "buried" by the paper. Emi is thankful for Jake's kind words, and he then asks if such an effort is worth the trouble. This makes Emi go on to say a motivational speech claiming such an act is worth the effort if it inspires change, and they'll do it brick by brick. Emi then asks if things will change, but Jake softly says, he doesn't know.
As it rains, a rain-soaked Jake walks down the street to his apartment and finds her sitting on his stairway. Despite being delighted to see her, it's extinguished when she asks for his help.
Meanwhile, Jin enters the police station and breaks into the evidence locker room. Upon finding what he suspected was the box full of evidence, Jin learns that it was not only empty, but he was on camera. On the opposite side of the camera, Hiroto smugly said, "Smile, asshole".
==Characters==
* Jake Adelstein
* Hiroto Katagiri
* Samantha Porter
* Jin Miyamoto
* Akiro Sato
* Polina
* Emi Maruyama
* Tsutomu Makita
* Naito-san
* Hitoshi Ishida
* Kobayashi
* Trendy
* Tin-Tin
* Kaori Shoda (Picture)
* Chiba
* Sakita
* Luna
* Hasegawa (Mentioned)
* Miralina (Mentioned)
* Sachihiro Jo (Mentioned)
* Dave Fisch
* Gen
* Yuta
* Taro
* Koji
* Kaito
* Sato's Father
* Sato's Mother
* Natsumi
* Yabuki
* Tozawa
* Jessica Adelstein (Mentioned)
* Misaki
* Vice-Minister Shigematsu
==Trivia==
* A Japanese cover of Sixpence None the Richer's song Kiss Me is featured in this episode.
* A verse of the song Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better) is sung by Jake and an old friend of his in this episode.
* The Rock Bridge High School Bruins are briefly mentioned in this episode.
* Plot elements for the movie The Matrix, are mentioned by Chihara-Kai members Yuta, Taro, and Gen during their table game.
* This episode features the real-life location, the Maruyamacho, Love Hotel Hill.
==Episode Images==
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==References==
Category:Episodes