Episode 1

The Test is the first episode of the first season of Tokyo Vice.
==Synopsis==
Hired as Meicho Shimbun’s first American crime reporter, Jake Adelstein is quickly tasked with covering two cases that
initially appear unrelated, but soon stakes his career – and life – on connecting the dots.Official Tokyo Vice Synopsis from Max website
==Summary==
Newspaper reporter Jake and police detective Katagiri both prepare themselves for a mission. From there, an associate of Katagiri discloses they will sit at a certain area in a restaurant. There, a particular waiter will serve them something; if any other does, don't interact with them or what they serve them.
Eventually, Jake and Katagiri walk and discuss their mission details through the restaurant. Katagiri tells Jake they'll meet the number two Yakuza for the organization they're after. At the check-in counter, Jake talks with the lady there to check in, expecting they'd be seated at their scheduled area. However, the check-in lady informs them they've been moved to a different location, compromising their mission plans.
After being led to the penthouse floor where their meeting is held and where many Yakuza sat, the two sat by the man they were scheduled to meet with. The man immediately states he's privy to Jake's investigation into them and requests he stop. With a brief hesitation, Jake answers that he'll consider it. The man claims that someone named 'Tozawa' is like a father to everyone in his organization and that the story would tarnish his reputation. It ends with the man threatening Jake's livelihood and family if he publishes the article. Jake asks to smoke and is allowed to while his cigarette is lit by the man's lighter.
Two years before the meeting, Jake is shown sitting on a bus, taking notes about Japanese economics, until he arrives at his stop. He is then shown teaching in his English-speaking class, where he does a role-play of talking on a phone in English with one of his students, Mrs. Morimoto. Later, Jake is shown attending his Judo class and then having dinner at a small restaurant while taking down notes on meteorology. However, Jake becomes frustrated over this and decides to attend a rave where he meets an acquaintance who claims that if Japan doesn't work out, Jake should visit him in Austin.
Sometime after leaving the rave, Jake walks down a streetway where he observes a group of Yakuza leaving a car. One of the Yakuza signals to Jake to be on his way, and he acquiesces. Jake then visits the restaurant owned by his landlord, Takada-san, where he reads a magazine that covers some Yakuza, one of whom he saw that night, and later retires to his room for the night.
Jake takes the Meicho Shimbun Newspaper Qualifying Exam the following day. Despite being under extreme pressure, Jake is one of the first to finish. Sometime later, Jake received a phone call from the Meicho Shimbun Newspaper at his apartment, leading to an interview with three men. They question his educational background and interest in becoming a crime reporter, and he answers that his father was a coroner and became interested in forensic documentation studies. The most senior of the interviewers notes in English that Jake's Japanese was excellent; however, some of his answers were flawed, which Jake laments as he lacked paying attention. The senior interviewer notes the great number of daily readers and how it is the best newspaper in Japan and the world. Another interviewer, questions Jake's Jewish heritage and asks some racist questions related to them. On the other hand, Jake answers, leaving the questioner speechless and impressing the senior interviewer.
Afterward, Jake visits a convenience store where he talks to the lady behind the register, who comments on how happy Jake appeared and figures that he had a good day. He responds that it was the best in his life. This was because Jake got the job at Meicho Shimbun Newspaper, where he and his co-workers were introduced to their superior supervisor Emi Maruyama. After her detailed explanation, Jake thanks Emi, calling her 'Emi-san', which triggers her, as she notes it's a thousand years too early for him to be addressing her by her given name. Emi then asserts that she be addressed as Maruyama-san, which Jake understands.
Later, Jake and his co-workers meet with his direct superior, Baku, who gives a work gist of what kind of news they'll be covering. When Baku notices Jake, he questions why a gaijin is there and requests that he be thrown out. However, another worker there interjects and announces that the new workers will be treated to a welcoming party that night.
Jake briefly assists Emi at the party by passing around beers and later sits at a table with two of his co-workers. One of them informs Jake everyone there thinks that he's a Mossad or a spy for the Israelis. However, Jake clarifies that he's from 'Missouri', but this doesn't matter to them. They all then talk for the rest of the night.
The next morning, at a crime scene, where police and the forensics team were documenting a victim named Mr. Aoki's corpse. Mr. Aoki died of multiple stab wounds and slashes to arms. Detective Katagiri would soon arrive and examine the crime scene himself as Jake observes from the opposite side of the street from the scene where the crime occurred.
A press conference is held at the police station, where Jake is briefly accosted by an officer accusing him of not belonging there. Then, a high-ranking officer vouches for Jake as a reporter. In the conference room, details concerning the murder victim, Mr. Aoki, are given, and the man heading the conference refuses to answer any questions. Instead, the man refers to the initial release of information they all received for any questions they may have. During the explanation about the victim, Jake asks a co-worker about Jin's identity.
Afterward, Jake is assigned to cover the story by Emi, who gives him the victim's home address. Upon visiting the residence, Jake checks the mailbox and sees a letter that reveals Mr. Aoki owed a significant debt to a loan company. After tracking it down, Jake learned that the company was a shell company and would write this down in his report. However, his racist superior, Baku, would later scold him for improperly reporting that the victim was murdered without direct confirmation from the police officer in-charge. Once Jake leaves his superior's office, the superior talks to Emi about assigning Jake the case and how he handled it. Emi takes flak for it, and Jake tries to apologize for his actions, but Emi coldly dismisses them and states that if he makes one more mistake like that, he'll be fired.
Jake vents his frustrations at a restaurant to his co-worker friends about his failed report. The two did not know the logo of the loan company that Mr. Aoki was in debt to, and later, at his apartment, Jake reviewed his notes and decided to visit the police station again. There, Jake talks to Jin and tries to befriend him so he can learn the ropes of how reporters interact with police officers. Jin brushes off Jake, claiming he likes gaijin, but only ones with 'tits'. However, he gets second thoughts when he asks Jake if he knows how to pick up gaijin girls, and Jake confidently answers yes.
The two would then walk through the streets as Jake gives Jin advice on complimenting a gaijin lady. Soon an acquaintance of Jin complains how a hostess at the Onyx Bar had screwed him over a payment of 5k. Jin begrudgingly agrees to help the man. While Jin mediates the situation with his acquaintance, Jake uses the restroom, where he spots a man with a fresh tattoo on his arm. Jake asks about it, but the man doesn't answer and leaves.
Sitting at his table, Jake briefly watches the man he encountered in the bathroom break up an argument with someone at his table. At that moment, a gaijin hostess sings a cover of 'Sweet Child of Mine' in Japanese. After her performance, she'd sit at Jake's table, much to the dismay of the other man, who is interested in her himself. The two talk about Jake's job profession and its associated complications.
Meanwhile, Jin tries hitting on another hostess there named Polina, but she's already assigned to another table and suggests he reserve her next time. After this rejection, the two head to a strip club, where Jake tries to ask Jin about how reporters and police officers work together. Jin gives Jake a perplexing answer, stating there's no 'murder' in Japan, and proceeds to fondle some of the ladies there. This is because it keeps the clearance rate low for the police, and to Jake's dismay, Jin's answer doesn't help him write a story. Jin then gets a notification from work and abruptly leaves, but Jake follows him, where a crowd of people stand by an old man doused in gasoline with a dazed look on his face. Despite Jin's attempts to talk to the man, he lights the match that he has and immolates himself. Once that was over, Jake realizes that the matchbox the old man used had the same logo as the loan company he is investigating.
Jake would later disclose his findings to Emi; however, she strictly forbids him to investigate it any further, citing he already has a story to work on and to follow it. Despite Jake claiming he understands, Jake goes behind Emi's back by visiting the police station and getting information on the victim's identity.
Soon after, Jake visits the victim's home and learns from his wife that he was under constant harassment from the yakuza for his outstanding debt toward them. Breaking under the pressure from the yakuza, the victim killed himself by immolation. This would cause the harassing phone calls toward the victim's wife to end.
Meanwhile, the tattooed man whom Jake encountered assists his superior in a promotion ceremony in the Chihara-Kai clan, where Ishida is made the de facto leader of the yakuza clan. Elsewhere, as Jake walks home, he walks by the place where the victim immolated himself, leaving an impression on Jake.
==Characters==
* Jake Adelstein
* Hiroto Katagiri
* Samantha
* Jin Miyamoto
* Sato
* Polina
* Emi Maruyama
* Mrs. Morimoto
* Takada-san
* Mr. Aoki
* Akira
* Yoshihiro Kume
* Krystina
* Tozawa
* Taitana
* Tin-Tin
* Trendy
* Sato
* Ishida
==Episode Images==
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==Trivia==
* The song Release by Pearl Jam and Aly, Walk with Me by The Raveonettes are played in two different scenes in this episode.
* The term gaijin that Jake is called means "Non-Japanese" person.
* The Chiyoda Inari Shrine was shot at Dogenzaka, Shibuya.
* The Hijiri Bridge was shot by the Kandla River.
==References==
Category:Episodes