The Test

Season 1, Episode 01 (01)

**The Test** is the first episode of the first season of *Tokyo Vice*. It was released on April 7th, along with the *Kishi Kaisei* and *Read the Air*.

## 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.

## Plot Summary

A two year flashforward shows Jake Adelstein and Hiroto Katagiri arriving at a restaurant for a meeting with the Yakuza. They put on stab-proof vests as they prepare for the meeting and are told to sit with their backs to the wall and only accept food and drink from the waiter they know well. However, when they arrive at their table, they are informed that their hosts have already arrived and the meeting has been moved to the private chambers upstairs. The two seem concerned but agree to meet with the Yakuza as planned.

During the meeting, Adelstein is warned, presumably by a high-ranking member of the Yakuza, to stop his investigations and kill his story, as it is harmful to Tozawa and therefore endangers the entire Yakuza operation. To ensure Adelstein's compliance, the Yakuza warn him that if he publishes the story, they will come after him and his family – he will have nowhere to hide. Adelstein makes a sarcastic comment about smoking a cigarette while considering the offer.

Back in the present, it is 1999, two years earlier. Adelstein is learning Japanese on a bus as he travels through downtown Tokyo. He teaches English to Japanese students before practicing at a dojo. Later that night, he grabs dinner at a food stand while continuing to learn everything he can about the geography and economy of Japan. This becomes stressful for him, and after he leaves the food stand, he goes clubbing and bumps into an old friend who is returning to the US later that night.

While Jake was walking out from a club, he is interested in a group of men he sees getting out of a limousine. When one of the men warns him to mind his own business, Jake returns home to Takada-san's house and looks through a magazine where he finds a photo of one of the men he saw earlier. He has been collecting news clippings about these men and their activities.

Adelstein is given an assignment to write up the contents of the Police press release for the newspaper. He visits the house of the deceased man and finds several unopened bills, including an overdue notice for a large loan. Adelstein investigates the loan shark and finds that their office is empty and in disrepair. He includes this information in his report, but it is rejected by the newspaper for deviating from the Police report. This causes tension between Adelstein and his superior, Eimi, who warns him to stick to his job and not overstep his bounds.

Adelstein decides to try to solve the case on his own and seeks help from Miyamoto-san with the Police. Miyamoto initially resists, but eventually agrees to help in exchange for advice on picking up women. Miyamoto and Adelstein stop at a club on the way to deal with business, and Adelstein starts talking to a young woman singing there. However, it becomes clear that she is a prostitute and is only talking to Adelstein because he is buying her drinks. Later, Miyamoto takes Adelstein to another club to continue their conversation and test his theory on picking up women. Miyamoto tells Adelstein that there are no murders in Japan, even if they seem like it, and that the Police classify them as other forms of homicide rather than murder. Adelstein is skeptical and asks for more information, but Miyamoto refuses to elaborate.

After returning to the newspaper office, Jake is given the task of writing up the contents of the police press release for the newspaper. He goes to the home of the man who was stabbed and finds various unpaid bills, including a overdue notice for a large loan. Jake becomes curious and visits the location of the loan shark, but finds their office abandoned and in disrepair. He includes this information in his report, but it is rejected by the newspaper because they expect him to just copy the police report. This also causes tension between Jake and his superior, Eimi, who advises him to stick to his job duties and nothing more.

Determined to solve the case on his own, Jake approaches Miyamoto for help with working with the police. Miyamoto initially resists, teasing Jake before offering assistance in exchange for advice on how to pick up women. Miyamoto and Jake stop at a club along the way to handle some business, and Jake talks to a young singer whom he is attracted to. However, it becomes apparent that the woman is a hostess and is only talking to Jake because he is buying her drinks.

Adelstein continues his investigation into the loan shark company and the Yakuza's involvement in it. He meets with Miyamoto again, who tells him that the Yakuza have a strict code of conduct and that they would never be involved in something as low as loan sharking. Adelstein is skeptical, but Miyamoto advises him to be careful and not to get too involved in the case. Despite this warning, Adelstein continues to dig deeper and visits the wife of the man who set himself on fire to ask more questions about the Yakuza's involvement. The wife reveals that her husband was trying to protect her from the Yakuza and that they had stopped calling for money after her husband's suicide.

Adelstein also attends a ceremony where Hitoshi Ishida is sworn in as the leader of the Ishida clan, and he notices several members of the Yakuza in attendance, including a man he encountered in the club the previous night. As he walks home that night, Adelstein has disturbing visions of the man dousing himself with petroleum before setting himself on fire. Despite these visions, Adelstein remains determined to uncover the truth and continues his investigation.

## Cast and Characters

* Ansel Elgort as Jake Adelstein
* Ken Watanabe as Hiroto Katagiri
* Rachel Keller as Samantha
* Hideaki Ito as Jin Miyamoto
* Show Kasamatsu as Sato
* Ella Rumpf as Polina
* Rinko Kikuchi as Emi
* Tomohisa Yamashita as Akira
* Masayoshi Haneda as Yoshihiro Kume
* Alisa Wild as Krystina
* Ayumi Tanida as Tozawa