Loved the hostess getting played by the host.

Watched the first 2 episodes last night. Already liking this a lot.

Wasn't aware of this and can't wait to check it out. I've become pretty fascinated with Japan of late so looking forward to this.

"I Want It That Way" now becoming the anal anthem wasn't something I anticipated going into this show, but here we are. I **** with it. Very happy there are more episodes to come.

Episode four was fantastic. My favorite yet. Damn, this show is so good.

Head Ninja In Charge said:

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"I Want It That Way" now becoming the anal anthem wasn't something I anticipated going into this show, but here we are. I **** with it. Very happy there are more episodes to come.

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The entire Backstreet Boys through line was hilarious. And honestly, the scene in the car where they were both singing is easily one of my favorite scenes of any show this year. So funny, but also weirdly endearing. Really starting to like the camaraderie between those two.

TCTTS said:

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Head Ninja In Charge said:

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"I Want It That Way" now becoming the anal anthem wasn't something I anticipated going into this show, but here we are. I **** with it. Very happy there are more episodes to come.

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The entire Backstreet Boys through line was hilarious. And honestly, the scene in the car where they were both singing is easily one of my favorite scenes of any show this year. So funny, but also weirdly endearing. Really starting to like the camaraderie between those two.

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Caught up last night and couldn't agree more.

Two new episodes yesterday. Gotta say, saw most of the reveals coming. I hope the final two episodes next week are great but these last two have been pretty predictable. Still enjoy the setting though.

Watched episode 6 last night, and even though I feel like a lot of this is being telegraphed, I'm still on for the rest of this ride. You knew things were going to go badly at the bust when he disregarded what Hiroto told him. I didn't think it was necessarily a double cross from the other cop, just something wasn't going to go well. I thought maybe they gave him bad intel in order to break his relationships with the police. Which would mean the yakuza could control what information he gets and what gets put out there.

Still confused by Pol getting played by the Host when that is literally what she does for a living.

The cars are one of my favorite parts of the show. That z is sexy as hell. And those Presidents are big pimping.

I started this last night. I like it a lot, and it really makes me miss Japan.

Duncan Idaho said:

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Still confused by Pol getting played by the Host when that is literally what she does for a living.

The cars are one of my favorite parts of the show. That z is sexy as hell. And those Presidents are big pimping.

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I don't think it was so much her getting played as much as it was her just not giving a F when she got pissy her BF was talking to other girls on their 3 month anniversary. She kept ordering those expensive bottles not concerned about her debt. I'm also curious to know if she went to Yoshino to pay off her debt willingly or if they duped her somehow with the limo telling her she was going somewhere else.

Absolutely my favorite show and one of the best on TV right now.

Although I'm really starting to hate the girl, Samantha. She's self-centered and selfish, does nothing but use people to her own ends. I love that Sato called her out in the latest episode.

There are some great actors in this show. Between this, and some of the Korean shows from last year, Im definitely open to some more shows with subtitles. Well, at least as long as its on this level of quality.

Watch Dark on Netflix.

Agree. This show is incredible but Samantha is the weak link for me.

The matrix conversation was hilarious

Episode six was incredible. What a reveal at the end. I continue to be in awe at how great and unique this show is, week in and week out. I really wish more people were talking about it.

Trying to knock out seven today before new episodes drop tomorrow. Curious if they'll drop the final three tomorrow (like they did in dropping the initial three at the start) or continue doling out two at a time (like they have the past couple weeks), then save the finale for next week.

I thought it was an 8-episode season and tomorrow's drop is the finale?

Hmmm. I'm seeing two usually reliable resources saying 10 episodes, but then yeah, Wikipedia is saying eight episodes and that the finale is tomorrow. Man, if so, I wasn't ready for it to be over so soon.

Futon Critic never lets me down when it comes to episode counts, but they did here, because yeah, IMDb is saying eight episodes as well. Damn.

Been enjoying this show a lot. I watched "The Outsider" a couple of weeks before this series started. Interesting to see ths show's differing take on the Yakuza.

The Netflix movie with Jared Leto? This show is way better than that was. I can't even remember what that one was ultimately about, this show is sticking with me. Classic Michael Mann slow burn.

Yeah, i agree this is better. It was coincidence that I watched that film and then ran across this show shortly afterwards. I just mentioned it because it's sort of my reference in terms of Yakuza. I saw "Black Rain" around 30 years ago, so I don't remember much about it.

TCTTS said:

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Futon Critic never lets me down when it comes to episode counts, but they did here, because yeah, IMDb is saying eight episodes as well. Damn.

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Dammit, 8 episodes is way too short! This better get renewed, and season 2 better come before 2025!!

I will never understand why so many of the streamers don't have the total episode count on their platforms, from the jump, while these shows are airing. We should know if we're watching episode 1 of 10 or 1 of 8 or whatever. It's like not listing the runtime of a movie. Drives me nuts.

Just finished seven, another great episode. Seems like there's so much to wrap up in the finale, though. No clue if there's going to be a season two (heck, I'd watch ten seasons of this show), but I'm not optimistic, considering the Ansel Elgort of it all. The series really seems to be doing well otherwise, and the Elgort accusations seem to be fading/aren't proving to be a big distraction, but no idea if HBO Max would hire him again or not. In other words, episode eight could very well be the final episode of the series, but I'm really hoping it's not.

Looking forward to everyone's thoughts on the finale. Obviously the story isn't over and there are a bunch of storylines that still need to be wrapped up. What in the world was up with the guy that stabbed Sato? It was the same guy that got his ass beat by Sato early on in the season but that was out of left field. Is he working with Tozawa, or was that petty revenge for the ass beating he took, or was that because of something Sato did with Samantha in that "let's keep it professional" convo. So random it seems. Who left the tape for Jake? Was it Tozawa's girl as payback for the smack in the face and threats on the tarmac? The crystal meth guy doesn't seem likely after getting kicked in the junk. Why didn't Samantha go to Sato and ask for help when Paulo's boyfriend asks for all that money? She's smarter than that to just show up with a bag full of all her cash with a guy she doesn't trust without backup. So many WTF moments and just not a very strong finale, IMO. I'll definitely watch season 2 but I hope they can tighten up the story.

Teddy Perkins said:

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Looking forward to everyone's thoughts on the finale. Obviously the story isn't over and there are a bunch of storylines that still need to be wrapped up. What in the world was up with the guy that stabbed Sato? It was the same guy that got his ass beat by Sato early on in the season but that was out of left field. Is he working with Tozawa, or was that petty revenge for the ass beating he took, or was that because of something Sato did with Samantha in that "let's keep it professional" convo. So random it seems. Who left the tape for Jake? Was it Tozawa's girl as payback for the smack in the face and threats on the tarmac? The crystal meth guy doesn't seem likely after getting kicked in the junk. Why didn't Samantha go to Sato and ask for help when Paulo's boyfriend asks for all that money? She's smarter than that to just show up with a bag full of all her cash with a guy she doesn't trust without backup. So many WTF moments and just not a very strong finale, IMO. I'll definitely watch season 2 but I hope they can tighten up the story.

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how the **** can that be the season finale? so frustrating!

That was the guy that Sato beat up, I think it was either petty revenge or an order from the boss as Sato "couldn't be trusted" since he stood up to the boss re: Samantha in the meeting earlier that day. I think the conversation with Samantha just then was irrelevant to the stabbing either way. I'd lean toward petty revenge though.

As for the tape, I was thinking Tozawa's girl, but how did she know he was looking for the ship? I think it was the tabloid/crystal meth guy, as he probably saw Pol die in the tape and had a guilty conscience about it after seeing her photo earlier that day. I do think that the girl eventually comes forward to connect certain important pieces of evidence for Jake's story - likely involving Tozawa's health.

I agree that Samantha not asking either Sato or Jake for help when she was approached for money was very stupid. But lets not forget that she was also coming down off a meth high at the time so she probably wasn't thinking entirely clearly. I think the show did a good job of depicting how flustered she was in the moment.

Personally I thought it was a very enjoyable finale and I'm definitely looking forward to S2. It's funny that out of everything you mentioned, you didn't comment on what I found to be the weakest link. I thought the weakest link was Katagiri smelling the trap and not doing anything about it. Not having anyone tail Miyamoto (hell, not getting any hard evidence documenting his involvement just in case the worst happened - tapes, signed/sealed deposition, whatever), not getting any backup for his stakeout, etc. I get that he doesn't trust anyone in his department, but still... He could have taken certain steps to protect himself and his source especially given that everything didn't seem right.

Duncan Idaho said:

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The only thing more off putting than the racism is the lack of nudity.

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Asian countries are racist as hell. Not sure any other countries come close. You could be 3rd generation, and they would never consider you a citizen if you didn't share their same physical features...always an outsider. China, Korea, Japan...doesn't matter. Just a little lesson for the class.

Boo Weekley said:

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Duncan Idaho said:

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The only thing more off putting than the racism is the lack of nudity.

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Asian countries are racist as hell. Not sure any other countries come close. You could be 3rd generation, and they would never consider you a citizen if you didn't share their same physical features...always an outsider. China, Korea, Japan...doesn't matter. Just a little lesson for the class.

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Yep. And every country hates the other, esp the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans.

As one of the board's resident Asians, I can confirm the accuracy of the above two posts.

Head Ninja In Charge said:

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As one of the board's resident Asians, I can confirm the accuracy of the above two posts.

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My wife is 1st gen Korean-American, I love her family and they love me...hopefully it wasn't taken as a knock. We also have white friends who lived in Seoul for a few years and, while they loved it overall, some of the experiences and encounters they had sound like what black people must have felt in the south 75 years ago. I think it's changing somewhat with the younger generations, but I don't even consider that level or racial/ethnic or national zeal and xenophobia as anything hateful or personal when you are dealing with countries that have been almost 100% homogenous for hundreds/thousands of years. At least it's not about color and they are "racist" against each other too

Anyways, sorry for the derail...only through episode 1 but really liking this show.

Only on episode 3 but definitely hooked. As someone who lived in Japan for a few months during college (half study abroad half whatever I wanted), it's nostalgic in some ways, though to be fair I was there in 2012 so some technology changes are obviously apparent.

Loving it. Very jealous of the life the protagonist got to lead (so far at least), but the show did touch on briefly that it's hurting his family back home. Hell, I was only gone for a few months and my family acted like I'd died.

Must've been even worse in 1999 without smart phones, FaceTime, etc.

And idk where else to drop this humble brag, but I also speak Japanese. Not as well as Jake San though.