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scheu's review against another edition
4.0
It was nice, for a change, to read a book about Japan that didn't spend hundreds of pages explaning the cultural differences between Japan and the West. This is the other side of Confessions of a Yakuza, the side where the human toll is readily apparent. I suppose that "smart" criminals ignore the consequences of their selfishness.
tittypete's review against another edition
5.0
Japanese culture. International police procedural. And a lot of hand jobs, butt-fingering and cigarette smoking. A Jewish-american dude becomes a cub reporter for a nippon newspaper and works his way up the journalistic corporate ladder. Throughout, he becomes more and more aware of the slimier side of life in Japan. SPOILER ALERT: there is a lot of non-traditional sex. Also swords sometime. Loved it.
lavoiture's review against another edition
3.0
I went between a 3 and a 4 here and eventually I gave it a 3 because it couldn't quite hold my attention at the end. I would probably give it a 3.5 if that were a possibility. I'd say it's worth a read, though.
miloshjocic's review against another edition
POROCI TOKIJA (TOKYO VICE, 2009, Random House) autobiografska je knjiga američkog novinara Džejka Adelštajna (Jake Adelstein) o godinama kada je, kao mladi istraživački reporter, radio u redakciji crne hronike jedne od najvećih medijskih kuća u Japanu. Priča je dramska. Mlad junak, sa vrućom diplomom studija žurnalistike, dobija prvi posao. Zaposlenje je -- crna hronika, što podrazumeva nulu sna i bliska upoznavanja sa pričama za koje na televiziji izlazi upozorenje o sadržaju. To međutim nije najgore: Džejk Adelštajn se zapošljava, kao Amerikanac, u najvećoj novinskoj kući u Tokiju. Ne samo da je početnik, već je i stranac u zemlji koja je i dalje, uprkos tehnološkoj prosvećenosti i anglicizmima u govoru, opipljivo ksenofobična.
O zanatu crne hronike Adelštajn piše toliko glorifikovano da uspeva ubediti kako je u pitanju najjači posao na svetu. Imao sam želju, tokom čitanja, da primerke knjige poklonim svima koje novinarstvo zanima ne samo kao posao, već kao poziv; da sam je sam pročitao u svojim formativnim godinama, verovatno bih dobio poriv da se prijavim za prijemni ispit za žurnalistiku. Reporteri crne hronike opisani su kao heroji; kao kul sekta; naj od naj; najviše rade, najviše piju, najviše se razvode, najranije umiru. Adelštajn, kao u udžbeniku, približava neicijantima pravila, etička i praktična, ovog zanata: kako se neguju odnosi sa izvorima, policijom, urednicima, kako se vrdaju zakoni, i kako se rokovi poštuju i probijaju. Učimo se, drugim rečima, kako se pravi kobasica.
Priču koja je sama po sebi uzbudljivija od devet desetina životopisa Adelštajn je ipak umalo iskvario dramskim preterivanjima. Sebe je Adelštajn je, neretko bez suptilnosti, predstavio kao izuzetnog šmekera, seks-manijaka, vrhunskog špijuna, Budi sličnog dobrotvora i govornika zlatnog jezika, što, uz dužno poštovanje prema čoveku, smatram neistinom ili barem dobrim natezanjem. Dijalozi između likova se takođe sigurno nisu tako odigrali, jer su suviše precizni, teatralni i sa previše jasnim aforističkim poentama. Život nije film, pa čak ni život kriminalističkog reportera, ali je ispovest Adelštajnova dočarana obiljem dramskih tehnika obično neprisutnih u stvarnosti: uvoda, retrospekcije, lajtmotiva, foreshadowinga, suspensa, one linera; melodrame i didaktike. Od neobičnih i melanholičnih sećanja pisac je na silu napravio narcisoidni scenario za B film.
Teško mi je bilo zbog ovih veštačkih suplemenata da priču Džejka Adelštajna prihvatim kao iskrenu i istinitu -- iako ona to, barem delom, jeste. Za nefikciju je uvek pohvala da se čita kao roman, ali se Adelštajan za moj ukus suviše silovito zaleteo da svoje doživljaje literarizuje. Srećom je tema egzotična, a takva literarizacija zarazna i zanimljiva, naročito u prvom delu memoara, kada je glavni junak još zelen, kada su događaji svesno napisani u crnohumornom, apsurdističkom tonu; na pamet su mi padale scene iz MONKA, NEŠA BRIDžISA i sličnih komičnih krimića. Da su ove epizode ciljano napisane na ovaj način svedoče i nazivi poglavlja, namerno oblikovani da zvuče kao simpatični treš ili rogobatna manga („The Chichibu Snack-mama Murder Case“, „The Saitama Dog Lover Special Disappearance, Part One: So You're Asking Me to Trust You?“, „The Saitama Dog Lover Special Disappearance, Part Two: Out of Bed, Yakuza are Worthless Leeches“). Ovakva se stilizacija piscu kasnije možda obila u glavu, jer poslednja poglavlja, mračna i tužna, više odaju, posle slalomskog početka, osećaj umora nego dojam melahnoličnog samopromišljanja. Taj je deo priče, možda, za pisca bio previše ranjiv da bi bio podlogom filmizacije.
O zanatu crne hronike Adelštajn piše toliko glorifikovano da uspeva ubediti kako je u pitanju najjači posao na svetu. Imao sam želju, tokom čitanja, da primerke knjige poklonim svima koje novinarstvo zanima ne samo kao posao, već kao poziv; da sam je sam pročitao u svojim formativnim godinama, verovatno bih dobio poriv da se prijavim za prijemni ispit za žurnalistiku. Reporteri crne hronike opisani su kao heroji; kao kul sekta; naj od naj; najviše rade, najviše piju, najviše se razvode, najranije umiru. Adelštajn, kao u udžbeniku, približava neicijantima pravila, etička i praktična, ovog zanata: kako se neguju odnosi sa izvorima, policijom, urednicima, kako se vrdaju zakoni, i kako se rokovi poštuju i probijaju. Učimo se, drugim rečima, kako se pravi kobasica.
Priču koja je sama po sebi uzbudljivija od devet desetina životopisa Adelštajn je ipak umalo iskvario dramskim preterivanjima. Sebe je Adelštajn je, neretko bez suptilnosti, predstavio kao izuzetnog šmekera, seks-manijaka, vrhunskog špijuna, Budi sličnog dobrotvora i govornika zlatnog jezika, što, uz dužno poštovanje prema čoveku, smatram neistinom ili barem dobrim natezanjem. Dijalozi između likova se takođe sigurno nisu tako odigrali, jer su suviše precizni, teatralni i sa previše jasnim aforističkim poentama. Život nije film, pa čak ni život kriminalističkog reportera, ali je ispovest Adelštajnova dočarana obiljem dramskih tehnika obično neprisutnih u stvarnosti: uvoda, retrospekcije, lajtmotiva, foreshadowinga, suspensa, one linera; melodrame i didaktike. Od neobičnih i melanholičnih sećanja pisac je na silu napravio narcisoidni scenario za B film.
Teško mi je bilo zbog ovih veštačkih suplemenata da priču Džejka Adelštajna prihvatim kao iskrenu i istinitu -- iako ona to, barem delom, jeste. Za nefikciju je uvek pohvala da se čita kao roman, ali se Adelštajan za moj ukus suviše silovito zaleteo da svoje doživljaje literarizuje. Srećom je tema egzotična, a takva literarizacija zarazna i zanimljiva, naročito u prvom delu memoara, kada je glavni junak još zelen, kada su događaji svesno napisani u crnohumornom, apsurdističkom tonu; na pamet su mi padale scene iz MONKA, NEŠA BRIDžISA i sličnih komičnih krimića. Da su ove epizode ciljano napisane na ovaj način svedoče i nazivi poglavlja, namerno oblikovani da zvuče kao simpatični treš ili rogobatna manga („The Chichibu Snack-mama Murder Case“, „The Saitama Dog Lover Special Disappearance, Part One: So You're Asking Me to Trust You?“, „The Saitama Dog Lover Special Disappearance, Part Two: Out of Bed, Yakuza are Worthless Leeches“). Ovakva se stilizacija piscu kasnije možda obila u glavu, jer poslednja poglavlja, mračna i tužna, više odaju, posle slalomskog početka, osećaj umora nego dojam melahnoličnog samopromišljanja. Taj je deo priče, možda, za pisca bio previše ranjiv da bi bio podlogom filmizacije.
multiplexer's review against another edition
5.0
Tokyo Vice was not what I expected.
I learned about Tokyo Vice from NPR's Planet Money and listened to the interview with Jake Adelstein about the economics of Yakuza crime in Japan. I was expecting something more like "Tokyo Underground" but with a more economics spin. What I got was a very interesting True Crime book about the seedier side of Tokyo and its outer suburbs.
Although the book didn't give me what I initially expected, it did dish up huge heaping servings of wonderful True Crime Noir. Jake Adelstein has really lived the life out there on the streets and he's not afraid to tell the stories exactly as they were. Some of the stories end with the bad guy getting it in the end and sometimes the bad guys win. His best work is his portrayal of the cops on the beat and how hard these Detective guys work in a culture so obsessed with saving face that they have to step around insane restrictions to get anything done.
He describes hookers, drug dealers, club owners, sex traffickers, the issues of being gaijin in the Japanese underground, and all sorts of yakuza and insane sleaze. The best story may be the one about the serial rapist who took girls to his condo on the ocean and drugged them.
If you're interested in Noir and crime stories, I can highly recommend this book. The writing is crisp and clear. The book moves along briskly without ever getting bogged down. Jake's fight for the rights of women trapped in Japanese human trafficking and sex slave schemes is an amazing bit of reporting.
I read this version on the Kindle.
I learned about Tokyo Vice from NPR's Planet Money and listened to the interview with Jake Adelstein about the economics of Yakuza crime in Japan. I was expecting something more like "Tokyo Underground" but with a more economics spin. What I got was a very interesting True Crime book about the seedier side of Tokyo and its outer suburbs.
Although the book didn't give me what I initially expected, it did dish up huge heaping servings of wonderful True Crime Noir. Jake Adelstein has really lived the life out there on the streets and he's not afraid to tell the stories exactly as they were. Some of the stories end with the bad guy getting it in the end and sometimes the bad guys win. His best work is his portrayal of the cops on the beat and how hard these Detective guys work in a culture so obsessed with saving face that they have to step around insane restrictions to get anything done.
He describes hookers, drug dealers, club owners, sex traffickers, the issues of being gaijin in the Japanese underground, and all sorts of yakuza and insane sleaze. The best story may be the one about the serial rapist who took girls to his condo on the ocean and drugged them.
If you're interested in Noir and crime stories, I can highly recommend this book. The writing is crisp and clear. The book moves along briskly without ever getting bogged down. Jake's fight for the rights of women trapped in Japanese human trafficking and sex slave schemes is an amazing bit of reporting.
I read this version on the Kindle.
tarugani's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Where to start? I should probably admit that I gave this book 5 stars less because it's a perfect book and more because I think it's a book more people should read. It's fascinating, often brutal, and definitely interesting as an inside look at organized crime, human trafficking, and investigative journalism. You will probably come out of it more cynical than you were before you read it.
As a book it seems to jump around a bit, as if the author wasn't quite sure of exactly what he wanted to say or what story he wanted to tell (and yes, I know I know, it's not supposed to be a novel).
As a book it seems to jump around a bit, as if the author wasn't quite sure of exactly what he wanted to say or what story he wanted to tell (and yes, I know I know, it's not supposed to be a novel).
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
4.0
My friend Manny lent me this book knowing I almost never read non-fiction, and had never previously read a "true crime" novel. But as soon as I started reading it, I was glad he thought to pass it on to me. I appreciated it as a fellow journalist, as someone curious about other cultures, and as someone that appreciates a great read.
As for the story, it breaks down into roughly three segments. The first is the story of how a "gaijin," or foreigner, became a reporter with the prestigious Yomiuri newspaper; the second is a number of stand-alone stories relating to various crimes, criminals and underworld enterprises he encounters on the beat; the third, where the book really picks up and becomes a page turner, is a story of human trafficking, prostitution, questionably legal organ transplants, yakuza threats on the author, and perseverance of the author to do the right and honorable thing, despite dangerous consequences for both him and the people around him.
My only lingering question after finishing Tokyo Vice is whether Jake Adelstein's marriage -- mentions of his wife and children and the effects of his job on them are woven through the tale -- survived the toll of his reporting lifestyle and the subsequent fallout of him breaking the stories he did on the yakuza.
As for the story, it breaks down into roughly three segments. The first is the story of how a "gaijin," or foreigner, became a reporter with the prestigious Yomiuri newspaper; the second is a number of stand-alone stories relating to various crimes, criminals and underworld enterprises he encounters on the beat; the third, where the book really picks up and becomes a page turner, is a story of human trafficking, prostitution, questionably legal organ transplants, yakuza threats on the author, and perseverance of the author to do the right and honorable thing, despite dangerous consequences for both him and the people around him.
My only lingering question after finishing Tokyo Vice is whether Jake Adelstein's marriage -- mentions of his wife and children and the effects of his job on them are woven through the tale -- survived the toll of his reporting lifestyle and the subsequent fallout of him breaking the stories he did on the yakuza.
macofalltrades's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is one of the coolest books I’ve ever read! Learned a lot about journalism, Japan, and gang activity. Felt like I was right there along with Jake through this whole book, I fear Helena may haunt me too.