Prime’s series Like a Dragon: Yakuza continues with Kazuma Kiryu returning to the city after being released from prison. Goro Majima updates Kazuma on what he’s missed since he’s been locked up. Goro explains that there have been a lot of murders in the world of the Yakuza, in which many victims have been carved with pentagrams. They call this murderer ‘The Demon of Shinjuku’. Goro also mentions that Aiko, an old friend of Kazuma’s, may be involved. She currently works at a manga café, which is a front for a money laundering scheme. Aiko is currently a burden to the Yakuza, so Goro plans to find her before the Yakuza takes her out. Kazuma is reluctant to get involved, although he hears that Yumi has also been in trouble.
Viewers are shown the four– Kazuma, Nishiki, Yumi, and Miho – inducted into their new roles: the men Yakuza, and women club hosts. They then have their own lives and bask in the new freedom. They were able to get new clothes and a place of their own. While the group is thriving, Dojima, one of the Yakuza leaders, plans to buy land, create a massive living complex through investors, and aims to buy land for this as well. The owner of the deed of the land, Edgar Field, did not take Dojima’s sale pitch, explaining that the idea was too greedy.
Yumi and Miho continue being Hostesses, although Yumi does not fit into the scene. She can’t seem to have fun around strangers or entertain them. Miho on the other hand, thrived in the new environment, although it was still hard on her body, causing her to faint at the club. In the meantime, Kazuma joins a heist with Nishiki and other yakuza members to steal the deed to the land for Dojima. While they could pry open the safe and retrieve the deed, there was not a stamp for it to be signed over. While the group leaves back to the club and uses the bathroom, they find Edgar dead in the stall.
Kazuma, Nishiki, and the others are scolded for stealing the deed without permission. Now Dojima must find the seal to the deed for Edgar Field’s land before his family does.
Shintaro Kazuma, the group’s foster father, is shown to be in contact with Edgar’s sister, who is distraught by her brother’s death. Miho finds Shintaro in this conversation and immediately notifies Nishiki of this. Kazuma also begins to get followed by detectives, though he remains noncooperative. Nishiki quickly finds Kazuma, urging him to come with him. Nishiki finds out through Miho that Edgar’s sister has the seal, and the two look to regain Dojima’s trust by retrieving the seal.
The episode returns to the present, revealing Nishiki visiting Yumi at the hospital. Nishiki attends a memorial for one of the clan members and is reminded that Kazuma is now free. Many believe he hasn’t been in prison long enough and should be punished. Nishiki remains to honor Kazuma, despite the backlash from other Yakuza members.
Aiko is then shown at her manga store with her daughter. She explains to the child that they are going to Hawaii for a fun, fresh new start. As Aiko goes down the stairs of the store, masked men appear in the shop, shooting the attendant, leaving the little girl to watch. The men are shown wearing oni, or rather, demon masks. The daughter runs to find her mother as the shop is gassed. As she hides, a man finds her in the bathroom, though this man is actually Kazuma. Kazuma holds the little girl as the smoke worsens and Aiko leaves the convenience store.
Episode two of Yakuza: Like a Dragon offers more character development, showing Kazuma’s past as he worked his way through the world of the yakuza. While Miho thrives as a host, audiences see that it’s still hard on her body. In contrast, Yumi struggles as she begins her new job, though the future presents her as prosperous, suggesting more development for the coming episodes; this also includes Nishiki, who had become the head of his yakuza clan. As the murder of Edgar further develops, the group becomes threatened as Nishiki and Kazuma are involved. While there was a lack of action in the episode, which Is beloved in this franchise, there was plenty of thrill, leaving audiences with a cliffhanger. While the plot is enticing, it still lacks character, possibly taking itself too seriously, which plagues many TV adaptions. Even so, there is still hope for the series, as it’s still early into the season.
Rating: 6.5/10