Binge-worthy: Tokyo Swindlers a heist J-drama with real estate twist

Tokyo Swindlers

Netflix
4 stars

Is 2024 the year of the addictive Japanese drama? Following the Emmy-nominated period series Shogun on Disney+, which brought samurais back in fashion, Netflix’s latest Japanese series Tokyo Swindlers is here to make scammers sexy.

Though no one breaks into banks or steals diamonds, this is essentially a heist drama, except the swindlers in the show, termed “jimenshi”, are real estate scammers. 

They use forged documents and recruit imposters to pose as landowners of attractive plots in land-scarce Tokyo to defraud developers of billions of yen. 

In this seven-part drama, the swindlers set their sights on a land adjacent to a temple worth 10 billion yen (S$89.8 million), while a dogged policeman and his protege chase the leads they leave behind. 

Here are three reasons to tune in.

1. Competent motley crew

Be it Hollywood’s Ocean’s film series (2001 to present) or Spanish series Money Heist (2017 to 2021), every good heist needs a crew.

The scammers’ mastermind is Harrison (Etsushi Toyokawa), his right-hand man is negotiator Takumi (Go Ayano), the lawyer is Goto (Pierre Taki), the information gatherer is Takeshita (Kazuki Kitamura) and the group’s sole woman Reiko (Eiko Koike) recruits the imposters. And, of course, there is the hacker and forger Nagai (Shota Sometani). 

As with all good heist dramas, Tokyo Swindlers makes a point of showing the con men’s competence. Takumi can infiltrate a high-end hotel just as well as he can a seedy host club; Reiko easily sheds tears while recounting a fake sob story to recruit an imposter; and Goto can talk his way into and out of any boardroom or backroom. 

When one sees how good they are at what they do, it is hard not to root for them to succeed, even when the series never shies away from showing how destructive the consequences of their crimes are – causing suicides and the complete breakdown of families.

2. Exciting cat-and-mouse game

On the other side of the con men is law enforcement – a close-to-retirement policeman Tatsu (Lily Franky), who has been pursuing Harrison and his collaborators for a long time, and his new partner Kuramochi (Elaiza Ikeda). 

The grumpy old man and bright-eyed protege buddy-cop pairing is certainly a trope, but it is effective here. Franky imbues Tatsu with a quiet determination while Ikeda portrays the enthusiasm of Kuramochi well.

Audiences cannot help but become invested in the pair’s feverish pursuit of the swindlers.

In fact, many will probably find themselves rooting for Takumi and gang to get away scot-free while also hoping that Tatsu and Kuramochi get a breakthrough in their investigation before it is too late. 

The tension between the two makes Tokyo Swindlers a particularly thrilling watch for viewers as they wait to see who will emerge victorious in the cat-and-mouse game between cops and scammers. 

3. Twists, turns and major bombshells

Unlike typical Japanese broadcast dramas, Tokyo Swindlers was made for streaming on Netflix, and with the backing of the platform, it is packed with more violence, sex and bombshells.

The series drives home the point that the swindlers operate in a dangerous world, where fingers get chopped off and people are choked to death. 

It is also not afraid of taking a sudden left turn or dropping a bombshell in order to build up to a climactic ending. 

There are abrupt character deaths both major and minor that take the story in a new direction. There are sudden disruptions to the swindlers’ carefully laid plans that threaten to expose their scam. And there are unexpected betrayals that shock audiences and the characters themselves.