Why?

What I liked:
- the characters - and the brotherly camaraderie
- the dynamics between the two male leads, Kihara & Mishima
- the action scenes
- Mishima's character development
- the plot twist

What was iffy:
- there weren't any scenes that were memorable
- storytelling was muggy at times - not clear what the nature of the corruption was all about
- not clear on the backstory of how and why the tabloid chief and the police captain were willing to collaborate with Kihara,
> someone who has close ties to the yakuza
> if found out, could consequently discredit them and put their work/reputations in jeopardy
> underdeveloped villains and antagonists

What I would have liked to see more of:
- the journalists working alongside Mishima
- especially the office assistant and the editor-in-chief, Nagasaki
> would balance out the currently disproportionate amount of characters involved with the yakuza world
> would make positive female characters
> (Nana the hostess doesn't count bec. she's directly involved with the yakuza)
> more of what a tabloid magazine worker deals with

For a film that claims that its premise is about a journalist and a former yakuza working together, it tends to focus too much on Kihara, and subsequently ends up glorifying the yakuza more than anything about the work of a journalist. Mishima's character becomes more of a sidekick rather than a formidable equal.