Joker Game

With World War II right around the corner, intelligence on other countries' social and economic situation has become a valuable asset. As a result, Japan has established a new spy organization known as the "D Agency" to obtain this weapon.

Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki, eight agents have been assigned to infiltrate and observe some of the most powerful countries, reporting on any developments associated with the war. In order to carry out these dangerous tasks, these men have trained their bodies to survive in extreme conditions and studied numerous fields such as communications and languages. However, their greatest strength lies in their ability to manipulate people in order to obtain the information necessary to give their nation the upper hand.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Miyoshi Main

Shimono, Hiro Japanese

Yuuki Main

Horiuchi, Kenyuu Japanese

Tazaki Main

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Sakuma Main

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Kaminaga Main

Kimura, Ryouhei Japanese

Hatano Main

Kaji, Yuuki Japanese

Fukumoto Main

Nakai, Kazuya Japanese

Amari Main

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Jitsui Main

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

Odagiri Main

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Isogai, Noritomo Producer

Banshou, Kouichi Producer

Shiraishi, Youko Producer

Reviews

Jun 24, 2016

LeaderTGW

Recommended

I actually almost skipped this title for a few reasons. One it aired on Tuesday, a day where only two titles were airing, two I got it mixed up with another title airing this season with the word "joker" in it. Now when I first started Joker Game I honestly didn't expect much from it. It wasn't until later episodes that it really started to take off and I started to enjoy it immensely.'

Story 8.5/10

Really interesting plot and story going on for each episode. In my opinion I think that the greatest thing about the story is that it remains, no matter what the episode ... or plot is about, dramatic. Like, I found it very difficult to turn away from Joker Game. Whenever I tried to do something else while I was watching it, something interesting would happen and I'd be like "Oh man! what's going to happen next." So to me I'd say that drama is the shows main focal point. One other thing that I admire was how even though the story wasn't based on real events, the episodes and narrative played out like a old re-enactment of history videos you'd see on discovery channel or national geographic. The story added so much realism despite it being completely fictional and that is something that stood out to me quite a lot! Often times the dialogue seemed overly dramatic however this doesn't change my overall feelings for the story. The plot for each episode always kept things interesting & exciting because of the mystery element added to it. Honestly, I couldn't find too much that I didn't like in the story department other than the ending, which I cannot spoil because rules. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed watching the story of joker game unfold.

Visually, I was impressed with the background settings in Joker game. the details to certain objects and vehicles like the trains, cars, and other items looked alright. It was as if the team working on the shows animations for 1950's style settings did a good job with accurately researching objects, devices and settings from the 1950's. Although I'm sure most of their research focused more on main stream objects like guns, best trains available, best cars for that time period, that sort of thing. Character designs were pretty good however, I didn't like how plain a majority of the males looked. I'm glad that the females stood out more than the males but I still think the character designers could have done a better job with the appearances of the characters.

Let me start off with my favorite thing in the soundtrack department, the voice actors, seiyuu's etc.. they did a great job with speaking English! Words were pronounced fluently (to a certain extent) and properly spoken in their sentences. It really shows the devotion and extent that actors are willing to go to star in a role. Having that experiences really helps with getting more roles and I love to hear Japanese.. well foreigners in general speaking outside of their native language. Moving on, the soundtrack in Joker game was actually pretty nice. My favorite thing about the background music is that if a dramatic event was occurring, the music will help intensify that specific scene. My favorite song in the entire series though is the ending song by "Double" by MAGIC OF LiFE."

Before I get into characters, let me say that I really liked how diverse the characters involved in the show were. There were Caucasians, Africans, Asians, etc none of them portrayed too negatively nor stereotypical. Nationalities such as Germans, weren't exploited as negatively as they are in any other "Historical" anime genres. I like that there was a sense of respectfulness to other cultures in certain parts of the story. Characters wouldn't use offensive words to refer to each other. So that was dealt with very maturely. I think character growth is the most important factor of the series. It's crucial for the spies to grow and develop their skills otherwise they'll just end up dead as you'll see in the show.

I think what I enjoyed most about the series is that no matter what episode I was watching, I felt like the enjoyment I had watching were so good that I couldn't help but share what I thought was going to happen next with my mates. I think anticipating what's going to happen next episode is perhaps what makes this series so exiting to watch. The mysterious element along with drama just kept me coming back for more! Overall I would recommend Joker Game if you want to watch something generally interesting, easy to watch and understand.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jun 21, 2016

ZephSilver

Mixed Feelings

Cool gadgets. Fine women. Exotic locations. Fast cars. Espionage. Epic Adventures.

This idealized depiction of the spy lifestyle has always been an in-house staple in Tinseltown, with big IPs like James Bond and The Mission Impossible franchise selling this image to rake in a cool profit with each new installment. While the actual lifestyle itself might not be any more glamorous than what's presented in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" or "Spy Game," it's still fun to see these lavish illustrations as they play out. The truth of the matter is that most real-life spy work revolves around arduous, long-term cover jobs, methodical information gathering, counterintelligence, ... espionage and very rarely, the occasional physical altercation. But that template wouldn't make for an entertaining movie now, would it? Or at least not for Hollywood bigwigs looking to make a big splash at the box office.

But unlike the calculated risk of a big-budget Hollywood production, this is the world of anime, where the niche has a place to flourish and a built-in audience willing to give it a chance. Regardless of the actual end result, even the most tamed of anime offerings could be "different" by the standards of mainstream media. So with that in mind, how does a show like Joker Game approach this subject matter? Is it an adrenaline rush like "The Bourne Identity" and other spy thrillers, or is it relentlessly honest like "The Imitation Game" and titles that choose to take a more precise route in the depiction of spy work? Well, I'm not quite sure, and I don't think the show has an answer to that inquiry either. Why you may ask? Well, let's find out together.

Set during the WWII era, the story follows several Japanese spies as their day-to-day endeavors are recollected in a memoir-like narrative structure. Through the course of the show, we're made privy to a vast variety of methods that they utilize in order to carry out their services for their country. Decoding enemy tactics and spreading false information was all par for the course for our agents. The show forwarned that all of its events and names depicted were fictional, but it's fair to surmise that some of what was shown was inspired by historical occurrences. The degree to which those aspects were exaggerated varied immensely, but we'll address that later.

Transporting us to a time that's rarely delved into in the medium while simultaneously eliminating elements that have become almost symbiotic with anime, it doesn't take much to see the initial appeal that Joker Game brought to the table. For the most part, the title exudes a feeling of self-restraint in its actions. Characters were drawn with anatomical precision, locations were well mapped out, color choices were reasonably muted for the period-piece it was set in; everything functioned with a sense of real-world cinematics. A production invested in decisions that were devoid of most contemporary tricks, pulling far more from the world of live-action movies than it did the medium it resided in. This anime was the Dos Equis guy, suave and intellectual, not the boisterous Bud Light Frat boys.

So it's smooth, takes itself seriously, draws from real-world occurrences, and appears perceptive... so what's the problem? Well, its very nature is.

When a show like Joker Game takes itself seriously and demands a baseline level of respect from its audience, it's usually granted with a few unspoken rules that are easy to comprehend when spotlighted. The more serious you take yourself and subject matter, the less room for error you're given, as the audience will treat what's being seen with the same amount of scrutiny as the title has self-imposed on itself. In other words, the more realistic you try to be, the more realistic you're expected to be.
If this was a lighthearted comedy, the ability to "let loose" is far more obtainable since comedies are inherently silly by nature. However, in the case of a serious spy thriller, a sudden shift in tone can cause unwarranted whiplash. No one will call foul if Zoolander breaks out in a dance number, but if the same is done in There Will Be Blood, you might as well return the Oscar. And it's this very conundrum that Joker Game finds itself in, because while it may appear to be the Dos Equis's "Most Interesting Man in the World," it often spills its liquor like the klutzy Bud Light frat boys it so desperately tries to avoid being.

Due to the mostly episodic story structure, there's no true connective tissue holding anything together. As stand-alone episodes, they all bring varying degrees of engagement, but never anything to get invested into since there are no characters with definitive traits or overarching storylines to get immersed in. We're constantly introduced to a different mission and spy, or at least that's how it appears given the similar appearance of all the people involved. The only reoccurring character is that of Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki, the founder and head command of D Agency: the spy agency based off Japan that our spies report to. And even with his status as the only recurring character shown, the only intriguing thing divulged from his involvement is his backstory, which we don't get until the tail-end of the series. A backstory that, mind you, doesn't change how we view him, as he still remains an enigma. The main reason for why one was given to him, in the first place, was to showcase the type of temperament needed to become a spy—which by itself makes for a great thesis statement for the show as a whole—but as a means of endearing him to the audience, it offers nothing at all.

Joker Game is just too impersonal, an anime that's more concerned with maintaining a rigid appearance than it does revealing any blemishes found with its human participants. And it's this very stiff impersonal approach that not only alienates it from viewers but also leaves very little leeway for mistakes to be swept under the rug. If you can't empathize with anything in a supposedly "realistic" story, expecting it to be met with forgiveness from the audience when it messes up is simply wishful thinking. And so, watching Joker Game became akin to watching a theater play from the mezzanine seating, entertaining but too distant from viewers to allow an intimate connection.

So keeping that in mind, this anime functions like a loose anthology, to which its success is forced to be judged on an episode by episode basis. This may not seem like an unreasonable request at first, given how many episodic series has successfully navigated its way through similar setups, but that's before you account for the constraints that the show has placed on itself. For 12 episodes, Joker Game is expected to operate like a realistic spy thriller, unfortunately for it, that's a commitment it very seldom made in just 1, let alone 12.

With each new spy and mission introduced, a new opportunity to fumble presents itself. And sadly, that's what happens as these episodes are split down the middle in terms of practicality. Like the varying level of engagement that each could bring, the level of plausibility also ranges as well. The fact that they're spies is often used to excuse away far-fetched solutions, which, at times, could be convincing given the skill set taught to these men, but when the ruse is painfully obvious, there's very little that could be done to course correct the issue. To give a spoiler-free evaluation, there would be solutions taken that was plausible, only for the following episode to exercise acts akin to Pink Panther excerpts. Suspension of disbelief could only get you so far, especially when dealing with a show that's desperately signaling that it has the know-how to pull it off while presenting leaps of logic that no amount of mental gymnastics is capable of excusing. You can't expect viewers to take something seriously while the content itself becomes farcical in nature. There comes a point where calling out bullshit is the only affirmative action left to take, and for Joker Game, that time arose far too often.

For every instance that Joker Game is able to convince its audience, there are isolated scenarios that could be seen as satirical when viewed out of context. And again, had this been a show that wasn't so uptight about everything, this wouldn't be a jarring issue. But when you aim for realism and only half-deliver on that promise, there are very little passes that could be given to excuse the inconsistency. There's no levity, no quirkiness, no moment to unwind. Joker Game is simply too "adult" for that, and it doesn't always work out in its favor, especially when it's making a fool of itself.

It could be said that a great deal of the title's authenticity came from its dedication towards upholding this disciplined portrayal. It certainly was the reason that I enjoyed it, regardless of the cartoonish moments. The blood-curdling sounds of a violin paired up with the interlaced beating of drums, as the bellowing timbre of an incoming choir ascends over the musical arrangements. The way the camera would follow one of our agents, gliding along as if docked on a dolly track, the entire scene letterboxed for added visual flair. Natural dialogue exchanges that avoided most of the zany back-and-forth that anime usually fall back on, choosing to use more realistic banter to help sell the scene. It's these aspects that sustained Joker Game when its screenplay was in danger of derailment. This may have resulted in many viewing it as "boring," given the grounded nature of everything, but when accounting for the subject matter in question, it was the right call to make. Had the show broken character, it would have caused more tonal whiplash than it would have helped. The result of which could be seen in the 4th episode's juvenile escalation from its relatively adult depiction to grossly overblown melodrama that it regressed into. This isn't a show that has the leg-room to indulge in anime-like commonalities. It's one of the least "anime" anime to have aired in 2016.

The only way Joker Game could have walked out of this situation unscathed was if the writing was as airtight as the presentation. And sadly, this wasn't the case.

Enjoyment: 7/10

Despite the issues plaguing it, each scenario never loses focus. Joker Game's headstrong commitment may have hurt it in the end, but it also serves as the reason why I enjoyed it. I loved seeing a more hard-edged, realistic depiction of spy-life. I loved the color palette and air of mystique. And when the show wasn't tripping over itself, I loved the tension it was able to capture in certain moments. Joker Game was fun, dumb at times, but still fun nonetheless.

Overall: 6/10

Despite how commonplace spy-related media is in movies and novels, it's still a relatively obscure topic in the world of anime. What Joker Game had to offer may not have been as extensive as the subject matter would entail, but it did leave a distinct enough mark for me to want more. Its downfall was its pigheaded commitment to always being serious, regardless of how silly some of its solutions ended up being. Even with this in mind, I still think Joker Game was entertaining enough to warrant giving it a try. It had something to offer that very few in the medium have attempted to service. It adds to a landscape that's known for its diversity, and that's always a good thing in my book.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jun 21, 2016

MozillaFennekin

Not Recommended

Jokah Gaemu is some sort of historic thriller drama that’s all about deception, just like how it deceived everyone into thinking this anime would actually be interesting. A series about a secret agency of spies set around World War II made this a lot more ambitious than the easy-going series that led its season, but alas, concept isn’t everything.

The biggest problem for me was that Joker Game isn’t engaging at all. There’s no reason to get invested into anything. Who are these people? What are they doing? What’s the point? ...Why should I care? The episodes are structured very poorly, where we only have a ... vague idea of what’s going on in the beginning, and for nearly twenty minutes you watch someone you don’t know anything about do stuff for… some reason, and then the last few minutes before the credits are spent going over everything: what was actually happening, what the spy’s strategy was, and what context it has for the present and the future. It feels like taking a physics test in English class. How was I supposed to know this shit?

The other biggest problem is that the show is episodic. There are two two-part episodes, but each new story is just a new spy in a new situation with no reasons that no one cares about. Which is a shame, because the first two episodes seemed to have some idea of what to do with the series; it was about some dude from the army coming in to watch the Dickhead Agency or whatever and work with them. Something like that. And even though this guy is a fucking idiot, his contrasting beliefs with the spies and their leader had something going on here, I figured this would be about all these guys together. Nope. After this small arc, the army character is nowhere to be found while the spies split up around the world to live boring lives and somehow contribute to… something.

Ironically, the last episode had a theme and conclusion similar to the first arc, so it makes me wonder what the hell this was actually supposed to be about.

In the end, I know nothing about any of the characters or the story, if there even was one to begin with. Maybe that was the point all along, to give me identical-looking puzzle pieces and telling me to figure it out for myself. Except the end result doesn’t look very good and the pieces aren’t interesting anyway. If you don’t care much for characters and just want to get some espionage, go for it, I guess. Me, personally, I like giving a shit. I like getting a linear story and getting the details easily. Joker Game isn’t like that.

So, uh, the characters. They all look the same. That’s racist.
Actually, most of them are distinguishable, but look very much like real people. OH NO! CURSE YOU, PRODUCTION I.G.! Anyway, the problem for me wasn’t telling them apart, it was just telling who any of them even were. As in, their names. It’s a little awkward to think of the central character in an episode as “that one spy guy.” Other than that, they have no personalities. Yeah, I get that that’s the point. That doesn’t mean I enjoyed it, or that I think it was even necessary. I would’ve preferred this being a little bit more about the spies and not just about what they do.

Truth be told, I might not have lifted a finger on this if I didn’t see Production I.G.’s name embracing it. While there was only so much they could do, the characters look very polished, and the setting seems good enough for depicting the 30’s and 40’s. But the lack of visual cues in what’s going on is a little annoying, as I go back to how things would happen and THEN get explained. For instance, the first episode contains a short montage of the crew playing poker with the army guy, only for them to reveal they were tricking him. How do they explain the trick? By using shots that weren't included in the montage at all. It only sounds smart because they hid all the answers.

Like the animation, there’s only so much that could’ve been done with the sound. It’s not particularly bad, just uninteresting. It’s very subdued with a lot of sombre piano tunes and maybe a jazz track here and there. The OP is another story, being a rather lively alt-rock song defined more by its brass instrumentation than its use of wah-wahs. I like wah-wahs, but it’s hindered a bit by its length, I’d say. The full song is much better, would recommend. And from what I know, it seems to be the band’s debut work, so, good on them. The ED is a lot more of a standard rock song. No wah-wahs, unfortunately. It’s a decent song, though I don’t think it fits the show very well.

That’s all. I’m gonna go take a nap, because this just kinda puts me to sleep.

Story - 3/10
Art - 7/10
Sound - 5/10
Characters - 2/10
Enjoyment - 3/10
Spying - maybetheseratingsarealietoo/10
Overall - 3/10
Favorite character - Yuuki because he gets more than 10 minutes of screentime
Recommendation level - Low

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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