Joker Game

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.

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.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Dropped at Episode 6 of 12.
Joker Game starts with great promise. It's first and second episode sets the stage for a season of a psychological thriller with spy action. However, we quickly jump into the story of another member... then another... and I stopped there for I fear that another will be after, and I fear that the enitire season will be devoted to introducing characters and having no "real" overarching story (other than they all belong to a spy organization).
Should any of this change, I will finish the season and update this review.

STORY: 5 of 10 
As of episode 6, it seems as if ... there will be no overarching story. Instead, Joker Game will explore each character in sequence and be more episodic. These individual stories are good, but it's not what the first two episodes promise.

ANIMATION: 5 of 10 
The character designs begin to get a little weird around episode 4, and the action sequences don't seem to flow so well.

SOUND: 8 of 10 
Solid soundtrack and VAs. No complaints here.

CHARACTERS: 6 of 10 
We get to know each character individually (if what has occurred continues to occur). So why the low score? The opening episodes show these characters as a group… I'd rather they fulfill that promise and show us development in terms of group dynamics with flashbacks.

OVERALL: 6 of 10 
Joker Game is fine and even enjoyable. It's substantive, and as an episodic series, it could work. However, that's not what it promises, and I just couldn't get over that. Baccano, a similar series, does a much better job of introducing individual characters and tying them into a larger picture.
If I had a guarantee that Joker Game was a 24 episode series and that it would attempt the same thing, I'd recommend it. As it stands, I'll pass.

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

Joker Game. Seeing that title already has my interest when examining the words of it on the surface. Joker implies that there will be tricksters in the series while game has a broad meaning of contesting between individuals. Yet, this show isn’t about a game. It’s about spies during a tense period of time when the world is at war. If you’re a fan of crime thriller, detective stories, and political conflicts in society, then this show will be a wild ride for you.

Starting off, the series is based on the novel of the same name. Prior to the anime adaptation, it had already received ... a live-action film. The premise is similar and the setting takes place during the heightened stages of World War II. What does that mean? It basically shows that Joker Game is no stranger when it comes to political schemes and propaganda. The series has a good degree of realism as it portrays characters with their own ideals, goals, and purpose in the show. Furthermore, we get a concrete idea about what’s at stake during this time period. In retrospect, Joker Game does a fairly well job at getting the audience to understand the show by showing and telling.

In essence, Joker Game’s story structure follows more of an episodic stage. In other words, the show focuses on a different spy each episode as we learn individually about their story. It also explores their personalities quite well as the episodes focuses exclusively on them on a personal level. What’s common about each episode also shows how they view the conflict going on during this period of time, which is fairly interesting if you envision yourself as these characters. Later on though, the show does focuses on a more developed story that stays consistent with the overall premise. Another point to bring up is that the show also explores the side from the enemy point of view. In this case, Japan’s enemies. It brings another interesting perspective to show the ideologies of various nations beyond just Japan.

Characterization takes on a more personal approach for most of the characters. They get their spotlight and often play around with the audience about their real intentions. The theme of double agents come to play often in the show as no one can really be trusted. In the spy world, it’s easy to formulate that Joker Game is like a game of itself. The characters needs to play their cards right to win. This can be true especially for the D-Agency against rival spy organizations such as the Wind Agency and Secret Service of Great Britain. And while the series doesn’t have a true protagonist, it’s clear that Yuuki (the founder of the D-Agency) plays a prominent role to piece together events for the story. It’s also interesting to learn more about his background too and the origins of the very organization he created.

To enjoy watching Joker Game, the key is perhaps to finding an attachment to the characters. Each of them has their own talents, weaknesses, personality, and characteristic that make them an ideal spy. For instance, Amari is the type that can talk his way into almost anything. On the other hand, Fukimoto is the more silent type who uses his knowledge to get things done. Jitsui, who seems innocent on the outside is dangerous man from the inside. Kaminaga is also a man worth noting for his desire to accomplish anything at hand. Then, there’s Miyoshi with his sarcastic personality and difficult to read from any point of time. There’s more but you get the general idea. The idea is that D-Agency is not to be underestimated given what their core members are capable of. Their roles in the series varies but all of them meets the expectations of what spies should be. For the audience, I think that can be quite appreciable.

Production I.G helms the animation of the show and in essence, they do a good job at constructing the historical settings. The series’ eerie atmosphere also gives a mysterious vibe supplemented by well-coordinated choreography. However, one irk about the show is perhaps all the main characters looks very similar. While this may or may not be intentional, it can be rather confusing. Regardless, Production I.G. adapts high quality when it comes to visuals and shows once again their talent.

To me, the soundtrack of Joker Game is poetic. It’s poetic in the sense that the music focuses beyond just what it is. In other words, the OST is composed for a purpose to craft suspense especially with the soft paced piano tunes and eerie feel. OP and ED theme songs are also artistic with various symbolisms and catchy lyrics. Finally, voice mannerism is quite noticeable in the show. Each character may look similar but the voices can be distinctive different on many occasions. Because the series’ characters are mostly spies, they often talk in ways that is hard to read what their intent actually is.

Is Joker Game a good show? Is it worth picking up? That’s actually easy to say if you’re a fan of crime fiction, political thriller, and spy espionage. It’s aimed more towards a mature audience as each episode has a meaning. The story is very serious and rarely ever jokes with what it presents. That being said, characters can be a hit or miss for some fans especially for their roles. For everything it does, it’s still quite a spy adventure of rare breed.

Historical fiction is something that's always intrigued me. Any medium going against the status quo and delivering a gripping concept is enough to interest me. In the case of joker game I can assuredly say that I was looking forward to uncovering the secrets that lied beneath its plot and anxious for another historical fiction in general. After the initial two episodes I was hooked, and I had laid out an outline by foresight that I couldn't have been more wrong on. Unlike some anime in the recent past that derailed after strong starts, Joker Game simply changed course, and I was more disappointed than ... mad at how it ended up.

Joker Game's inception and development into an anime was very atypical. Unlike directly been adapted from a manga, the series originally launched as a set of mystery novels written by Koji Yanagi. Then it was adapted into a live-action film in 2015, and finally into a manga earlier this year concurrent with the release of the anime in April. Certainly not the traditional method of how an anime gets adapted but I.G must have seen enough promise in the books to create something entertaining. I have a love/hate relationship with episodic anime. If it's filler, I generally dislike it. If it contributes to the story, I appreciate it. If it does a little bit of both like in the classic Cowboy Bebop... well I won't even go into how much I appreciate that series. The episodic approach that Joker Game took was not my favorite. Maybe it was my preconceived notion's talking, But something about it just felt off for me.

Before I delve into the negatives, let me first start by pointing out some of the positives within Joker Game. First off, I absolutely love spy thrillers and murder mysteries. When I was a kid I constantly meandered through the cable television channels late on Saturday nights, usually finding myself stopping on an old spy film from the 50s or 60s. I guess I loved being able to solve the case with them or get caught up in the suspense of it all. The spy elements of Joker Game were clearly the anime's backbone. Unfortunately this is the same element acting as it's Achilles' heel. I know that most of us would say it's near impossible to establish a new setting, characters and a mini plot start to finish in about 20 minutes. The delivery just doesn't cut it in that short of a time window. Granted, some of Joker Game's episodic iterations were dual episode, I just had a hard time finding it that enjoyable. Some of the spy elements were engaging and suspenseful, and I'd find myself saying "wow, that's a really good idea!" But unfortunately the moments were too scarce and unpredictable. I appreciate the idea they were going for here, but in an anime it didn't translate as well. Sometimes in these reviews I feel like I'm beating a dead horse but this is another show that would've benefited from a longer air time of about 26 episodes.

From what I can tell, the historical information threaded into Joker Game is quite accurate. I'm no history buff but I do know enough about World War II to detect whether most things are factual or not, and for the most part it was spot on. I actually even learned a few things about the time period from watching it. I also enjoyed how they would incorporate flashbacks into episodes defragmenting the agency's origination and derivation. It gave a sort of under the microscope presentation. I imagine real spy agencies like this one existed back in post WWII, which made Joker Game's premise that much more engaging. The scenes involving the recruited members of D-Agency getting initiated were intense and regimented, reminding me a bit of my time in the military. The flashbacks containing each episode's protagonist also warranted some attachment to their cause, and give them justice in their actions. The dialogue spoken between characters trying to out wit each other was complex and intricate, which seems to be all too rare these days. However, due to the short nature of these episodes I often found the whodunit approach almost irrelevant, since the writers didn't really give me a chance to figure out who the spy was before slapping it in my face. Episode four was pure cringe worthy with its plot convenience. I think that was also the point I realized the show wasn't going to fulfill my expectations.

Perhaps my biggest issue with Joker Game is the characters. In the first two episodes you are introduced to multiple spies, most of which play a role later on in the series. However, they all look so similar in character design that I never really knew or could discern one from the other. I don't know if this was purposeful or not but it made some of the episodes extremely confusing, most specifically the episode with the reporter. I swear I had to rewatch that episode ending twice before I really knew what had transpired. I wouldn't count this as a cry to be spoonfed information, but more as laziness in writing, since I'm normally quick to decipher what's going on. Some might try to scoff at me and say that Joker Game is not about the characters themselves, but the missions that unfold with in each episode, and I get that. But that doesn't mean it couldn't of been executed better, because if there were certain things omitted or more detailed, the pre-existing storylines would entirely suffice. Anyone who knows my anime tastes knows that I love historical fiction and would've killed for Joker Game to be that next great genre definer. Unfortunately its issues defined it more than its positives.

Besides the cloned character models, the art style in Joker Game was a healthy mix of CG and hand drawn animation. I was initially worried during the opening with the use of CG, and I got scary flashbacks of shows like Knights of Sidonia flooding my brain. Luckily for my retina's sake this style of animation was only prominent in the opening and nowhere else. While not bad, with a proper budget Joker Game could've been a lot prettier to look at. Some of the backgrounds were recycled or bland and it reminded me more of an early to late 2000's anime at times. The soundtrack was very fitting for the time period conveyed, and fit well within the show's opening. It was very James Bond-esque with its jazzy up-tempo beat. Although I like the ending theme, it didn't really fit the show's personality that well. While many of the voice actors in Joker Game have some pretty flashy resumes, nobody really stood out to me in the series. And of course I got the odd cringe when the American soldiers spoke English throughout the series. Not as bad as some anime out there but it definitely did catch me offguard. I still remember the broken English line from the second episode when one of the agency members says, "behind the Imperial portrait!" I'm not going to lie I laughed out loud a little bit on that one.

At the end of the day, scoring anime on a quantifiable scale is all relative. I have become more critical as I watch more anime and have even gone as far as to lower previous scores for shows I've seen after seeing better iterations in the same genre. That being said, Joker Game is not life-changing but just about any anime fan could find enjoyment in it. Although the target audience may be history fans, the suspense, premise and witty dialogue could render it entertaining for even the most casual viewer. If you're worried about binge watching, this is the anime for you. Its episodic approach allows you to start and stop when you please, and makes it a great idea to watch in order to unwind after a long day at work. I would even attach it to a list of animes for people that don't normally watch anime. I'm anxious to see what the recently announced OVA contains in order to extend the franchise when it debuts. As always, thanks for reading and be sure to check out the rest of my spring 2016 anime reviews!

Things to consider before watching this series:

-Joker Game is a 12 episode anime based off 4 novels, this anime covers different stories from each novel. These novels were written in an anthology fashion, in other words, multiple short stories that each focus on one of the spies introduced in the first episode and a really non-existent linear plot.
-Because of the way this series is written, the anime is largely episodic, with only two short two episode arcs, one at the beginning and one near the end. Also, this anime is the episodic style in which there is no overarching plot, just overarching themes.
-This anime, in ... my opinion, is largely a niche one that will hit and miss very clearly depending on he audience.
-This anime is told non-chronologically.

Onto the review:
For all intents and purposes, I enjoyed Joker Game a lot. The first two episodes introduced the D-Agency and it's spies, along with who the audience initially thought would be the protagonist, only to be abruptly introduced to what would be the episodic style of each spies mission. The transition may fool some, and a lot of people may be disappointed by the direction this series goes with the spies. If you wanted a series involving each spy doing something with action like you see in the movies, look elsewhere.
Characters: Each episode from episode 3 onwards features a different spy, the only problem is differentiating which spy is which. As far as character design goes however, Joker Game does it really cleverly. Since the audience barely has time to register the names and faces of the spies, when it comes to their feature episode its hard to tell who's who. But that's the whole point of their designs, as spies they're supposed to blend into the background. In the novels, it's not even specified which spy does which mission, it was all on the anime director to choose which spy did what. The spies themselves aren't exactly developed characters as some people would like, but in each episode they feature in, you can see they do have some distinct traits and methods of espionage (best way to recognize them is by their voices).
Individually, the spies don't have much going for them as characters. Collectively however, what each spy does is indicative of the ideals that drive the D-Agency as a whole: Done Die, Don't Kill. If there was ever a main character in this whole anime, it would the be spymaster Yuuki himself. He is the mastermind who trained and oversaw the spies. Yuuki is a man of mystery, but is also the most compelling of the cast, because the audience ends up knowing the most about him, while also not knowing anything about him at all.
Story: Each episode is fascinating in showing the different sides of conflict during the war. As this anime is about espionage, the spies it feature prominently are the members of D-Agency, but other times one off characters from all sides of the conflict. It works much better than it sounds because of the way each individual story is handled. The audience is given insight into the many different sides to a life of espionage, from being taken by the enemy for information, to being the the background to manipulate from behind the scenes, to being able to live a life of solitude knowing that you'd likely die alone for your cause. Generally speaking, you get thrown into the episode not knowing anything, but by the end understand everything that has transpired. I think the only problem is the execution of each mission, as a lot of moments in the episode that seem insignificant at first are all just revealed in the end to be a key part in completing the mission. The audience doesn't know what to look for, so the reveals themselves are big 'wow' moments, but I would have liked it a little better if the audience had a chance to understand the truth behind the spies actions before things happened. The central themes behind the grim reality of being a spy are there, as is the central idea of playing the 'joker game', one of deception and knowing who is on which side.

Sound: Jazzy opening aside, the soundtrack for this anime is subdued, with only a few recurring piano pieces and a few tense themes for certain moments. Instead, this anime is carried solely by its compelling dialogue between characters, and to me, it just works.

Overall Enjoyment:
Joker Game to me was a fun series. I went into it without expectations, and I suspect that is why I enjoyed it more than most. I appreciated it for what it was, and followed each story to the end, ready for another one, wondering where in the world a spies mission would take place. As for it's ending, you could say it was anticlimatic, but I think it just brought its point home as to what is was going to be: a series revolving around the solitary but intriguing life that is a Japanese spy.

I've read in various forums about joker game being episodic and disappointing and everything else, and i thought that i should straight things up (with my opinion, hehe)

At the end of winter 2016, i was checking up on spring 2016 animes, and some caught my eye. One of them is joker game. I was enthusiastic about the military drama anime but, after some thought, i said to myself that "oh this is gonna end up like those mecha military drama with romance and stuffs but ill try watching ep 1, i mean, who knows?"

Keeping that in mind, i watched ep1 and holy moly i ... was surprised. Joker game was at the end of my list but it quickly rose to no1. Especially with ep1 ending with a cliffhanger, i cant get my head off of it.

Then ep 2 came, the reveal was great and real, and i cant wait for ep3. But ep3 came out and i was very surprised to see a new character, a whole new setting, and a new everything. I thought that "oh its just a side story i guess" but ep4 came and its a different man again. But i was not disappointed at all. Sure some episodes need a replay for me to wholly understand, and it took me half the series to memorise the characters, but at this point isnt it just the same? They are spies, and i bet one person can do every mission from the anime (am i kind of biased lol). So i didnt take it as a flaw. The character designs are also good. I can differentiate everyone at early stages, but i just didnt remember their names yet. The only ones whom i find hard to differ are fukumoto & odagiri and jistui & hatano.

The anime is also not completely fictional. There are mentions of real spy agencies, and some characters who appear in the anime are actually real life people. I was curious and i end up searching for more information. I guess joker game made me know more and learn some things about history, in one way or another lol

If you dont set this anime to be something you thought of, it is really enjoyable. Espescially when this anime send you a 'serious vibe', no fan service, no unnecessary stuffs. The episodes are really smart, although sometimes its kind of unrealistic. (Nothing is perfect, guys. Nothing is perfect)

So if youre up to some serious and smart stuff, im going to push you hard on the back to watch joker game!

Skip to what to expect and personal enjoyment if you’re too lazy to read an in-depth review of the animes flaws. Moreover, enjoy this!

Joker game, as a whole, is an anime that revolves around duplicity, as given a notion from the genuine card game “Joker game” and how it’s about trickery. To zest things up and strengthen the theme it’s trying to illustrate, its setting takes place around 1937 and onwards, WWII, an era of which espionage was highly crucial to attaining the intelligence of other countries’ social and economic situation, holding benefits for another country and side, all of which consist of deception, counterintelligence, ... extreme mental and physical preparation, coherent yet cautious thinking and generally throwing away one’s life, only to morph themselves as nonexistent beings.

And as to no surprise, Japan has decided to create a secret spy organization known as the “D-Agency”

The concept that seems to swirl around Joker game is how it believes that having a dissimilar concept from the other animes instantly makes the anime good, thus giving them no reason to panic or reconsider their story. However, because of this way of thinking, the flaws that Joker game includes completely flies over their heads because nothing is simply telling them the defects that are involved in the plot. In other words, just because Joker game has a distinctive concept does not give it the excuse to poorly execute everything else, which is exactly what Joker game performed throughout the whole series; which leads me to explain the negatives of this show.

The premise of the Joker game wasn’t bad but was huge foreshadowing of what Joker game had the potential to be. It demonstrated a supposedly overarching plot, which is what created my high expectations for this anime; however the exposition of the card game “Joker game” was when I grew fairly low expectations for it. It was pure info dumping. The anime never gradually unfolded itself for me to get that the game is about trickery. Funny enough because they never exposed everything that the spies were doing when they were playing the game, completely hiding the concept of the game from the audience, only to explain it themselves and make themselves look clever. No matter what, a mystery story is never good when it hides crucial information from you, and that’s what Joker game presented.

Speaking about there being an overarching plot, I want to get more profoundly of that. The first two episodes were very misleading because we were initiated a supposed protagonist, as to which he literally was the observer of the story. We were being told the story through his mentality but were given a huge middle finger when the third episode was in an episodic format, where the protagonist was nowhere to be seen again. The episodic format is generally what left a huge scar on Joker game to begin with. We barely even got a perception of any of the characters except a quick in-depth back-story of Yuuki but as ZephSilver stated, he still feels like an enigma.

The anime suffers from horrible deliverance with its story. It’s really difficult to grasp what is going on. There’s no correlation with the episodes and it leads itself into an abyss of nothing. No outcome is given prior to the episodic stories, making the episodes meaningless and a waste of time. The only reason why you should watch the episodes are to solely educate yourself about the particular stages of espionage, what it takes to be a spy, and how conditions and consequences were for those that use to do espionage back in WWII, other than that, don’t bother with the episodic formation.

This is purely a paragraph of subjectivity but Joker game likes to use a “Tell, not show” technique on itself, which is incredibly bad for a mystery and suspenseful anime. It’s most definitely tolerable because you get use to it, however, that should be one of the first thing a mystery anime should shun, and Joker game openly embraces this.

The character designs and the lack of traits to the spies was the most exasperating thing I had with the art and characters of the show. However, the character design is not a negative of the show because they deliberately have to look bland, but rather the lack of distinctive characteristics is what added to their blandness. Just because they’re spies doesn’t give an excuse to hide themselves from the viewer as well. There is no unique trait to define each individual. All you pretty much see is the story jumping from character to character. I can’t even judge on whenever of not they were shallow because there’s nothing to criticize about them, as much as there is to invest in them. Joker game fails at trying to be compelling because they never got the audience to care from the very beginning. I don’t care about any of the characters, so why should I care for anything else? Our so called protagonist that appeared in the first two episodes was very inconsistent and constantly jumped to conclusions. Just because it makes sense in his mind doesn’t mean it will make sense the way he forms it. He generally just stopped using coherence.

Sorry, these two paragraphs will consist of vague and fairly heavy spoilers.

Bonus: Episode 4 probably has to be one of the worst episodes out of Joker game and exactly goes by what I say when I state how this anime can be exaggerating. The ending of the show was just adding tragedy on top of tragedy like an ice-cream man adding marshmallow and chocolate on top of another. The show has just come to great cognizance, as to which the random guy revealed his wicked plans and then boom! He’s shot by a random black dude that no one cares for, simply for vengeance of this other dude that no one also cares for, which was out of love (Now who would of thought that?)

Okay, can someone tell me, what the hell was up with that one liner? Is that it, is that all we’re being served? A futile one liner that will not tell us about what happens to that “random spy dude” Honestly, it didn’t feel like a finale and it still needs more to convey, albeit Joker game has conveyed some positivity amongst the defects of theirs.

Joker game had a dull but rather okay art, it didn’t disrupt the anime really and its animation was perfectly fine. As one stated, they make a good balance between the CG used and its normal animation. Joker game has a brilliant opening, however, sadly doesn’t portray what Joker game actually expresses. Despite that, it was a nice jazzy opening and fitted the anime’s default genres. The ending theme however, sounds like some upbeat J-pop and is completely out of theme. Even though it’s one of my favorite endings (I listen to it on my MP3 player on the bus to school every day!) I’m going to stay impartial here and state what I truly feel. The ending sounds good on a standalone but when merged with Joker game, it’s just awkward. This is what brought itself down on the music department.

Even though I judged Joker game for how they depicted their refreshing concept and how they poorly do such, I give credits for Joker game for even doing the concept. Not many do detective-like mystery stories within the anime medium and for Joker game to do something so revitalizing for once takes balls. Joker game could have been an anime that sold unsuccessfully due to its unpopular idea but they still chose to do it nonetheless, and I applause that.

Joker game never loses focus on what they are portraying, regardless of how poorly they are doing it. They always stay on theme, they never break character and they never handle matters in a juvenile sense. The overall presentation of the series (art, music, animation, theme, etc.) gives off a rather serious tenor to the series, which is exactly their objective, and they don’t do it badly.

Generally, Joker game was historically accurate with the depiction of espionage and how it would take place in WWII. Everything was pretty much dead right considering how I was previously learning about WWII and how I would research a few stuff from the facts that Joker game would mention and view them on Wikipedia. I guess I gained some knowledge from Joker game and it has convinced me into wanting to know more.

What to expect and personal enjoyment

But the real question is, did I enjoy this?

Not necessarily. I’m quite neutral on this actually. Even though Joker game gave off a solemn nature to itself, never breaking out of such, it started to alter itself into complete monotony, making the episodes less exhilarating to watch each week. Joker game is not a seinen through its story, but rather its atmosphere, circulating around a mature, controversial and sensitive theme. I advocate this anime to chiefly adults or younger kids and teens that are tolerable with serious yet unenthusiastic themes.

Be bound to anticipate a dissatisfying ending, misleading premise, cheating mystery, no connection between the episodes, vague yet bland characters, and many, many more. Joker game is very considerate with its presentation, but was sadly missing that good writing, consequently making it inferior to its presentation.

Joker game doesn’t deserve an anime. Joker game should have never been brought to existence in the anime medium because it doesn’t meet that anime-like realm, but rather is solely just novel worthy. The books actually look pretty darn good; however the anime doesn’t really promote how fine the original material looks but rather makes people shun it whilst simultaneously cut all ties with Joker game. In conclusion, Joker game succeeds in exploring the fundamentals but fails on the fine details. This is an anime that tackles pragmatic themes, however executes that within a medium it doesn’t need to be in. Joker game is most definitely one of the most distinctive animes this spring season, therefore making it dissimilar in contrast to the other animes; however you will soon come to realize its superficiality when you start to watch the anime for more than 3 episodes, making it an anime worth dropping. Even though I didn’t read them, get the books, the anime is not worth your time to waste, especially when it comes to no conclusion.

Negatives

• Our so called protagonist is very inconsistent and jumps to random conclusions
• Should have been an overarching plot rather than episodic
• Joker game likes to consistently “Tell, not show” which is incredibly bad for a mystery and suspenseful anime
• Very poor deliverance/execution of the plot and no connection -
• Very hard to differentiate between the spies. The characters were bland, thus making it hard to invest them and to care for
• Dissatisfying ending
• Deceiving premise, but neutral.

Positives

• Satisfying art and animation
• Satisfying music
• Refreshing conception
• Focus is never lost
• Historically accurate.
• Good presentation overall

Joker game = Overall 5/10

Joker Game is unconventional, but it shines through as an underlooked and underrated anime.

Many people disliked this anime due to its unconventionally episodic nature and lack of relatable characters (or so I've seen on MAL), but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, I'm a big history nut, and I love stories about spies, so it's only natural that I would enjoy this anime. However, what was unexpected was the episodic nature of this show. To be honest, I was at first disappointed when I saw that we wouldn't see all the characters interacting with each other, but as it went on, I became hooked.

In D-Agency, ... there are 8 genius spies, led by a mysterious man named Lt. Col. Yuuki. Each episode focuses on a spy on a mission, save for episodes 1 and 2, which introduce us to the spies through a military man named Sakuma, and episodes 8 and 9, which were two parts of a double episode for one of the spies.

Since there isn't an overarching plot, it's clear that many people would be turned off. Even more so, it's really hard for a lot of people to remember which spy is which and what their names even are. None of the spies' real names are told (save for one), and the names the viewer knows them by are all aliases. This, on top of the fact that they are natural born actors who can easily fake a personality, is a big turn off to a viewer looking to identify with them. They aren't relatable in any way, and they aren't emotional characters that the audience can easily pity. They're spies, after all; they can't let their emotions or fake personas get the better of them and potentially screw up their missions.

That is precisely what makes them good spies. They're more monstrous than anything, but at a certain point in time, the viewer gets hit with the shocking realization that yes, they are human as well.

More so, this anime makes you think. Normally, I don't like introspective detective-y anime because the way they solve mysteries is so hard for the viewer to grasp, even with explanations (such as Subete ga F ni Naru), but somehow, with Joker Game, I didn't have that hard of a time. I think it's because they give you all the pieces of the puzzle, but don't explicitly spell out the solution-reaching process to the viewer. The spies figure out the solution and succeed in their missions. Supporting characters piece things together, and we as viewers get to look back and see if we can understand for ourselves just what was going on.

Overall: This anime is absolutely and clearly NOT for everyone. In fact, I'm 100% certain that there a majority of anime viewers wouldn't take the time to piece things together and therefore wouldn't like this anime. But if you take the time to understand the plots of each mission and who the characters are themselves, it is a truly fascinating and enjoyable watch.

Whether we like it or not, expectations shape our viewing pleasure. However, it is not the job of a show to adhere to expectations as it is simply impossible to satisfy everyone’s wants. And while it is not our job as viewers to come into a show without expectations, Joker Game can be enjoyed and appreciated much more if common expectations of literature are ignored.

Plot is a term that comes up a lot in writing; it is the foundation that spectators can latch on to and it provides a continuous direction to keep people enticed. Joker Game does not have a plot and this ... causes viewers to become disconnected from the standalone stories. And because there is no plot, a central conflict does not appear, and a climax is non-existent. This deviation from the standard storytelling formula can be especially off-putting as there is no real development even at the anime’s end.

Characters are the main players in a story. They are the stars that people become enamored with and provide stories with heart. Joker Game does not have “characters.” The spies have fake names that change and a new spy is explored each week. Additionally, the spies are designed to look somewhat similar and without actual dedication to remembering the spies by face or voice, they all conglomerate together as one entity. The only real character is Yuuki, who is not explored as much as a character should be and did not develop throughout the course of the story.

Despite not having many conventional aspects of writing, Joker Game is still an atmospheric anime that is set in a time rarely explored in the medium. The animation is fluid and the art is beautiful. The individual stories are cleverly concocted and many of them take literary risks not normally seen in anime. Joker Game does not make political statements; there are no real morals woven within its episodic stories. The spies all mesh together to stay faithful to a novel that provides no visual or auditory cues to the tie their identities together. There is no plot tying the episodes together. It is simply a twelve episode anime dedicated to telling artistic stories. And ultimately, whether our enjoyment and appreciation is dictated by our expectations of what Joker Game should be is up to us.

"Killing is the worst decision a spy can ever take."
Joker game is a tribute to spies and how they become the unsung heroes behind a nation's victory and triumph.
Joker game is set in an era before World War II, where enemy countries are plotting against Japan. An army man named Colonel Yuuki, starts a clandestine spy agency, known as D-Agency, to gather intel on the planned out terror attack against Japan.
The characters stand out throughout the anime, as their stories are narrated by flawless narration. Colonel Yuuki proves to be a powerful and mysterious character, and his transformation in the end, proves to ... be quite a heart warming one, albeit a dangerous gamble.The sound tracks are peppy, hummable and easy on the ears.
Watch it, if you are a fan of spy thrillers, and be prepared for some logical mind bending.

"Not James Bond, not Hollywood" as quoted in random curiosity final impressions. you may get the wrong impression from the genres (Drama, Historical, Military) to think that this anime is an espionage drama with a building narrative. But you would soon change that impression, because the anime is an episodic thriller (mystery) full of perfectionists that are exceptionally good at everything ( can speak 6 languages - make bombs out of flour - have exceptional agility - always win). While this anime may not be everyone's cup of tea (James Bond haters TT_TT), it's important to know that it's not your average James bond movie. ... If i am to add 2 more genres to describe the anime, they would be psychological and mystery. While normal espionage movies are full of badasses with no actual purpose but saving girls and drinking wine at the end of the movie after killing the villian, This anime delivers a message at the end of each episode to help the overall theme. It's also different in many other aspects, one being that the motto of the D-agency ( the spy agency) is "Dont' die, don't kill" and it is very unique to the the anime. now to the rating:
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Story : 7/10 This is partly because of the episodic-nature of the anime and the sense of inconsistency in the order of the events. well, it's still arguable since the anime is based on an episodic novel with random chapters.
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Music: 9/10 The music was the best part of this anime. the opening and the ending of each episode, which btw i never missed, fit very well with the anime's atmosphere and title. The BGM which is basically the instrumental part of the ending was also pretty good. It is also distinctive form your average Bond theme, In fact it more of a military theme with a little bit of a rousing tone.
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Art: 8/10 while most of people agree that the anime's art wasn't that exceptional, i think it gave me the sense of anonymity in spies. Their faces aren't important, "it's the information they gather for the sake of their country that lives on". The animation was fluid and scenes were consistent.
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characters: 8/10 as i said it's not their faces or names that's important in this anime (or fangirls would be everywhere). I can't give perfectionist more than 8 so i will stick with that.
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enjoyment: 8/10 this anime is my type, an episodic mystery with an opening scene cliche that is answered in the ending of each episode.
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Overall: 8/10
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Joker Game is an interesting beast. I love it, and if you're a fan of any sort of anthology fiction, you'll probably be more keen on it than others who may feel that the story is "disjointed". I can't say that I would call Joker Game disjointed, if you're viewing it as a series of short, immensely enjoyable spy stories, I'm sure you'll have an excellent time with it. If you're looking for some sort of master plot that all comes together as the series progresses, you're probably in the wrong place. Sure, the short stories are loosely connected by The D-Agency and Colonel Yuuki, ... and there is a sort of overarching plot, but it's definitely not the point of the series. The plot of the individual stories is quite good; the art was very well done and immersed me in the period; the sound design was nothing special, but didn't have any glaring issues; characters were well developed given that they generally had ~20-40 minutes of screen time over all the episodes, although it was hard to keep names and faces straight sometimes.

I can't say that there was anything more I could have wanted from this series, and I definitely recommend it to those who enjoy short, anthology style fiction.

Standing out amongst the others this season, Joker Game is one of the more unique shows the Spring 2016 lineup has to offer.

I may not be too knowledgable when it comes to history, war especially, but when I see a series that is set during such times, it always grabs my interest. Once in a while, we do get some period pieces, which becomes a nice mix with all the other shows airing at the time. Now, I will admit, I got lost several times upon watching each episode. For one, like I had mentioned, history isn't my strong suit, so there will be some ... elements that I may not understand fully. Second, being a spy series, there is information and subtle visuals that require full attention. Also, each episode is its own story, and don't necessarily connect with the others. Otherwise, the stories were very entertaining.

The characters we focus on are the spies of the agency that the series is about. Each episode has one of the agents on a mission, and as we witness them, we get a good read at what kind of personality they have. Also, the characters the agents interact with on their missions, while only there for that one particular episode, get enough screen time where we see how they fit in with the story.

One thing that amazed me was the animation. I believe it is safe to say that the animation done here was perfectly flawless. The character models were precise (which I should add the character designs were unique), and the movements were continuously fluid. Rarely does this ever happen, even with a twelve episode series, since there's usually bound to be a few mistakes here and there. I honestly can't think of any negative thing to say about the matter.

Although I found myself losing track of what was going on in the story (some episodes I watched when other people were around, so it was hard to focus), I can still say that Joker Game was a solid series. I probably plan on watching it again sometime in the future to give it another go (might even watch it several times over, because this show really does need full attention). If you like your period pieces involving spies, then this may be the show for you.

I have something of an ambivalent relationship with spy thrillers. Possibly because my experience of them usually boils down to watching James Bond shag and destroy his way through an emotionally draining two and half hours, and that’s emotionally draining in the negative. Spy thrillers themselves can generally be split along the divide of either being about the suave agent who beds a sexy Russian and drives an Aston Martin or depict a taut, tense Cold War espionage scenario where all conversations take place through a haze of cigarette smoke (mind you, there is now a modern tendency to make spy thrillers in the vein ... of a Bourne Identity). Nevertheless, all spy thrillers present an idealised notion of how espionage should be and how the creators envision it as opposed to anything based on a semblance of realism. The only realistic aspect that all spy thrillers share is the mutual distrust that the army’s upper echelons and government bureaucrats hold for their nation’s spymaster (something which Joker Game is only too happy to reinforce on numerous occasions). So, how does Joker Game approach its world of espionage? What sort of spy thriller is Joker Game?

Joker Game itself takes place during the Second World War, a period not often explored in anime, but is the subject of a vast array of Hollywood movies. The anime itself presents a stereotypical view of some of the areas which it takes place in, from the foggy nights of London to the militarised centres of China, via the vast, opal oceans of the Hawaiian deep blue. For anyone who has seen lavish spy thrillers, the settings themselves are fairly typical. The animation, as usual of Production IG, is both sharp and slick, even if it does seem like some of the characters are lifeless. The music pieces are also fairly standard, although special mention does go to the opening for being both stylishly cool and effortlessly slick.

Part of Joker Game’s appeal is in its name. Sakuma is a soldier who serves in the Japanese Army as is drafted in a liaison between the army and the newly formed D-Agency; a spy agency under the tutelage of the mysterious Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki. Sakuma is a straight-talking soldier who has been trained in the art of the Bushido, more specifically the aspects involving killing and dying for the state as honourable acts. Sakuma’s army education is mirrored against the citizens recruited for D-Agency, who are taught to never kill and to never die, believing it to be detrimental to the cause. A tension that is inherent, but never fully expanded on. This, as I shall show, is a running theme of both the anime and the review: its inability or reluctance to expand on any idea.

Joker Game’s appeal and unique selling point is shown in episode one when the spies play a game of poker and they invite Sakuma to play. He loses quite easily, but that’s not the point. The poker game itself was a charade, as the reality is shown to Sakuma, in that his loss was guaranteed from the beginning. The true aim of the card game was for the card players to foster relationships with those watching the game, who were signalling what kind of hand each player had. What makes things even more complicated is that the card players don’t know who is cheating for who or whether the information being relayed is accurate. It’s a complex and intricate game of bluffs, double bluffs and triple bluffs as the card players try to not only win, but to befriend those who are giving out information so that they are in control of the situation. Yuuki likens the analogy of the card game to the realities of international politics, where one has to not only understand the rules of diplomacy, but also use the rules themselves in order to achieve their aims. In short, it’s an information war where protecting one’s information is just an important as convincing an enemy spy to turn over their information, and it’s in this world that Joker Game sets up its premise.

Or at least it would be, if not for its glaring deficiencies. For a start, the way the series is structured is problematic in and of itself. Joker Game follows an episodic structure, with each episode concerned with a different spy and a different case to be investigated and resolved. However, because of its episodic nature, there is no overarching plot running through the series; nothing to connect the individual episodes together. What this creates is a situation where each episode contains a different trope of the genre. Whether it is investigating deaths, shadowing someone, infiltrating an enemy cell, faking a capture or meeting with defectors, Joker Game ticks off all the tropes of a spy thriller and honestly, it’s a bit of a shame.

The intrigue of the Joker Game is ignored in favour of unconnected storylines rehashing stereotypical tropes of the spy thriller genre, instead of focusing on the idea it had espoused so eloquently in the first episode. I really enjoyed the opening couple of episodes, and it’s this that makes the unremarkable nature of the rest of the series harder to understand. Yes, the series is unremarkable. There’s not a lot to bite into. The plots themselves are typical of the genre, and are usually resolved with a fair bit of logic jumping in its attempts to resolve the case in the allotted twenty minutes. Mind you, I did enjoy episodes 8 &9, if only because it involved a psychological game of chess as one of the spies tried to ascertain the character of his opponent in order to ascertain his behaviour. Not only am I a fan of chess, it’s also the closest the series got to the concept of its Joker Game, but as soon as the chess game finished, my feeling of indifference returned. It’s a shame that a show which had so much potential ultimately fizzed out into the mean.

As for the characters, well there’s nothing particularly distinctive about them. The drawing and animation of the characters makes little attempt to differentiate between the spies, so that they essentially become reduced to looking like a caricature of a stereotype of the spy who’s always wearing a suit and a fedora like they’re on their way to shoot someone for being late with their debt. The only characters who are even remotely interesting (I use that term loosely) is Yuuki and Sakuma. The latter is your typical by-the-book soldier who believes in the army and that there is honour in death and all the other usual traits. Sakuma is pretty much typical: doesn’t stand out and is more or less part of the furniture. As for Yuuki, well he’s mysterious (in the sense that we don’t know much, doesn’t talk and is generally a bit of a dry character). We do learn more about Yuuki towards the back end of the series, but not enough to call him a character. He too is part of the furniture. There is nothing to get attached to, and their non-existent personalities never expanded on. This isn’t helped by that fact that a lot of the episodes are driven by dialogue which is utterly meaningless when the character’s delivering them aren’t meaningfully fleshed out in order to give a bit of energy to the reams of dialogues contained within each episode.

Honestly, concluding this review, and my own thoughts, is slightly complicated. The show is typical, the characters unremarkable, the episodic nature debilitating to its premise, and the individual plots dull themselves. I will not disguise my ambivalence towards spy thrillers, and their reliance on illogical and reactionary plot twists, cigarettes, unrealistic car chases and absurd villains to keep them going. Still, I won’t deny that I wasn’t mildly entertained with some of the episodes (even if I didn’t know which spy I was following; why do they all look the bloody same for?). As with episodic anime in general, some episodes are hits, and others are misses. For me, there were more misses than hits. Still, if you’re a fan of spy thrillers, you will enjoy yourself, and if you’re someone who knows most of the tropes of the genre then you’re welcome to watch it, but you’ll have to understand that you’ve probably seen most of the plots before and accept that Joker Game is fairly typical of the genre that it is representing.

Joker Game Review
By: Koji Yanagi
Written By: Kyasuto Naito
Date: March 13, 2019

Overall: 9

Plot: 8

The story revolves around eight Japanese people who successfully passed a very difficult exam for being a spy. As they say, only monsters, a human without a heart, could pass it. The setting of the series is way back during world war, where every country is lacking trust and wanted to get a hold on each other. Every episode shows different cases in different countries. How they manage to make themselves invisible while they gather the data they need. Though all the episodes are interesting and cool, it is kind of an ... episodic anime and has really no story to tell. It's just about nine brilliant people, their colonel included, and how they do the life of being a spy.

Characters: 8

I love the character of Miyoshi. He is cool and his role show that he really knows what he is doing. And I think, he is also the only character who can be seen on the series for many times than the others. Honestly, I lost track of the characters. I don't know all of their names. Since the characters all look like one another, they have the same blend of hair, they have almost the same smile, it is really hard to distinguished them by name. But each characters have that assets they only have and you can just pinpoint who is who by their faces.

Sound and Animation: 10

After I saw this series, I remember the anime 91 days, and Baccano!. Having the same era and looking like the creator is the same. There's really no characters that stand up in line with looks. I guess, spies need to look like normal citizens but that fact itself is amazing. They manage to show eight people who won't be regarded by their looks but by their personalities. Every expression of the characters are well shown, even if its the extras only. Additionally, I love every setting of the story where old establishments are being displayed. The opening and ending songs seem to have been picked very carefully as it really matches the theme of the anime.

Enjoyment: 9

Military is not my genre, but I won't back down when it comes to historical anime. I don't remember laughing even once when watching this series, but the excitement on every characters movement can fill that gap. Not all story needs to have a comedy in it, right? The strategies shown is enough to captivate the attention of the viewer.

Ending: 10

In anime like this one, ending is like an empty vessel thrown at the sea, without any destination. No happy ending to be made and they are all meant to do what they are doing until they die. It will all just be a different case after the other. The best part is the one quitting his work as a spy since he realize that he can't be inhuman like the others. I don't think there's a continuation on manga since it only consists of 10 chapters but I'm not really sure if there's a light novel of it.

I was really intrigued by the title of this anime. Joker Game seemed like a interesting way of calling a show based on deception.
The story happens during the years leading to the Second World War, where Japan starts to feel left out of all the spying games going on in the west. In order to change this Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki creates the D-Agency. The premise is great, the three first episodes really set a nice pace, but on the forth one we start to have a episodic type of show, and that surprised me a lot. As I came to find out as I ... watched the show, we are introduced to each of the agency spies while they go on their own missions and the only link between most episodes is the founder of the Agency.
Don't get me wrong it was nice to know all of these characters and understand what meant to be a spy for each of them, how they operate and how far they are willing to go, but at the same time it felt like the show lost the plot line that was being created in the begging. Maybe that was intentional, maybe not, I don't know but I lost sight of what was going on, and that happened often.
Joker Game has also a very serious tone. Everything is taken very seriously and as realistic as possible. You can feel that there was a lot of research into this particular time in history to make the show as accurate as it could be. The art and music are exceptional and probably the best about the show, helping with the serious atmosphere it wants to present.
I feel the plot could have been better developed in a way wherel there was a begging, a middle and an end, then again maybe it's not the end, I would watch a second season in the hopes of knowing more about the agency and it's operations. I also think there could have been more character development. Even though we are introduced to the spies almost one by one we don't get to know what motivated them to join the agency or anything about their past. The only exception to this is Yuuki.
On the bright side, like I said before the art is amazing, including the character design, everything fits perfectly withe the tone of the show.
The sound also plays a great part, inviting you to dive in to each scene. The OP and ED are very catchy and mix well with all the rest.
Overall I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to others, specially if you are a fan of crime/mind games/spies/ political and more mature kind of series.

Joker Game is a light mystery/thriller filler series. The series does not shine in any areas in general but it is not particularly lacking in any areas for its genre. The series is mainly episodic and, explore and depicts the various missions that some of the professional spies are put through. Some missions are especially dangerous, some slightly more emotional than others while some are your typical action packed James Bond-style movies.

Story: 7/10 – nothing exceptional but not forceful
Joker Game is a short 12-episode episodic series. With this premise, the writers worked with what they had and the result is a well-paced story that does ... not feel forced as character developments and world building are left out on purpose. Instead, it is straight to the point and focuses on specific areas such as the activities of the spies, mini plot twists and mystery. All in all, the story is satisfying, feels natural and makes me wanting for more (in a good way).

Art, Sound and Character: 6/10 – nothing exceptional
The art and sound is industry-standard, nothing shiny in particular but pleasant to the eyes and ears. There is a single flaw though – some of the characters looks way too similar though it is not really a problem as there is no character development for most of the characters. As for the characters, there is almost NO distinction between the characters except for the Head of the agency, Yuuki whom I love as there’s a shroud of mystery surrounding him. We do not know of his exact backstory (1 episode was presumably dedicated for it though it is just heavily-hinted and nothing is concrete). He is your typical master and super respectable kind of character peppered with multiple sprinkles of mysterious. Yuuki is also the reason I bumped the ‘Character’ ratings from a 5 to 6.

Enjoyment: 9/10 – natural and well-paced
As I mentioned earlier, the series feels natural and well-paced. The writers understood what the series needed; the series excelled in what it set out to do (mystery, thriller and the spies’ missions are interesting enough) while not forcing the audience through poorly written character developments or world building which many series adopts. In short, I thoroughly enjoyed the 12-episode series and felt that it was worth my time at the very least.

Overall: 7/10 – an above average series
For most part, this is not a series that was on the top of my to-watch list every week during its release (probably the lower middle of the spectrum) but there’s nothing to be ashamed about. In essence, the series is very enjoyable filler series that I can switch off my brain (which I already barely use) and relax. The scoring comes mainly from the fact that the series does not try to pretend to be something that it is not and I greatly appreciate that as it is not common to find in today’s list of releases anymore. As such, do note that the series is more of a humble 7 than a shiny 7 that does exceptionally well in certain areas.

Recommendation:
If you are looking for something heavy, story-intensive, rich in character development and world building, you have come to the wrong anime. This is more of a kick back and relax episodic filler series that does not involve any fan service, pantsu-flashing cutesy girls but manly, cool and intellectual James Bond-like spies. If you are itching for some light mystery that requires no commitment (hello, Detective Conan :3), you have come to the right place. I am pretty sure this series will be able to scratch that itch of yours!

TL; DR:
1. Light, episodic, mystery and thriller series that features professional spies
2. Nothing shiny or exceptional but does well in specific areas
3. Natural and well-paced series
4. No forceful character developments and world building cramped into 12 episodes
5. A humble series that knows what it is doing

So you are probably reading this with the thought of me telling you about this anime, in the hopes of getting a clue as to what it is about, and whether or not you should watch it. And for that mission I'm your spy! (Sorry, bad joke)

Story 6/10
So to be totally honest, there really is not any story here. It's about the "D-Agency" that trains spies. Or so I thought, because when we get in to the story, they are all fully trained. That is, except for our (Or at least you would think so at first glance) main character, who gets mixed up in ... the Agency and has some choices to make. And that's only the two first episodes. The rest is mostly episodic about the different missions they carry out. So the story can't really be judged, because it's missing. That in itself isn't really a bad thing. It was kind of easy to watch one episode a week, because there wasn't any real cliffhangers most of the time, which I, personally, kind of missed.

Art 9/10
I really liked the art. It was, in my opinion, kind of "Edgy" to look at. Not as in "New and awesome", but the literal meaning of "Edgy". The lines was very clear, and I especially loved the way they had drawn women. Even though they tended to have many similarities, but much of that fact probably also takes some points from the fashion in that time. It was pleasing to look at, not too many bright colors, and I felt satisfied watching it. There wasn't anything I would complain about, at least.

Sound 8/10
The suspense sounds, the OP, the ED, the background music, the action sounds. All in all I think they fitted really well with the story. I really loved both the OP and the ED, and I didn't feel like skipping them at all. The OP really set the mood for what was about to come, and I'm not all that known in which kind of music that was from the time the anime is set in, but I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that the OP really had that kind of feel.

Character 6/10
I would actually give it less. But also a higher score, so I ended on 6.
The thing is, the show is about spies. Spies can't show who they really are, and as such, it is kind of hard to get to know them, personally. There was some moments where there was clear traits on certain people, but it was just so weak that I rarely knew who was who. I didn't learn their names, their age, or anything at all, and to me it just feels kind of empty. However, the story requires it is this way. This is the main characters only, though.
I felt like what the main characters are lacking in personality, the side characters make a bit up for. I felt their motivation, I could feel their way of seeing things, and I could kind of put myself in their shoes. Not that I would want to most of the time. The anime is set in a period of just before war, and most characters we meet aren't really that nice, but rather hardcore soldiers. So well, it is with mixed feelings I give it a 6.

Overall enjoyment 8/10
No matter how much the anime is lacking in personalities, and story, I still really liked the show. I like being outsmarted (Not that it is that hard though), I love it when characters gets outsmarted, I love when you really can't trust anyone, and it was awesome to watch how the spies outwitted the military. Or didn't. Or did they now?
It was also a very different experience watching this sort of show, because I didn't get to know the characters, and I didn't get to feel for them. All I got was to watch, objectively, and make my own opinions on right and wrong.

But in all honesty, this anime isn't for everyone. If you are looking for an anime with very episodic storyline, action, war setting, with military, and don't really mind not getting all the answers, then I would recommend watching. The good thing is that you don't feel compelled to watch the entire thing in one go. -This could also be a kind of bad thing though.

But if you are looking for a complete story, where everything makes sense, and where you can get to know the characters in a wonderful way, then this is probably not the show for you.