Anime Club

Anime Club: Joker Game

JOKER GAME

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CREATED BY: Kazuya Nomura

NO. OF EPISODES: 12 Episodes + 2 OVAs

GENRE: Spy, Mystery

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: Japan

d-agency_agents
The D-Agency.

With World War ll 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.

Okay Joker Game, what exactly do you have to offer that I can’t find in any other period anime? Well unlike a few other period anime I could name, Joker Game takes itself seriously and demands the same in return from the audience. This was a solid move for the series, as any comedic element would probably cripple the narrative that it was trying to create. While I don’t feel that the episodic nature of this show works this time around, it does showcase very different missions across the spectrum of practicality. Sometimes it works out in their favor, but the suspension of disbelief can only get you so far.

joker-games-02-37
I don’t think he believes it either.

Joker Game is an interesting period series…for those who enjoy shows during that period. Honestly while I normally like series with a different story for each episode that loosely connect to each other, I didn’t enjoy it here. They tried to showcase each one of the different agents’ stories in different locales, but they didn’t spend enough time fleshing them out so I didn’t end up caring for the majority. That is a major flaw in story-telling, that unless it is your goal, you don’t want your audience not to care about your characters. Plus if you want a recent period series to watch, check out 91 Days instead.

PROS:

  • Overly serious.
  • Interesting narrative approach.
  • Suspension of disbelief is highly needed.

CONS:

  • No solid characters.
  • Episodic structure.
  • Story-telling flaws.

SCORE:6.5 / 10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC65N_FEClE

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Brandon Stuhr

Who am I? Just some guy who decided to start writing on the Internet years ago and now operates his own brand and site. Owner/Operator of Modern Neon Media, I make all kinds of niche content to suit my interests at the time. DIY Enthusiast, Brewmaster extraordinaire, and avid freak for geek culture. Follow on my socials for a more "on" version of me.

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