Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
AppleDangani
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 lov…
Read at the sourceBanjoTheBear
(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)
When I was a kid, I would often try to eavesdrop on my parents’ “secretive” conversations.
I would be in the basement, playing a video game or watching television. When I heard the pitter-patter above me, however, I would move to the foot of the steps. The door was closed, indicating further that my parents were discussing topics not meant for my ears.
But I was curious. I would sneak up and crack open the door ever so slightly. I would then close my eyes and concentrate, focusing only on their words. Doing it so many times, I eventually got quite good at it. My mother and father talked about problems: other family members, financial issues, and even me (and my siblings) on occasion.
When I had my fill, I would…
Read at the sourceUmbraFrost
Being a spy is something allot of children dream of when they're younger... Something is just appealing about going on dangerous and exciting missions. Going undercover to discover some secret society or evil organization is just extremely interesting and fun to think about. However unlike those spy movies about beating your enemy with only your fists, and defeating a whole organization of people with one round. Joker Game doesn't beat the person by literally beating on them, they beat them by outsmarting them.
Joker Game doesn't focus on action and violence to defeat their enemy organizations. Joker Game prides themselves on defeating their enemy by out smarting them, each character is trained not to kill but to use their wits to get what they want. Well they do kill every once and a whi…
Read at the sourceFunguy24
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…
Read at the sourceblueangel1986
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…
Read at the sourceSOF11
"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 bu…
Read at the sourcezabilac_8798
"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…
Read at the sourcearrowofthenight
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…
Read at the sourcescottishrob13
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 w…
Read at the sourcekhattikeri
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 milita…
Read at the sourceLeaderTGW
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…
Read at the sourceInMediasRes
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…
Read at the sourceCinnamon_Pramma
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 bei…
Read at the sourcechesireneko
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.…
Read at the sourcexmaikokoro
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…
Read at the sourceAllenHavens92
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…
Read at the sourceMozillaFennekin
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 be…
Read at the sourcethemegamancave
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…
Read at the sourceZephSilver
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 movi…
Read at the sourceStark700
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 politic…
Read at the source