Joker Game
ジョーカー・ゲーム
With World War II right around the corner, intelligence on other countries' social and economic situation has become a valuable asset. As a result, Japan has established a new spy organization known as the "D Agency" to obtain this weapon. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki, eight agents have been assigned to infiltrate and observe some of the most powerful countries, reporting on any developments associated with the war. In order to carry out these dangerous tasks, these men have trained their bodies to survive in extreme conditions and studied numerous fields such as communications and languages. However, their greatest strength lies in their ability to manipulate people in order to obtain the information necessary to give their nation the upper hand. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Сюжет
With World War II right around the corner, intelligence on other countries' social and economic situation has become a valuable asset. As a result, Japan has established a new spy organization known as the "D Agency" to obtain this weapon. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki, eight agents have been assigned to infiltrate and observe some of the most powerful countries, reporting on any developments associated with the war. In order to carry out these dangerous tasks, these men have trained their bodies to survive in extreme conditions and studied numerous fields such as communications and languages. However, their greatest strength lies in their ability to manipulate people in order to obtain the information necessary to give their nation the upper hand. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
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ZephSilver
June 21, 2016
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.
