Joker Game

Standalone episodes with apt amount of mystery and thrill. This spy thriller anime is definitely a treat for people interested In detective/espionage novels. You won't see it coming.

I really liked this anime, but the only thing that stopped me from rating it higher was the week-to-week feel of the show. (FYI, I haven't read the manga, if there is one, and I'm no expert on Japanese military history, I'm just reviewing this series for what it is.) The story revolves around the creation of 'D-Agency', a spy school set up pre-WWII in Japan, that recruits and trains highly-skilled civilians to move overseas and live under cover spying for Japan. Their motto is 'never kill and never die' (or at least never suicide, as it's a pointless waste). Which appeared to be the exact opposite MO of the Japanese Imperial Army.

The first couple of episodes set up a really good plot and I was expecting big things. From then on however, each week was just a seemingly disconnected series of stories about the men who graduated from this spy school and their under cover espionage activities. While that wasn't entirely a bad thing, I was hoping a running story or continuity or something. Anyway, it's still really good, check it out!