(CR) Joker Game [Anticipation]

[Stark700]

A TV anime adaptation of 'Joker Game' has been announced. It will be produced by Production I.G. and is based on a book written by author, Koji Yanagi.

Plot Summary:

A fictitious spy-training organization established within the Japanese army on the eve of World War II is the centerpiece of this set of linked short stories. The D Agency comes into being in autumn 1937 as an independent army unit formed under the private initiative of Lieutenant Colonel Yuki. As rumor has it, Yuki was once a brilliant agent himself who ferreted out multiple secrets in enemy territory until he was betrayed by an ally; he was caught and tortured before he managed to escape, which explains why he has no left hand and always walks holding a cane with his left foot dragging behind him. Dubbed "the Lord of Darkness," Yuki teaches according to principles that flatly challenge established army wisdom. He bans military dress and behavior and instead drills his protégés to become unseen apparitions; according to him, the unwritten army code that a captured soldier should kill either the enemy or himself is the epitome of stupidity and the worst possible choice a spy can make. For his training course Yuki rejects Army Academy graduates and instead picks candidates from far and wide, producing a dozen crack spies expert not only in multiple languages but also in such skills as disguise and lockpicking. Under false identities, these agents go their solitary ways to fulfill daring missions in Tokyo, Yokohama, Shanghai and elsewhere, all the while remembering Yuki's teachings.

More info here (including info about the author):
http://www.booksfromjapan.jp/publica...239-joker-game

Source:
http://otakomu.jp/archives/286868.html
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...ptation/.91400

[MCAL]

Looks interesting (AKA Not Generic).

[Stark700]

Here's also another summary I found:

Lieutenant Colonel Yuki (Yusuke Iseya) established the mysterious D Agency, an independent unit of the Japanese army at the eve of WWII. Rejecting army academy graduates, he instead recruits street-smart hustlers or degenerates, training them to be masters of manipulation, international operatives counteracting the war-mongering colonialist efforts of imperial army leadership. One such antihero agent under the name Jiro Kato (Kazuya Kamenashi) goes on a harrowing mission to uncover secret documents, battling forces from within and without his own ranks.

The novel previously got adapted into a live action film
http://japansociety.org/event/joker-game

[Guardian Enzo]

Boy, this sounds really interesting. I hope the production committee doesn't realize this has no chance to sell and change their minds.

I'll tell you right now - the nationalists will have a field day protesting this show. Start writing the disclaimers now.

[Utsuro no Hako]

I'm sure this could be made appealing to rightwing anime fans.

1) Make the spies a bunch of otaku whose geeky skills make them perfect for infiltrating enemy territory.

2) Have a group of Korean women who willingly throw themselves at the characters.

3) The characters discover an evil Chinese plot to provoke Japan into war and try to stop it, only to fail miserably. The series ends with them lamenting how the Chinese forced Japan to fight.

[MisaoFan]

According to the staff (besides the studio in charge), only the director is mentioned and it is Kazuya Nomura helming it, he previously worked on Sengoku Basara 2, Robotics;Notes and the latest Ghost in the Shell movie which is released this year.

[kyuudere]

I doubt it will goes that way.
Though it maybe will differs really far away from actual history.

Story description from ANN :

The original novel is set in 1937, before World War II begins in earnest. Lieutenant Colonel Yūki of the Imperial Japanese Army forms the "D Agency," an army intelligence outfit under his command and tutelage. Army General Staff attaches Lieutenant Sakuma to observe the unit's performance. D Agency casts a wide net to find agents beyond Japanese military personnel, and Yūki establishes D Agency's tenets, which go against IJA doctrine: "Don't kill, don't get killed, don't get captured." With this, Yūki trains a team of operatives who conduct missions against domestic and foreign powers.

>domestic powers

Government / politician ? Or Rebel / anti-war faction ? Or D Agency even willing to disobey IJA's order if it against their own moral code (Don't kill, don't get killed, don't get captured) ?

[Flower]

Count me in as curious about the series as well. Hmm. Will keep my ears pricked up about it....

[kuromitsu]

Shirow Miwa (Dogs: Bullets & Carnage) is in charge of the original character designs.

Uwaaah, so this is what he was talking about the other day. Count me in!!

[ibby]

I'm very keen to see a serious anime from Production I.G. Can't wait for this.

[Stark700]

Key visual(?)

Spoiler:

[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by Stark700

Key visual(?)

Spoiler:

Well, there's almost enough of them so they can cast all the popular big name male seiyuu... If they get a competent person to adapt the art for animation and they add a stage adaptation at some point the franchise is set for life.

Ahem, anyway, looking good so far. I'm thinking of reading the novel.

[Cloudedmind]

Shirow Miwa designs, yep, yep, yep, count me in.

[Yamada II]

I haven't seen any series with Shirow Miwa involved so I don't understand the hype. But those are an awful lot of bishounens there. Just hope they're all badass and not feminine gays.

[MisaoFan]

Originally Posted by Yamada II

I haven't seen any series with Shirow Miwa involved so I don't understand the hype.

He was the guy behind Dogs: Bullet & Carnage and I actually heard he was also working on an unnamed project from Imaishi.

Originally Posted by Yamada II

But those are an awful lot of bishounens there. Just hope they're all badass and not feminine gays.

Considering this is I.G we're talking about, there's a good chance it'll go to the former route so it's not like they are strangers to it before.

[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by MisaoFan

He was the guy behind Dogs: Bullet & Carnage and I actually heard he was also working on an unnamed project from Imaishi.

He's also part of supercell and did a lot of Vocaloid art and PVs. (I wish he'd focus on Dogs, though...)

[Cloudedmind]

He also did the designs for 7th Dragon 2020, which was pretty much the only reason I wanted to play the game.

[Stark700]

Didn't take long for a preview to come out:

[kyuudere]

Just realized that Taisei Iwasaki is the composer for the live action film.
http://taisei-iwasaki.com/works/518/

I hope they will ask him to be the composer for anime too, considering Kekkai Sensen's OST is huge success.

[darkchibi07]

Awww, no female operatives?