When I started reading this, I thought the main character was beyond stupid. I mean, hello... she receives an envelope inviting her to participate in what's called the "Liar Game," is now responsible for holding 100 million dollars, and must steal her opponent's 100 million. But because she's so stupidly honest, as people describe her, the opponent uses his history as her former high school student to trick her into giving him her 100 million for "safe keeping."

The thing about the plot, though, is that it develops well. Sure, Kanzaki Nao might have been a nice idiot in the beginning of the story, but after she manages to enlist the help of Akiyama Shinichi, an ex-convict who had swindled all the funds from a larger company, she begins to get the hang of the game and changes herself in the process.

The Liar Game consists of several rounds because the losers from the previous rounds are invited to play again in order to pay off their debts. Of course, if they lose yet again, their debts grow even larger and the cycle continues. Going to the police is not an option, because their initial agreement to play the game and use of the money that was given to them will count as theft. Later on, the players realize that unless they do whatever it takes to trick the other players out of their money and win the whole jackpot, they'll never escape the Liar Game.

I was excited to read this manga in the first place because the games seemed simple, but the players had to come up with complex ways to win them. It was not only a matter of protecting themselves, but also anticipating their opponents' next moves. Therefore, there was a good way to win the game, but it was not necessarily the best method all the time. The types of opponents that were introduced made each round a new challenge, especially since there was a different game every time.

It wasn't always exciting, though. As the games went on, the later ones became more complicated and lasted longer as the participants became smarter. Explanations for strategies to win the games became longer and a bit convoluted, and there was a lot of reading involved. Sometimes it became boring.

The ending stopped at a questionable note. I'm not sure if it means there will be a continuation or that's just it. But let me know what you thought about it if you get there.

While Kanzaki Nao was the main character, I think Akiyama Shinichi was the most interesting. I mean, come on, he was an ex-convict. I always think of that word meaning the person indicated committed some horrible crime, but it was really an amazing feat, swindling a large corporation of all its funds. It makes you wonder what kind of person he is. I thought of him as a brilliant genius and loved to hear his plans on how to win each game. It is also known that he graduated from a top university with a major in psychology, which helps him a lot in the Liar Game as he is able to predict the actions his opponents will take based on their demeanors and personality.

Kanzaki Nao, however, comes a long way from her stupidly honest personality. I have a bone to pick with the way she is described as "stupidly honest." While she is honest, almost honest to a fault when she plays the Liar Game, I think her greatest flaw is her absolute trust in strangers. She begins as a girl who believes everyone's word no matter what, and I seriously mean no matter what. It wouldn't occur to her that someone lied to her unless someone else pointed it out to her because she believes very much in human integrity.

Coupled with Akiyama, though, she possesses an ability to renew faith in the other players and change their outlook on the situation. Is it wrong to trust people? Absolutely not. She knows what good can come of it when everyone works together and forms team bonds. But of course, she experiences a lot of disappointment when things don't go according to plan, and she is repeatedly told that humans cannot be trusted. This is the Liar Game, after all. Can she turn things around even in the bleakest of situations? If you haven't read Liar Game yet, you will find that she can.

What I dislike most about Liar Game is the artwork. I found it bearable at the beginning, but once the mangaka began drawing characters with more emotional expressions, like those of shock and ridicule, I began to dislike it. At these points, the characters tend to have long mouths to express surprise and such, and they look like mocking caricatures to me rather than sincere feelings.

There are also a few issues with angles and viewpoints in the manga. Body proportions are a little off sometimes and in certain perspectives, the characters don't look like they fit in.

However, I appreciate the range of appearances. There are some characters with piercings, spiky haircuts, larger bodies, thin heads, facial hair, etc. In some manga, the main characters look similar to other people or something, but in this one everyone is pretty distinguishable.

I don't read a lot of seinen, so this was a good read for me. The Liar Game was an interesting concept, and I liked the way it started. With that in mind, though, the manga did seem to feel like it was drawn out near the end with longer games, and I wasn't super eager to read all the time. But when I did read again, I read a couple chapters at once. I liked Kanzaki Nao's character development and I also liked Akiyama Shinichi's personality. (I was also sort of shipping them, but nothing happened so much.) Overall, though, it wasn't bad.