Liar Game

Really addictive from the very beginning. Pretty simple plot but with extremely complex - and surprising - twists. The art is not outstanding but good enough. And anyway it's definetly not the point in this Manga. The story on the other hand is great. You just got to continue reading to find out what's behind it all. The Liar Game can be recommended for anyone who enjoys psychological games and addictive storytelling!

The Liar Game: Outwit your opponent. Use any means you find to be necessary in order to cheat and swindle your way into taking the money they are given by the mysterious people who run Liar Game. The loser will become rich beyond their wildest dreams, and the loser will fall into deeper debt then they have ever known.

Story: The story of Liar Game is pretty good. It's not quite up to the same standards as some other psychologically based manga in that the characters in the story have a tendancy to use very blunt and fairly standard traps and plans in an attempt to cheat their opponents out of their money. However, it very interesting to see multiple plans layered on top of one another and how everything comes together, the end results being rather surprising much of the time. This is not a manga that requires much thought to read. Its a manga about twists and turns, suspense in every page. Its not too deep, but sometimes that can be rather helpful to a manga, and it works well here. Think of the story as Death Note Lite.

Art: The art is where Liar Game takes the biggest hit. The character designs are okay. They don't look ugly in any respect, but they aren't eye catching either. There isn't much detail in them and they all look very plain. All the dark mysterious imagery like the Fleur de lis, the baby angels, and the cross feel kind of out of place here and make it seem even more of a death note rehash. The best compliment I can make towards the art is probably the eyes. They look a bit ugly sometimes, but they are very effective at conveying the emotions of the characters here.

Characters: The characters seem very flat, but hopefully this will change as the series goes along. They all fit very snuggly into some sort of stereotype or another. There is only one character thusfar into the manga that I have seen change at all in the long term. However, that's not to say that the characters are particularly bad. They're all rather mediocre by themselves, but as a group, there is a lot of potential chemistry here. The basis is there, its just up to the author to evolve and develop it more.

Enjoyment: I'm enjoying this series quite a bit. I'm not quite sure what I'll think of it by the end, because the main reason I'm still reading this series is its irresistible premise. I sincerely hope that the story and characters develop, because I really think there's a lot of potential that I'm not seeing.

Overall: If you're willing to take a chance and see how well the story plays out, then I suggest reading Liar Game. However, don't go in with high expectations, only with high hopes.

It's been a couple years since I first discovered Liar Game, and it has all the elements that can draw me to a fictional story : an intelligent plot, a collection of interesting characters, and a truly original premise.
I read a few arcs (which were very good) and decided to put it on hold until the story finishes because I am not that patient a person.
And when I finally decided to take it again .. boy, does it deliver.

The first thing you'll notice is the drawing. It's quirky and veers to the unusual (especially the reactions), but it really sets a tone to the story's atmosphere. The uncanny realism really suits the manga style and rhythm, and makes every character memorable.

The second thing you'll notice about it is the pacing. It starts off relatively slow, then it picks up speed as it goes, soaring at critical times, making the otherwise peaceful and action-free nature of the games a setup to some intense and thrilling moments without using pulling any cheap tricks.
Be warned since some chapters are long-winded. It feels sometimes novel-ish, even. But again, you'll probably be too drawn in to notice. (I would lighten some long "and heeere is how it was done !" chapters but then again, minor inconvenience).
The games are usually very balanced which leaves the reader on the edge, so much so its reaches sometimes the frequency of 1 turning table/chapter ! (the only thing that seems to be more frequent is how many times Nao gets deceived, fooled or laughed at.)

The games are simply A-mazing. If only for them I would gladly give Liar Game its 10/10. Some of them may seem simpler than others but even the simplest ones are very well-thought. Most of them are really just parallels to real life situations put in a Game format, and they're all brilliant.
The solutions chosen by the smartest players are usually ingenious, but be warned because as you progress through the story you might lose the surprise factor. The endings are usually rewarding, however.
As the games become THE container for the story's final point at the latest stages, some stagings become "too convenient" for said point to be driven home. Some loose endings are swiftly cut, but you can still feel it if you pay enough attention. But then again, minor inconvenience.
What's really neat about all the games is that most -if not all- of them had a way to break-even for all players, or even make a profit just by the act of uniting (which is Nao's naive point), but the manga does it job to hammer in the notion that humans ARE greedy, nasty creatures. (speaking of nasty, as much as I hated Kaiji's nastier parts, I really wanted some of the games to gain some troubling aspect, but the author chose to keep all the games very family-friendly, which is not bad).
But before dismissing most of the characters as evil monsters, just try from time to time to put yourself -really- in some player's shoes and see what actions you would have taken under the same circumstances, you may gain some insight in the process!

The characters are also an important point to mention since they really make the package believable (and by characters I only mean the main characters since the background ones all seem mean and stupid to a fault, and are used, time and time again, as pawns in the Chessmasters games).
It's impossible to talk about the characters without giving out some of the plot, so let's just say that most of them get to have a satisfying development.
And unlike, say, Death Note, Liar Game doesn't try to veil who's Mr. Good and who's Mr. Bad: everything from their design to their every sentence is pretty much white or black, which makes it hard to sympathize with the Evil ones (which make up the majority, according to LG).
However, the nature of their evil is usually brought into the spotlight and their evilness is usually justified (sometimes by need, but mostly by greed to a point that the manga might as well be called Greed Game).
The most noteworthy character is definitely Nao (what, not Akiyama ?) since she gets to have the most character development and is the personification of Good, clumsiness and all, but she's not cheesy (if this was your typical shounen when she says something like "loyalty is the key to victory !", everyone would seem deeply moved and invigorated.. well it suffices to say this ain't your typical shounen).

The manga also handles comedy very well. Although most of it comes naturally from the unfortunate shenanigans Nao puts herself into (like, whenever she says "I have a plan!", you just knows she's gonna make some huge plan that is completely impractical, and grin as she suggests it with immense confidence).

The later religious touch was also a very subtle take on both religion and the good/evil question (without judgement nor glorification, which is nice). Same goes for the overall political stand of the manga.

So, in summary :
- Is it worth reading? YES.
- Is it perfect ? No.
- Why does it get a 10/10 score ? for many reasons, including :
1. The Games. The Games. The Gaaaaayyymmmmezzz.
2. Some characters are just very admirable, especially in the story's world.
3. Some twists are really unpredictable, I mean REALLY.
4. The expression when someone you can't help to hate loses miserably.
5. Did I mention the games? Right.
6. The Overall message.
7. The ending was .. you need to see it to judge for yourself (genius, lazy or both?)

All in all, what a little masterpiece.

Liar Game is the epitome of psychological genre of manga. This manga will get you hooked right from the first chapter and keep you asking yourself "What will happen next ?? "

This manga is the story of an honest but really naive girl Nao Kanzaki who gets trapped in a game called "Liar Game" which is a game of intelligence and the only way to save yourself in this game is to outsmart everyone else. Nao being a the height of naive people gets swindled right at the beginning. To save herself, she asks help from an ex-con Akiyama Shinichi who helps her clear the game by his intellect and sharp wit.

Liar Game is different from the majority of psychological manga out there. This manga executes each chapter perfectly and gives a detailed explanation to every strategy adopted by the players against each other. This manga will keep you at the edge of your seat because the battle of wits between the protagonist and antagonist is on a league of its own.

For all the people who enjoy reading manga having psychological battles and mind games, Liar Game is highly recommended

Inglish

I had dropped it months ago and one day two weeks ago I woke up wanting to finish it a good time

History (4/10):
Let's make it very clear, the manga has a null tension thanks to Akiyama (Gary stu)What the mangaka should have done is take the route of the showtime and the momentum as the other manga of the same author "One Outs" where the protagonist is equal a Gary stu but in that work if It has its sense of the show, here on the other side Akiyama more than anything is a very boring character, doesnt awaken any charisma and is just like the type of "I have a plan ready to destroy your plan"but in a very flat way, the manga becomes absolutely boring and shit for that same factor, the games are more creative than kaiji but that does not make writing better at a general level, the final arc and the ending is the pinnacle of stupidity that basically is basically "Everything was a social experiment "And with a cliffhanger of the most insulting to the reader

Characters (3/10)
The whole cast is disgusting, Nao has no brain during the first 100 chapters, Akiyama is a very boring gary stu, the judges already reach the point that their reactions are monotonous and repetitive to the rhythm of the game, the characters of the cult are equally forgettable and the only thing that is more or less saveable is fukunaga and Yokoya

Art (5/10).
Functional for what the work is

Enjoyment (5/10).
At times very entertaining (The game of chairs, The infection) and others wanting to get a bullet (The game of poker and the first game of Fishing), is a piece of shit that thinks it is smarter than it is .

Overall (3/10).
Highly creative games but they were used in the wrong manga


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Espanish

Lo habia dropped hace meses y un dia hace dos semanas me levante con ganas de acabarlo de una buena vez

History (4/10):
Dejemoslo bien claro, el manga al no tener tensión gracias a Akiyama (Gary stu) debería tomar la ruta del espectáculo y el momentum como el otro manga del mismo autor “One Outs” donde el protagonista es igual un Gary stu pero en esa obra si tiene su sentido del espectáculo, aquí por el otro lado Akiyama mas que nada es un personaje sumamente aburrido, no despierta nada de carisma y solo esta como el tipo de “Yo tengo un plan listo para destruir tu plan” pero sin carisma, el manga se vuelve absolutamente aburrido y mierda por ese mismo factor, los juegos son mas creativos que kaiji pero eso no hace mejor la escritura a nivel general, el arco final y el ending es el pináculo de la estupidez que en resumidas cuentas es básicamente “Todo fue un experimento social” y con un cliffhanger de lo mas insultante al lector

Characters (3/10)
Todo el cast es un asco, Nao no tiene cerebro durante los primeros 100 capitulos, akiyama es un Gary stu muy aburrido, los jueces ya llegan al punto de que sus reacciones son recontra monótonas y repetitivas al ritmo del juego, los personajes del culto son igual olvidable y lo único que es mas o menos salvable es fukunaga y Yokoya

Art (5/10).
Funcional para lo que es la obra

Enjoyment (5/10).
Por momentos muy entretenido ( El juego de las sillas, La infección) y por otros con ganas de meterme un balazo (El juego de póker y el primer juego de Pesca), es una mierda de manga que piensa ser mas inteligente de lo que es.

Overall (3/10).
Juegos altamente creativos pero fueron utilizados en el manga incorrecto

Liar game is the story of a a group of people that got invited to play a game with high rewards and high risk. You see the story through the eyes of the woman called Nao Kanzaki. And honest girl that will take part in the game.

Story: The story isnt anything great but still keeps you wondering what is behind the Liar game. Nao get a package of money along with an invitation for the liar game. Once you open the package you are already part of the game, well i wont say anything more because i dont want to spoil but at some point she comes across Akiyama a genius that will help her with the games. The story is a series of games, each game is different. I wont go any further to explain the rules of the game but its really interesting to see how thing play out.

Art: In my opinion the art isnt bad but i will understand if someone doesnt like it. It can be weird at times or simplistic lacking any detail. Personally it doesnt bother me and i find pretty good.

Characters: I would have given this a 10 but will lower it to a 9 because of Nao. Most of the characters are normal people but you dont get to know them very well. The manga focuses mostly on the main characters, Nao, Akiyama and the most clever enemies they come across. Nao is an honest girl that trust everyone, talks a lot and most of the times can be really annoying(that was the case for me) but she is still likeable. Akiyama on the other hand is a mysterious guy that doesnt talk a lot and thinks everything before he say something. Now the rest of the characters that the manga focuses on are really interesting too and everyone plays the game for different reasons.

Enjoyment: This manga is really enjoyable. The games are really entertaining and will get you thinking how you would have acted in a similar situation or it will make you think what is gonna happen now because everything looks like its a dead end for the protagonists.

Overall: I will give the manga 8-9, its really enjoyable but can get repetitive or tiring at moments. I believe its worth reading. Also for anyone that have seen/read Akagi,Kaiji or One Outs this is a similar situation where the character is a genius(even if kaiji wasnt one) that goes through some extreme situations.

I wish I could give this manga a 10. The story definitely deserves it. Kanzaki Nao ends up being dragged into a game that may leave her seriously indebted, and seeks help in a well-known swindler: Shinichi Akiyama.

Story (10)
The game is called Liar Game, as it requires lying and deceiving (something Kanzaki Nao is not fitted for) in order not to lose ones money and obtain the money from the rivals. The story is exciting; it has mystery, quizzes, lots of wit and imagination.

There is something that bothered me a little. Halfway the manga, many of the plans carried out by the characters are explained by the hosts of the games, who watch silently in a cabin and comment the game. I found this procedure a little too forced. Too much explanation, and they know too much for who knows what reason. It wasn´t like that from the beginning, and I found it unnecessary... there are other ways to explain things, in action, with the main characters. I saw the dorama first, and they didn´t resort to that method as often as the author does in the manga.

But, apart from that, the story is really good, and It keeps you stuck to the manga, eager to know the outcome of each round.

Characters (7)
The characters are a little stereotyped, but you come to love them.
- The naive girl who wants to trust and help everybody. Kanzakis Nao´s naiveté is such, that it gets on your nerves... but you end up liking her, and she eventually becomes stronger.
- The mysterious and sharp male character who plays tough and indifference but always comes to save her (although he has other unknown reasons to participate in the game).
- The "ultimate enemy", a really bad, bad guy with a history of bullying and manipulating people.
- Fukunaga is a very interesting character, you never know if you can trust him... in the beginning you don´t know whether to love him or hate him.
- And a bunch of other weird characters that come and go, depending on their success in each round... as the winners get to leave the game, but the losers must stay and keep playing or pay the money they lost in whole (which is a lot of money).

Art (3)
Here comes the main reason why I cannot give this manga a 10. I don’t like the art at all. It becomes better at some point, but I seriously find it horrible. There is a problem with proportions, the heads are too big, the necks too long, their bodies too stiff. The characters look like monsters, with their mouths wide open... I cannot even begin to tell how wide they can open their mouths when they shout, or when they are surprised... and that happens very often. I seriously thought one of them was going to come through the screen and eat me. And why do they all have to sweat so much? The only one that does never look like an alien is Shinichi Akiyama, as he always keeps his composure.

Enjoyment (8)
The manga is very exciting, which makes it enjoyable and keeps you wanting more. In the beginning, the art bothered me so much I even considered dropping the manga, as I had already watched the dorama, and knew most of the games. But the story makes up for the art. And at some point, it becomes new even for those who have seen the dorama. Besides, as the manga hasn´t ended yet, I suppose new games await.

Personal review for my future self should i ever look back to see what manga ive dropped and pick up again

Nao made me stop reading for a multitude of reasons that seemed to continue and essentially becomes a plot hole herself:

(minimal spoilers and half-assed predictions for not reading all the way through)

her mother died when she was at the age of 1 and her fathers been diagnosed with terminal cancer for who knows how long and only has so many years to live (1). This kept bugging me; how can Nao not think for herself when she has been living alone for almost the entirety or more importantly the most critical stages of her life. also, the capabilities to discern whether or not she should place her trust in certain individuals should have been developed as she aged (wow this actually might have been a better story). in fact, this is somewhat portrayed when she asks for possible outlets for help such as friends and past reliable elders.

This was all thrown out by the author as "im just too naive, innocent, unsullied, etc to think for myself so i rely on others, especially a swindler thats been held in prison for the last 3 years ... oh wait the person that recommended me this ex-convict to help me out of this situation is liar and not a lawyer [not like they arent the same]. He baited me into another game because he is actually one of the game's representatives(?) and then proceeds to belittle me stating that im too gullible to the point of stupidity. Make note-to-self: dont think of my past experiences with those who took advantage of my character and continue with my ideals of always seeing the good in people that is never concretely addressed, which readers themselves have to speculate is the reason for her on-going naivety. Fake-lawyer comes by again so lets just let him into my house after my initial refusal because he somewhat takes advantage of my feelings of discomfort/anxiety (shinichi is not answering my calls im wondering if hes okay) which i have not yet publicly talked about but for some reason he just conveniently knows, [dont have a problem with this as it happens so often across all genres of manga, its just that there is no further reasoning the author gives the readers for her to unconditionally let him in.] then lets listen to all he has to say about shinichi and believe every word he says. feel sympathetic because he had a hard past so she resolves herself to do something for him for all the help hes given her. Oh snap, what about all the people in Round 2 of the game where more than half the people who took part are in further debt, should i not empathize with them since i too was almost in a similar predicament? nah, 'its not my fault anyways since the people who take part in the games are also lying and deceiving others for their own personal gain" right shinichi? yeah you're so dependable, one line from you and my moral compass seems to be back on track again. Well even though im back into the game i dreaded and couldnt compete by myself for the previous ones because i always have a mental-breakdown [again dont mind this but it gets really annoying when shes the readers middleman to understand the other characters thought process especially that of shinichi's - we hardly ever get to understand hers other than wow im having a hard time look how innocent i am please help me], i have decided to continuously take part but this time for someone elses sake. Yeah, lets keep in mind what the fake-lawyer said about this game being easier and unlike the others because youll be competing with the losers from the previous rounds. OH WAIt, lets not consider the fact that you might be worse than all of these so called losers cause all you did was depend on a supposedly 'genius' swindler that you cant yet claim is true because you heard it from a liar, thats right the fake-lawyer. however, I put myself into another pit-hole for the sake of shinichi so i can relieve him of his worries that seems to do with his debt from the previous game. OH WAIT, nevermind the fact that he doesnt care about the debt and only pursues to further get involved in this massive scandal so he can get to the heart of why such a game which is 'preying on those who are weak or in a situation they cant get out of' is taking place. I wholeheartedly believed the fake-lawyer who has fooled me a plethora of times and his background story on shinichi's past yet (1) cant believe that is shinichi's motive for entering the game (2) my guilty conscience is taking over and i have to return the favor (3) cant piece the story and the motive together and am unwilling to think for others but myself. Lets take my rather really selfish reasoning and proceed through life again burdening the one who has given it his all to make sure I get out of the hole I keep further digging into." [this is all in the span of 19 chapters]

But without reading the rest of the manga im pretty sure Nao is tied to the game one way or another probably because her father, before or while he was bedridden, accrued a huge debt that the game was taking advantage of. Nao, of course, is oblivious and doesnt realize until she has to see the game through and reach a similar goal to that of shinichi's. (I understand that most plot scenarios for manga are not concrete but developed as it goes and some plot holes should be overlooked possibly for material in the later chapters that would soon cover it - i mean looking at some of the past manga i read im sometimes baffled at how i got through them. I just dont like how the author approached the idea of keeping her tied into the game it just made her character more flimsy as it progressed.) She also seems like the only outlier in the game and is a static character in which she only changes her mindset time to time depending on the game and carries out this ideal of hers: only see the good in people dont consider the bad (not a clean-cut statement but the general idea).
the other characters themselves are not even that note-worthy and probably make this story fall flat at the end seeing as how almost all psychological/mystery/drama genres rely heavily on the characters to make even a decent ending.
The speech bubbles are something i have to ignore if i were to pick this up again as they lack in variety and make some scenes unusual as if the people are always shouting. There are only two types actually: the normal circular shape and the loud spiky shape. Nao's dialogue is made up of the latter almost 80% of the time she talks, whether she is shouting(?), talking quietly(?), crying(?), etc.. its an exaggeration but it is really off putting considering it continues through out its ten years of no changes at all to improve it.
Again this all speculation since i didnt finish reading it. how much of it is right? i probably wont know until my future self has developed enough tolerance to read it again all the way through.

Liar Game is the story of the ultimate battle of wits, a game of deception and cunning which a naive young girl and a con man find themselves roped into. Sounds pretty good, right? For the most part, it is.

Despite it's cerebral subject matter, Liar Game feels like a typical battle manga at times, primarily with its tendency to spread one battle out over a ridiculous number of chapters. Sometimes 10, sometimes 20. Most manga would stretch out a battle by adding in huge panels, flashy two-page spreads and so on. But since Liar Game's wars are fought with words, the method Shinobu Kaitani uses is... words. Characters, particularly the 'dealers' of each round redundantly explain and re-explain things the reader already knows.

Also, many pointless attacks and counterattacks are incorporated for seemingly no other reason than to extend an arc's lifespan. At first, these lengthy battles of the mind are interesting, but eventually you get that feeling of forcing yourself to read on in the hopes that something will happen to move Nao and Akiyama closer to destroying the game.

Spoiler alert: nothing does. Sure, they slowly move up the Liar Game's bracket, but that's the only sense of plot progression you'll get here. And who knows how big this tournament is, anyway? They could be at it forever.

Now that the negatives are out of the way, there are many more positive things I like about this manga. It's very intelligently written. The competitions themselves are very clever and interesting, even if they can feel a bit dragged out. The way psychology and human manipulation are used as weapons is a great idea and is explored in depth. This manga is obviously very passionately researched.

The characters participating are all likable if they're a protagonist, and quite dastardly if they're an antagonist. Nao initially starts out seeming weak and clueless, but her strengths are revealed in time. Maybe the characters are TOO good, it can get frustrating when a character you've grown attached to leaves the game. I should also note that this manga has one of the best portrayals of a transgender character in anime/manga ever. Fukunaga is smart, competent, and very likable, and I don't believe one gay joke is ever cracked at her expense.

All in all, Liar Game is an interesting and fun read. If you don't mind that it's obviously being dragged out as far as it will go with no ending in mind or in sight, and just want to read a cool and smart 'head games' manga, definitely check it out.