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Liar Game is Brilliant

As much as I like this manga, I’ll be the first to admit it’s not for everyone. If any of the following applies to you, don’t read Liar Game.

If you’re stupid, don’t read Liar Game. I don’t want anyone crying to me because it’s too hard for them to understand.

If you’re a pussy, don’t read Liar Game. I don’t want anyone crying to me because it hurts their feelings to see all the characters being mean to each other.

If you’re a pedophile, don’t read Liar Game. Not a single character is underage.

If you think Kaiba is better than Kaiji, don’t read Liar Game. You’ll be happier staring at something shiny.

If you’re looking for something with useless moé traps, don’t read Liar Game. The traps are all crafty and sinister.

If you didn’t like One Outs, don’t read Liar Game. They’re the only two original works of Shinobu Kaitani.

If you think the intelligence of a story is direct function of how many metaphors it has, don’t read Liar Game. Keep salivating over the novitaminA block no matter how many pretentious, downright-crappy-to-slightly-above-average shows it puts on.

If you can’t put up with a pathetic lead character for several volumes, don’t read Liar Game. She’s no Raki, but I’m often tempted to punch her nonetheless.

If you don’t want to read a manga so good that it motivated me to watch a live-action J-Drama, don’t read Liar Game.

40 Replies to “Liar Game is Brilliant”

      • But the second half of Kaiji 2 was poorly paced dreck. (Was worth it for the dice, at least.)

        (I’d suggest Dantalian no Shoka or Usagi Drop, personally. Lord Disward is all kinds of badass.)

    • That gives me an idea. Perhaps I’ll set up a special complaints page on which everyone can leave comments whining about all the shitty recommendations I’ve given them.

  1. Ohhhhh. That last criterion. I fail it. Although I’m intrigued I…just can’t…bring myself to watch asian drama -_-

    • I’m six episodes in so far. It has the usual pitfalls of Asian drama in terms of acting and directing, but story-wise it’s done the manga surprising justice.

      Still, you can’t go wrong just reading the manga.

  2. You forgot to mention is on hiatus..
    oh I’m sorry spoilers
    Though I must admit that, even if I loved it like no other manga I still haven’t gotten arround the Live action…because I’m scared of looking down on it, since the manga was so good.
    Also you feel smarter after finishing it, is more about realization rather than transformation,(I mean you don’t become smart, you only realize how smart you really are)

  3. B-but does it have sparkly bishies who talk about their feelings?!

    The pathetic lead character is certainly a turn-off, however the Baka-san seal of approval is hard to ignore…

    I will be sure to check it out… After I find out a bit more about what it’s actually about hint hint! (Thanks!)

    • So far I’ve seen the entire first season (11 eps) and a few eps of the second season. The games are largely the same. The main difference is all the drama they added in, which I don’t really care for, but it might be nice if you’re a middle-aged Japanese housewife.

  4. YAY! YOU HAVE ALSO SEEN THIS MANGA’S AWESOMENESS! xD

    (I didn’t like One Outs though ^^; But I knew Liar Game before that one… so maybe this one is not applicable to all?: “If you didn’t like One Outs, don’t read Liar Game. They’re the only two original works of Shinobu Kaitani.”

    ^^;

    But hhhmm… I’ve also seen one episode of One Outs. Perhaps I’ll change my mind if I read the manga or had watched more episodes, hehe)

    • I’m shocked. Did the badass One Outs preview music not convince you to watch more? (I once uploaded it to Youtube but it got pulled.)

      You definitely need at least two episodes (one arc) of One Outs for a fair assessment.

      • I can’t speak for Liar Game but I sincerely enjoyed Tatami Galaxy. It was a more whimsical Groundhog Day.

        One Outs was a lot of fun. I guess that means Liar Game is going on the “Will get to at some day probably before Baka-Raptor’s eyes ever heal” list.

    • Aside from Liar Game, so far I’ve seen Great Teacher Onizuka and an episode or two of Nodame Cantabile. As long as the creative core that separates anime from American TV also exists in J-drama, I’m open to watching more.

  5. May whatever Spirit guides this world forgive me, but I’ve been watching J-Drama since “Trick!”, seasons 1 through 3. After seeing Abe (the goofy professor) kick ass in that show, I watched as many other shows with him in it as I could find. I was in the middle of some show called “Stay At Home Dad” or some such (which was decent, the only really good parts being how this man who was normally the breadwinner of the family put up with his neighbor’s pointed jokes at being a househusband.) Then of course my ass got sent to Iraq so whatever I’ll pick it back up when I get back to the U.S.

    Anyway, Liar Game has been on my mind for a few months now, because the name keeps popping up while I’m scouring the web trying to keep myself sane in this “Parade of Absurdities” that we call Operation New Dawn.

  6. NICE one!
    though I haven’t read the whole manga itself. the kick-ass game was so awesome that I think psychologist can’t win even in that game.

  7. They should really make One Outs S2, they can’t scanlate it fast enough.

    This post motivated me to retake the chairs arc. You’ve made me read a manga about chairs. Congratulations.

    • A feeling I know all too well. Twice with respect to Liar Game. Last time I marathoned it, I had to stop before the pandemic game (which was changed to the Angels & Demons game in the live action drama, because religion is DEEP).

    • I’ll add some salt to this comment; Dantalian no Shoka is very bland as a show. I saw where they were going with it and eagerly awaited what could have been. The concept is interesting and even well executed at particular times, however the direction of the series on the whole lacks the extremes necessary to make you feel as if anything of importance is really occurring. A villain of any kind of meaning is introduced far too late in the series to give the show the sense of urgency that it so blatantly needs. The viewer is left out on vital background information that would allow them to understand the deeper more primary motivations of the protagonist. And finally it seems that no characters undergo serious progression or even regression during the course of the series with the exception of one episode focusing on the protagonist and a superior officer that came at the end and did NOT receive the elaboration it deserved.

      Watching the show is like buying an orchard that produces no fruit. You shell out some serious cash on the expectations built up by initial impressions, only to find what remains to be without function and thus as a series wholly uncathartic.

      Did I enjoy it? I won’t lie, I did, but I’ve enjoyed shows far worse than it, so that’s no measure of greatness. My rule is to finish what I start, and sadly I start nearly everything.

  8. because of this review i started watching liar game (i’ve read a lot of the manga already), and i’ve got to say that one of the things that really impressed me was the music! supes awesome. sometimes dramas can be really slow, so i’m kind of hesitant to watch them, but this one is really good so far. thx, dinosaur friend.

  9. i started watching liar game (based on your review), and i thought it was alright, but the thing that bugged me was that all of the explanations were SUPER long and tedious. this might be because i’ve already read the manga, but didn’t you think the long explanations were annoying? and do they get less tedious? i might need some convincing to finish the series….

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