April New Anime Mine-Sweeping Series (2): "Liar Game"
April New Anime Mine-Sweeping Series (2) — "Liar Game"
At the beginning of this century, an author created a long-form graphic narrative about deceptive duels, which ran for a total of 203 chapters and was compiled into 19 volumes. Two years later, Fuji TV adapted it into a live-action series, which achieved quite impressive ratings.
The story is set in the Heisei era and focuses on psychological warfare—works of that genre from that period weren't like today's shows filled with isekai tropes or overpowered protagonists; the visuals were simple, and the series relied entirely on the strength of its plot.
The core female lead is a girl so kind she borders on foolishness. Due to a one-on-one 100 million yen battle, she crosses paths with a professional master of deception and becomes tied to this "game of lies" from then on. The anime version is produced by MADHOUSE, directed by a female director, with a veteran of the industry in charge of series composition. The first three episodes are entirely dedicated to setting up the first case. At first glance, it feels sluggish, but considering that the excitement of the subsequent rounds of duels actually declines, spending more time on the early stages within the planned 24 episodes is acceptable.
Setting aside the issue of the dated animation, which is trivial, the way the original work explores human nature and sets up traps feels slightly stale by today's aesthetic standards. Especially for those who have read the original manga, all the plot twists feel like playing with cards face up.
Have you guys watched it?
At the beginning of this century, an author created a long-form graphic narrative about deceptive duels, which ran for a total of 203 chapters and was compiled into 19 volumes. Two years later, Fuji TV adapted it into a live-action series, which achieved quite impressive ratings.
The story is set in the Heisei era and focuses on psychological warfare—works of that genre from that period weren't like today's shows filled with isekai tropes or overpowered protagonists; the visuals were simple, and the series relied entirely on the strength of its plot.
The core female lead is a girl so kind she borders on foolishness. Due to a one-on-one 100 million yen battle, she crosses paths with a professional master of deception and becomes tied to this "game of lies" from then on. The anime version is produced by MADHOUSE, directed by a female director, with a veteran of the industry in charge of series composition. The first three episodes are entirely dedicated to setting up the first case. At first glance, it feels sluggish, but considering that the excitement of the subsequent rounds of duels actually declines, spending more time on the early stages within the planned 24 episodes is acceptable.
Setting aside the issue of the dated animation, which is trivial, the way the original work explores human nature and sets up traps feels slightly stale by today's aesthetic standards. Especially for those who have read the original manga, all the plot twists feel like playing with cards face up.
Have you guys watched it?
