Liar Game (2007)

Liar Game was simply epic.

The story was quite good, it was very heavy on the central theme of the drama, (which is totally my genre). The one thing I love the most in this drama is the plot development, something that would really make you ponder of what would happen next. The series was full of interesting twists and turns. Mostly of the story involves a surreal environment, yet many morals of the series turns out to be applicable in real life. it is a the twisted surreal setting creatively compared to the present real situations in life. It also shows explicitly the very face of human nature. A very good psychological drama, that touches the realms of surreal environment and gives interesting viewpoints of reality.
The cast was well selected, all actors and actresses are totally in to their role, especially Matsuda Shota and Toda Erika, their acting capacity is seriously good, you can immediately tell the kind of personality a certain character has by just watching at their gestures and acting skills. They do outstanding facial expressions, one that will lure you to an idea inversely proportionate to the actual idea embodied in the story. Music was totally in, it fits the nature and setting of the story, mind-blogging and twisted. I would say a 10 of 10 for a rewatch value, especially if you are a fan of mind-blogging trick games and or if you want a deeper understanding of the story and the nature of each trick presented. In a over-all rate, I give it a 10, this is not the type of melodrama that brings you tears or makes you fall in love, but it is the type of drama that disturbs your ideals and test your brains. :)

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Liar Game is an enjoyable drama, but the female lead is as stupid as they come. It gets to the point of disbelief at how incredibly stupid and naive she can be, but the male lead totally makes up for all of that. I've become a big fan of matsuda shota after watching this drama.
So this apparently is based off a manga, but i never read it. (Don't plan to). Anyways, there's some game tht pits different individuals against each other in these different types of games, and the goal is get everyone's money by lying, after all it is called the Liar Game. The consequence for the losers is that they will all end up in debt of 100 million yen. So one day Nao, the female lead, gets inducted in the game, but she can't lie to save her life. And in addition to that, she doesn't know when anyone is lying to her either. "She's too honest for her own good." She wants to win the game by telling the truth and working together, so that way no one ends up in debt. I actually agree with her thinking, because I believe that'd be my philosophy too, but she's so gullible it's unbelievable. It's just way too overdramatized. But I do see that she's genuine so I can't bring myself to hate her.
Akiyama, the male lead, gets into the game because Nao sought him out to help her win this game because she was told he's a genius swindler. He's my favorite character, I love him so much. Talk about a character with swag. His whole persona just makes him so attractive to me. He's so intelligent, calm, and collected all the time. He's so laid back and chill, I'd like to find one person who didn't like this character. Anyways, his goal is to bring down the organization behind the game.
This drama acts like it's oh so smart, but it really isn't. I find the games, and the solutions to them pretty stupid, but it's entertaining enough. I really did enjoy it. If ur looking for a smart watch, I definitely wouldn't recommend, it'd just make u roll ur eyes. But if you could suspend disbelief and logic for a min, I think u'd really enjoy it. Plus, Matsuda Shota!

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I only finished watching it now. I should have tried watching it wayyy back. It's one of those dramas that will keep you glued and want for more. I find myself craving for more after watching this drama so most likely I will watch the next installments of this drama. I didn't notice the time while watching it. I find the acting of the main characters and even the supporting characters great and unforgettable. I find Nao annoying at times but I guess it's her role to be like that so it's ok. I find her acting convincing enough because she was able to make me feel that way. The music adds to the appeal to this drama. It makes your heart skip a beat. I love the music. I will most likely watch the drama again if I want to whether I'm alone or with other people. Overall, this is one of the great suspense dramas out there which teaches you a lesson and something to ponder about life especially about TRUST. It's entertaining and educational at the same time which makes it more interesting to watch. :)

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one of my first japanese dramas to watch. this was a brilliant idea for a game. akiyama was just hot and swindly, his character was my favorite. kanzaki was stupidly honest and for this show she was testing my patience everytime she gets tricked and still forgets like a gold fish. i wanted to scream and slap her 90% of the time. shes the reason its not a 10. the other annoying character is fukunaga. he just looks like a mushroom and his laughter is just annoying. i would only rewatch to get the concept but i wouldnt sit through another fuku and nao moment. the way akiyama went about studying his opponents was brilliant and it makes u think alot. anyways its a cool show.

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The good, the bad, and the idiot.

I couldn't get past how incredible Nao was...incredibly stupid that is! Out of all the female leads I've seen in dramas, Nao wins as the most dumb, gullible, and annoying character ever. Quite a feat! Seriously, she never learns from her mistakes and constantly needs saving. You would think after her former teacher deceived her she would have wised up and get that the world is not cotton candy and rainbows and humans aren't all sugar plum fairies. I wanted to throw my device everytime she came on screen with her wide eyed, mouth gaped open stare. There's innocence and honesty and then theres just good ol plain stupidy. It's actually offensive how much of a ditz Nao is, and it's her character alone that makes me lower this show's rating from a 10 to a 7.5. What a pity.
Now on to what still makes this drama a good classic show...
In one word Akiyama. Yes, the male lead. He not only saved Nao again and again, but he saved the show. He's a genius but not boastful. Very cool and collected. It's fascinating to watch how he will get out of a jam (which Nao put him in), outwit contestants and win in Liar game. Speaking of games, that's another highlight of this show. The games are intellectual and take strategy to figure out. Great stuff! Side characters are all purposely exaggerated like the Austin Powers wannabe mushroom haired villian. It works though and helps keep the story light and not too heavy. However, If you don't like dramatic anime style characters, then I would steer clear of this show. So without giving too much more away I will say this, Liar game keeps you on your toes. It's exciting and fast paced, making this drama one fun ride.

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This is easily my favourite Japanese drama of all time.
The story is full of suspense and is gripping from the very start, with the different 'games' that the characters are put through just become more and more exciting.
The dark and devious Akiyama (Matsuda Shota) is a perfect match to the innocent and naiive Nao (Toda Erika) and the combination really works. The rest of the cast too are over the top, a bit crazy, but it perfectly fits the drama.
The music used in this drama is sensational. It is a soundtrack I find myself listening to often, and each piece fits the situation in which they are used perfectly.
Overall this is a brilliant quality drama. The writing is both witty and suspenseful, and never gets boring. Anyone who is considering watching it should, as they will not regret it.

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I was really excited when I first heard about this, and was not disappointed. It was very different from the manga in interesting ways.

The only thing I disliked is that half of the time, I found myself wanting to slap the characters. Nao especially, for not learning or thinking for herself. For example, in the revival round: "Akiyama's not here to save me so guess I'll just give up..." Really Nao?!
I found that the main antagonists had the typical pathetic bad guy syndrome, being too cocky and revealing their plans. Combine that with the annoying evil laughter, and...
The few exceptions were: Akiyama, Eto Koichi, Ishida Rie, and coordinator Eri. Although I had seen Matsuda Shota in Hana Yori Dango, his role as Akiyama made me a fan. It was acted perfectly. Akiyama is a genius and the most entertaining part of the drama is trying to figure out what he will do next.

I loved the main theme music and still enjoy listening to it.

I highly recommend this to everyone, especially those who like psychological dramas. It was suspenseful throughout and was a great brain teaser. I'll also warn that the special episode is partly recap, with some new scenes in between and at the end, so you can skip the recap parts.

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Story - 10/10: It is super interesting, to say the least. I had a lot of fun watching this. This series taught me so much and I think it's so cool seeing the tricks behind all the games they play. A lot of games are very unexpected and this series was the starting point of me watching other psychology dramas like this. I do understand that many people dislike the main girl's personality and her naiveness. However, I got over it because I think the main part which is the games/gambling they had won me over and made me forget her naiveness.

Acting/Cast - 8/10: I believe that the cast do work pretty well together. Matsuda Shota played his part very well. He is the cold-hearted main guy lead and I think he is the main reason why I kept watching this. I've seen others say that the acting is terrible but keep in mind that this was shot in 2007 and it is pretty old. The production isn't the best quality and I'm sure that if this was produced in 2020, they would have much better acting skills.

Music - 6.5/10: I'm not sure if the music would suit everyone's taste. I don't particularly have an opinion on this... It is also quite dramatic in the climax scenes though.

Rewatch Value - 10/10: I've rewatched this series multiple times and I have to say, every time I watch this, I learn something new and it's interesting to see the tricks behind everything. I wish there were more series like this so I don't have to watch it every time I want to watch these kinds of dramas.

Overall, I totally recommend this to anyone who is able to look past the poor acting and bad quality of production. Keep in mind that it was done in 2007 and this was probably how the Japanese would've liked their production back then. It is a very interesting concept that more series should consider going into.

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Fictional but scarily real.

No spoilers! Proceed safely. :)

“If you do not destroy your opponents, you will be destroyed yourself.”

With a 9.5/10 rating, Liar Game reaches the tier A of masterpieces which I believe should be watched by everyone.

The plot is simple at first glance. “Stupidly honest Nao” who can't lie to save her life gets embroiled in the titular Liar Game organised by an agency of the same name. The game is exactly what it sounds like, a game of lies and deception. And so many things could go wrong with this drama.

It could be full of plotholes and meaningless sub plots with an underwhelming ending that portrays that honesty is the best policy. But no.

Liar Game is different from anything out there and it is something I'd label truly unique in its execution. The slow build up as the rounds of the Liar Game progress from simplistic deception to organised play outs and how Nao navigates it with the help of Akiyama, a con artist who spent three years in jail, and manages to somehow remain “good” no matter how many times she is lied to.

There are many reasons why I should have docked more points from Liar Game. The garrish production, flashy editing, sudden close ups of the pixel dummy, dramatic shots of every character’s face was kind of tiring and bad acting which is actually good acting that is meant to be bad. But somehow I noticed these only when the episodes had ended. While the episode plays, the intriguing plot twists which make sense will keep your mental gears turning and twisting.

So what was the redeeming quality of the Liar Game?
The message of the story.
“I am painting something more abominable than hell. Humankind itself.”

Liar Game conveys a unique message through its pov protagonist Kanzaki Nao. Nearly all episodes begin with an intro showing the first shot of Kanzaki Nao as she passes under cherry blossoms, happy and unblemished. The sort of crystal conscience which shows on her face.

During the Liar Game, I was honestly so annoyed by Nao. She made the stupidest mistakes ever and I was tearing my hair out by the end of episode 1 but Nao is the antagonist and hero the Liar Game and that is the message of the show.

Just because most of us have become used to deceiving others, be it a smal lie to your parent or be it a lie to thousands of people to siphon their life savings off them; each and every one of us has lied at some point in their life. And lying has become a skill which we try to hone. But just because Nao has is trusting and doesn't deceive, it doesn’t make her absolutely stupid. There is strength in trusting, there is strength in not lying, the sort of strength which Nao has and it annoys people but it is a strength which most of us don’t have.

Liar Game has opened my eyes to so many things. I have always been sharply aware and wary of deception and Liar Game hasn’t convinced me nor does it try to convince its viewers to have blind faith in everyone. But through its crooked Liar Game which is so scarily similar to our lives, Liar Game sens a strong message to its viewers and I thunk it would echo differently with different viewers.

Lastly, I don’t want to be THAT person who screams for their favorite shows and tries to convince everyone to watch it, and I have never done that before, but now I would like to say that I’m not lying when I say that Liar Game is honestly such a freaking masterpiece. There are legit no plot holes, at least none that I could discover and any loop holes which were there were discussed and justified. The twists came out of nowhere but still made perfect sense.

There are also hints of romance but that’s left to the viewers interpretation.

I rated the rewatch value very high which is unlike me because I hardly ever rewatch shows. This is mostly because I would like to visit the show again with the ending in my mind.

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