Furthermore, the lack of backgrounds and detailed drawings put the focus on the mind games, which are among the most memorable I’ve encountered in not just the medium, but the genre. In a clever stylistic choice, Kaitani mainly uses blank or very undetailed backgrounds to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that represents the characters’ mindsets as much as it fits the general mood of the Liar Games themselves. The first thing one immediately notices about Liar Game is Shinobu Kaitani’s minimalistic art style. Who Is It For?Įveryone who is a fan of dark mysteries, survival and mind games should definitely check out Liar Game once they get the chance. While their goals are profoundly different - she wants to save everyone who has to take part in the Liar Game, while he wants to bring those behind the Liar Game to justice - they form an unlikely team and have to endure one nerve-wrecking round after another. Full of despair, she turns to brilliant ex-con and con artist Shinichi Akiyama for help. The naive but good-hearted Nao Kanzaki finds herself in the midst of this diabolical survival game.

The one who wins can either opt out of the Liar Game by paying the full amount loaned back or continue on to the next round for the chance to win more money. The one with less money loses and has to pay back the amount he owes to the Liar Game Management (author’s translation). Your opponent was given the same package and you both have the same task: protect your money and/or steal your opponent’s money over the course of 30 days. It contains an invitation to the Liar Game, 10,000,000 Yen, and the name of your opponent in this first round. The LowdownĪ mysterious package is delivered to your address. Für die deutsche Übersetzung der Review bitte runter scrollen. The first part of this article will contain the English review (which you can find directly below this message), while the second part will contain the German translation. Since the manga is as of yet unlicensed in the US, but readily available in Germany, the German version of the manga published by Egmont Manga will be used for the review. Liar Game is a psychological thriller about trust and deceit, hope and despair, and full of cult potential.

Its initiators as well as their ultimate objectives are unknown.

Liar Game, Volume 1 by Shinobu Kaitani