Liar Game, Volume 0.5-19

Liar Game #0.5-19

by Shinobu Kaitani

An uncommonly naive college student named Nao Kanzaki receives a package containing 100 million yen (about US$1 million) and a note that she is now a contestant in the Liar Game Tournament. In this fictional tournament, contestants are encouraged to cheat and lie to obtain other contestants' money, with the losers forced to bear a debt proportional to their losses. When Nao's first opponent, a trusted former teacher, steals her money, she seeks assistance from a con man named Shinichi Akiyama. Though they manage to defeat him, Nao and Akiyama decide to buy out his debt and advance through different rounds of the Liar Game Tournament against merciless contestants, while at the same time attempting to free their opponents from debt and defeat the Liar Game organization from within.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels

Kindle Edition

About the author

Japanese: 甲斐谷忍He received the prestigious Tezuka Prize in 1991 for Mou Hitori no Boku (Another Me). In 1993, his series Suisan Police Gang was serialized in Shoukan Shounen Jump. In 1995, he co-illustrated the series Sommelier in the magazine Manga Allman to great acclaim. His baseball series One Outs, ended its run in Business Jump with 20 tankoubon released.

His current serial is Weekly Young Jump's Liar Game, which has been adapted into two seasons of a highly-rated drama series as well as a forthcoming movie.

Hobbies: horses, travel
Special skill: calligraphy, spoon bending

Reviews

[cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

in the first 10 chapters I think kanzaki nao (the girl) cries like 6 times and I'm sure middle school me was annoyed with her but honestly that is so relatable 💀 I too would shit myself crying if I had that much debt

I saw many ppl disappointed with the ending and I was also one of them lol. I kinda see where the author was going with it and the themes and I feel like it could've worked if the last arc wasn't so anticlimactic in general. like before this was the musical chairs arc and that one was really fun. lots of ups and downs and retaliations and etc. the last arc was only like 20 chapters (not including the poker bidding thing before it) and was fairly straightforward. as it was it kinda feels like the story just petered out.

[Dr. K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a review for volumes 1 through 19 (so the whole series, save the prequel).

By about volume 8, I considered giving up. I'd jotted down that "one day, I'll be free of you". The players in Liar Game likely feel the same. This is a series about greed, debt, kindness, and betrayal. I picked it up to fill the hole that Alice in Borderland had left in my heart, but the games and characters from Liar Game barely scratched that itch. I did however learn a lot more about poker (and 17 card poker) than I cared to know.

While I enjoyed some of the volumes (the initial one, the musical chairs game, and the pandemic game specifically), I wouldn't recommend committing to reading this one in its totality. 2.5 stars on SG rounded down to 2 on GR.

[Kriti Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god!!! What an amazing read. Went crazy over this manga, saw the japanese drama version and the movie. The story revolves around a game series involving huge money and damn interesting game plots. Profoundly respect the writer to come up with something like this.

I thoroughly enjoyed the strategies and the flow of games but couldn't properly connect to the underlying “importance of trust in society” theme of the writing. I guess I will be up for another read soon :P. I have to admit, at points a few games seemed stretched but the manga is "definitely not something to be missed".

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the beginning, solutions to the games are quite elaborate, often using some kind of "meta"-principle. Begins to shift from game theory to psychology to the end, where more chance-to-be strategies are used. Ending kind of hasty.
A truly unique manga, which grabs you from start to the finish and comes with some amount of really good twists and exploits you would probably look over.

[Harmony Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking, thorough, precise... things I didn't expect in a manga.
The beginning was a bit slow but it was a real page-turner after that.
This is the first manga I've ever read and, boy, what an introduction. I'm glad I exposed myself to it.

[Gaze · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entire series really blew out my mind. I like the creativity of the writer to put such a good story with the details and came out decent in the end. Yes lots of time it's about winning but I like how they really show the challenge to overcome.

[Aftan Ismail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't think much of it at the start but it turned out to be quite thrilling with a unpredictable plot to the end.

[Şevval]

Liar game.... It will always be a legend... Movie,drama are also good but the manga is really awesome

[Laura Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flabbergasted, disgusted, thoroughly entertained

[Jinx:The:Poet {the LiteraryWanderer & WordRoamer} · Rating 4 out of 5]

[REVIEW FOR THE SERIES...]

Liar Game (Vol. 1-19)

Liar Game (Japanese: ライアーゲーム Hepburn: Raiā Gēmu) is a Japanese seinen manga series originally written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani. At first I felt unsure whether this manga could even be exciting. It seemed just so-so...but man was I wrong. It is a psychological suspense manga, filled to the brim with intelligent plot, quirky characters and over all fascinating story.

"A scrupulously honest college student named Nao Kanzaki receives a package containing 100 million yen (about 1 million USD) and a note that she is now a contestant in the Liar Game Tournament. In this fictional tournament, contestants are encouraged to cheat and lie to obtain other contestants' money, with the losers forced to bear a debt proportional to their losses. When Nao's first opponent, a trusted former teacher, steals her money, she seeks assistance from a con man named Shinichi Akiyama. Though they manage to defeat him, Nao and Akiyama decide to buy out his debt and advance through different rounds of the Liar Game Tournament against merciless contestants, while at the same time attempting to free their opponents from debt and defeat the Liar Game organization from within." -Book Blurb



Nao Kanzaki is unwilling dragged into the Liar Game, and to survive she hires intelligent con-man Shinichi Akiyama. They team up to destroy this mysterious and dangerous organization behind the Liar Game, from the inside out.

Unique and stylistic, intelligent and suspenseful, Liar Game is a very enjoyable series. I never thought I could love a series like this, nor did I know one existed. This is a battle of wits and chance, a story of truth and lies. It is not an action adventure, nor is it a romance, or comedy. It is a very interesting genre or blend of genres, falling somewhen under psychological suspense and intrigue. I highly recommend giving this one a shot, even it it seems its not your type of manga. I sincerely thought it wouldn’t be mine, but here we are. Take a chance!

[OFFICIAL RATING: 4.5 STARS]