Liar Game
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
series originally written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani
. The manga was first serialized in 2005 in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Young Jump
, published by Shueisha
. It was later adapted into a TV series, which started airing on April 14, 2007 on Fuji TV
, achieving a 11.4 viewership rating in Japan's Kantō region
.
The manga has also been translated into Chinese and into Dutch. In Italy the series is licensed by Planeta DeAgostini
..
, but these attributes allow her to win the trust of fellow contestants in the Liar Game. Nao is often able to make profound insights concerning the Liar Game and human nature and gradually learns to question others while maintaining her ability to trust her allies. Although Nao has had several opportunities to leave the Liar Game, she continues to play because she wishes to save the other players who have fallen into debt. Nao's only known surviving family member is her father, who is in the hospital with terminal cancer.
: Akiyama is a graduate of Teito University with a master's degree
in psychology
, who became a "genius" con man in order to take down the Multi-level marketing
corporation that swindled his mother and drove her to suicide. In Volume 1 he has just been released from prison and agrees to help Nao in the Liar Game because her honest nature reminds him of his mother. Akiyama enters the Liar Game himself in Round 2 by substituting for another player, and by Round 3 is a respected, and feared, unofficial leader among the Liar Game's contestants, although he recognizes Nao as the group's true leader. Akiyama's motivation for continuing in the Liar Game is to destroy the entire Liar Game Tournament organization.
: A male-to-female transvestite who first appears in Round 2, where she poses as a woman named Hitomi. Sly, calculating, and a 5th degree black belt
, Fukunaga is a skilled manipulator whose weaknesses appear to be her desire for money and her temper. During Round 3, Fukunaga learns to cooperate with Nao and Akiyama, and even when Fukunaga finishes the round debt-free, she chooses to continue in the tournament to aid them. In later chapters, Fukunaga recognizes Nao's improvement and starts to get fond of her, although still believes her incompetent. Nao also observes that Fukunaga may have a crush on Akiyama. After Fukunaga's transvestite identity is revealed, the Japanese text deliberately avoids referring to "her" by gender. (In the live version this character is still male, but with a vaguely homosexual overtone).
: A character obsessed with domination, Yokoya first appears in Round 3. He is a calm, dark-haired man, who is often shown carrying mice
. Nearco describes Yokoya as Akiyama's greatest rival, and Nao senses something odd about him early in the game. Yokoya comes from a wealthy family, and his strategy is frequently to bribe other contestants into becoming his pawns. His team is depicted as a dictatorship
, as opposed to Nao's cooperative team. Although Yokoya initially plans to drop out of the Liar Game with his Round 3 winnings, Nao tricks him into proceeding to the next round, and Yokoya sworns to bring down Nao and Akiyama in revenge.
: Harimoto wears long robes and a straw hat. He has deep wrinkles, which hints that he may be the oldest character introduced so far. Unlike Akiyama and Yokoya, who both excel at psychological and mental manipulation, Harimoto's strength lies in taking advantage of a person's emotional state. He first appears in Round 4, as the founder of the Peaceful Paradise cult
. Three female members of his cult - Mika Mikamoto, Kei Kimura, and Yukiko Abe - are also contestants in the Liar Game and follow him unconditionally, giving him a strong advantage. He controls his cult members by telling them that all outsiders are demons and must be defeated and destroyed as a matter of virtue.
: A man who posed as a lawyer (a policeman in the live-action) and whom Nao first consults when she gets involved in the Liar Game Tournament. It isn't revealed until later that he is actually part of the Liar Game Tournament working to make sure players can't escape the game by going to the authorities. Tanimura is the Liar Game representative assigned to Nao. It was Tanimura who initially gives Nao the idea of using a scam artist to win the game (in the live-action adaptation, this was deliberately done in order to bait Akiyama into participating in the game).
: One of the hosts of the Liar Game, he wears a suit and an ornate mask over his face. Although he admires Akiyama and Fukunaga for their intelligence, he admits to being most interested in how Nao plays the games. In the live-action adaptation, he is the masked figure who gives players instructions via recorded videos or through a monitor.
: A co-host of the Liar Game with Leronira who looks exactly like him but with a different mask, one with a long moustache
. First appearing in Round 3, Nearco admires Yokoya, describing him as a fearsome individual, and cannot understand Leronira's interest in Nao.
: A third host of the Liar Game, he looks similar to the previous hosts, except his mask has a sun on the right eye. Solario becomes quickly interested in Nao when she realizes the objective of Revival Round 2 before he expected her to.
: A fourth host of the Liar Game who appears similar to the other round dealers, but with a suit and bowtie. His clothes are a bit scraggly-looking, his hair stands out, and his mask resembles the face-paint of a clown
in the Renaissance
with long, oval markings on each of where his eyes and mouth should be. He hosts the Round 4 Qualifier for Akiyama and Nao's side, rooting for them and tending to fall completely for all of Akiyama's plans, even though he's not involved and knows all the rules of the game. Forli is more "goofy" than the other hosts.
: A woman long dark hair, who wears sunglasses
and a surgical mask
across her mouth to cover her face. Kurifuji is assigned to Yokoya and often advocates his skills above other Liar Game contestants.
: A fifth host of the Liar Game, who hosts Round 4 and its Qualifier for Fukunaga's side. His mask has a ying-yang symbol on the forehead; ☵ (water) i-ching symbol on the left cheek of mask; and ☲ (fire) i-ching symbol on the right cheek in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the South Korean flag.
's Weekly Young Jump
. As of October 2010, the series continues with 13 tankōbon
released, the latest on September 17, 2010. Shortly afterward, the serialization begins 1.5 years later with chapter 139. A short story "Roots of A" has been published as the title piece of a Shinobu Kaitani's anthology released in July 2008.
, a 2007 Fuji
series broadcast, followed in 2009 by Liar Game 2
. In 2010 the film Liar Game: The Final Stage
was released, which is a continuation of the TV series. A new film will be released in 2012.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series originally written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani
Shinobu Kaitani
is a manga artist from Kagoshima, Japan and a recipient of the 1991 Tezuka Award.His most notable works are One Outs and Liar Game. He has mentioned in an interview that he was inspired to write Liar Game after visiting a local bar in Kagoshima....
. The manga was first serialized in 2005 in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Young Jump
Weekly Young Jump
, launched in 1979, is a weekly Japanese magazine that publishes various seinen manga in each issue. It is published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines.- History :...
, published by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
. It was later adapted into a TV series, which started airing on April 14, 2007 on Fuji TV
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
, achieving a 11.4 viewership rating in Japan's Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
.
The manga has also been translated into Chinese and into Dutch. In Italy the series is licensed by Planeta DeAgostini
Planeta DeAgostini
Planeta DeAgostini is a Spanish-Italian publisher and a subsidiary of Grupo Planeta specializing in collectable books, sold in pieces, periodically through newsstands. It has its headquarters in Barcelona....
..
Plot
At the start of the manga, the lead protagonist - a scrupulously honest college student named Nao Kanzaki - receives a package containing 100 million yen (about 1 million dollars) 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; those who lose have to bear a 100-million-yen debt. When Nao's first opponent - a trusted friend and teacher - steals her money, she seeks assistance from a con man named Shin'ichi Akiyama. Though they manage to defeat the teacher, 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 to defeat the Liar Game organization from within.Protagonists
: Nao Kanzaki is a "foolishly honest" college student, who is coerced into playing the Liar Game. She is extremely honest and, initially, naïveNaïve
Naivety , is the state of being naive—having or showing a lack of experience, understanding or sophistication. One who is naive may be called a naif.- Etymology :...
, but these attributes allow her to win the trust of fellow contestants in the Liar Game. Nao is often able to make profound insights concerning the Liar Game and human nature and gradually learns to question others while maintaining her ability to trust her allies. Although Nao has had several opportunities to leave the Liar Game, she continues to play because she wishes to save the other players who have fallen into debt. Nao's only known surviving family member is her father, who is in the hospital with terminal cancer.
: Akiyama is a graduate of Teito University with a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, who became a "genius" con man in order to take down the Multi-level marketing
Multi-level marketing
Multi-level marketing is a marketing strategy in which the sales force is compensated not only for sales they personally generate, but also for the sales of others they recruit, creating a downline of distributors and a hierarchy of multiple levels of compensation...
corporation that swindled his mother and drove her to suicide. In Volume 1 he has just been released from prison and agrees to help Nao in the Liar Game because her honest nature reminds him of his mother. Akiyama enters the Liar Game himself in Round 2 by substituting for another player, and by Round 3 is a respected, and feared, unofficial leader among the Liar Game's contestants, although he recognizes Nao as the group's true leader. Akiyama's motivation for continuing in the Liar Game is to destroy the entire Liar Game Tournament organization.
Antagonists
: Nao's former teacher and opponent in Round 1, who was originally a kind man concerned about the welfare of his students. After a series of misfortunes, Fujisawa has become angry, hateful, and mistrustful. Nao is shocked when he outright tells her he doesn't care if she goes into debt or is forced into prostitution to pay it back. Fujisawa's behavior, however, only solidifies Akiyama's decision to help Nao. At the end of Round 1 when Akiyama outsmarts Fujisawa but Nao gives Fujisawa her winnings to that he can repay his debt, Fujisawa is last seen bowing to her in gratitude.: A male-to-female transvestite who first appears in Round 2, where she poses as a woman named Hitomi. Sly, calculating, and a 5th degree black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
, Fukunaga is a skilled manipulator whose weaknesses appear to be her desire for money and her temper. During Round 3, Fukunaga learns to cooperate with Nao and Akiyama, and even when Fukunaga finishes the round debt-free, she chooses to continue in the tournament to aid them. In later chapters, Fukunaga recognizes Nao's improvement and starts to get fond of her, although still believes her incompetent. Nao also observes that Fukunaga may have a crush on Akiyama. After Fukunaga's transvestite identity is revealed, the Japanese text deliberately avoids referring to "her" by gender. (In the live version this character is still male, but with a vaguely homosexual overtone).
: A character obsessed with domination, Yokoya first appears in Round 3. He is a calm, dark-haired man, who is often shown carrying mice
MICE
-Fiction:*Mice , alien species in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*The Mice -Acronyms:* "Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions", facilities terminology for events...
. Nearco describes Yokoya as Akiyama's greatest rival, and Nao senses something odd about him early in the game. Yokoya comes from a wealthy family, and his strategy is frequently to bribe other contestants into becoming his pawns. His team is depicted as a dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
, as opposed to Nao's cooperative team. Although Yokoya initially plans to drop out of the Liar Game with his Round 3 winnings, Nao tricks him into proceeding to the next round, and Yokoya sworns to bring down Nao and Akiyama in revenge.
: Harimoto wears long robes and a straw hat. He has deep wrinkles, which hints that he may be the oldest character introduced so far. Unlike Akiyama and Yokoya, who both excel at psychological and mental manipulation, Harimoto's strength lies in taking advantage of a person's emotional state. He first appears in Round 4, as the founder of the Peaceful Paradise cult
Cult (religious practice)
In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings , its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is...
. Three female members of his cult - Mika Mikamoto, Kei Kimura, and Yukiko Abe - are also contestants in the Liar Game and follow him unconditionally, giving him a strong advantage. He controls his cult members by telling them that all outsiders are demons and must be defeated and destroyed as a matter of virtue.
Liar Game Tournament (LGT) Office
The name of the organization that runs the Liar Game Tournament and its purpose have not yet been revealed in the manga. Rather, a number of employees of the LGT Office have been shown, who manage the rounds of the game. Two types of employees have been shown so far: "handlers" who manage individual contestants and provide information on upcoming rounds, and "hosts" who carry out the actual rounds of the Liar Game and observe the contestants.: A man who posed as a lawyer (a policeman in the live-action) and whom Nao first consults when she gets involved in the Liar Game Tournament. It isn't revealed until later that he is actually part of the Liar Game Tournament working to make sure players can't escape the game by going to the authorities. Tanimura is the Liar Game representative assigned to Nao. It was Tanimura who initially gives Nao the idea of using a scam artist to win the game (in the live-action adaptation, this was deliberately done in order to bait Akiyama into participating in the game).
: One of the hosts of the Liar Game, he wears a suit and an ornate mask over his face. Although he admires Akiyama and Fukunaga for their intelligence, he admits to being most interested in how Nao plays the games. In the live-action adaptation, he is the masked figure who gives players instructions via recorded videos or through a monitor.
: A co-host of the Liar Game with Leronira who looks exactly like him but with a different mask, one with a long moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
. First appearing in Round 3, Nearco admires Yokoya, describing him as a fearsome individual, and cannot understand Leronira's interest in Nao.
: A third host of the Liar Game, he looks similar to the previous hosts, except his mask has a sun on the right eye. Solario becomes quickly interested in Nao when she realizes the objective of Revival Round 2 before he expected her to.
: A fourth host of the Liar Game who appears similar to the other round dealers, but with a suit and bowtie. His clothes are a bit scraggly-looking, his hair stands out, and his mask resembles the face-paint of a clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
in the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
with long, oval markings on each of where his eyes and mouth should be. He hosts the Round 4 Qualifier for Akiyama and Nao's side, rooting for them and tending to fall completely for all of Akiyama's plans, even though he's not involved and knows all the rules of the game. Forli is more "goofy" than the other hosts.
: A woman long dark hair, who wears sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
and a surgical mask
Surgical mask
A surgical mask also known as a procedure mask is intended to be worn by health professionals during surgery and at other times to catch the bacteria shed in liquid droplets and aerosols from the wearer's mouth and nose....
across her mouth to cover her face. Kurifuji is assigned to Yokoya and often advocates his skills above other Liar Game contestants.
: A fifth host of the Liar Game, who hosts Round 4 and its Qualifier for Fukunaga's side. His mask has a ying-yang symbol on the forehead; ☵ (water) i-ching symbol on the left cheek of mask; and ☲ (fire) i-ching symbol on the right cheek in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the South Korean flag.
Manga
Liar Game started serialization in 2005 (September 16, 2005) in ShueishaShueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's Weekly Young Jump
Weekly Young Jump
, launched in 1979, is a weekly Japanese magazine that publishes various seinen manga in each issue. It is published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines.- History :...
. As of October 2010, the series continues with 13 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
released, the latest on September 17, 2010. Shortly afterward, the serialization begins 1.5 years later with chapter 139. A short story "Roots of A" has been published as the title piece of a Shinobu Kaitani's anthology released in July 2008.
Live-action television Series
Liar Game has been adapted into a Japanese television series: Liar GameLiar Game (TV series)
Liar Game is a Japanese television drama series in 2007. It was adapted from a popular manga, known as the Liar Game, into a live action series directed by Hiroaki Matsuyama. The drama began airing in Japan on April 14, 2007. It featured Erika Toda as Nao Kanzaki, and Shota Matsuda as Shinichi...
, a 2007 Fuji
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
series broadcast, followed in 2009 by Liar Game 2
Liar Game 2 (TV series)
Liar Game is a Japanese television drama series in 2007. It is the sequel for Liar Game, which the story adapted from a popular manga, known as the Liar Game. In April 2009, a second season of the drama adaptation and a live action movie were announced. The second season began airing in November...
. In 2010 the film Liar Game: The Final Stage
Liar Game: The Final Stage
is a 2010 Japanese film directed by Hiroaki Matsuyama. The film is a continuation of the popular Fuji Television drama series, Liar Game.It was released in Japan on March 6, 2010 and was subsequently released in Singapore and Hong Kong . Furthermore it has been confirmed that the film will be...
was released, which is a continuation of the TV series. A new film will be released in 2012.