A naïve girl pulled into a game to determine the best liar in the country. Will her innocence survive the corruption of man and money? 3/10
Summary
Kanzaki Nao is a college student who is a simple, honest girl; honest, that is, almost to a fault. Her naivety to life’s treachery, and ambivalence to men who scheme and plot around her, sets the background for this Japanese drama. Upon coming home one day, Kanzaki discovers a box sitting outside her doorstep. Without confirming who sent it, or what it was really for, she opens it, discovering 100 million yen! A videotape enclosed in the package informs her that she has been selected to participate in Liar Game, a simple contest that pits random people against each other, for the purpose of cheating each other out of their game money, the 100 million yen so generously provided for them. However, there is a catch: the participants must return all the money they received without fail, even if they lose money to another player. Being the naïve girl that she is, Kanzaki is quickly outwitted by her first opponent. Desperate for help, she turns to a master swindler, Akiyama Shinichi, recently released for destroying a large corporation with his abilities as a con artist. Akiyama and Kanzaki team up and win her money back—only to discover that the Liar Game has only just begun.
Review
Liar Game came in with all the makings of a hit series. With young star power in Toda Erika (as Kanzaki Nao) and Matsuda Shota (as Akiyama Shinichi), along with a fantastically twisted plot, nothing could have gone wrong. But just like many of the plots in Liar Game failed, the series itself flopped after an exciting first couple episodes. Frankly, the ‘frightening’ video instructions were nothing short of ridiculous (a poor copycat of Jigsaw from the Saw?) and the “Liar Game Secretariat” seem all too interested in getting involved with the game, instead of being impartial moderators. The director also seemed satisfied to use adrenaline-pumping background music and pseudo-artistic camera work to make up for a subpar acting performance by many of the extras. Toda Erika’s performance was impressive for her character, but the character she plays is so supernaturally dimwitted, it becomes frustrating to keep watching the drama. Of course, the obvious intent is to contrast Kanzaki’s innocence (or incredibly blind faith, if you ask me) with the corruption around her, but I digress. When Toda Erika, someone who has the look of an angelic (ergo, innocent) child, is cast so perfectly, you let the bad acting slide, and hope when she grows up, the acting improves as well.
