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LIAR GAME (2007)
Synopsis
Kanzaki Nao is an honest college student who receives a hundred million yen one day, along with a card saying she has been chosen to take part in the "Liar Game". The aim of the game is to trick the other players out of their hundred million dollars. At the end, the winner gets the hundred million and the loser is a hundred million yen in debt. The next day, she receives notification that her opponent is her former teacher, Fujisawa Kazuo. She goes to him, seeking help, but ends up getting tricked into handing her money over. Desperate, she approaches the police for help, but they are unable to do anything. However, she is told of a mastermind swindler, Akiyama Shinichi, who is to be released from jail the next day. Desperate, she goes to him for help.
READ: I could only speak for myself but this drama is much recommended! specially if you're a jdrama newbie or if you're into psychological thrillers/dramas. I enjoyed this myself so if you're interested to watch this drama then STOP READING FROM HERE. My review will contain major spoilers.
Cast
The Players
* Toda Erika as Kanzaki Nao
* Matsuda Shota as Akiyama Shinichi
* Kitamura Soichiro as Fujisawa Kazuo
* Wada Soko as Eto Koichi
* Iwasa Mayuko as Ishida Rie
* Sakamoto Makoto as Ono Wataru
* Morishita Yoshiyuki as Tsuchida Yasufumi
* Ippongi Shingo as Makita Tomoyuki
* Otaka Hiroo as Kida Noriyuki
* Umishima Yuki as Takamura Yoshimi
* Doi Yoshio as Sajima Kenta
* Nakagome Sachiko as Aso Hiromi
* Izumi Masayuki as Okano Kenya
* Aoki Hajime as Kinoshita Keigo
* Mizuta Fumiko as Kawamura Chisato
* Hatakeyama Akiko as Nozoe Keiko
* Yukishima Naoki as Sugawara Yuji
* Sakamoto Mitsunari as Nishino Takahiko
* Kobayashi Kinako as Kayama Harumi
* Baba Yuki as Hanayama Tetsuo
* Yoshimura Tamao as Iimura Jun
* Kitahara Hitomi as Nakaya Kazuko
* Suzuki Kosuke as Fukunaga Yuuji
* Suzuki Kazuma as Yokoya
* Taguchi Hiroko as Takada Michi
REVIEW:
I need a break from melo-dramatic dramas so I tried watching Liar Game, a psychological thriller starring Matsuda Shota and Erika Toda, both starred in Hana yori Dango. From Episode 1 I was hooked and, the plot was very interesting. It has some kind of Death note feel into it. It made me think a lot. The game began when Nao Kanzaki, a very honest girl, went home and received 10 million yen which has a card that says she will participate in a Liar Game. She needs to deceive her opponent and must get the 100 million yen from him. The game will last for 1 month and on the 30th day, the LG Secretariat will have to retrieve the money given at the beginning of the game. 100 million yen that is. And the money one will get from her opponent is the cash prize. If you lost the 100 million yen, it will be your debt. Kanzaki, who is very trusting was deceived by his teacher when she seeked for help, confident that he will help her. Not Wanting to have a 100 million debt and desperate enough, she seeked help from a genius swindler, Akiyama shinichi, who just got out of jail.
Akiyama had a terrible past that linked to him as a swindler. Akiyama helped Nao to get the money from his teacher in the condition that they'll split the cash prize. They observed the teacher for a whole month from a rented house near the teacher's place. Nao became uneasy because the teacher wont step out of the house leaving no chance to follow him and get the money. Nao believed that the money was placed in the bank. Akiyama just kep quiet and pointed on the calendar. The 31st day pointed on a Sunday which means there's no way he can get the money on the retrieval day.
Akiyama's conclusions:
1. If the money was really in the bank, then why would the teacher stay in the house all the time knowing that the money is safely at the bank? Besides, the dont even know what bank it was.
-possible reasons could be he doesnt want to run into Akiyama, a swindler who may also use violence to get the money. Atleast he will be sure that at home, they couldnt reach him. FLAW: since the teacher knows he's being observed all the time, he knows there could be a possibility they will follow him at the Friday before the retrieval. Also, if he hid the money somewhere in the park or anywhere, then why would he stay home? Knowing that someone may get lucky and dig the money from the ground.
They made a plan to prove whether the money is in the bank or at the teacher's grounds. They created a small fire on the teacher's place and went in. They hid somewhere while watching the teacher's movements. They saw that he was about to call the someone, most probably the fire dept. But he changed his mind and placed the phone back to the receiver. Therefore that proves the money was just in that room.
Why?
1. He didnt call the fire dept. because they would ask him to move out of the room.
2. He didnt need to check the money somewhere else becasue it's just right there.
Nao and Akiyama appeared in the room, told the teacher that the money was in that room and not in the bank. The teacher just laughed and affirmed. He showed the safe which contains the money from a small cabinet. It's an old model, real heavy and you cant pry it open. Akiyama assured that opening that safe is just a piece of cake for him and that he wont use violence. With that, Nao and Akiyama went back to their place, leaving the teacher on wondering how they would plan to get the money. so comes the retrieval day and Nao is getting more worried cuz Akiyama doesnt seem to care anymore. 10 minutes before the retrieval time which is 5 in the afternoon, Nao rushed to her sensei's place, begging and crying to give back her 100 million. Still, to know avail. At exactly 5pm, a guy from LGM arrived and began to verify the money from Fujisawa. Fujisawa dropped with relief. After an hour, his doorbell rang and ran to see who arrived. 3 women came in and said they're from LGM. Fujisawa was flabbergasted. He then realized that he was fooled. He rushed upstairs and saw Akiyama with the money with a smirk on his face. Akiyama gave the suitcases filled with 200 million to Nao and the real dealers declared Nao Kanzaki as the winner. you just have to watch to know how it hapened.
I love everything about this series. As a swindler, Akiyama knows how to deceive people by doing mind games. He observes people and realizes their weaknesses and he can even see through a tiny flaw. Akiyama majored in psychology but a dark past made him a swindler. His mom committed suicide because she was deceived. His mom doesnt know how to doubt people. Seeing that her son could not finish college because of her debt, she took the easy way out.
thus, when Akiyama saw how naive and idiotically honest, Nao was, he remembered his mom. This series had a good camera work, the seetings were dark, like the warehouse used from the minoirty game. There are dark hues everywhere. Lots of
weird laughter from guys with strange haircuts. It's very anime-ish, the way the characters are portrayed and how they look like. I also love the opening credits! Erika Toda looked really pretty in the red dress. Super mysterious naman si Shota. Sometimes, im annoyed with her character because she's naive and sometines, really dumb. specially in the third round, Akiyama did a lot to save their team and she did another dumb thing. And while looking at Akiyama, im wondering how this young and really handsome guy be a swindler? heheh. Im really amazed with his intelligence and his ability to do damage control when he knows somethong goes wrong from his plan. Nung ressurection round, natawa ko nung sinabi ng LGM secretariat na personal "belonging" ni Nao si Akiyama. heheh. Wow, gusto ko rin siya maging personal belonging! lololz. I know Nao wont be able to make it kung wala si Akiyama buti nalang dumating siya.. ang sweet! Talagang knight in a shining armor...hahah. Saka wala palang love story dito. Unless siguro magkaron ng sequel kase sa last episode, meron pa daw round 4 but they're still waiting for instructions.
Im really hoping na may sequel, i want more of akiyamaand Nao. Sama narin si mushroom head saka si mini-mushroom! hahah. Ja.
MATSUDA SHOTA PROFILE
* Name (romaji): Matsuda Shota
* Profession: Actor
* Birthdate: 1985-Sept-10
* Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
* Height: 181cm
* Weight: 61kg
* Star sign: Virgo
* Blood type: A
* Family: Father/actor Matsuda Yusaku, mother/actress Matsuda Miyuki, older brother/actor Matsuda Ryuhei, aunt/actress Kumagai Mami
* Talent agency: Ken-On (http://www.ken-on.co.jp/)
TV Shows
* Bara no nai Hanaya as Kudo Naoya (Fuji TV, 2008)
* Rokumeikan (TV Asahi, 2008)
* Atsu-hime as Tokugawa Iemochi (NHK, 2008)
* Jotei as Date Naoto (TV Asahi, 2007)
* LIAR GAME as Akiyama Shinichi (Fuji TV, 2007)
* Hana Yori Dango 2 as Nishikado Sojiro (TBS, 2007)
* Regatta as Yagi Seiya (TV Asahi, 2006)
* Top Caster as Iga Shunpei (Fuji TV, 2006)
* Aru Ai no Uta as Nanase Takumi (TBS, 2006)
* Hana Yori Dango as Nishikado Sojiro (TBS, 2005)
* Yankee Bokou ni Kaeru (TBS, 2003, SP)
Movies
* Hana Yori Dango Final (2008)
* Waruboro (http://www.waruboro.jp/) (2007)
* Nagai Sanpo (http://www.nagai-sanpo.com/) / ???? (2006)
* Youki na Gang ga Chikyuu wo Mawasu (http://www.yo-gang.com/) (2006)
Next time yung kay Erika toda.