Liar Game (2007 TV series)
| Liar Game (ライアーゲーム) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama, Live Action, Psychological |
| Directed by | Hiroaki Matsuyama |
| Starring |
Erika Toda Shota Matsuda |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language(s) | Japanese |
| No. of episodes | 11 episodes |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Shimuta Toru (志牟田徹) |
| Location(s) | Japan |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fuji Television (Japan) |
| Original release | 14 April – 23 June 2007 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Liar Game: Season 2 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Liar Game is a Japanese television drama series in 2007. It was adapted from a popular manga of the same name 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 Akiyama. The first season of Liar Game has 11 episodes, with a 3 hour long finale, which is a first for a drama series.[1] It has also gained the second highest viewer satisfaction rating, for the season, in an Oricon survey.[1]
Cast
Players
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Erika Toda | Kanzaki Nao (18) | Honest + Naive College Student. |
| Shota Matsuda | Akiyama Shinichi (26) | "Genius Swindler" Ex-convict for bankrupting MLM Company |
| Soichiro Kitamura | Fujisawa Kazuo | Nao's former junior high school teacher (now retired) |
| Soko Wada | Eto Koichi | (leopard skin clothing) |
| Mayuko Iwasa | Ishida Rie | (black sunglasses and white pantsuit) |
| Makoto Sakamoto | Ono Wataru | Fish Store Clerk (thick black rimmed glasses) |
| Yoshiyuki Morishita | Tsuchida Yasufumi | (older, crooked teeth) |
| Shingo Ippongi | Makita Tomoyuki (56) | President of small workshop |
| Hiroo Otaka | Kida Noriyuki (48) | Business Company Clerk |
| Yuki Umishima | Takamura Yoshimi (29) | Housewife |
| Yoshio Doi | Sajima Kenta (34) | Actor |
| Sachiko Nakagome | Aso Hiromi (29) | Truck Driver |
| Masayuki Izumi | Okano Kenya | |
| Hajime Aoki | Kinoshita Keigo | |
| Fumiko Mizuta | Kawamura Chisato (22) | Model |
| Akiko Hatakeyama | Nozoe Keiko (40) | Housewife |
| Naoki Yukishima | Sugawara Yuji (22) | |
| Mitsunari Sakamoto | Nishino Takahiko (32) | Florist Shop assistant |
| Kinako Kobayashi | Kayama Harumi (26) | Restaurant Clerk |
| Yuki Baba | Hanayama Tetsuo (29) | TV Assistant Director |
| Tamao Yoshimura | Iimura Jun (31) | Housewife |
| Hitomi Kitahara | Nakaya Kazuko (21) | College Student |
| Kosuke Suzuki | Fukunaga Yuji | |
| Kazuma Suzuki | Yokoya | (white hair, clothes and shoes, green eyes); connected to MLM company that Akiyama bankrupted |
| Hiroko Taguchi | Takada Michiko | Unknown |
Liar Game Tournament
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Shigeo Kiyama | Solario (voice) | Liar Game main dealer |
| Ryoko Yuui | Dealer | |
| Michiko Kichise | Eri | Liar Game coordinator |
| Ikkei Watanabe | Tanimura Mitsuo | Cop with gold front tooth from Nao Kanzaki's city |
Plot
Nao Kanzaki (Toda Erika), is a college student who is known for her honesty and naivete. One day, she receives a black postcard indicating that she has been selected to participate in the "Liar Game Tournament". Along with the postcard is a box with 100 million yen (about $1,000,000). The goal of the first round of the game is to trick the other player out of their hundred million yen. At the end, the winner would get to keep the hundred million earned, and the loser owes the LGT (Liar Game Tournament office) 100 million yen, which "will be collected by any means and at all costs". Initially, she was frightened by this disturbing game, but was soon relieved when she discovered that her opponent was her second year junior high school teacher, Mr. Fujisawa. Because of her honest personality, Nao was easily tricked into giving Mr. Fujisawa her 100 million yen. She was devastated and reached out to police for help. The police could not help her and suggested that she ask help from Shinichi Akiyama (Matsuda Shota), a genius swindler who was recently released from jail for single-handedly bankrupting one of the biggest scamming companies in Japan. After learning the story from Nao, Akiyama decided to help her to win this Liar Game.
Episode List (season 1)
| Episode # | Description | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A fierce battle of the wits begins over one million dollars. Heart pounding psychological tricks keep the audience on the edge of their seats." | April 14, 2007 |
| 2 | "What will be the conclusion of the great struggle? What secret plan could Akiyama have up his sleeve to turn the tables?" | April 28, 2007 |
| 3 | "A competition for 22 million dollars, decided by minority vote, begins. Could you survive on this new stage?" | May 5, 2007 |
| 4 | "X’s indentity is revealed at last! In this twist-filled drama, who will come out on top, X or Akiyama?" | May 12, 2007 |
| 5 | "Who will claim the $21 million prize in this shocking conclusion? What is the true aim of the Liar Game Tournament? The fight shifts to a new arena." | May 19, 2007 |
| 6 | "The surprising revival round begins: Restructuring Game! The ensnared Nao suffers alone, with nowhere to turn." | May 26, 2007 |
| 7 | "Driven into a corner, Nao has fallen into despair. Could a miracle turn things around? Where is Akiyama?" | June 2, 2007 |
| 8 | "Akiyama works wonders at the Restructuring Game’s conclusion. Onward to the next stage!" | June 9, 2007 |
| 9 | "A formidable new enemy appears in the Smuggling Game! Is victory possible? Nao and Akiyama begin to fight in this next round." | June 16, 2007 |
| 10 | "Yokoya’s terrifying true nature is revealed in a shocking development. Akiyama is enraged and Nao is devastated in this tumultuous round." | June 23, 2007 |
| 11 | "The final game has been prepared. Despair, deception, betrayal, lies… and hope. Each player’s true nature will be revealed, and all of Liar Game’s secrets will become clear in this final encounter. Saturday's Premium Special Project: 3 Hour Special" | June 23, 2007 |
External links
- Official TV Drama Website from Fuji (Japanese)
- Liar Game at the Internet Movie Database
References
- 1 2 "'LIAR GAME' drama gets 3-hour finale". May 29, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2009.