Tension-filled and dangerous, the Liar Game anime has a lot of potential.
After a Japanese live-action series (2007-2010), two live-action movies (2010 and 2012), and a Korean television series (2014) adaptations, Shinobu Kaitani’s Liar Game manga is finally getting an anime adaptation this April. With so many heavy-hitters coming in this anime season, it’s possible to miss a few. But we are here to tell you that you should give the new Liar Game adaptation a watch, especially if you’re a fan of the original manga.
The first episode of the Liar Game aired globally today on 6 April, 2026 on Crunchyroll. GosuAnime was granted access to the first two episodes of the series ahead of their release. Here are our thoughts about the high-stakes, tension-filled, psychological thriller anime where a dangerous game can either make you uber-rich or put you under insurmountable debt.
Liar Game
Premiere date: 6 April, 2026
Animation Studio: Madhouse
Platform: Crunchyroll
What is Liar Game about?
Before we get into the technicalities, it’s customary for us to introduce the anime to the uninitiated. Liar Game follows a naive and trusting college student named Nao, who one day receives a letter and a box. In the letter, it says that she is now a participant of the Liar Game, while the box reveals ¥100 million. After reading the card inside, Nao understands the rules of the game.
She will be given details about her opponent soon, and her goal would be to take their ¥100 million. One month later, someone from the Liar Game will come to pick up the money she was given initially. If she successfully steals the money from her opponent, she can keep it. But if her opponent takes her money, she will go into ¥100 million in debt. Nao is flabbergasted, but contacts her middle school homeroom teacher Kazuo Fujisawa after finding out that he’s her first opponent. When he talks her into giving him the money, Nao is left with no option but to ask for help from a brilliant ex-con named Shinichi Akiyama.
This is where the story actually begins. Starting from Fujisawa, both Nao and Akiyama go head-to-head against increasingly tough opponents in the Liar Game. Due to the tense and complicated nature of the story, both the Liar Game anime and live-action series gained a cult fan following. More than a decade after the manga ended, the Liar Game anime is finally here. But is the production worth your time?
Is the voice acting in the Liar Game anime good?
Starting with the positives, we are delighted to say that the voice acting performance so far in the anime has been phenomenal. Both Saya Hitomi and Takeo Ōtsuka are great in their respective roles of Nao and Akiyama. Saya’s voice perfectly captures the innocence and naiveté of Nao, while also showing us her strong mental fortitude. On the other hand, Ōtsuka as Akiyama is perfectly cynical yet helpful. A smart and capable man who is confident in his intelligence.
However, for me, the show was stolen by Nobuo Tobita, who plays the role of the crooked teacher Fujisawa. Going from a loving teacher who Nao trusts to a monster who doesn’t care about pushing her into a life of debt, Tobita captures the multitude of personalities phenomenally. I am really looking forward to seeing what the other characters and their voice actors do to make the story more interesting.
How is the music of the Liar Game anime?
Although it’s a bit too soon to tell, I feel that Yugo Kanno did a great job with the background music of the anime. It doesn’t feel overwhelming, yet keeps up with the pacing of the anime perfectly. So far, I haven’t noticed anything missing or overpowering, which is just what background music is supposed to be. Moreover, the opening and ending theme songs of the anime ‘Bubble’ by Yorushika and ‘Asahi’ by Lucky Kilimanjaro are both amazing. I especially liked the opening sequence which made use of some of the iconic manga panels.
Is the animation of Liar Game good?
This is the first category in which the series falters a little. As it’s animated by Madhouse, responsible for masterpieces such as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, and Hunter x Hunter (2011), fans had a lot of expectations from the animation. And although the animation isn’t bad, Liar Game doesn’t get any extra points when it comes to this.
The scenes where the characters move or run are a bit awkward. The facial expressions look good, but the transition between someone’s normal face to their overly emotional face is extremely jarring. The faltering quality of the animation is less noticeable in this series because it depends more on telling than showing. But the cracks will start to show if we encounter any action sequences in the future. Hopefully, the animation quality will improve here on out.
Should you watch the Liar Game anime?
The story and the pacing of the anime are both good. Although the jarring cuts might be a bit off-putting, it adds to the campy tension of the plot. Paired with perfect casting and characterisation, we don’t have much to complain about so far. Of course, it’s a bit different from the manga and the live-action, but it won’t be a disappointment in any way.
If you love tournament-style high-stakes game based shows like Squid Game, then you should give Liar Game a watch. After all, Squid Games was largely inspired by the live-action adaptation of this manga. However, instead of the task-based nature of the Squid Game, the Liar Game focuses on one-on-one battle of the wits. It’s about who can wage a grander psychological war against their opponent and not give into their increasingly unstable nerves.
Who is acting in Liar Game?
The cast of Liar game includes:
- Saya Hitomi as Nao Kanzaki
- Takeo Otsuka as Shinichi Akiyama
- Kazuhiro Nakaya as Leronira
- Nobuo Tobita as Kazuo Fujisawa
- Yoji Ueda as Mitsuo Tanimura
- Yasutaka Tomioka as Teruyuki Eda
- Shoya Ishige as Takahiro Kikuzawa
- Ryosuke Asano as Hiroto Kitamura
- Taro Kiuchi as Tetsuzo Sato
- Riko Akechi as Makiko Tamura
- Toshinari Fukamachi as Daisuke Danno
- Naoya Miyase as Kosuke Tsunoda
- Misuzu Yamada as Reina Nishihara
- Taihi Kimura as Shingo Fujita
- Misano Sakai as Jun Hosoe
- Aya Gomazuru as Yuki Makihara
- Ryo Nishizawa as Fumio Matsubara
- Taku Yashiro as Takayoshi Miura
- Yo Taichi as Hitomi Miyahara
Who made the Liar Game anime?
The production staff of Liar Game includes:
- Original Creator: Shinobu Kaitani
- Chief Director: Yuzo Sato
- Director: Asami Kawano
- Series Composition: Tatsuhiko Urahata
- Script: Tatsuhiko Urahata
- Character Design: Kei Tsuchiya
- Sub-Character Design: Ai Yokoyama
- Color Design: Terumi Nakauchi
- Art Board: Hideyuki Ueno
- Art Setting: Shinji Sugiyama
- Director of Photography: Hironobu Hatanaka
- VFX Supervisor: Michiya Kato
- Editor: Mariko Tsukatsune
- Music: Yugo Kanno
- Sound Director: Kisuke Koizumi
- Sound Effects: Naoto Yamatani
- Sound Production: Bit Grooove Promotion
- Animation Production: Madhouse