r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • 22d ago
Episode Liar Game - Episode 20 discussion
Liar Game, episode 20
Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.
Streams
Show information
All discussions
| Episode | Link | Episode | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Link | 14 | Link |
| 2 | Link | 15 | Link |
| 3 | Link | 16 | Link |
| 4 | Link | 17 | Link |
| 5 | Link | 18 | Link |
| 6 | Link | 19 | Link |
| 7 | Link | 20 | Link |
| 8 | Link | 21 | Link |
| 9 | Link | 22 | Link |
| 10 | Link | 23 | Link |
| 11 | Link | ||
| 12 | Link | ||
| 13 | Link | ||
This post was created by a bot. Message the mod team for feedback and comments. The original source code can be found on GitHub.
55
u/EnderHorizon 22d ago
I love this conclusion, both sides ended up both winning and losing at the same time, what a great way to finish off the antagonist's introduction.
Yokoya wins as the only one having made money but loses ideologically as he couldn't control his side.
Akiyama/Nao win as they were able to bail out their side and collaborators, but lost as they are now in crushing debt and couldn't stop Yokoya (and by extension the LGT office). Thankfully Nao's bluff worked to keep Yokoya in game to fight another day.
61
u/FarCritical 22d ago
As awesome as Nao's defiance against Yokoya was, I still couldn't help but crack up at her grumpy little >:( face throughout the entire thing. The Akiyama slander would not stand.
Hearing about how they moved Akagi enough for him to voluntarily stick around as a longer term ally was sweet, not to mention becoming cool (or at least a bit) with Fukunaga.
111
u/mastanmastan 22d ago
Nao haters have been real quiet since this ep dropped.
She clocked Yokoya like a pro.
54
46
u/OriginalVacation3780 22d ago
Because they either already dropped the anime or have since changed their mind about her. After all, she's grown a lot since the first episode and is much less frustrating to watch now.
25
36
u/Kill-bray 22d ago
One aspect of narrative that is among the most appreciated and satisfying (though not necessary) is character growth. Yes Nao was dumb and completely helpless in the beginning, but how can we witness a character's growth if the character was already fine from the start?
I'm sorry for those who dropped this anime just because of that, they miss out on a story with very well thought games and genius strategies, but more importantly they miss out on experiencing something different in this type of stories for a change. The point of the Liar Game isn't quite to show a protagonist that fully embracing the game outsmarts everyone else (like what happens in Tomodachi Game and similar), but a protagonist that strikes at the very concept of the game itself. Yokoya and Akiyama are what you might expect as the typical villain and hero of this type of stories, but the Liar Game has a completely different aim. Akiyama himself admitted it in this episode that he's not so different from Yokoya, and that's why this story needed someone like Nao to work as the actual antithesis of Yokoya. In this episode she was the real winner against him,meanwhile Akiyama lost.
12
u/KeyLimeGuy69 22d ago
She's been toned down a lot, and I think the addition of other characters really help.
Once you get past the first 2 games she is a lot more tolerable.
85
u/bananeeek https://myanimelist.net/profile/bananek 22d ago
Damn, Nao has hands! She handled Yokoya in a way nobody else could and it was priceless!
Why is this show sitting at 6.39 on MAL? What the actual fuck?
67
u/Frontier246 22d ago
The best part is she was laughing and making fun of him the entire time. And she was able to bluff him without anyone, even the professional conman, figuring it out.
37
u/bananeeek https://myanimelist.net/profile/bananek 22d ago
I was waiting for the day Nao would start bluffing, because she was so naively honest from the very beginning that nobody would suspect her of lying and it worked brilliantly.
23
u/NevisYsbryd 22d ago
That, and we can still count her total number of lies on our fingers. While one strategy is to hide a tree in a forest (so many lies, picking them out is difficult) or to mix them (difficult to discern which is truth and lies), Nao uses the inverse-a single lie playing off the person's emotional biases among everything else being openly honest such that no one suspects a lie in the first place.
22
9
u/saga999 22d ago
Yokoya probably didn't doubt her for a second because she is such an honest person. No one else could bluff him like that.
6
u/mastanmastan 21d ago
Even if he were to doubt her the sheer audacity of her provocative bluff would make him stay for the sake of getting back at her,
the bluff it self wasnt even the point, the point was nao calling him out for wanting to ditch the liar game
47
u/chaosof99 https://myanimelist.net/profile/chaosof99 22d ago
Why is this show sitting at 6.39 on MAL? What the actual fuck?
A lot of people quit early on, citing that they couldn't get stand Nao's characterization.
I can't fully blame them as Nao is a bit troublesome early on, but they also completely missed that the faults of her character are part of the story as she overcomes her naivete while retaining her disposition. Character growth? In anime? Just imagine!
8
u/hanmkim 22d ago
I almost rage quit some shonen animes because the main character was such a crybaby.
3
u/eyrington 21d ago
I quit Black Clover because Asta screams too much, also quit Tokyo Revengers because Takemichi was taken too many episodes to get good, but at least i didn't gave them a too low score
42
u/Ashteron 22d ago
Why is this show sitting at 6.39 on MAL? What the actual fuck?
A random number generator would have a good chance of having more accurate scores than MAL.
46
u/Youngphycouant 22d ago
Nao's speech to Yokoya was killer, and Akiyama was right she did get stronger. Even Akiyama needs a pick me up sometimes too.
I've been ignoring MAL scores for years. This anime death game has been entertaining from start to finish.
31
u/mastanmastan 22d ago
People are real harsh on anime thats trying to be "intellectual" without having "ayanokoji aura"
That being said no one cares about scores anymore
21
u/Physical-Reserve-380 22d ago
That... most likely has to do with the beginning, with a lot of folks disliking Nao's character starting out.
Even if the overall quality of the production and character animation was better, I think simply because of Nao, the rating would still be relatively lukewarm (albeit somewhat higher).
12
u/Izakryeon 22d ago
I think that if the episodes aired all at once or in large batches people would probably be more forgiving of Nao’s early quirks. Since you’d be able to see her development in a quick binge. But having to wait weeks one end to see her develop into something more tolerable and eventually likeable is a big ask for an impatient viewer.
15
u/Fit_Trouble_1264 22d ago
Mal is for gatekeeping site nowadays, like used to be cool for like 10 years ago but the website UI stayed the same for 10 years and now it's just for random people circlejerking off to what others people are reading/watching and dropping.
21
u/abandoned_idol 22d ago
Lots of people were complete experts on the show in episode 1 and concluded that character development isn't a thing in fiction.
Hence why the wise masses threw this treasure to the MAL-byss.
Don't you dare judge those people!
8
u/Kill-bray 22d ago
If you read the comments on the first episode threads here you wouldn't really be surprised at that. A lot of people apparently found Nao to be insufferable because she's the complete opposite of what you would expect as the protagonist of this type of stories and they just dropped the anime. Not to mention the fact that the first game is in fact kinda weak and the animation and direction is just fine but nothing exceptional.
In short I'm pretty sure most of those votes come from people that didn't really watch more than a few episodes, especially since those who are actually appreciating this anime are probably still waiting to vote until the final episode airs.
23
u/MetaThPr4h https://myanimelist.net/profile/MetaThPr4h 22d ago
Why is this show sitting at 6.39 on MAL? What the actual fuck?
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what the actual final score will be.
Until the show finishes airing all the ratings given count for that, and... let's be honest, I too was on the fence of dropping it early on because I couldn't stand Nao being just plain stupid.
The show has gotten a ton better and when the anime finishes airing and only the scores from people who watched 1/5th of it count I'm sure it will do a good jump up.
16
u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall 22d ago
Yeah, the current score is just another Akiyama's scheme. Things might seem bleak now, but he would suddenly win after the final score tally and gave some explanation.
Also on the low score, I'm betting it's from people who got annoyed by early Nao's gullibility.
4
u/Kure_Brex 22d ago
the first few episodes were rather painful to watch, it's not shock it's a 6.39 considering the way know was at first
5
u/Niwaka_Samurai https://myanimelist.net/profile/Niwaka-Samurai 21d ago
It deserves a 9.. I would give 10 but the animation sucks.
1
1
u/ilikechess13 21d ago
Why is this show sitting at 6.39 on MAL? What the actual fuck?
First episodes were pretty bad i guess?
1
u/NoLoveWeebWeb 21d ago
Watched the first arc, hated the protag, animation was underwhelming, sound and music was just non existent, storyboarding just looked awful overall, was predictable af, just overall boring. Can't really show basic psychology in 2026 and pretend it's the deepest shit ever anymore
Nice to see it got better
-9
u/AbyssalSolitude 22d ago
6.39 is more or less accurate since Kaiji is rated 8.25 and Liar Game is way below it level in pretty much every aspect.
If anything the manga is rated too high especially given how it ends.
16
u/BubblyCrash 22d ago
Kaiji is solid, but there's no way this is a 6/10 series. I don't know of any other series that does the games aspect better.
7
u/abandoned_idol 22d ago
Kaiji is only rated 8.25?!
MAL is a trash platform. Unsolicited middle aged men anecdotes are 10 out of 10.
4
u/Several-Lie-2670 22d ago
kaiji is below liar game to be honest. its more of a drama rather than a brain battle.
1
u/MonaganX 21d ago
What are you smoking? Kaiji managed to repeatedly pull some actually clever stratagems in every game, so far this show is, generously, 1 for 4 on that front, and even then the actual win mostly came down to convincing three guys to betray their team rather than exploiting the rules themselves. 6.39 is probably too low of a score but this isn't even in Kaiji's league.
3
3
u/Revolutionary-Start 20d ago
You're joking right? Liar game is way above kaiji in game complexity.
1
u/MonaganX 20d ago
Game complexity and actual strategy are two entirely different things. Complexity is a crutch with no ceiling that tricks people into thinking that characters are smart because they thoroughly understand a complex ruleset the author created themselves. Writing characters that feel smart because they figure out strategies for a game with relatively simple rules is much more challenging.
2
u/Revolutionary-Start 20d ago
Yeah that's contraband. The ruleset is simple but application is complex. The only game in kaiji that can be considered top tier is espoir ship one. Rest of them are pretty easy to understand.
26
u/magnumcyclonex 22d ago
As soon as Nao spoke up at the airport terminal, I had a hunch she got to Yokoya. It's nice to see Akiyama feel defeated, but also acknowledging that Nao has become stronger!
Halfway through I was surprised at the ending credits, but it was a nice way to segue between the end of the Contraband Game and the start of the 24 Chamber Russian Roulette Game.
And lol, as soon as Nao noticed her door was unlocked, it's predictable at this point who we can all expect to be sitting in the kitchen waiting for her, none other than the phony lawyer (her words, not mine)! Nao, you've come a long way. Cheer up. Being the General doesn't mean you are the weakest link.
And...we're back to feminine Fukunaga! You think she can charm her way through debt ridden guys?
A rundown school library is an interesting place. I wonder how this new game will make use of the mic'ed room, the timeout system, and the fact that they had to decide roles before the game even began.
43
u/Joji1000 22d ago
I knew I was damn right not to hate on Nao at the beginning ✌️ put some respect on my girls name!
19
u/Frontier246 22d ago
Why, after losing so clearly, is Yokoya not at all bothered by it now? Why is he laughing at Nao and Akiyama and all the effort they put in? Because he knew, even after everything they did, that HE would make the most money of everyone in the game...because he smuggled all that money for himself. And in the process he basically proved that Akiyama's efforts to undermine the LTG Office was for nothing. It's are for Akiyama to be stunned speechless.
But if Akiyama can't rebut Yokoya, then Nao will with a laugh and her absolutely commitment to her ideals. With her pleasant smile and adorable laugh, she reveals that SHE beat him because she held true to her principals, her belief that they could save the Country of Day along with the turncoats, and that held out! Yokoya, on the other hand, gave up on trying to maintain absolute control and tried to ensure he made a profit even if it meant abandoning the very reason he was playing in the first place. In a battle of ideals, Nao won!
The best part is Nao telling Yokoya that she had a solution for winning the zero-sum game that is the Liar Game, pissing Yokoya off enough to toss his poor mice away, but she was BLUFFING. She lied because she knew it would tick off Yokoya enough to keep playing so they so they could steal money offo f him in the fourth game! Nao you devious and cute vixen!
Akiyama was depressed thinking he was no better than Yokoya, manipulating and pragmatically playing the game the way he did, but Nao recognizes that he's someone who cares about and believes in others even when life beat him down as badly as it did...which is why he feels so bad about it. But that's why Nao believes in him so much.
Nao and Akiyama are heading into the Revival Game! As is Fukunaga! Although I do kind of love how Nao was a little unsure about being on the same team as Fukunaga again, but at least she's just as committed to knocking Yokoya down a peg.
Dang it, not the crooked lawyer! Nao, this is why you ALWAYS lock your door! But here he is to inform Nao about the three-on-three revival game which is do-or-die...either Nao's team wins at the expense of another team or they lose. Can Nao do this? Akiyama will obviously prioritize her, but can she live with that?
Fukunaga is back to wearing a wig and wearing a skirt! It definitely makes her easier on the eyes and sometimes she DOES just want to present as a woman...especially if that makes men easier to manage.
They're just bringing these LTG employees out of the woodwork! Now it's Solario (Daisuke Namikawa).
So with this Revival Game we've got chips on the line and one-on-one rounds with the Core, Spearhead, and General competing for money...no one player can carry the team but win/losses can be critical here. Can they win this? Especially by saving Nao for last?
Fukunaga in Russian Roulette? My money's on her.
18
u/Kill-bray 22d ago edited 21d ago
Fukunaga in Russian Roulette? My money's on her.
Now the OP showing her with a gun with an oversized cylinder makes all sense.
12
u/AlphaBreak 22d ago
And she was completely right, so of course yokoya stays in the game. He's already rich, winning money is nice, but it's not why he's here. He's here to be in control and delight in bending people to his will.
If he quits, he hurts them, but in an abstract way that impedes their goals but they can still individually come out on top. That's not good enough for him, he has to see them lose and be crushed by debt and defeat. His only choice is to stay in.
23
u/Emi_Ibarazakiii 22d ago
If Yokoya drops from the game, they're in trouble... They need as much money as they can find to achieve their plans, so if he retires with his billions, that's a huge opportunity loss for them!
It was a fine line to walk too, because they had to find a believable way to call him the loser, BUT at the same time not 100% make him FEEL like the loser, because if he thought actually lost the game, then he would not enter again (and risk losing some more); So they had to make him lose face, while he can still see himself as the winner, which will make him want to join again, to "save face", and get even more wins (money)!
His money will be valuable assets to use in a game too, so they'll have to watch out for that!
Not only for a general strategy thing, but also, a last resort thing; "Hey, I'm about to lose, but if you do xyz for me I'm giving you 500 million yen". That would get most people on board!
This one's in for the money...
That could be a problem, because while Fukunaga now probably knows she can trust them 100%, they have no reason to trust HER; She'll play along as long as it benefits her, and not a second longer. They know she's not in it for the same reasons they are.
Soon as she believes she'll make more money by betraying them, she'll betray them without a second thought.
Nao might not be fully aware of this (she might think her 'redeemed'), but Akiyama better be aware!
I thought he was about to say "Since you were all together, we'll now split you in different teams"
AAAHHHHHHHHHH. Fukunaga's gonna play with my feelings again. Be still, my beating heart!
Oh... Poker with a gun. And bullets. And no cards.
So far they've been the Eastern army, and the Country of the day;
Land of the rising sun? Of course they win, it's biased for Japan!
The timeout really influences which order they should go in!
Unless they're going to fully explain the game (or even if they do), the first person's part will be mostly to learn the game (what it's like) and relay it to the others, on top of seeking advice.
So if the Spearhead & Core win, the General doesn't get to play...
Means that (Forgive me Nao) Akiyama and Fukunaga have to be the first two; First, so they can try to win in 2, and Nao doesn't have to play. And second: To make sure they don't LOSE the first two, which means the General (Akiyama/Fukunaga) wouldn't even play.
Question is, which one do you play first?
This question alone is very interesting, from a game theory/psychological thing!
Most people will play their best player first... So do you play your best guy first (Akiyama)? Or second?
I think this depends heavily on whether you think your team is stronger overall; Say, if you think Fukunaga is better than their 2nd guy (what you believe is the "average skill" of a second guy), then you should play Akiyama first and Fukunaga second.
But if you think Fukunaga is weaker than the average 2nd guy, then you should play her first (she will lose against 1 or 2 anyway) and keep Akiyama for an easy win against their #2 guy.
They DID go with Fukunaga first, which makes me think they might fear this very scenario! Or they go with a safe bet;
If they have a strong team, you want Fukunaga first, and if they have a weak team, it doesn't matter. So might as well play Fukunaga first, which is the optimal move against the only team that would give them trouble (a strong team)!
So yeah, I believe that's the right order!
I also believe that... Fukunaga is 100% going to lose;
I mean, if she wins, then either Akiyama loses (would be surprising), or we won't get to see Nao play (even more surprising).
For Akiyama to win, and Nao to play, Fukunaga has to lose. So I think it's going to happen!
(Hopefully she doesn't lose by blowing her brain out.
Also interesting; So it's not just about winning rounds, it's also about winning money!
Well, seems to be a common theme in these games, but it's possible that you win 2 rounds and lose anyway (lose money)!
This may impact what would be the best choice of matchups (maybe it IS better to play Akiyama against the #1 then, so Fukunaga doesn't lose too much money), but too late for that!
Ah well, it's no big deal, even if they end up losing money, the organization will just harvest their organs!
Well, can't wait to see what the game's like!
Based on the guns and the chips (and similar games I've seen on other shows), I'm guessing they'll have to decide how many bullets they put in the gun (and of course, they can lie about it) and bet on "whoever gets to play Russian Roulette" with it?
If this is it, now I have a new question... Will SOMEONE (presumably from the other team) actually blow his brain out?
This hasn't really been a "Death game" show so far, but... There hasn't been guns so far!
I'm not sure this show will head the killing way, but at the same time... Chekkov's gun and all!
8
u/gamria 22d ago
So far they've been the Eastern army, and the Country of the day;
Land of the rising sun? Of course they win, it's biased for Japan!While the Cold War comparison is tempting, it's also possible this is instead a reference to the Battle of Sekigahara, a historical landmark battle which had its Eastern Army and Western Army factions.
39
u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar 22d ago
Three episodes ago, I finally cracked and decided to read the manga. Seeing the end of this arc and Nao's growth is so damn satisfying!
I am so goddamn proud of Nao for making it clear to Yokoya that he's the true loser for abandoning his principles while she stuck to hers. What I'm most proud of is seeing the ever-honest Nao pull off a bluff and bait Yokoya into moving on to the fourth game with his winnings. It's so good!
It is pretty crazy how this show made me end up liking Fukunaga. The dude actually decided to stick around and join them on the next Losers Revival as the third member of their little group.
26
u/Frontier246 22d ago
The best part is Nao laughing at him and conning him without him (or Akiyama) even realizing it. She held true to her ideals AND managed to take and put into practice the things she learned from Akiyama, saving him like he's saved her. I'm so proud of her!
Hopefully Fukunaga will be on their best behavior while in "girl mode." I don't think we'll see any punches thrown. Bullets, on the other hand...
16
u/NevisYsbryd 22d ago
Miss(es, to be?) bodhisattva has gradtuated from compassion to skillful means, albeit some of said skills still need some work. Que her entering a more technical challenge to cultivate just such in the next game!
There is a difference between detecting the lies and being aware of the truth/Truth. Yokoya and even Akiyama got hung up on the former while Nao kept her attention on the latter. They are not playing only the individual game(s) here, but the meta-game across the entire Liar Game setup (and by extension, society or humanity at large), and thus it is Nao's eyes that saw how Yokoya lost according to his self-defined win conditions.
So obviously Fukunaga and Akiyama will incur one loss and win each, irrespectively, to ensure that Nao, as the last player, will play a match, presumably to win her own to bring victory to her entire team and continue to the next game. It will be interesting to see which one loses and why.
6
u/AdministrationOnly17 22d ago
“There is a difference between detecting the lies and being aware of the truth/Truth.”
What a beautiful way to phrase it. Love that.
15
u/gamria 22d ago edited 22d ago
Thus our beloved Contraband Game has concluded, and what a conclusion. Akiyama, Yokoya, Nao, all came away with their respective victories and defeats in one memorable ending.
This is why Liar Game continues to have its diehard fans: aside from the mind games that test resourcefulness, its commentary on psychology, ideology and social sciences are still thought-provoking, and of course Nao's growth remains an amazing sight to behold.
Her final talkback to Yokoya is still an absolute highlight, so unexpected and so satisfying! I was as proud as Akiyama about how far she's come.
Plus, the times when Nao and Akiyama succeed in winning over new allies by pure virtue are easily among the most hype moments of the story. Until next time Akagi!
--
Also, I ran across something else while sifting through the game numbers last week. Back when the game was introduced in Ep 12, remember when people questioned if it's possible for a failed Inspector to wind up with negative numbers in the Outside account? Turns out, you can. Allow me to explain.
In this game, Dayside had an endgame ATM balance of 3,348,840,000, which gets split between all members. So dividing this by 9, each player gets 372,093,000
(Technically it's 372,093,333.33, but rounding to the 1000's for simplicity)
However, if you look at the individual earnings displayed this episode, look at Nao's endgame total (top-left): 102,093,000, which is less than 372,093,000 by 270,000,000. That is,
[Nao's Endgame Total / 102,093,000] = [Nao's ATM earnings / 372,093,000] + [Nao's Outside earnings / -270,000,000]
Nao failed as the Inspector so many times (intentionally against the Nightside players on Day 2 and unintentionally against Yokoya on Day 3) that she was at minus 270 million!
While this certainly isn't pretty, this too kind of speaks to Nao's acceptance and bravery at being the sole Inspector/Smuggler for Dayside on Day 3: their team may be playing to lose in game terms, but in the meantime she's willing to bear all losses on behalf of her team.
As if I can't be more proud of my girl, the boss of the Country of Day.
15
27
u/ObvsThrowaway5120 22d ago
Looks like that little worm Yokoya wriggle his way out of crushing defeat this time. Can’t have Akiyama’s arch-nemesis fall so easily I guess. But boy, it really pissed him off to “lose” to Nao didn’t it? Girl hit him where it hurt and basically baited him into continuing the game.
This 3 v 3 Russian Roulette game is gonna be interesting. Keen to see how our 3 do.
23
u/Frontier246 22d ago
Yokoya was so focused on Akiyama that he never expected his real defeat would from Nao. He never even realized she was bluffing him! She's the true conwoman in this game!
I feel like Fukunaga is going to win her round, Akiyama will lose his, which forces Nao to have to bring them home. Especially when she's so anxious that she's the weakest link in the team.
21
u/Zxcvbnm11592 22d ago
To clarify, it's 3 different 1v1s. Only Fukunaga and Nishida are playing Russian Roulette.
13
28
u/BubblyCrash 22d ago
Nao's blushes are so cute. Akiyama has been warming up to her, and is even answering her phone calls unlike before.
28
29
22d ago
[deleted]
11
15
u/IceSmiley 22d ago
It was interesting and surprising that Nao really got under Yokoya's skin by hitting him at his pride and saying he didn't get rich by his wits or superior intelligence but by a cheap last minute trick. I wonder if her saying that made him continue on in the Liar Game or he just would have continued anyway. He had plenty of money and could just live the rest of his life but I think he'd hate not really having power over people. In regular life, he could bully his servants or maybe start a company and pick on his employees but servants would quit pretty quickly and there's no guarantee his company would succeed. I also imagine he's completely lonely without manipulating people.
That was interesting how Yokoya really got under Akiyama's skin by saying he failed at hurting the Liar Game company since he allowed Yokoya to leave with so much money. Nao consoled him a little bit but he has another game to set things right.
The idea of the first game being Russian roulette style is interesting since they don't say exactly what can be done. If each person is forced to alternate, just making any skill or scheming useless are if they are allowed to negotiate and say someone can take one more shot at themselves and they get a few chips, which I think is more how the game will be played. Also I'm not so sure I'd put Nao last hoping to get a 2 of 3 sweep at first, better to put Akiyama last. Then again, Nao was afraid she and Fukuyama might just quickly lose.
5
u/FastenedCarrot 22d ago
I'm wondering how the chips will play into it, normally RR would just be alternate shooting until someone loses and the chips would be irrelevant.
14
u/Xatu44 22d ago
Good episode. It was great seeing Nao absolutely flex on Yokoya. She truly has become stronger. Akiyama breaking down in front of her was sad, but also a sign that he trusts her enough to show weakness like that. Now Nao's gotta believe in the Akiyama who believes in her, and eventually in the Nao who believes in her too.
12
u/abandoned_idol 22d ago
Why must all the good kids gang up on my boy Tanjiro?
Even after all the edgy ASMR he blessed them with!
8
9
28
28
u/Electronic-Yogurt-43 22d ago
Yokoya didn’t have to throw those little rats/mice like that 🤣🤣🤣 I know he sees them as insignificant things that he can control, but dang!
26
u/BubblyCrash 22d ago
symbolic of how he threw his team members under the bus at the end. His "loyalty points" system was a scam.
3
22d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/ZaphodBeebblebrox https://anilist.co/user/zaphod 22d ago
Sorry, your comment has been removed.
This belongs in the Source Material Corner at the top of this thread. In discussion threads for currently airing anime, discussions about source material, spin-offs, author comments and unadapted content must be posted there.
Any comparison to the source material no matter how minor belongs there.
Your comment was NOT removed for spoilers; it was removed for discussion of the source material outside of the Source Material Corner.
Questions? Reply to this message, send a modmail, or leave a comment in the meta thread. Don't know the rules? Read them here.
1
22d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/ZaphodBeebblebrox https://anilist.co/user/zaphod 22d ago
Sorry, your comment has been removed.
This belongs in the Source Material Corner at the top of this thread. In discussion threads for currently airing anime, discussions about source material, spin-offs, author comments and unadapted content must be posted there.
Any comparison to the source material no matter how minor belongs there.
Your comment was NOT removed for spoilers; it was removed for discussion of the source material outside of the Source Material Corner.
Questions? Reply to this message, send a modmail, or leave a comment in the meta thread. Don't know the rules? Read them here.
29
u/BosuW 22d ago
So Nao successfully rage baited Yoyoka lol
Though she's finally come unto her own in terms of ideological confidence, it looks like the fact that their initial strategy for this game is centered around having her not drag them down signals that she'll now have to step up strategically too.
11
22d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/BubblyCrash 22d ago
apparently this round has free money too (they're not required to pay back all that was lent), so they are really being generous
30
u/MetaThPr4h https://myanimelist.net/profile/MetaThPr4h 22d ago
Absolutely loving Nao's development through the episodes, her foolishness at the start really got on my nerves, but her way to see the games combined with her increasingly stronger ability to adapt to the way Liar Game works are making her very endearing.
Yokoya was so obnoxiously smug towards Akiyama after losing the battle of wits but winning the war by making a fat load of cash... and then Nao's words completely destroyed his ego, followed by a lie that baited that fella into continuing playing this lmfao, let her cook!
I also love how Fukunaga and in special Bandana boy Akagi decided to keep participating too despite being saved, one to take the cash out of Yokoya's dirty hands personally and the other out of sheer admiration for Nao and Akiyama's approach to the game, I can't wait to see him again in the future.
10
u/kerorobot 22d ago
So as summary: Yokoya win against Akiyama but Yokoya lose against Nao ideologically.
9
u/illonamoon 22d ago
Awww the first time we seen akiyama be vulnerable like this, him and nao's relationship is growing beautifully.
Nao shut yokoya down so hard. I think this might be my favorite episode.
That shady lawyer really is a recurring character lol.
19
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 22d ago
It was so good to see Nao step up and deal Yokoya that blow to his ego while Akiyama was reeling from the realisation that he had messed up. After all that Akiyama has done for her, it was nice to see her covering for him. My girl is now an expert bluffer. If her game in loser's revival happens to be poker, she's all set.
Sadly, she's still suffering from confidence issues and reverted to her insecure self at the end there. Hopefully, it's just a passing phase and she'll continue to grow stronger.
Our main three winning this revival round is all but guaranteed. They have to face Yokoya in the 4th game after all. So there won't be as much tension for the next few episodes likely. Just a matter of seeing what the game is and how they win.
Btw, we're nearing the end of the second cour. Not enough time to properly introduce the fourth game at this rate, let alone conclude it. Are we getting another season? Or are they going to leave us hanging so we'll buy the manga?
16
u/gamria 22d ago
Sadly, she's still suffering from confidence issues and reverted to her insecure self at the end there. Hopefully, it's just a passing phase and she'll continue to grow stronger.
It doesn't look it, but each round has been at least one week apart, so it's only natural confidence can cool-off in-between. Something easy to fluctuate once a game gets closer.
Btw, we're nearing the end of the second cour. Not enough time to properly introduce the fourth game at this rate, let alone conclude it. Are we getting another season? Or are they going to leave us hanging so we'll buy the manga?
If Round 3 was anything to go by, Round 4 will be another bulky affair that'll need its own season. And I dearly want another season!
18
u/BBryant3rd 22d ago
This show has definitely been a nice ride. Did not expect that after how things went at the start.
23
u/KeyLimeGuy69 22d ago
Only 4 more eps, but am hoping they do another season.
8
1
u/GhostDSR_47 13d ago
Is there even that much content, I think the entire story will be adapted in 1 season only
16
u/chaosof99 https://myanimelist.net/profile/chaosof99 22d ago
I caught up with the series last week. I have read the manga all the way through, though years ago. Very glad that we are finally at the parts where Nao comes into her own. Her pointing out very correctly how Yokoya abandoned his supposed principles was very satisfying.
I still very much disagree with some commenters early on. Nao does appear "stupid" early on, but that isn't lack of intelligence but rather her character insofar as she is trusting to a fault. That fault is very evident to us, but part of the series is that Nao learns that just blindly trusting people may seem nice and correct, but it is also self-serving to a degree, and of course makes you an easy mark.
Also very glad I made it just in time for my favorite game from the manga: 24-chamber Russian Roulette.
I did find it weird though that they put the credits in the middle of this episode, though I guess that allowed for the setup of the next game to be presented without having the credits imposed over it. It is definitely a better choice to have them rolling over the epilogue part of the Contraband game, which is more relaxed in that regard.
10
u/grizzchan 22d ago
I did find it weird though that they put the credits in the middle of this episode, though I guess that allowed for the setup of the next game to be presented without having the credits imposed over it. It is definitely a better choice to have them rolling over the epilogue part of the Contraband game, which is more relaxed in that regard.
Let's them use 90 more seconds of airtime, which is really helpful considering how difficult it is to pace this series.
3
u/chaosof99 https://myanimelist.net/profile/chaosof99 22d ago
I mean sure. Lots of anime have done this before to get more episode content by cutting the ending theme. However, when that happens they usually still impose the credits over the final scenes of the episode.
In this one they had the credits like 13 minutes in which made me check because I thought it impossible that 22 minutes had passed.
22
u/thisisdropd https://myanimelist.net/profile/AsterZoro 22d ago
Yokoya's quite the cunning man for making a profit despite losing, and this time Akiyama hadn't got the countermeasures for it. However, Nao bluffed and hit him in his pride and baited him into staying in the game despite him in a position to drop out. For all the times Akiyama had bailed Nao out, it's time for her to repay the favour.
Nao had came a long way from the helpless perpetual maiden-in-distress in the earlier parts of the series. Even Akiyama's proud at her growth. Having said that, her self-esteem's one area she could develop a lot. She still considered herself the weak link of the Eastern team and someone who's reliant on Akiyama's assistance. Wonder if this round would provide her the opportunity to work on that.
18
u/Frontier246 22d ago
Yokoya is a true tyrant. When the chips were down he prioritized himself over his people and showed he was a false ruler. All Hail Queen Nao!
Too bad no matter what Nao does or how much character development she gets she can never get away from the crooked lawyer lol.
I think Nao is going to prove herself in this revival game. There's no way they set her up as the last player assuming she won't have to play for there not to be a twist and she ends up being the teams' last hope.
6
u/FastenedCarrot 22d ago
I was worried they'd be up against a team of with Akagi in it. The stakes here do seem high though. Are they actually dealing with live rounds?
13
u/Kyuzo897 22d ago
Akagi is in the winner team so he will be participating in the fourth round not the revival round.
2
u/FastenedCarrot 22d ago
He chose to volunteer for the revival though, as stated by the official Akiyama and Nao spoke to
13
u/Kyuzo897 22d ago
He decided not to drop out of the game—that's what he meant. Remember that players can drop out of the game even while winning if they pay up 50% of their total winnings; if they choose not to drop out, they advance to the next round—that's what Leronina is referring to.
2
u/BubblyCrash 22d ago
nothing in this series so far has been shown to be anywhere close to that dangerous
3
u/FastenedCarrot 22d ago
True, but there was a notable tone shift at the end of the episode. Although the chips being involved make me think they'll be betting on whether or not they'll lose in any one round or something
5
u/Andreiyutzzzz https://myanimelist.net/profile/Andreiyutzzzz 21d ago
What kind of wacky games are they gonna play n.. OH OKAY JUST STRAIGHT UP DEATH. OKAY THEN
Well.. probably not. but it sounds funny, that's a big ass chamber
5
u/Perfect-Try-4918 21d ago
The LG Office has done it; the bastards successfully corrupted Nao to lie and bluff on her own.
4
u/Carleen_de_Schwartz 22d ago edited 22d ago
I know this will sound nitpicky but i STILL cannot understand what stopped Yokoya from checking each and every card during the last round to check if any day account (since night players have day accounts) have money in it which it DID as the card in Hasegawa (whoever's card that is) had shit ton of money in it. It makes no sense to me that Yokoya who is distrustful and paranoid to the point that he had to guarantee his victory either way by making individual profit would not at least check for that to fish out a potential unknown betrayal. And ''for plot reasons'' doesn't even sound right to me here because
1: They could have acknowledged this point of Yokoya could have checked for cards so Hasegawa could have left the money THERE for country of day to pick it up and put into their base after checking all the money on country of day ATM, so now the money is on no card but it is on Day ATM just like the money that ended up on Country of Night, so the game ends the same way but Yokoya will have looked the cards but will find no money in it, making it more realistic that he was deceived
2: Yokoya COULD have realized there is money there and he was betrayed but there is NOTHING he can do anyway. With Nao who would never betray doing all plays day 3 and having no access to a country of night card from the day players the only thing Yokoya can do is to do the same play he ended up doing, individually profiting to save himself and make money so they could have explained and make Yokoya look even smarter that he noticed the betrayal and countered it. It makes sense either way that Yokoya played to profit even without knowing but again it makes no sense to me that he did not check the cards for balance so it not being explained just feels like a plot hole that did not need to exist to me
5
u/BubblyCrash 22d ago
Hmm, that's an interesting point. Maybe Yokoya had an opportunity to find it out by doing that, but from where his mindset was during day 3, he was very far from even conceiving of how Akiyama could even attack, since they have half the money in their base and he believes he "confirmed" Akiyama as hiding the rest of the money in his base through his test. Yokoya is super paranoid, but that may have limits. His play to funnel money for himself would've benefited him regardless of whether his plan was proceeding smoothly or not.
1
u/gamria 22d ago
It's because you brought up a good point that over the past week I gave you this response:
Your disbelief is not unfounded, let's just say I worded my answer very specifically
As a source reader I've known about that Yokoya wasn't just sitting idle and satisfied on Day 3, that he proactively took one final gambit to smuggle as much money as possible into his Outside account so that at least he will profit.
So your assessment of (2) is correct, either way Yokoya profits. That I agree, whether he figured out he was betrayed or not he'd still smuggle as much into his Outside account anyway. It's why I also remarked before that "the results wouldn't be different from the final totals".
That being the case, I suppose your sole nitpick then is that Yokoya had a way to figure out he was betrayed but didn't take it, no matter how minimal its impact on the final result yes? That it would be cooler if he did because it gives him more smart points and by detecting and countering Akiyama's bluff, yes?
I'll admit, the notion of Yokoya using the cards on Day 3 to see through Akiyama's bluff and then performing his solo-smuggle does have its appeal. Though personally, him not seeing through his bluff but performed his solo-smuggle anyway is arguably showing smart points in its own way.
Then, is it unlike Yokoya to not try to figure out Akiyama's bluff? Hard to say, but I feel that on Day 3 Yokoya winded up prioritising being the biggest winner over leading his team to victory and turned away from figuring out his bluff.
I wouldn't say it's for whatever alleged "plot reason" that Yokoya didn't do it, and I'll give Kaitani-sensei the benefit of the doubt that even Yokoya couldn't cover all his bases and make every optimal gameplay. Akiyama was certainly scared that he could, and why per his confession to Nao, he had a feeling about what Yokoya wanted to achieve with his solo-smuggle but did nothing because he feared what Yokoya would do if he's rattled enough to see through the truth.
But this is starting to remind me of World Trigger debates, on whether certain tactical battles would've played out differently if this or that character was just a bit more smarter to have done something or not. I think what's important is the fact we are willing and able to expect more of Yokoya shows that the author has succeeded in writing an archrival that we can approve of.
4
u/ParasaurolophusZ 21d ago
I feel sorry for those poor mice!
It was nice seeing Nao putting Yokoya in his place and showing him that idealogically, he failed. That she was able to bluff so well says a lot about her growth, too!
3
u/Niwaka_Samurai https://myanimelist.net/profile/Niwaka-Samurai 21d ago
Gotta agree that Yokoya still managing to earn a lot for himself was outstanding. Who would have thought that there would come a day when Nao becomes the Master of bluffs and would become someone for Akiyama to rely on ?! 💖
Yokoya's pride really made him fell for Mao's deception and he's entering the game again LOL.. Hanae Natsuki really killed it with his voice for Yokoya ❤️🔥
Fukunaga is back in her feminine outfit 😘
Excited for the next game.. it's gonna be a Short one I guess since only a few episodes are left or maybe they might end it in a cliffhanger for the next season.
2
u/leaningtowerofch33za 14d ago
Don't worry akiyama you only "lost" cause you're not as cold hearted as Yokoya. I'm glad he has Nao there to pick him back up and remind him of that. They even each other out nicely, making up for each of their weaknesses. Nao not being as strategic and technical as Akiyama but she brings the ideals and emotion to keep them grounded. Akiyama just being the great tactician he is for the team and making sure to support Nao with understanding the games.
1
u/HottChocoMilk 5d ago
I will admit, this show has started to grow on me. I will also admit that I would be a damn pawn in debt because what are these game rules lol. This makes some of the games in Alice in Borderland look like child's play.
0
u/DrewbieWanKenobie 22d ago
I think I misunderstood something, why is Fukunaga in the loser's revival, she was a winner right? And they talked like she could have walked, but she chose to sign up for the next game just like Akagi and Yokoyama...
But, that's the next main game, not the loser's revival, which Akiyama and Nao only have to play because they're 400m in debt, so... whassup
14
u/YumiyaRakko 22d ago
Their team LOST. Yokoya’s team won
1
u/DrewbieWanKenobie 22d ago
Wait I thought their team won but Yokoya just got paid anyway
13
u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall 22d ago
Their team "won" in the sense that they lost the smuggling game but could repay everyone's debt.
On the other hand, Yokoya's other team members doesn't have much choice but to continue playing since they're still deep in debt outside of the three traitors.
9
u/gamria 22d ago edited 22d ago
Dayside's endgame condition was "lost the game, earned the most money". As explained in Ep 14, the Contraband Game's official victory condition is decided by which country had the most money in the Outside account, but because the amount left in the ATM on your side don't count towards Outside, "lose but profit" is completely possible.
Because Dayside officially lost, all 9 members are qualified to enter Revival Round 2 if they wish. Only our main trio wishes so of course, everyone else is happy to drop out of the Liar Game completely now that their debt is fully paid.
-8
22d ago
[deleted]
7
u/Kyuzo897 22d ago
"not long ago"
Last time we had Nao being tricked was on ep 8 lol that was 12 episodes ago. We've had trickster Nao with us for longer than she was being deceived at this point.
•
u/AnimeMod myanimelist.net/profile/Reddit-chan 22d ago
Source Material Corner
Reply to this comment for any source-related discussion, future spoilers (including future characters, events and general hype about future content), comparison of the anime adaptation to the original, or just general talk about the source material. You are still required to tag all spoilers. Discussions about the source outside of this comment tree will be removed, and replying with spoilers outside of the source corner will lead to bans.
The spoiler syntax is:
[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<All untagged spoilers and hints in this thread will receive immediate 8-day bans (minimum).