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| The teddy bear from the revival round is the goat! lol |
| Ḻ͖͚̤̥͂ͪͩ̽ͅo͖̺̒̉r̰̝ͣͤ̌̉̃̀d ͈̹̠͎͙̗ͪ̄͆ͪ̈̃̀R̩͌͂͑ͦi͔̯̱̣̹̜̲x͕̮̞̮̪̒͆̈́u̜̦͔͈̮͕͈͐̇̔̒̐el̰̖̦͒͛ Discord qhCsvqT Make English people read this: Ohio go say mass |
| Well even I will admit that actually was a pretty entertaining episode. Knew the guy wasn't psychic just hoped it had a realistic explanation and it did. |
| a really good ep..loved the look on that mouse guy's face |
| Really good episode, i didn't expect this twist, this game really clears the two awful previous arcs at this point, i'm finally enjoying this show. |
| Deep dark fantasies |
| Lmaooo Kikuzawa dumbass really thought Akiyama of all people wasn’t gonna peep him playing both sides? The liar game people put Yokoya in this game as a foil for Nao and Akiyama, but they’re gonna need more to make the coalition fall apart. Buddy tried to have everyone call him sama and Akiyama just wasn’t having that shit at all lmaooo. I was really surprised Yokoya actually kinda fell for Nao’s mind games and spilled so much information to her. Just shows her pure soul and charm are actually kinda op. It’s hard to keep your walls up around her Kikuzawa trying to apology with dogeza at the end after he bullied everyone around? Nah GTFO 🤣 also letting a dude bully you from elementary school to adulthood is fucking insane, you deserve to get bullied if your dumbass that soft and sensitive. I’m interested to see how this plays out tho |
Marinate1016Jun 29, 5:54 PM
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| Now the only thing I want to mention for this episode is that it marks where the J-Drama Contraband manga content ended. Yokoya there claimed to have an X-ray vision and was very different from Yokoya you're seein' right now. As you can probably guess it's the only "good" part of the live action Contraband - when drama writers went with their own plot they completely and miserably failed. So in case you wanted to check the J-Drama version - I advise you do it before you watch ANY more anime episodes. I'm most excited for new OP & ED next week. On a funny side, from a person who waited for anime adaptation since 2015 I kinda get why Madhouse didn't make one at that time. The reason bein' the female part of the equation: female director, female VA, female toned songs: its very crucial thing. Nao is portrayed totally different in all live action adaptations starting from Round 3. Anime Nao truly feels great. Madhouse knows they shit and talents / budget / marketing / audience down to nuances. |
EscapismToTheMaxJun 29, 1:58 PM
| My honesty's brutal but it's honestly futile if I don't utilize what I do though for good, at least once in a while |
| Can't believe I'm saying it, but I was extremely disappointed with this episode. Not gonna spoil anything, but they removed some very important character moments, especially for Nao, that I just... I just didn't like it, and I've loved the anime so far. They better not be rushing this arc, it's really not worth it. |
| The 2002 Tokyo Mew Mew adaptation is not as great as you remember it being. |
| It'd be funny if Nao finds a way to weaponize her teddy bear in some way in every game that she can. Yokoya pulling a face like he left the oven running once his "clairvoyance" failed for the first time lol |
Reply to Crez
Can't believe I'm saying it, but I was extremely disappointed with this episode.
Not gonna spoil anything, but they removed some very important character moments, especially for Nao, that I just... I just didn't like it, and I've loved the anime so far.
They better not be rushing this arc, it's really not worth it.
Not gonna spoil anything, but they removed some very important character moments, especially for Nao, that I just... I just didn't like it, and I've loved the anime so far.
They better not be rushing this arc, it's really not worth it.
| @Crez They had no other choice, I feel, 1when it comes to pacing. As long as Japanese only version is concerned seiyus are carrying out in they performance what was omitted from manga. Which is I feel exactly how medium should work as long as it stays faithful. |
| My honesty's brutal but it's honestly futile if I don't utilize what I do though for good, at least once in a while |
| I understand Kikuzawa was hand signaling back to the ratatouille guy, but how do you signal 91.11m without getting caught? Maybe Akiyama mentioning the amounts the day team had left implied it was all preplanned. But that sounds way to complicated to keep on top of. I didn't expect a deal between them two as I'd thought it would be super easy to catch them out. Especially with everyone's eyes being on you. |
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Reply to KOTFTW
I understand Kikuzawa was hand signaling back to the ratatouille guy, but how do you signal 91.11m without getting caught? Maybe Akiyama mentioning the amounts the day team had left implied it was all preplanned. But that sounds way to complicated to keep on top of.
I didn't expect a deal between them two as I'd thought it would be super easy to catch them out. Especially with everyone's eyes being on you.
I didn't expect a deal between them two as I'd thought it would be super easy to catch them out. Especially with everyone's eyes being on you.
| @KOTFTW What I really enjoy about Contraband is that each player moves adheres STRONGLY to the poker logic which is all about EV moves. Recall it required 100 mil+ (two cases with Doubt 50 Mil) +90mil (Exact Doubt) + Nao's bear for Day team to uncover the scheme which yielded Kikuzawa 290 mil. That's extremely EV+ from Kikuzawa's perspective (as now in the worst case he would be only 10 mil in debt to LGT after the game ends regardless of who wins). Now it should be even more in favor of Yokoya, right? The most keen thing about it - viewers can't get Yokoya's EV that easily. You're getting into more advanced poker / mind game territory from the get go and making first step into strat vs counter strat territory. Think on it more clearly If Yokoya doesn't buy the rat, he is at risk of Kikuzawa telling the truth once his team starts losing. Your EV in this game isn't the money alone, it's also the number of the rounds. The poker analogy is the blinds increase. Your stratbook at low, meduim and high blinds bet sizes in poker adjusts (also the position changes depending on your opponent stack). Now the explanation is also in there EV+ money for Kikuzawa & Yokoya only works at the expense of other players (EV-). And here's the most catchy part about being found out: it only caps Kikuzawa's EV. In other words, Yokoya is doing what he told Nao he is doing - it's a game of control. Contrary to poker, because of the rounds limits, your EV is much more determined by how much you control others moves and make them hard guess. Yokoya achieved both goals, poked into Aki+Nao and pretty much.. At 200+ he wins if rat is found out, he wins if rat isnt found out. If you think about it, it's a rare move available to you not at your personal, but AT ENTIRE TEAMS' cash fund expense. Yes, it's 290 netted against 290 but the distributions among players matters. To sum up in such game design its of bigger benefit for Yokoya to run it like he did even from EV perspective, but there's also a second layer on a how much did Kikuzawa ratted out to Yokoya in terms of the Day Team members info. You are buying Rat telling you about everyone in the beginning against Rat telling of you only after he was found out. The trade off comes from the cash, you can't give him more than 300 mil and you don't need more than 300 mil yourself too, because there are moves in that game with the higher EV. Your only risk if the rat scheme unveiled before 200 and it's minimized because other team smuggled 50 mil twice. |
EscapismToTheMaxJun 29, 3:55 PM
| My honesty's brutal but it's honestly futile if I don't utilize what I do though for good, at least once in a while |
| Can someone explain to me the part where Fujita look at the note? There are like 6 rows for the first 6 rounds. Where does he see 290 million??? Or the anime kinda "skip" it??? |
| Ḻ͖͚̤̥͂ͪͩ̽ͅo͖̺̒̉r̰̝ͣͤ̌̉̃̀d ͈̹̠͎͙̗ͪ̄͆ͪ̈̃̀R̩͌͂͑ͦi͔̯̱̣̹̜̲x͕̮̞̮̪̒͆̈́u̜̦͔͈̮͕͈͐̇̔̒̐el̰̖̦͒͛ Discord qhCsvqT Make English people read this: Ohio go say mass |
| A little proud of myself for catching that Kikuzawa was secretly working with Yokoya a little bit before it was revealed, although I didn’t connect that it was also related to Yokoya’s “clairvoyance”, also I was thinking Kikuzawa was bought by Yokoya for them to be working together. Turns out, poor Kikuzawa was bullied or something similar by Yokoya when they were in high school, so that made him an easy target here, now it makes more sense why Kikuzawa was riding an incredibly high horse when he had his “surefire way” of winning, he wanted a taste of being in control like Yokoya did to him. Well, even with the reveal, Kikuzawa was being a real dick there lol, I’m glad Akiyama called him out and dragged the truth out of him, I hope to get more background between him and Yokoya in the next one. Also, W Nao for her teddy bear play against Yokoya, that was both funny and a good way of finding out how to crack the trick he was using. But now that Yokoya and Kikuzawa’s secret is out, I wonder how the game is going to progress from here, it might be time for the real mind games to come out if fixing the rounds won’t be happening anymore. And lastly, this was the last one with the original OP and ED I believe, they were such a good pair and favorites of mine from the spring, I’m especially fond of the chill ED with the Akiyama focused visuals. I look forward to hearing the new ones even if I’ll miss the original pair. |
| Kikuzawa-sama let it get over his head and got disciplined by Akiyama LOL I love how Akiyama is always instructing Nao right from the start to notice people and to doubt them before starting to trust them. He's literally her mom 😄❤️ Nao using her Teddy Bear to prove Yokoya's clairvoyance is just an act made me laugh so hard. So she brought it with her after last game 😅🤣 Yokoya having controlled Kikuzawa right from their school days was a shocking thing to learn. |
Reply to EscapismToTheMax
Now the only thing I want to mention for this episode is that it marks where the J-Drama Contraband manga content ended. Yokoya there claimed to have an X-ray vision and was very different from Yokoya you're seein' right now. As you can probably guess it's the only "good" part of the live action Contraband - when drama writers went with their own plot they completely and miserably failed. So in case you wanted to check the J-Drama version - I advise you do it before you watch ANY more anime episodes.
I'm most excited for new OP & ED next week. On a funny side, from a person who waited for anime adaptation since 2015 I kinda get why Madhouse didn't make one at that time. The reason bein' the female part of the equation: female director, female VA, female toned songs: its very crucial thing. Nao is portrayed totally different in all live action adaptations starting from Round 3.
Anime Nao truly feels great. Madhouse knows they shit and talents / budget / marketing / audience down to nuances.
I'm most excited for new OP & ED next week. On a funny side, from a person who waited for anime adaptation since 2015 I kinda get why Madhouse didn't make one at that time. The reason bein' the female part of the equation: female director, female VA, female toned songs: its very crucial thing. Nao is portrayed totally different in all live action adaptations starting from Round 3.
Anime Nao truly feels great. Madhouse knows they shit and talents / budget / marketing / audience down to nuances.
EscapismToTheMax said: I'm most excited for new OP & ED next week I don't wanna say goodbye to the current ones. They're so good 😔 |
Reply to Crez
Can't believe I'm saying it, but I was extremely disappointed with this episode.
Not gonna spoil anything, but they removed some very important character moments, especially for Nao, that I just... I just didn't like it, and I've loved the anime so far.
They better not be rushing this arc, it's really not worth it.
Not gonna spoil anything, but they removed some very important character moments, especially for Nao, that I just... I just didn't like it, and I've loved the anime so far.
They better not be rushing this arc, it's really not worth it.
| @Crez could you detail on what exactly they cut ? |
| Anyone who read the manga, how does the episodes of the contraband arc compare to the manga? No spoilers please. |
| I just thought he was lip reading from the room. |
 |
Reply to Niwaka-Samurai
@Crez could you detail on what exactly they cut ?
| @Niwaka-Samurai I'm not Crez but I notice 2 important details that the anime version cut If it's not in ep 13, then I wonder if they are going to explain a bit in details in the next episode. If not, then it's really cut off. |
| Ḻ͖͚̤̥͂ͪͩ̽ͅo͖̺̒̉r̰̝ͣͤ̌̉̃̀d ͈̹̠͎͙̗ͪ̄͆ͪ̈̃̀R̩͌͂͑ͦi͔̯̱̣̹̜̲x͕̮̞̮̪̒͆̈́u̜̦͔͈̮͕͈͐̇̔̒̐el̰̖̦͒͛ Discord qhCsvqT Make English people read this: Ohio go say mass |
Reply to KamikazeDerfel
Anyone who read the manga, how does the episodes of the contraband arc compare to the manga? No spoilers please.
| @KamikazeDerfel Manga has more details, Anime is more concise. Both have different pros and cons imo. So far, personally, I prefer anime version because it's a little bit like "tl;dr" so it helps me understand quicker lol |
| Ḻ͖͚̤̥͂ͪͩ̽ͅo͖̺̒̉r̰̝ͣͤ̌̉̃̀d ͈̹̠͎͙̗ͪ̄͆ͪ̈̃̀R̩͌͂͑ͦi͔̯̱̣̹̜̲x͕̮̞̮̪̒͆̈́u̜̦͔͈̮͕͈͐̇̔̒̐el̰̖̦͒͛ Discord qhCsvqT Make English people read this: Ohio go say mass |
Reply to Rixuel
@Niwaka-Samurai I'm not Crez but I notice 2 important details that the anime version cut
If it's not in ep 13, then I wonder if they are going to explain a bit in details in the next episode. If not, then it's really cut off.
If it's not in ep 13, then I wonder if they are going to explain a bit in details in the next episode. If not, then it's really cut off.
| @Rixuel oh, thanks for that info. Now I get why Yokoya said that he said too much to Nao and Akiyama learning about Yokoya's mentality through Nao helped him figure out how Kikuzawa and Yokoya were collaborating. |
Reply to Rixuel
Can someone explain to me the part where Fujita look at the note?
There are like 6 rows for the first 6 rounds. Where does he see 290 million??? Or the anime kinda "skip" it???
There are like 6 rows for the first 6 rounds. Where does he see 290 million??? Or the anime kinda "skip" it???
@Rixuel They didn't show the line with the 7th round  |
| Great episode. I really liked the surprise of Nao bringing a teddy bear in the suitcase. The only thing I wish had happened in this episode was Fukunaga punching Kikuzawa after he admitted what he did. I mean, Fukunaga had wanted to punch Kikuzawa before, especially after being told to call him '-sama'. So that means Yokoya learned the Day Team members' names from Kikuzawa. What was actually funny was how Kikuzawa immediately started acting all mighty even though Akiyama was still on his team. No, I'm not saying Akiyama is unbeatable or anything. Anyone can turn things around. But ever since Round 1, Akiyama has shown that he uses his brain and isn't easy to fool. So what made Kikuzawa so convinced that this trick would go smoothly just like that without anyone getting suspicious at all? Well... to be fair, he was bullied and controlled by Yokoya... yeah... but still... Also, this was all Yokoya's doing, right? I assume that includes how he learned the Day Team members' names. Hmm... I'm not sure how to put this, but despite all that, does that mean Yokoya still doesn't know that Akiyama is the 'brain' of the Day Team? Going by his conversation with Nao, it seems like he has his suspicions, but isn't certain yet. But from the fact that he tried to get Kikuzawa to deceive his own team, it seems like he still doesn't know there's someone on the Day Team he can't fool easily. Although... that would also mean Kikuzawa never told Yokoya anything more about Akiyama. Which, if we go back to what I was wondering earlier, also means Kikuzawa didn't consider Akiyama to be someone particularly clever. Or... maybe Kikuzawa did tell him, but then Yokoya was just testing whether anyone on the Day Team could figure out his trick (through Kikuzawa)? Ahhhh. I'm confusing myself lol. The game is exciting and keeps me on edge, but I also like paying attention to how each character (especially the clever and interesting ones like Akiyama, Yokoya, Fukunaga, and Nao) thinks and acts. Like, why are they like this? Why are they like that? How could they make a decision like this? What made them do that? It's just fun to think about. |
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Reply to NoHead1715
| @NoHead1715 yeah and the 2nd page. Pretty sure there are more than 7 rounds now lol. |
| Ḻ͖͚̤̥͂ͪͩ̽ͅo͖̺̒̉r̰̝ͣͤ̌̉̃̀d ͈̹̠͎͙̗ͪ̄͆ͪ̈̃̀R̩͌͂͑ͦi͔̯̱̣̹̜̲x͕̮̞̮̪̒͆̈́u̜̦͔͈̮͕͈͐̇̔̒̐el̰̖̦͒͛ Discord qhCsvqT Make English people read this: Ohio go say mass |
| Akiyama, my king. What a great episode. This show has become extremely interesting and fun to watch after the initial frustration with Nao. Sometimes sticking with something through the mud pays off and this looks like one of those series. |
| So they are working together because they already meet in real life before... |
| - Mal-Badge - Level 25 Ranked 1135 Last update : 27.02.2022 at 05:50 My Candies :   |
on 
| MANIPULATION This is how mind games work. What this episode does best is remind us that Liar Game is not just about calculations. The game becomes truly strong when it reveals what the characters think of each other, how they read each other, how they use each other, and how far a single piece of information can turn into power. That is why Nao’s scene against Yokoya matters so much. She does not gain value only because she understands a rule. She earns respect because she dares to test the logic of the game differently. By putting something other than money in the trunk, she forces Yokoya to expose the limit of his supposed clairvoyance. More importantly, she brings out what he really believes: for him, the world is divided between those who dominate and those who obey. In that moment, Nao no longer feels only naive or moral. She reads the game. The episode becomes even more interesting when Kikuzawa reproduces that exact logic inside his own team. The second he believes he has a winning method, he does not simply try to help everyone. He buys obedience, promises to share money with those who follow him, demands to be called “Kikuzawa-sama,” and turns the group into a ridiculous little court around him. Manipulation is no longer just an idea spoken by Yokoya. It becomes a social structure, visible in the lobby, in the distance between characters, in those who refuse and those who submit to money. That is also where the episode’s visual side deserves more credit than it might get at first glance. Liar Game is not a flashy adaptation, and it will not win people over through movement alone, but the frames do more than simply carry dialogue. The expressions are sharp, sometimes exaggerated in the right way, especially when arrogance, panic, doubt or humiliation take over a character’s face. The red and blue tones push the pressure further, the glass room keeps turning information into distance, and the lobby compositions make Kikuzawa’s fake authority feel visible before the script tears it down. Then Akiyama puts everything back into place. Yokoya’s fake power, Kikuzawa’s method, the nearly identical gains, the fake stomach pain, the signs through the glass, the deliberately different styles: everything that looked like separate details becomes one single chain. The 91.12 million trap works because it turns an intuition into proof. Yokoya does not guess. Kikuzawa does not read the trunks. They exchange information, and the entire game becomes readable in a new way. That is where the episode truly proves its strength. The mind game is not smart only because it has a solution. It is smart because it changes the meaning of what we just watched. Kikuzawa’s victories become suspicious. Yokoya’s calm becomes less mystical and more dangerous. The empty-trunk strategy does not only block the opponent; it also cuts the channel that was feeding Kikuzawa. Even his stomach pain, which could have looked like a comic excuse, becomes a logical mistake. The final confession also gives Yokoya more weight. Kikuzawa is not just a caught accomplice. He was already under Yokoya’s influence before the game. That makes the manipulation dirtier, more personal, and it shifts the threat. Yokoya is not just a player who knows how to calculate. He is someone who knows how to choose the right weaknesses, the right people, the right levers. The limit of the episode mostly comes from physicality. The anime is not visually flat: the faces hit, the framing understands power, and several shots give the confrontation more force than people might expect from the early episodes. But some scenes could still have hit harder with more movement, more body language, more life in the shifts of domination. The manga can be respected, but the anime could have made certain moments feel more tense, more physical, more overwhelming. But even with that limit, the episode works. It makes you want to continue because it does not rely only on Akiyama, even if Akiyama remains exactly the kind of intelligent character we expect him to be. The real addition here is that Nao also gains credibility. She understands the game better, she forces a reading, and she earns more respect. When an episode can make manipulation exist through rules, numbers, faces, frames, and human relationships at the same time, that is when Liar Game shows how a mind game should work. |
| I'm looking for more must watch/ must read... text me more reviews here: https://www.facebook.com/share/19TE1xbrgu/? Discord (Anime/manga recom): https://discord.gg/vbZrk64uH7 |
Sir_Zedmore said: Marinate1016 said: letting a dude bully you from elementary school to adulthood is fucking insane, you deserve to get bullied if your dumbass that soft and sensitive I'm sorry what? The longer and earlier something like that happens the harder it is to put a stop to it. 'You deserve to get bullied' are we being fr? The only people who arguably deserve bullying are bullies and people who turn a blind eye to it (you clearly), and even then, punishment is a worse incentive than reward. Grown man talking about some nothing you can do lmaooo. Y’all can’t do anything |
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| The first time I saw this part in the manga I thought Yokoya's precise "clairvoyance" call of their exact amount of money was unnecessary because if he only called 100 million he would've avoided that loss, but when I understood the reasoning behind it it blew my mind! This does seem like a twist that should've been easy to see through, but the writer is so damn smart he used a psychological trick to keep us from finding out. |
| Decent episode. So, the blond was Yokoya's lackey back in high school, graduated and became a proud alumnus, only to go right back to how he was back in high school: a sidekick. Not a good one like Robin, who's Bruce's sidekick, but a miserable, pitiful, pathetic loser. Way to humiliate yourself, you self-degrading, self-centered, self-absorbed, insecure, childish, immature, egocentric, delusional, disgusting, masochistic manchild. I wonder what Shinichi's gonna do now that he's figured out the relationship between Yokoya and the blond. Also, I love how Shinichi, Nao, and X just decided to flip him the bird, politely telling him to eff off. The world doesn't revolve around you, they don't need your money, so they'll call you whatever they want, you idiot. Had to point this out because his reaction to it was hilarious. |
| Predictable but pretty good episode |
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| Honestly, I was expecting the trick behind Yokoya's "clairvoyance" to involve his mice, but it turned out to be much more straightforward than I thought. And now it's up to Akiyama to show everyone who's really in control of this game. |
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