English Dub Review: Liar Game “Initiative”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Nao uncovers Player X’s true identity as the votes wind down to the final contestant.

Our Take:
In a shocking surprise, the identity of Player X has been revealed as one of the members of Akiyama’s alliance: Hitomi.  However, it also comes with a catch that somehow caught me off guard.  It turns out that Hitomi wasn’t really a woman at all, but a feminine man named Fuji, who’s using his roommate’s name to compete in the tournament.  This misdirection helped inject some stakes into the second round of the lie-based competition, keeping Nao and Akiyama on their toes to ensure Fuji doesn’t have his way.  Fortunately for Akiyama, given his skills as a former conman, he may be once again one step ahead of the deceiver, with him already uncovering Fuji’s facade before Nao did.
The episode continues the tournament’s “Minority Rule” round with an exposition-heavy narrative that highlights Akiyama’s latest game plan and Fuji’s attempt to put himself in the minority with his three “teams”.  Given how this “game” is turning out compared to the first round, I may be in the minority for feeling that it may have gone on for a bit too long.  Sure, the psychological suspense helps elevate the experience of waiting six hours to vote on a yes-or-no question, especially in the previous episode.  But as far as the actual round amid the characters’ conversations goes, I may be ready for the next round sooner than I expected.  Thankfully, Akiyama’s trap could be what we need to bring it to a close.