English Dub Review: Liar Game “Resolution”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
The first round of the Liar Game reaches its end, and a new round begins.

Our Take:
The previous episode left us wondering whether Akiyama is worth relying on regarding his “master plan”.  As it turns out, he is, and at the very last minute, too, resulting in Nao surviving her predicament for now.  If not, then it would’ve been a very short anime adaptation, and it’s already planned to air for two cours.  Given the show’s premise, I can understand why.  In addition to Nao’s naive personality, the Liar Game pulls out a ridiculous condition that to quit the game entirely, you have to pay a chunk of money that a player has possessed.  It’s too bad that she donated half her earnings to Fujisawa before realizing this rule.  After everything that the teacher did to Nao, I would’ve just leave him poor for the rest of his life.
If that’s not frustrating enough, the LGT managed to trick Nao into competing in another round, with her “lawyer” working for the organization.  I would’ve classified that as cheating, but since this is the “Liar Game”, anything goes as long as it’s a convincing lie.  This episode further highlights the mystery surrounding the competition’s existence and the manipulation it holds with its conditions.  Sure, Nao’s excessive honesty can be a bit annoying when it comes to the choices she makes and the people she trusts too easily.  But it somehow works so far, not just in terms of the stakes in her survival, but also in her selflessness in saving others from suffering the same fate, including Fujisawa.  It’s likely what she might end up doing for her other opponents, but she’ll have to survive the next round first.