English Dub Review: Liar Game “Turbulence”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Akiyama concocts a new plan to pull his team out of a hopeless situation.

Our Take:
The Day team has once again been caught in a lose-lose situation due to their obsession with money.  It’s one thing to want more money than the other team, but it’s another to allow that mentality to falter their current strategy.  Fortunately for them, Akiyama has a backup plan to help them out of this mess, which involves one of the Night players whom they identified as “Bandana”.  The episode further shows Akiyama’s keen knowledge of conning and strategy-making, with him convincing Bandana and the other Night players to betray Yokoya.  More importantly, it highlights Yokoya’s formidable presence through his dominance in the Downsizing Game, controlling his Night team through their fear of being in debt.  If that doesn’t convince you just how much of an asshole Yokoya is, then I’m not sure what will.
At this point, with how long this round is compared to others, we would’ve preferred to move on to the next game of the tournament, and I don’t blame them.  However, I will admit that the anime still makes an effort to make it more enticing through the characters’ psychological mentality and the game’s conditions.  “Turbulence” further emphasizes this approach with Akiyama’s backup plan, as well as his rivalry with Yokoya regarding their common manipulation tactics.  Do I still think it’s overstaying its welcome compared to the other rounds?  Yes, it does.  But thanks to Yokoya’s menacing presence and formidable mind, the anime’s Contraband Game arc continues to be a bumpy yet intense dialogue-driven ride.