[Drama 2014] Liar Game 라이어 게임

[hellomoncher_]

DRAMA REACTIONS & REVIEWSThe art of lie detection [Year in Review, Part 3]by HeadsNo2 | December 19, 2014 | 49 Comments

Liar Game

Last but certainly not least (spoiler alert: it’s actually the best) is tvN’s Liar Game, which may not have earned high enough ratings to be officially dubbed a sleeper hit, but garnered enough critical acclaim and buzz here and abroad to be considered a home run for everyone involved. It wasn’t just a drama. It was an experience. Cheesy? Maybe. True? Definitely.

Based on a Japanese drama of the same name, Liar Game boasted one of the most intriguing premises of the year and the kind of follow-through that would make any lover of good storytelling go weak in the knees. Starring Kim So-eun as a kindhearted but financially struggling girl who suddenly finds herself a contestant of a sinister reality show which pits contestants against each other in a game of lies, brains, and betrayal—but for a grand prize of ten million life-changing dollars that even she can’t refuse.

It’s when she employs the help of master swindler and alarmingly handsome grumpycat Lee Sang-yoon that the story shifts into high gear, as he becomes her guardian angel and guide into a world of deceit she knows very little of. Through her, the drama posed relevant and deeply resonant questions about trust and virtue, and in doing so it challenged the status quo where cynicism is considered practical while optimism is often sneered at.

They faced a mutual enemy in the form of Shin Sung-rok, who gave us a truly chilling and unforgettable performance as Kang Do-young, a Mephistophelian game show host with an uncanny ability to see into people’s souls and use them in whatever way he saw fit. Less of a man and more like a force of nature, Do-young pursued his goals with the sort of one-mindedness that could only come from someone unburdened by any semblance of morality. If he and Ha Woo-jin were evenly matched in wits, Do-young’s inner emptiness gave him a distinct advantage when it came to our human lie detector of a hero. How can you tell someone is lying if they’ve removed—or had removed for them—what traditionally makes us, well, us?

Truth or Truth: Liar Game was the best drama of the year. Or, it was the greatestdrama of the year. #sixseasonsandamovie

 

THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT

It’s hard to believe that this is already my third time doing this, because it feels like I just finished writing last year’s review. No, really—about three months of my life were erased by that brain injury, which marked an epoch in my life that will now always be fondly tied to Dramabeans, and less fondly so to Age of Feeling.

Special thanks to javabeans and girlfriday for their encouragement and support over the years. And to gummimochi—you are the lighthouse to my stormy sea, and if you were ever unjustly murdered, know that I would avenge your death.

To the Beanies, thank you for another wonderful year of lively discussion and group fanning sessions. Thank you for the love rain when I needed it most. You guys are awesome.

 

Source: http://www.dramabeans.com/2014/12/the-art-of-lie-detection-year-in-review-part-3/ 
HeadsNo2 dubbed it as the greatest drama of the year! Now that really deserves a Season 2. 

[LSYfan]

@soompi: Best In Show: Standout K-Dramas from 2014! #kdrama http://t.co/fkJO2q9VTv http://t.co/ZWD1TNZcpj

Liar Game^^daebak =D>

[Guest liamandniall4ever]

Let's vote for Liar Game as the best Korean Drama of 2014!!
http://vote.kdramastars.com/best-korean-drama-2014

[akinahana89]

I'm totally missing the excitement of Liar Game two times a week in my life...

[haruhi17]

Check out girlfriday's review  

Liar Game

And the Mathlete Award goes to… Liar Game. You’re super geeky, but someday you’ll probably rule the world, and then everyone will be sorry they were mean to you in high school.

Since I have a hard time recalling anything about this show other than Lee Sang-yoon making my heart race, I gave up trying to write a coherent review. Here’s my Ode to Ha Woo-jin instead:

Ha Woo-jin the Conman
(To be sung to the tune of 

)

Ha Woo-jin the conman
Was a cranky surly guy
With a rap sheet and a Ph.D.
Who could tell when you would lie

Ha Woo-jin the conman
Is a fairytale, they say
He was made of ice but the people know
How he came to thaw one day

There must have been some magic
In that Nam Da-jung he met
For when she picked him up from jail
He became her loyal pet

O, Ha Woo-jin the conman
Was as smart as he could be
But the people say he would bark and bite
If you messed with Da-jungie

Thumpity, thump, thump
Thumpity, thump, thump
Look at my heart go 

Thumpity, thump, thump
Thumpity, thump, thump
Woo-jin I love you so 

Ha Woo-jin the conman
Knew the Liar Game was rigged
So he hatched a plan that involved some math
Saved his team from being tricked

Ha Woo-jin the conman
Was often in a scrape
But he had some guts and a loan shark bud
And luck for goodness’ sake

He led them down the maze of games
Against the mastermind
While chasing the conspiracy
Leaving no cash left behind

For Ha Woo-jin the conman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye saying, “I’ll be back
And I know how to win this game”

Thumpity, thump, thump
Thumpity, thump, thump
Look at my heart go

Thumpity, thump, thump
Thumpity, thump, thump
Woo-jin I love you so

SOURCE: http://www.dramabeans.com/2014/12/and-the-award-goes-to-year-in-review-part-4/

[akinahana89]

Hahaha. That's awesome!! Now... is anyone going to record themselves singing "Ha Woo Jin the Conman?" LOL

[LSYfan]

Official blog for Ha Woo Jin via agency J Wide company

@jwidecompany: [이상윤] 그대는 별로. 내 마음의 별로~☆★ http://t.co/Je6NWGVtTO

[Wanderer17]

Credit~~ Dramatroll IG

[akinahana89]

Hey guys! Did you see that Liar Game is up for Best Drama in this year's Soompi Awards?

http://www.soompi.com/soompi-awards-2014-vote/

[Guest apple2711]

akinahana89 said: Hey guys! Did you see that Liar Game is up for Best Drama in this year's Soompi Awards?

http://www.soompi.com/soompi-awards-2014-vote/

[partyon]

So I'm a little bit late watching this drama. I saw all the rave reviews about it on dramabeans and finally had time to marathon-watch it.

What a drama! I couldn't stop watching it. The suspense was overwhelming and finally we had a show where the watcher was allowed to use his/her brain. I love mathematics and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the show. It was also a breath of fresh air to have a drama where romance or a love triangle wasn't the main point of the drama.

I liked the story and character development. They always revealed just enough to keep the suspense and story going. I liked that they kept the show at 12 episodes. 16 episodes would have been too much for a drama like this.

The actors were all really good. Shin Sung-rok really is the Villain #1 out there. He gave me the creeps in You From The Stars, and in this one he really scared me. Loved Lee Sang-yoon as the sultry but intelligent Ha Woo-jin. Hadn't seen Kim So-eun before in a drama, and felt she was sweet and able to portray realistically a naive but trustworthy young woman.

I am already waiting for a season 2, and I really hope they'll make one even thought the ratings weren't the highest. Can anyone recommend the Japanese versions? I might watch them while I wait for season 2...

[mme_madeleine]

Look, our two handsome Liar Game leads LSY and SSR reunited not as rivals, but as basketball teammates! :\">
Posted this in case you find this cute (like I do! haha). I miss them both and I really, really hope there will be a season 2 of LG.

News article (in Korean) here: http://m.hanstar.net/334829/
Soompi article: http://www.soompi.com/2015/01/08/minho-jinwoon-shin-sung-rok-and-more-to-participate-in-hanstar-celebrity-basketball-festival-first-ever-celebrity-basketball-league/



Credits to: 
For the picture—instagram.com/shinsungrokoppa (an SSR fan account) 

@shin_sung_rok and Lee Sang-yoon reunited for Celebrity Basketball tournament

[LSYfan]

I miss Woo Jin & Do Young

Cr: LSY Baidu & DC

[evie7]

sin hoonsim said: I miss Woo Jin & Do Young Cr: LSY Baidu & DC  

[akinahana89]

Shin Sung Rok is just innocently sitting there... but looking at him, why do I get the feeling that he's scheming something evil? Hahaha.

[Guest StarMasayume_e1d5]

So it took me awhile to realize they made a korean version for Liar Game but I was excited and grabbed a friend this month to marathon it. We were so hooked. I had watched the Japanese drama way back and in the last year or so I've been reading the manga which is finishing this month. The actors were perfect for their roles here, and even the additional characters I really loved. I thought the reality tv aspect was odd at first but I got used to it and they definitely came up with their own intriguing plot with the three main characters here. There was a lot of similarities to the characters and games but a lot was fresh and different. I was not expecting the end of the first now so I'm dying for a season 2!
To bide us over we plan to watch the Jdrama again since I never finished season two. Kdramas for me feel more slick and polished and this is also so for Liar Game, it was more emotionally intense and had a realness to it. The Japanese version has a lot of charm though and more closely follows the manga so I would still recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it. I thought Jamie in here actually resembled Fukanaga better from the manga (though actually a transvestite) versus the devious and geeky version in the Jdrama. XD 

[Guest Kropikko]

I recently finished watching this drama! Right now it's one of my favs, I was so hooked to it that it was like a marathon for me "just one more ep... just one more"  @-)
I love all the psychological tricks, great ideas how to beat every game and all the "I have a winning strategy" things

Minority rule round was just pure genius. Ha Woo Jin figuring out Betrayer X's plan and later making a statement - revealing his NO to the question “I think the most important thing in the world in money” - that was definitely one of my favourite scenes in whole series.

[LSYfan]

While waiting for Season 2 LG

just wonder basketball game anyone?

MBC sports & Hanstar

DY & WJ playing for JinHon

5-feb game

@LeeSangYunJapan: [2015/1/21 Hanstar LSY #7] Team “Liar Game” Forever～

#LeeSangYun #イサンユン #이상윤 #LeeSangYoon #李相侖 #진혼 #신성록 #연예인농구 http://t.co/Jn321vgEBT

@LeeSangYunJapan: ‘훈남’ ‘꽃미남’스타들은 농구를 좋아해^^ http://t.co/TdRQfcRuoy #LeeSangYun #イサンユン #이상윤 #LeeSangYoon #李相侖 #진혼 #연예인농구 http://t.co/eXVxE2SpWX

[Guest rdbsk]

I am so in love with Ha WooJin / Nam DaJung and Lee SangYoon / Kim SoEun couple .. anyone know whats their couple name ?

[akinahana89]

rdbsk said: I am so in love with Ha WooJin / Nam DaJung and Lee SangYoon / Kim SoEun couple .. anyone know whats their couple name ? I think their couple name is just WooJung...