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Honestly, it was hard for me to get into Liar Game. When browsing for new mangas to read, I'm the type to look at the art first and then, see IF the story is interesting. The art comes first before anything else, before the raving reviews or the glowing recommendations. So me ending up reading Liar Game was purely by chance. Lucky me :)

The main reason why after getting past the cover, discovering that the art wasn't to my liking--but oh well, it's just one chapter anyway--and continued reading the first chapter, and the one after that and the next one and the next one ... is this: Liar Game truly has an interesting story. The main premise, the plot twists, the psychological battle going on between the participants particularly and the further developing plot which just makes me want more.

The cover art sort of has this Death Note-ish quality to it that attracted me to click it after seeing it in the 'updated' list. For the rest of the manga, I can say that I don't...mind it. Nao's character design is simple, if not, almost realistic. I can imagine what she must look like in real life. The same can be said for almost the rest of the characters except Akiyama-san. Now, he looks like a manga character and more than enough to fill my crave for spike-haired bishies.

So far, the characters have stayed true to their 'core' in all chapters. Nao being 'foolishly honest' and staying gullible even after going through so much in the Liar Game and Akiyama, the clever partner who began doing this for Nao's sake but has developed a curiosity to discover who is really behind all of this. I've barely just began reading this manga so I will add more if anyone else catches my eye or if there is some sudden development that makes me reevaluate my view of the characters.

I am immensely enjoying this manga and looking forward to new chapters. If I could have my way, I'd catch up to the most recent chapters out (but sadly, I am quite busy) but that I took the time to write this review is proof enough how much I liked this manga. While it might not be a feast in the eyes, it's quite effective for brain exercise :)

"Mada Mada Dane" ("You still have lots more to work on")

Story: 9
The story of the Princes of Tennis is still far from over. Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama is a sequel to that, and this time, they're up against highschoolers. The original cast is back along with some fine new additions, other seemingly minor characters from way back in Prince of Tennis and new players they’ll meet (and battle) at Camp—new obstacles to face and players they would have to defeat.

What’s refreshing to see is the unity among the middle-schoolers and not just according to what school they came from, but as a whole. (PS. I'm ... only giving it a nine since I'm just halfway in the story and still have a lot of expectations)

Art: 9
The art is as beautiful as always, makes me wish that there is an anime for this already since I can’t wait to see these awesome shots in motion. I’m amazed with the background since it’s incredibly detailed on some panels (although not quite on par with Kuroshitsuji. I know, I have a high standard) and the matches are easy to understand. Despite being black-and-white (it’s a manga, duh) the characters all have uniquely defining features that makes it easy to differentiate them.

Character: 10
All the characters improved in this series, they’ve experienced new things, sufferings and that helped them grow. (I especially like the one about Akaya Kirihara) More exposure are given to other players that didn’t show much in Prince of Tennis (Krauzer for example) and have introduced interesting new characters (Oni, Irie etc.). The character growth is what I’m probably looking forward to the most in this series.

Enjoyment: 9
All in all, I can say that I am thoroughly enjoying Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama. It’s the same old characters but with a new story and I can’t say I didn’t miss them (yes, Atobe too). The characters would keep you laughing and the twists and the matches would keep you hangin' on till the end and just make you want more and more.

*Inui glasses gleaming* Probability that you will like this: 99.9%