There is no way to sugarcoat this: much of this anime is pure schlock. The two main female leads, Sarasa and Shirayuki, are textbook examples of the tsundere and dandere archetypes, respectively. It's so bog standard that you can guess how either of them will react in any given situation—especially when Hiroto is around. On top of this, there are the random moments of fan service that constantly show up—the most egregious being when the three are forced into bathing together as a "punishment" by Shirayuki after she is left out of a shopping trip. It's pandering to the lowest common denominator, pure and simple.

Yet, that doesn't change the fact that this anime is immensely entertaining whenever Hiroto is playing one of the numerous games seen in the series. Hiroto is the underdog in every fight he's in. While his prize from his first battle makes him appear to be the strongest on the island, he is actually one of the weakest. While other top players have numerous system-approved skills that help them win the various games, he can only use the most common of them.

Luckily, Sarasa, Shirayuki, and even his school's principal are vested in keeping him on top—to the point that they are willing to help him cheat to win. However, this doesn't mean that his victories are a sure thing. He has to cheat without getting caught—meaning what happens always has to be plausible, if nothing else. Because of this, there is always a ton of narrative tension surrounding his actions—especially as, more often than not, it's not the cheats that hand Hiroto his victories but rather his skill at bluffing.

This leads directly to another great aspect of the anime: Hiroto's dual personality. In private, as his true self, he's a nice person, willing to go out of his way to help his friends with whatever they need. But in public, he has to act as if he is the world's most arrogant teen—pretending that he and Sarasa are rivals and that he sees everyone he meets as beneath him.

But what's most interesting about his inward and outward personalities is how they slowly but surely combine into one over the course of the show. He eventually gives off the air of someone supremely confident in the superiority of his own abilities while not looking down on those around him. To his friends, he is a person they can count on to do the impossible (even if he needs a bit of outside help). To his enemies, he is a worthy rival—someone whose big talk is backed up by big actions.

When it comes to the presentation of the anime, it's about as average as you can get. Visually, it looks fine in most scenes—even with budget-saving tricks like most background characters being silhouettes rather than fully drawn people. The music is likewise forgettable—with the notable exception of the opening May'n-sung theme song, a serious earworm, and one of the best anime songs of the season.

In the end, Liar Liar is the epitome of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it is painfully cliché regarding the female characters and fanservice moments. On the other, it is immensely entertaining to watch Hiroto work his way out of seemingly unwinnable situations—leaving you guessing how he'll be able to snatch victory right until the very last moment. How much you enjoy this anime will be based largely on how much you love anime based around game duels and your tolerance for ham-fisted fanservice. As for me, while I doubt I'll ever watch it again, I don't feel like it was a waste of my time to watch.