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I xxxx you.

Sounds pretty ambiguous, doesn’t it? Lying Mii-kun and Broken Maa-chan : Precious Lies is one of those manga that, like the opening statement, leaves many things up to interpretation. This manga blurs the lines between two extremes, where things are not always as they appear.
The title only helps add to the deceptiveness of this short series. You will effectively be thrown for a loop on more than one occasion and afterwards wonder if what happened was actually reality or not. Although it is only 5 chapters a long and a tad under two-hundred pages, it still manages to suck you in like few ... others can.

“Mii-kun,” as mentioned before, is the narrator, and I believe that because of this you get a truly in-depth look into how much he and “Maa-chan” have suffered. Each of them have their own inner demons that they try to face in their own unique way. However, the fact that “Mii-kun” is a compulsive liar makes things all the more interesting, as even with his inner monologues you are never really sure when he is telling the truth, or if he is lying not only to those around him but to himself as well. I think that this is a rather ingenious way of luring the reader in while also making them question the honesty and the deception.

The relationship between “Mii-kun” and “Maa-chan” is especially interesting because of its ambiguous nature. Between them they have the most censored dialogue, leaving the interpretation of their relationship up to the reader. There are also a few other characters that “Mii-kun” has interactions with, though for the most part these conversations are rather evasive. Even so you would think, for such a short manga, that the dialogue could be one of it’s shortcomings but, in actuality, the opposite is true. The dialogue is superb, especially given the length that leaves little room for mistakes or wasted language.

Another interesting aspect in this manga is that you are never quite certain who the antagonist is until the very end. This leaves you guessing and on the edge of your seat, because every single twist or turn could give you the information you need to determine who it is. Unlike with the antagonist, you know who the protagonists are and legitimately feel for them.

The art is also incredibly realistic. Nothing is disproportioned and all the characters actually look very different and unique. The backgrounds and scenery look nice too albeit a little plain sometimes, but they are never really the main focus anyway. Another thing that I really liked were the facial expressions, I think that they accurately portrayed the emotions that the characters were showing.

This manga is definitely not for the faint of heart. It does, in fact, cover some pretty dark material but it is portrayed in a realistic manner. That being said, I can’t exactly say that Lying Mii-kun and Broken Maa-chan : Precious Lies is a masterpiece, because it does leave some questions unanswered at the end, but that goes along with interpretation which is what this manga is all about. However, I would highly recommend this short series to anyone who likes psychological manga and is in the mood for a quick read… But be prepared to get mind fucked.