The Gods Lie is a single volume manga published in Japan as Kamisama ga uso wo tsuku in 2013 by Kodansha after being serialized in Afternoon magazine. It was later published in English in 2016 by Vertical Comics.
The story and artwork was done by Kaoir Ozaki who was also the mangaka who wrote the series ‘Immortal Rain’. She has also written a short story collection titles ‘Knife’.
Synopsis
Natsuru Nanao, a 6th Grader who lives with his mother, strikes p an unlikely friendship with the reserved Rio Suzumura. Natsuru skips his summer soccer camp that summer, and instead of telling the truth to his mother, he spends all his time with Rio and her kid brother at their rickety house, where a dark secret threatens to upend their fragile happiness.
Discussion
The story in this manga is about young people having to face the realities behind the lies they have been told throughout their lives. The main characters try to hold onto the world as they had always believed it to be despite knowing that it cannot be.
Struggling to adapt to changes in his life, Natsuru skips his summer soccer camp and spends day and night with Suzumura and her brother. The three start to view their new situation as a sort of start of a new family, living what they see as a truly idealistic life. But the reality of the world starts to catch up to them and they are forced to face the world they have desperately tried to escape from.
Ozaki’s artwork beautifully syncs up with the story telling and holds the reader’s attention from start to finish. The reader find’s themselves emerged in the story, wanting to see how these characters came to be in the situation they are, and what will happen to them by the end of the story. At only 214 pages, The God’s Lie can easily be read in a single sitting.
Offensive Content
While reading the manga I found very few potential issues which could be viewed as offensive o some readers. Only one swear word was used throughout the story, but it was not offensive or insulting in the context used.
One abnormality did stand out early in the story as being somewhat strange, especially in this particular story. Near the start of the story the main character squeexes his mother’s breats while they hug and it is addressed as somewhat normal behaviour. The action didn’t seem to have any follow-on actions or consequences and simple stood out as something odd to be included in the story in the first place.
Overall I would say that there isn’t really anything in this manga that could be taken offensively, and I could not find any official rating or parental warnings in regards to The Gods Lie.
Recommendation
The Gods Lie is a very short manga, only 214 pages over five chapters, and the English release by Vertical Comics is very nice. The story may appeal to fans of Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. If series such as these interest you, then I would recommend The Gods Lie as a ‘MUST READ’.
Rating: 4.5/5
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