The Little Lies We All Tell

The Little Lies We All Tell (4人はそれぞれウソをつく, Yonin wa Sorezore Uso o Tsuku, "Four People Lie in Their Own Way") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Madoka Kashihara. It was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine from April 2020 to March 2023. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Flad aired from October to December 2022.

The Little Lies We All Tell
First tankōbon volume cover
4人はそれぞれウソをつく
(Yonin wa Sorezore Uso o Tsuku)
GenreComedy[1]
Manga
Written byMadoka Kashihara
Published byKodansha
MagazineBessatsu Shōnen Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original runApril 9, 2020March 9, 2023
Volumes3
Anime television series
Directed byMakoto Hoshino
Written byMegumi Shimizu
Music byTomoki Kikuya
StudioStudio Flad
Licensed byCrunchyroll
Original networkABC, TV Asahi
Original run October 16, 2022 December 25, 2022
Episodes11
icon Anime and manga portal

Characters edit

Rikka (リッカ)
Voiced by: Chiemi Tanaka[2]
Chiyo (千代)
Voiced by: Natsumi Murakami[2]
Sekine (関根)
Voiced by: Ayane Sakura[2]
Tsubasa () / Tsuyoshi ()
Voiced by: Megumi Han[2]
Tsubasa (つばさ)
Voiced by: Yu Serizawa[3]
Hanzō (半蔵)
Voiced by: Yūya Hirose[3]
Brian-sensei (ブライアン先生, Buraian-sensei)
Voiced by: Yōji Ueda[3]
Masukuma (マスクマ)
Voiced by: Tomoko Kaneda[3]
Narrator (ナレーション, Narēshon)
Voiced by: Hōchū Ōtsuka[3]

Media edit

Manga edit

Written and illustrated by Madoka Kashihara, The Little Lies We All Tell was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine from April 9, 2020,[4] to March 9, 2023.[5] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. Three volumes were released from December 17, 2020,[6] to May 9, 2023.[7]

Volumes edit

No. Release date ISBN
1 December 17, 2020[8]978-4-06-522479-3
2 April 7, 2022[9]978-4-06-527535-1
3 May 9, 2023[7]978-4-06-529862-6

Anime edit

In March 2022, it was announced that the series would receive an anime television series adaptation.[1] It is produced by Studio Flad and directed by Makoto Hoshino, with scripts written by Megumi Shimizu, character designs handled by Ruriko Watanabe, and music composed by Tomoki Kikuya. The series aired from October 16 to December 25, 2022, on ABC and TV Asahi's Animazing!!! programming block.[2][10][a] The opening theme song is "Eclipse" by Nacherry, a voice unit composed of Chiemi Tanaka and Natsumi Murakami,[11] while ending theme song is "For 4 Forever" by Chiemi Tanaka, Natsumi Murakami, Ayane Sakura and Megumi Han as their respective characters.[12] Crunchyroll licensed the series.[13]

Episodes edit

No.Title [14][15]Directed by [b]Written by [b]Storyboarded by [b]Original air date [16]
1"The Four Girls' Secrets"
Transliteration: "Yonin no Himitsu" (Japanese: 4人のヒミツ)
Makoto HoshinoMegumi ShimizuMakoto HoshinoOctober 16, 2022 (2022-10-16)
2"School Festival"
Transliteration: "Bunkasai" (Japanese: 文化祭)
Yūsaku SaotomeRie KoshikaKatsuyuki Kodera
Makoto Hoshino
October 23, 2022 (2022-10-23)
3"Surprise"
Transliteration: "Sapuraizu" (Japanese: サプライズ)
Takanori YanoMegumu SasanoMakoto HoshinoOctober 30, 2022 (2022-10-30)
4"Wish Upon a Star"
Transliteration: "Hoshi ni Negai o" (Japanese: 星に願いを)
Hiroshi KuboMegumi ShimizuHiroshi KuboNovember 6, 2022 (2022-11-06)
5"Beach"
Transliteration: "Umi" (Japanese: )
Kōsuke KobayashiMegumu SasanoShōgo Arai
Makoto Hoshino
November 13, 2022 (2022-11-13)[c]
6"The Sleepover"
Transliteration: "Otomari" (Japanese: おとまり)
Yūsaku SaotomeRie KoshikaDashiyo HatsumiNovember 20, 2022 (2022-11-20)[c]
7"Ring Out! The Songs of Friends"
Transliteration: "Hibike! Tomo no Utagoe" (Japanese: 響け!友の歌声)
Takanori YanoMegumi ShimizuMakoto HoshinoNovember 27, 2022 (2022-11-27)
8"Hanzo's Challenge"
Transliteration: "Hanzō no Chōsen" (Japanese: 半蔵の挑戦)
Yūsaku SaotomeMegumi ShimizuTaiichi OikawaDecember 4, 2022 (2022-12-04)[c]
9"Find Fuku-chan!"
Transliteration: "Fuku-chan o Sagase!" (Japanese: フクちゃんをさがせ!)
Kōsuke KobayashiRie KoshikaShōgo Arai
Makoto Hoshino
December 11, 2022 (2022-12-11)[c]
10"Atami"
Transliteration: "Atami" (Japanese: 熱海)
Yūsaku SaotomeMegumu SasanoDashiyo HatsumiDecember 18, 2022 (2022-12-18)
11"Goodbye, Colonel"
Transliteration: "Sayonara Taisa" (Japanese: さよなら大佐)
Makoto HoshinoMegumi ShimizuMakoto HoshinoDecember 25, 2022 (2022-12-25)[d]

Reception edit

Anime News Network had three editors review the first episode of the anime:[17] Richard Eisenbeis was critical of the show's "general comedic premise" being lesser and too similar to Spy x Family, but noted that it went for "slightly taboo humor" in the vein of Please Tell Me! Galko-chan, concluding that: "While there's nothing overtly "wrong" or "bad" about this show, I feel that it lives or dies based on how much you enjoy the humor. It's a show that you really should try out for yourself and then go on from there." Caitlin Moore was initially put off by the first few minutes with its early revelation of the characters' secrets and potential transphobic humor involving Tsubasa/Tsuyoshi, but was pleasantly surprised by the lack of the latter and praised the show's template of being a gag anime similar to "30 Rock with the chaotic energy of Asobi Asobase." Nicholas Dupree criticized the premiere for being filled with "tired, low-energy comedy that occasionally stumbles into a sensible chuckle but otherwise sits around repeating itself," and failing to replicate Kaguya-sama's comedic style due to an unpolished production, calling it "a show that is trying just hard enough that it's embarrassing when the jokes don't land, but not trying hard enough to feel like earnest comedy, which is a really dull valley to get caught in."[17]

Moore reviewed the complete anime series in 2023 and gave it an overall B grade.[18] Despite finding some "middling animation and forgettable music" throughout the production, she called it "one of the most consistently funny, occasionally surprising comedies of the season", praising its balance of delivering "K-On!-style iyashikei" and Asobi Asobase's "gross-out humor" with "an almost subversive undertone" to them, concluding that "The Little Lies We All Tell wasn't the most remarkable series of Fall 2022, but I found it to be the one I watched most consistently. Every week, I could look forward to coming home from a challenging day at work, kicking off my shoes, and enjoying an episode I knew would make me laugh without the well-worn anime tropes that frustrate me or ask me to think too hard. Sometimes, that's all you want or need."[18]

Notes edit

  1. ^ ABC and TV Asahi list the series premiere at 26:00 on October 15, 2022, which is effectively 2:00 a.m. JST on October 16.
  2. ^ a b c Information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.
  3. ^ a b c d This episode aired at 2:05 a.m. JST, 5 minutes after the original air time on All-Nippon News Network.
  4. ^ This episode aired at 2:15 a.m. JST, 15 minutes after the original air time on All-Nippon News Network.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Mateo, Alex (March 29, 2022). "4-Nin wa Sorezore Uso wo Tsuku Comedy Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 14, 2022). "4-Nin wa Sorezore Uso o Tsuku Comedy Anime's Teaser Reveals Cast, Staff, October Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e Mateo, Alex (August 23, 2022). "4-Nin wa Sorezore Uso o Tsuku Anime Reveals 5 Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  4. ^ 性に翻弄される高校生たち描く、押見修造の新連載「おかえりアリス」別マガで. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 9, 2020. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 10, 2023). "Madoka Kashihara's The Little Lies We All Tell Manga Ends on March 9". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  6. ^ 宇宙人×抜け忍×超能力者×女装男子、秘密を抱えたなかよし4人組描く4コマ1巻. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. December 17, 2020. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  7. ^ a b 【5月9日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. May 9, 2023. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  8. ^ 【12月17日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. December 17, 2020. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  9. ^ 【4月7日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 7, 2022. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 9, 2022). "4-Nin wa Sorezore Uso o Tsuku Anime's Promo Video Reveals October 15 Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Mateo, Alex (July 29, 2022). "NACHERRY Perform 4-Nin wa Sorezore Uso o Tsuku Comedy Anime's Opening Theme Song". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  12. ^ エンディング主題歌「For 4 Forever」ジャケット公開!. 4uso-anime.com. September 28, 2022. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  13. ^ Mateo, Alex (October 4, 2022). "Crunchyroll Streams 'More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers,' The Little Lies We All Tell, KanColle: Let's Meet at Sea More Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  14. ^ "Terebi Anime "Yonin wa Sorezore Uso o Tsuku" Kōshiki Saito" TVアニメ『4人はそれぞれウソをつく』公式サイト [TV Anime "The Little Lies We All Tell" Official Website]. 4uso-anime.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  15. ^ "The Little Lies We All Tell - Watch on Crunchyroll". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  16. ^ "Terebi Anime "Yonin wa Sorezore Uso o Tsuku" Kōshiki Saito" TVアニメ『4人はそれぞれウソをつく』公式サイト [TV Anime "The Little Lies We All Tell" Official Website]. 4uso-anime.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "The Little Lies We All Tell – The Fall 2022 Preview Guide". Anime News Network. October 15, 2022. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Moore, Caitlin (February 25, 2023). "The Little Lies We All Tell – Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.

Further reading edit

External links edit