The Gods Lie

A Review Paper of a Graphic Novel submitted

For the subject of Art Appreciation

Ramos, Rhamuel Johnber R.

2A14-UST AMV COA

November 29, 2020

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………....................................… 1

II. BACKGROUND OF THE STORY ……………………….............................…………………...…. 3

III. REVIEW PROPER ………………………………………….................................…………………….. 4

A. SUMMARY ………………….……………….............................………………..……..….... 4

B. WRITING STYLE …………….……………….............................……………………....….. 7

C. PLOT………………………………………………………................................……………..... 8

D. STORYTELLING…………………………………..............................…………………..…… 10

E. CHARACTERS ……………………………………..............................…………….………… 11

F. ART WORK…………………………………………..............................………..……………. 13

G. ENTERTAINMENT VALUE…………………........................………………..………...... 15

IV. CONCLUSION……………………………………………................................……………………….. 16

V. BIBLIOGRAPHY………...………………………………………...............................………………... 17
 INTRODUCTION

I grow up watching cartoons when I was a kid, I always find it entertaining and cool.

Pokemon is my most favorite one, then I discover that it is not just a cartoon or a movie. It is an

anime which is originated in Japanese language, but I grew up with the English ones. Then as I

entered junior high school, I started to watch more anime like but sometimes they release just

12 or 24 episodes per season which I thought that it was just like that but my friend told me that

you can read it on Manga which is a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels. Then after

knowing that I started to read manga’s like “One piece,” “Naruto,” etc. Manga is the same as

graphic novels but their difference is only one, you read manga not the usual way which is right

to left, unlike normal graphic novels which is left to right. I find it interesting to read about fighting

or adventure Manga but then I started reading sports Manga, even Manga about love. As a

teenager I’m not fond into reading books because I find it boring, but when it comes to Manga, I

find it interesting in a way that I almost do not sleep just to be on the last chapter or the latest

chapter of the Manga I am reading. So far, my favorite manga is a sport manga entitled “Blue

Lock,” This is about soccer sports wherein a teenage boy lost in his final match because he pass

it to his team mate and now is invited to a training facility wherein he will be mold to be a
 superstar ace in his team, but to do that he needs to

devour other’s ego and have self-confidence and

defeat all of them because only one will become

successful.

Reading manga becomes my time killer when I

am bored or I can’t sleep. As I continue to live my life,

I think that manga or graphic novels will have a space

in my heart. That’s why when we discover that we will

have a final paper about graphic novel I thought that

we will pick our own graphic novel or manga that’s why it becomes more interesting for me, but

our professor introduced some novels to read and show it to us. I’m a little bit disappoint until I

saw “The Gods Lie” a graphic novel which is translated from Japanese took my eyes because I

find it interesting because the character looks like a character in an anime or manga. Therefore,

in this review I choose “The Gods Lie” of Kaori Ozaki to be the graphic novel in this final paper.
 BACKGROUND OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

“The Gods Lie” originally named as “Kamisama ga Uso wo Tsuku” was published on March

25, 2013 which was written by Ozaki, Kaori. She is a Japanese professional comic artist and

character designer, who made her debut at the age of 15 years old for Shojo publisher Shinhokan

with her short stories entitled “An Angel Above the Piano”

The Gods Lie is a manga about two young

teenagers who finds each other by chance during their

one summer vacation because the male protagonist

skips his summer training camp. It's in many ways a

traditional summer vacation full of adventure and

romance, but the difference with this one is that it is

based in the real world that may happen also to us and

it is not just an unrealistic fantasy, but it ends the way

most summer romances end. In a delusional tragedy because of the dark secret that the male

protagonist discovers from the family of the female protagonist.

 III. REVIEW PROPER

A. SUMMARY

It started when Natsuru Nanao an 11-year-old sixth grader who is the ace player of their

school’s soccer team, who lives alone with his mother. He is the protagonist on this graphic novel,

before going home he picks up a cat then brought it home, but unfortunately his mother was

allergic to cats that’s why he goes out to find it a new shelter and accidentally he met Rio

Suzumura who is alsa an 11-year-old sixth grader who the female protagonist who secretly lives

with his brother, Yuuta, in a rundown house. She is a very responsible sister who takes care his

brother who has experience unbelievable things despite of her age. Natsuru give the cat for them

to take care.

Furthermore, as the school days are over, Natsuru will have his training camp, but he

decided to skip it because he was not in good terms with their team’s new coach. Then again, he

meets Rio Suzumaru while eating his lunch. He told them that he decided to skip his training,

then Rio offered her place for Natsuru to stay. She told him that only the two of them are living

there. He asked where is her father and she said that her father is a fisherman who fish in Alaska

that’s why he left them and promised them that he will comeback on the festival but he did not

fulfill his promise. At the Bon festival Natsuru becomes inlove with Rio.
 Then when they go home Natsuru notice that the pet of Yuuta named “Benz” which is a

beetle is dead already so he bury him on the backyard, but Yuuta said that he wants to see Benz

for the last time, that’s why Natsuru try to dig Benz again but instead of seeing Benz he saw a

bone of a human person then Rio Suzumura told him the story that the bone he found in that

yard was from her grandpa. After that Natsuru runs away and go home. then his mom discovers

that he did not go to summer camp.

Then the school semester starts again and Natsuru is not like he used to be; he became

quieter than he is still thinking and doubting if he should tell others the dark secret of Rio in order

to protect his dad or if he should just be quiet with it. After that when he is at school, he saw Rio

again and keeps thinking about her then a girl they called “The Princess” started bad mouthing

her, that’s why Natsuru stood up and slap her, causing him to go to the principal’s office with his

mom. Then after all the scenarios Natsuru come to Rio’s home and asks them to run away

together with both Rio and Yuuta.

Running away from home is a big decision that they have made because they run away

without any plans on their destination. After travelling they went on a shore where the ocean is

seen. Then there they talk about their dreams, wherein Yuuta, when he grows up, he will swim

across the ocean, and Natsuru told them that he wants to be a normal soccer player, after that

he asks rio then she told them that she wants to be a normal bride.
 After spending the whole day, they end up in an inn wherein they were asked if they just

travel with themselves not with adults. Then while in the room Rio, reveals that her name means

“A reason to live” then she thanked Natsuru for becoming their family after that she kissed him.

During that night his mom arrived with a police car to get them, then while inside the car

her mom asks him if he was protecting them all that time, after that her mom hugged him then

a backstory flashes about Natsuru and his father. His father told him that if he is obedient to his

mother, “The Gods will see, and his father will be better” then natsuru thinks that he was not

good enough because his father died. But her mother insisted that sometimes “The Gods Lie”

because they love us very much, and they lie because it’s the best thing that they can do.

In conclusion, they discover that Rio’s father was not a fisherman and that he lives with a

night club hostess. That’s why when the gossip spread, Natsuru keeps on fighting with those who

are talking about it that’s why her mother was always called in the principal office and keeps on

apologizing. His reputation had hit rock bottom but he does not care. Then time passes by they

become more taller than before then a call came to Natsuru it is Rio, and she said that someday

they will meet again.

B. WRITING STYLE

Ozaki used an informal style because the characters talk in a casual way with each other

just like an ordinary person. It fits to the story and because it does not talk about deep and

complicated situations just like most normal person experience in reality. The way she placed the

text is a little bit confusing if you are not yet reading a

manga because its texts are read from right-to-left not

the usual way we will see from books or even western

graphic novels. I think that her target audience is

teenagers like me, because I think that she thought that

we can somehow relate with the characters on the story,

because we may experience sudden emotions like how

Natsuru feels that’s why he run away with Rio. We may

also feel fear just like Rio that’s why she kept the secret about her grandfather. Ozaki really make

us her readers immersed with the characters with her story. I also admired her for the setting

that she used in her writing style also how the expressions were written it makes the situation

looks realistic that we teenagers can feel excitement about because it is not too boring.
C. PLOT

I enjoy the story of “The Gods Lie” because as I teenager I see myself as Natsuru who loves

playing sports and how I will strive to be the best. Moreover, I also see myself to both of them

because sometimes I keep secrets just like Natsuru and Rio and just want to deal with it without

the help of them. The plot of this story really reminds me of my teenage life, but the thing is that

as a teenager I think that they went a lot of unbelievable things in their everyday life. Just like Rio

Suzumura who experienced unexpected situation when her grandfather die, as a teenager it is

so frustrating because I will not know what to do because if I tell it to the police or other people

they will take them to a foster care which may separate her from her brother that’s why she just

bury her grandfather to their yard. In addition, when

Rio discovered that her father is not fishing in Alaska

but with a woman who is a hostess. What is more

breaking when her father denied that he knows her.

This twist may be too disturbing to some readers

because they are too young to think of these scenarios

but this is reality that may happen to some of us.

Reading this plot excites me because I can really relate

to the characters who do things in order to avoid problems but ends up revealing them because
as the saying says “There are no secrets that will not be revealed” and I admire the bravery of

Natsuru who decided to run away with the girl that he loves just to prevent the separation of Rio

and her brother Yuuta. Just like an ordinary teenager they don’t have plans where to go to if they

run away, because they are just running away because of

sudden emotions. Moreover, the story ends in revealing

the meaning of the title because Natsuru asks his mother

why did “The Gods Lie” then he remembers about his

father who died because of cancer that told him that if he

is good boy “The Gods” will see and his father will be

better, but unfortunately, he still die. Then his mother

told him that sometimes even the gods lie to us, it’s because they love us very much. They lie

because it’s the best thing that they can do. The dream of Natsuru to be a well-known soccer

player is being achieve by step-by-step and at the end page Rio calls him and said that someday

she knows that they will meet again.

D. STORYTELLING

The story flow is easy to catch and not complicated until the writer reveals the plot twist.

I enjoy reading it and did not expect that I can finish it within the day. Sometimes I am not fond

reading romance genre anime because they exaggerate the scenes and some situations but this

story did not do it. Kaori Ozaki did an amazing part with that.

Moreover, the title is very related to the story because in this story, they experienced

miserable and unexpected dilemma that they did not thought about it happening because they

are too young for this. Maybe they experienced this just like the title want us to understand that

it is the best for us. The twist is placed at the right moment since this story is just a short story. It

is really painful for Natsuru because before he discovers the bone of Rio’s Grandfather, he thinks

that he is starting to love Rio, but suddenly he became doubtful and scared. The story tells the

plot smoothly and it is perfectly executed and I understand it thoroughly in a way that it makes

me read it twice because it was only five chapters. This masterpiece is too short and I think that

this should be recommended to other readers because the author depicts a possible real-life

situation.
E. CHARACTERS

The main characters for this story are Natsuru Nanao and Rio

Suzumura. Natsuru is an 11-year-old boy who is in sixth grade, who

stays with only his mother because his father died because of cancer.

He loves to play soccer and is the ace player of their school soccer

team. He is a person where girls don’t talk to him because he ignores

a girl who they call “Princess.” Moreover, Rio is also an 11-year-old girl who was also in class of

Natsuru, she is secretly living alone with her little brother in a

rundown house. She is an amazing person and a responsible one.

She is the one who invited Natsuru to come to her place if he

doesn’t have a place to stay because of skipping the summer camp.

In addition, there are also supporting characters like Yuuta

Suzumura the little brother of Rio who is still innocent and the boy who was with their

grandfather during his death. He plays soccer with Natsuru everytime he is with them. Moreover,

Ritsuko Nanao, who is the mother of Natsuru, she is very supportive to her son and is the one

who looks for them when they run away. She is also the one who told Natsuru the reason why

“the gods lie.” Next is Okada, he is the former coach of Natsuru who continues to support them
even though he doesn’t have a professional license. Then is Maruo Sakai, Natsuru’s new coach

who is strict and discriminate Natsuru because he is born in March.

These characters fit their roles as the story goes by. They did not lack in filling their roles

even though that they are just illustrations, that’s why I praise Kaori Ozaki for this graphic novel.
F. ARTWORK

The illustrations of this story are truly amazing since the character is drawn correctly even

the expression of their eyes shows how they feel if they are sad or happy. Just like her writing

style she also surpasses my expectations

because we all know that some graphic novels

are illustrated in a cartoon way but the character of this graphic novel is drawn according to its

role.

Just like the usual manga or graphic novels, it has a colored cover page for its title and the

main characters and the pages are purely black and white. There are some manga which are

colored already nowadays but I find it more interesting if it is

black and white just like this novel because I need to use my

imagination to remember each character. It is also satisfying

for me to read manga without any color because it is relaxing

to read it unlike those who have different colors which

sometime make me dizzy.

Even though the artwork doesn’t have colors still you will think it like there is color

because of the strong fill that the shadows depict wherein you will notice that some part of its
illustration is elevated because of the shadow. This form of

illustration is used by many artists if they are doing a black

and white one, that’s why it is amazing if it is done neatly,

because it determines the details of the illustration, and

indeed it was neatly done in this artwork. Therefore, this

artwork is amazing.
G. ENTERTAINMENT VALUE

Just like what I have mentioned on the other pages of this paper, I would like to

recommend this to other teenagers like me because I know that in someway we can relate to the

plot of the story, wherein there are times that we keep secrets from our parents and deal with

it, or sometimes we may fall in love with the person that is unique in our own eyes. Moreover,

we can relate that sometimes we make mistakes because of our emotions and decide to run

away. The entertainment from this novel is very amazing because just like what I have mentioned

before this novel make me read the story twice not because it is difficult to understand but

because it is easy and fun to read. Just like other anime’s that caught my attention and still

remains in my mind, “The Gods Lie” is the same because it is not just a fictional story but a story

that may happen in reality that gives us lessons in life not just entertain our satisfactions.
 IV. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this graphic novel is fun to read specifically to Kaori Ozaki’s target readers

which is teenagers aging 13 to 18 years of age, because it is the age wherein possible situations

like this story may happen to them. In addition, it may also be fun for those manga readers like

me because they can adapt on how to read this graphic novel properly without getting confused

on the plot of the story.

All in all, I would like to commend Kaori Ozaki for this masterpiece because the story is

not complicated and can be read within the day. I also admire her for the illustrations because it

clearly shows what are the expression of the characters if they are happy, sad or feeling fear.

Also, the shadow that was done neatly to show the details of each pages.

Regarding the characters, I like Rio Suzumura the most because she is a caring daughter

and sister to her family. Even though their father left them she did not bother to protect his

reputation that’s why she kept her grandfather’s body in their backyard to avoid rumors. She is

also a responsible one because for three months she has been budgeting their money in their

everyday living. That’s why this story taught me that even though miserable or unexpected

situation came to us, we should not quit life because maybe “the gods” do it to us because it is

better for us. Sometimes they may lie to give us better life but then give us a difficult one, we

should not blame “the gods” because maybe it is the best that they can do.
 V. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ozaki, K. (2013). Kaori Ozaki. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18188953.Kaori_Ozaki
Ozaki, K. (2013). The Gods Lie. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26025704-the-gods-lie
Ozaki, K. (2016). The Gods Lie. Random House Tower, New York City, United States.: Random House
Inc. (US).
Ozaki, K. (2013). The Gods Lie [Digital Image]. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from
https://myanimelist.net/character/82207/Natsuru_Nanao
Ozaki, K. (2013). The Gods Lie [Digital Image]. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from
https://myanimelist.net/character/82209/Rio_Suzumura
Kaneshiro, M. and Nomura, Y. (2018). Blue Lock [Digital Image]. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from
https://myanimelist.net/manga/114745/Blue_Lock