Love and Lies – Koi to Uso [Anime Series] – Info, Plot, Main Characters
Japanese Title: 恋と嘘 (Koi to Uso)
Year of Release: 2017 (12 episodes & OVA)
Origin: Japan
Director: Seiki Takuno
Production: Liden Films
Manga: Love and Lies – Koi to Uso Manga 2014 – 2022 (12 volumes)
Anime Movies: –
Plot Overview
Love and Lies (Koi to Uso) imagines a near‑future Japan where the state assigns marriage partners at 16 to combat demographic decline. Yukari Nejima, who finally confesses his long‑hidden love to classmate Misaki Takasaki, is immediately blindsided when the government designates him to Ririna Sanada. Torn between his sincere feelings for Misaki and the legal, socially enforced bond with Ririna, Yukari becomes the focal point of an uneasy, emotionally fraught triangle. The series follows his struggle to reconcile desire, duty, and conscience as personal romance collides with institutional control and the practical consequences of defiance.
Main Characters
- Yukari Nejima: A conflicted protagonist whose earnest, sometimes indecisive heart drives the drama; he must weigh authentic affection against societal obligation.
- Misaki Takasaki: Yukari’s longtime crush—tender, earnest, and caught between hope and the fear of losing agency over her own future.
- Ririna Sanada: Yukari’s government‑assigned partner—politely understanding and quietly supportive, she complicates the triangle by offering empathy rather than simple antagonism.
Themes
- The story tests whether genuine intimacy can survive when love is regulated and choices are curtailed.
- The matchmaking system raises ethical questions about freedom, consent, and the state’s reach into private life.
- Adolescents confront adult responsibilities, identity, and the consequences of choices made under coercive norms.
Style
The series blends romance and drama with a polished, emotive art style that underscores internal conflict. Its tone is contemplative and tension‑filled, favoring psychological nuance and moral ambiguity over melodrama—making the narrative a sober, affecting meditation on love, obligation, and what it means to choose.
