The first episode drops you straight into a familiar yet disquieting setup- Tokyo goes silent, and three friends find themselves in a version of the city where everyone's gone, and survival means playing twisted games that turn lethal. It's not subtle about its influences - Cube, Battle Royale, maybe even Kaiji - but it doesn't feel like a knockoff either. There's a real sense of dread to how the world is introduced. The silence, the empty streets - they linger just long enough to feel wrong. Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) is the standout. He's the kind of guy whose intelligence only clicks under pressure, and the episode holds off on making him "cool" or capable. You believe his confusion, his paralysis, and later, his clarity - it's not a stretch. The first game they enter is brutal, but not over-the-top; the tension comes more from the ambiguity and the rules you don't yet understand than from the violence itself (though that's there). It's less gore for shock's sake, more consequence-driven. If there's a weak point, it's that the other two characters - Chota and Karube - are there to reflect Arisu's arc or raise the stakes. They're fine, just not formed yet. But that might be the point. This world is designed to strip you down. And by the end, when things escalate, it's clear this show isn't interested in playing fair - or offering safety nets. It's sleek but grounded. The tone is oppressive without being melodramatic. There's enough restraint to keep things unsettling, but it doesn't feel cold. Just... indifferent, in a way that works. The episode doesn't hand you answers. It wants you to sit with the discomfort, and I respect that. Strong start. Not mind-blowing yet, but sharp, atmospheric, and unsettling in a way that feels earned. Whether it ends up saying something meaningful or just coasts on premise remains to be seen - but I'm interested enough to keep watching. My score- 8/10. (High potential. Hollow on the emotional side for now, but the dread lands.)
