Alice in Borderland

If you get tired of OP characters in non-existent peril with Netflix's US productions, this one will fix that for you. After we watched several episodes my son walked away shaking his head and said, "I'm going to go read All Quiet on the Western Front" to cheer myself up.

It's pretty darn good. A couple of the games had some holes in them, and some of the character behaviors didn't make sense outside of it's what the writers wanted them to do at that moment. But really watching this is more about feeling like the last year wasn't so bad compared to what these characters are going through. Hoping Season 2 can keep pace.

This show is definitely among my 20 favorite shows, ever. It is exciting, it is fun, it is amusing, and it is full of emotions. The thing that I find stranger than the fact that so few people have watched it, is how low its ratings are. Honestly, people what more do you want?! The episodes ratings are so unfair. Each and everyone of them deserve much higher than this; especially the ending (if that is in fact the ending). Season 2 Finale was the best ending possible for the show. However, I do hope that they renew it for a third one because it has a lot of potential.

Anyway, if you're looking for a 16-hour worth of time roller coaster that makes you stay awake for two days, Alice in Borderland is your answer.

Arisu Ryohei is unemployed and spends most of his time playing video games. One day he meets up with two friends in the middle of Tokyo. After some mild hijinks they hide in a cubicle in a public lavatory... suddenly the lights go out and they can no longer hear the general hubbub of the busy city. They emerge to find the city empty. Not long afterwards signs lead them to a building, where they are joined by two girls. Here they are forced to play a deadly game, after which they are awarded a playing card. It emerges that they will be forced to take place in such games on a regular basis. Later we are introduced to Usagi, a skilled climber, who later joins up with Usagi. They gradually learn more about the games and what the cards signify while trying to discover if there is a way back to their previous lives.

I really enjoyed this series; little time is wasted with set-up; the viewers are thrown into the action along with our protagonists. We know as little about the world they are in as they do and only learn more as they do. Early games make it clear just how dangerous this world is; just because a character is introduced early does not guarantee their survival. The scenes within the games are very tense, and frequently quite gory; there is also a fair amount of fan-service as characters wear beachwear in later episodes for reasons explained in the series. The way the dynamic between the characters changes is interesting; especially after our surviving protagonists find a location with many more players. The cast, both main and secondary does a solid job making the fantastical situation believable. The effects are mostly good but a couple of times the CGI is a bit obvious. As the final episode ends many questions are answered but more are raised; these people's problems clearly aren't over... hopefully there will be at least one more season.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

As someone who's a big fan of the manga, I think the Netflix adaptation does a decent job for anyone trying to find more Alice in Borderland content. However, the devil is in the details, and except for the main story arcs, it's quite different from the original story.

Many characters are introduced earlier than expected, and some games have changed concepts entirely. Certain story beats are shuffled around or erased. In addition, Arisu participates in several games that he wasn't part of originally. I would have to say to avid fans of the manga to watch this series pretending you have no prior knowledge unless you like to be disappointed. But by itself, it was spectacular to watch this interpretation of Alice in Borderland.

At first you would think it is cheesy but then you would look deep into your own soul and say... yep that is me, that is my neighbors, that is my colleagues, that is just like my boss that is just like my veteran friend, the characters really do a good job portraying its weaknesses and that is a sigh of relief, way too many make believe movies out there and this one helps to bring it home where reality meets fantasy. Now the fantasy part.... I do not know where to F&^cking start... good luck in figuring it all out because it is a complete mystery! Good for them because that is the golden calf of this show!