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!

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.

I'm quite impressed with how this show was able to instantly hook me from the first episode all the way to its last. This was such an entertaining watch and it kept on actively pulling something new out of the bag that I didn't see coming. The concept behind this show was what intrigued me and I was a bit curious to see how they were going to pull it off. Obviously the games they played were crucial to the story but what carries the series are its characters. These characters are what elevates this story and throughout the episodes, their journeys are as important as the plot itself.

With the plot, it was exciting to see how the environment slowly began to affect the characters. In season one, the whole goal was to find out what this place was and who was behind all of it but then in the second season that's where they expand on that. It focuses more on the harsh reality they are confronted with and whether or not they choose to live with it.

To me, this was a show I knew I was going to like and thank goodness I was right about that.

The first season of Alice in Borderland is one of the most gruesome and exciting pieces of TV show. For me it is better than Squidgame even it has its flaws.

I highly expected to see the sequel but after binge watching, it is still entertaining with higher budget for CG, more blockbuster actions, but it the end the story failed flat. It has nothing exciting anymore, the games seem easier than the first season.

The ending is alright but along the way it becomes normal action TV show with very high budget. Anyway I recommended only the first season if you don't have much time.

First 8/10 Second 6/10.

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.