- manga
- show
- tokyo
Alice in Borderland
Quick Fact
The live-action Netflix drama Alice in Borderland is adapted from a manga series that debuted in 2010. The story follows Arisu, a gamer and aimless NEET who suddenly finds himself, along with two friends, transported into an alternate Tokyo known as the "Borderland." There, they're forced to compete in deadly survival games. The show unfolds as an ensemble story of the various players Arisu encounters in these high-stakes arenas.
Suiting Up: How Borderland's Games Work
Games in this world are arbitrarily cruel, yet outcomes obey a fixed set of rules — and that tension is the point. The suits of a deck mark the game type and the numbers the difficulty. ♠️ means physical trials, ♦️ is pure intellect, ♣️ demands team play, and ❤️ is psychological — games that toy with people's hearts. Losing equals death, so it's brutal. Personally, I could only stomach watching because I'd built up a tolerance from Attack on Titan.
My favorite games are: in Season 1, the Life-or-Death, Tag and Hide-and-Seek rounds (those first three games hit you...Strong Character Casting and Rich Backstories
The supporting cast really has flavor. Chishiya, Kuina, Ann, Heiya, and Aguni in particular stand out.
And even though they don't get much screen time, the ones who really grab your attention are Banda, the psychopath serial killer, and Yaba, the alpha-male hedge fund guy. This socially unhinged duo who adds just the right kick of spice shows up again in Season 3.
Season 3 gives us Ryuji and Tetsu. Kento Kaku does a great job as Ryuji, the assistant professor of psychiatry who is obsessed with near-death research — the eyes, the delivery, all spot-on. But the script and...Decoding Borderland
Borderland is a world caught between life and death — a liminal space where people wandering in the midst of near-death experiences find themselves trapped. It's neither here nor the afterlife, but something in between, a bizarre playground with its own rules and deadly games. Borderland has the following characteristics:
- Borderland mirrors the familiar world Arisu and friends know, but it's deeply ravaged and deserted. Aside from the players themselves, there isn't a single human in sight.
- The game arenas exist only within the 23 wards of Tokyo.
- The timing of each person's arrival in Borderland varies.
- Time flows differently...
The Season 3 Backlash: Viewer's Mental Rewrite Recommended
Season 3 is not based on the manga; it's an original storyline. That itself is not a problem. Why did Season 3 turn out the way it did? The first half was still enjoyable, but as the story progressed, the plot became increasingly sloppy. The harsh reviews feel justified. Personally, there are lots of things I could complain about, but three stand out:
- Bring back the previous season's characters, especially Chishiya (though maybe he couldn't appear due to the actor Nijiro Murakami's unavailability).
- Banda and Yaba were underused, and I wanted Ann to dig deeper into Borderland's true nature.
- The...
Alice in Borderland Scene: Tokyo - © Netflix
Alice in Borderland Manga - © Shogakukan
Alice in Borderland Scene: Laser from the Sky - © Netflix