Alice in Borderland: Show Review
Hello dear reader!
How long has it been since I did a series review? Welcome back then, I guess!
Before diving in, don’t forget — Save time on your calendar on Jan 21st for the live event I’ll be hosting to help launch the 90s horror anthology, Ahh! That’s What I Call Horror! There will be live readings and giveaways! Don’t miss out!
The Show
First released in 2020, Alice in Borderland (今際の国のアリス) is a Japanese science fiction thriller based on a manga series by Haro Aso. Directed by Shinsuke Sato, it stars Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Yūki Morinaga, Keita Machida, Ayame Misaki, Nijirō Murakami, and Aya Asahina. Currently, there are two seasons (and hopefully another one coming soon.)
The story follows Ryōhei Arisu, a young man living in Tokyo, who gets trapped in an alternate abandoned Tokyo where people are forced to compete in dangerous games. These games are dictated in style and difficulty based on the playing card assigned to them. Avoid playing in these games and your ‘visa’ runs out then a sky laser zaps you in the brain, killing you. Ryōhei, and his band of survivors, desperately fight to survive these games while trying to make sense of the world they live in now and how they might get out.
Currently there are two season, with rumours of a possible third.
The Review
I was originally drawn to this show because I am a fan of survival films/shows like Battle Royale and Hunger Games — Alice in Borderland has a very similar vibe and did not disappoint! The concept is really intriguing — a large population is drawn into a different version of the city they live in and then forced to play in bizarre games to survive. Weird, brutal, and fast-paced — Alice in Borderland doesn’t pull any punches.
The characters are slowly but effectively developed in the midst of the gore and tension and horror — as well as being expertly acted by their respective actors/actresses. Each episode whirls by, keeping you gripped by the throat. It was binge-worthy and unforgettable. A lot of the episodes end on cliff hangers which, of course, make me unable to not watch another right after (damn you, tantalizing show!)
I think the only complaint I had is that the main characters can be a bit too “perfect”, if that makes sense — it’s only the main character and his love interest (Arisu and Usagi) that are like this though. As such, I couldn’t really get attached to them because they were just…well, too perfect and unbelievable. It wasn’t enough to drive me away from the show, though.
There are a bunch of other really cool and nuanced characters. For example: Chishiya and Kuina are the characters I love and I root for the most. They aren’t as “one note” (does that make sense?) and have back stories/behaviours that really grabbed my interest.
Anyway, this is definitely a show I would recommend! Check it out and let me know what you think!
8/10
x PLM
