Imawa no Kuni no Alice Season 2 (2022)

Meeh start... and not as good as the first season yet still decent.

To be honest the first few episodes did not really captivate me, though there where some interesting scenes they just did not hit the right spot however as the episodes passed by I was offered more and more interesting games, a lot of blood and a mix of characters. Some more interesting than others, making wish they had more screen time, while others just felt like they cluttered the plot.

This season feels a bit messier than the first one, not only for the blood splatter (though it does make a lot of mess) but also for the many characters and flashbacks messing up the timeline. Add to this that leads are a little bit all over the place instead of with each other.

I did really enjoy the late episodes, who messed a little bit with my mind in a good way instead of messy one. I also really loved
Murakami Nijiro's character Chishiya and Asahina Aya's character Kuina Hikari more than the leads if I am to be honest. There are also a lot of interesting details here and there + the visuals and explosions in this season are truly amazing or at leas up my ally.

So definitely worth a watch even if it was not as good as the first season (in my opinion)

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Better than S01 and marginally better than the manga

NOTE:
♠[Fair warning that I am writing this in the perspective of someone who has read the manga way back and as such, has spoilers]♠

Alice in Borderland S02 picks up from where S01 left off - that is, right at the start of the Next Stage. It will immediately set things into action - "no time wasted!" and all, setting the tone for the rest of the episodes.

That's how S02 is characterized - with quick action scenes, adrenaline-filled games, and a literal and figurative chase for answers. However, the thrill of the games leave you catching your breath, and that's where the quiet, reflective moments come in to give you a chance to rest and mull over things. Included in the 2nd season are plentiful pockets of quiet where the characters either reflect on the essence of their existence, or have the chance to experience a normal few hours, for once. It's a much needed piece of calm in the chaos of the Borderlands, and S02 has done it well, even better than S01 if I must say so.

Like others, the series has its strengths and weaknesses, which I will enumerate and briefly discuss below:

STRENGTHS
1. Emotional beats
- This is one of S02's biggest strengths, in my opinion. I could FEEL the emotions of the characters as they went by their journey, and did a good job of packing enough weight for those moments to give a hard punch. Even the side characters (like the King of Spades) whose past was given a screentime only short of a minute, were able to deliver a few moments of emotional punch. I LIKE.

2. Timeline of events and Revisions in/play-out of the games or characters
- The second arc of the manga, the Face Card games arc, is harder to adapt because it consists of numerous side stories and individual games that tie up together. The series was able to compromise with the events in the source material, and craft a script wherein the timeline both makes sense and flows easily. For example, having Chishiya face off the King of Diamonds right before making him face save Usagi is a very good way of solidifying his words and development, making his decisions believable enough. Most of the revisions that the screenwriters made in the script have actually added more to the plot and flow than I initially thought it would, raising the stakes and the sense of urgency (for example, letting the girls get injured in EP07 right before Arisu and Usagi venture to defeat the Queen of Hearts) so kudos!

3. Connections between characters
- This is specifically for Arisu/Usagi, Kuina/An, Shirabi/Agni and Chishiya/Kuzuryu. The screenwriters were able to insert moments which show the (growing and deepening) connection between some characters. For example, that rabbit-hunting scene adds another layer to ArisUsagi's relationship where, for once, they were somehow normal. Another example is Chishiya and Kuzuryu - they were successful in showing just how much of a good foil they are to the other, and drives home the point of their conversations and ideals.

4. Newly-crafted games
- The new games created for this season (ehem, Queen of Spades) were done well, worthy of their difficulty level. It delivered the thrill, plus it helped in shaping the characters' motivations.



WEAKNESSES
1. Jack of Hearts game
- This is my absolute favorite game out of the games in the manga but unfortunately, the one in the LA fell short of my expectations. The decision to include one main character in that game proved to be necessary, but it also limited the ways through which the game's brutality could fully play out. The Jack of Hearts in the manga was brutal, showing just how ugly humans can get when their lives are at stake, as expected of a Hearts game. However, the game in the LA was too tame, and although it showed moments of human wickedness, they were too quick to give an impression. It felt like they dipped their toes in this game and didn't fully jump into exploring and deepening the actual game.

2. Some performances
- Some performances from the actors were too stiff or too underwhelming. Case on point: Kyuuma. Kyuuma's character was supposed to be the exception to the visage of the other Game Masters - the only sunshine amongst the other face card masters. However, he appeared cold and stiff in the LA. Not to mention that the delivery of some dialogue was not as fluid as I hoped it would be, hence leading to how some lines fell flat instead.

3. Fleshing-out of some characters
- Some of the characters have come out unscathed from development hell, others are not so lucky. A conversation or two would have done wonders in developing the characters, but just like what I said in the Jack of Hearts game, they just dipped their toes and walked away.

4. Writing of some of the dialogue
- Now we all know that the series is heavy on the existential theme, and some of the dialogue look better on paper than spoken aloud. My gripe about the dialogue is that in some instances, it is too cartoonish-sounding, it doesn't seem natural and actually sound a bit corny when spoken aloud.

-

All in all, Alice in Borderland S02 has been great! Its biggest strengths are the emotional beats of the story and the music (most of the time it's the music driving the emotions in a scene). It also has its fair share of weaknesses that you may or may not regard as. Packed with more action and smoothed over by private lines, Season 02 is sure to keep you glued to your seats, watching until the very end. It has great rewatch value and you will find yourself clicking on the 1st episode again before you know it.

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A Royal Flush

This drama was so highly anticipated for me. It was one of my first dramas and right off the bat I was hooked by the story. The second season continues right after the first season, but the transition is so smooth that I was sucked into the story and where it left off without wondering what was happening or which character was who.
This show is visually stunning, and I love to see, it must just mean the budget is high and I’m so glad it. Clearly there is a lot of care put into this show. With a two year wait for this season there definitely was the time put in. It was all worth the wait.

Alice in Borderline is a must see for anyone who likes death game shows or media. It’s a must see for anyone that likes thrillers. Honestly I feel bad for people that haven’t seen this at all. It deserves all the praise and hype coming and more spilling over that. Why? I’m in love with this drama because it has a balance of everything. There are frustrating parts, it’s heart racing, it’s very gory. It’s really all out there with its premise and doesn’t hold back with anything. This is a show I’m glad that got a drama adaptation over anime. I can’t see it being done any other
way.

Although there are moments that it gets very tropey and I can tell it comes straight from a manga. An adaptation doesn’t need to be page by page, not saying that this is.. but there are elements that make is a bit off to me.
Where the girl for the tag game wants to keep Arisu on her team because he is ‘her type’. That screams anime protagonist to me because Arisu isnt anything amazing. She just sees him and thinks that, multiple girls say how he is their type and it doesn’t make any sense. Kento Yamasaki is hot, but as for the character Arisu he just underdeveloped a little. Arisu also isn’t as good as the first season because he isn’t able to be as intellectual as he is in the first season.. he has his plans but they fall short a lot. The games are less about smarts and more about being physical. The whole climax of the spades king was hard to take seriously because all of our main characters are fighting and getting killed but Arisu is spraying arisol in a building the whole time. It’s funny the decisions he does and how he isn’t taught anything like shooting or being able to survive.

My biggest complaint is how they didn’t change some things from the source material. The whole idea of the guy surviving the fire from the first season and becoming an enemy is out of pocket for me. There is only so much people can survive, and I would let it go past but the show seems to forget he’s a character and then adds him again. His character culminates to a shoot off.. that scene is wrong in every single place.

The characters who die that are main characters, so I wish their deaths would’ve been handled better. They have a lot of motivation and build up all to the point that they die and then it was like they were written off.

The romance isn’t a strong suit of this drama, it’s one of those cases where I wish they would’ve went all out instead of forgetting about it. The connection between Arisu and Usagi is very good, they really have good chemistry and their story is heartbreaking and heartwarming both at the same time.

Chishiya was my favorite character because of how he went through the games. He is very smart person and if anyone can beat the games it’s him. He doesn’t take life too seriously and doesn’t have the passionate monologues, he’s an amazing character but was only barely tapped into with his backstory. The games are most interesting when they are psychological and those best games are with Chishiya. How his character was closed off really sells it to me that this isn’t the last season. If this really was the conclusion to the series I would rate this a maximum of an 8.0. I really am unsatisfied with the fact this could be the last part because the whole world building of this other world was falling flat. They set up so many things like cameras and setups, the world was real but then.. it isn’t? I’m confused by this ending because I feel like it’s a joke, hence the joker at the end. If this is the ending than that really is horrible, but if it’s not props to the show for kidding me.

The action is stellar and it’s easily the best part of the show. I really enjoyed this show a lot though, but it’s not perfect and unfortunately it’s not as amazing as the first season. But the first season is a 10/10 so that’s hard to beat. I complain about things because I am nit picky. But this show is so entertaining. I can’t help but reminisce about how amazing the first season is. This show is very high budget and it feels like a movie each episode, unfortunately it feels like it’s packing so much in but missing a lot of basic threads to tie it together.

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Keeps you on the edge of your seat - in a good and bad way

Alice in Borderland season 2 is a continuation of season 1. We’re given different flashbacks and scenes from season 1, which is pretty refreshing to say the least. I think it really blends in well with this new season. However there are many more things we see in this season. New characters that we may have grew attached to, new games with interesting rules, it’s a literal *chef’s kiss*

Since I never read the manga, I was in for a pretty big ride. I’m not sure how accurate this season follows the manga, but the producer of this j-drama really nailed it, it makes really excited to see how Netflix will tackle more Japanese dramas in the future!

Although this season was really good and I would honestly watch it again, I had some problems watching this. Like, in every episode I’ve seen, almost every character is h0rny af. What’s up with that? It was honestly weird lol. I also didn’t really *like* that there was romance in this. I mean, I understand the manga pairs Arisu and Usagi as well, but I felt like this series alone should have stayed as an action type of drama. I don’t know… since there’s no romance between the characters in season 1, they all of a sudden have one flustered moment in the first episode of season 2 and like it just escalates so fast lmao. I feel like I would be more supportive of this ship if there were some hints of romance in season 1, but there wasn’t any, or at least it’s just me who didn’t get a vibe romance between them?

Overall, a watchable J-drama. Might beat Japan’s live action of Death Note (2015) where Arisu’s actor (Kento Yamazaki, a total hottie of Japan) plays L. But I still love both :)

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Live or die, what would you choose? What is the meaning of life for you?

I must say, I'm a fan of Alice in Borderland since season 1 because besides liking survivor games, the concept of this drama is so interesting and well thought. I really liked the concept of the playing cards and the characters being inspired by Alice in Wonderland. And it gets even cooler when we finally find out about the whole truth in the last episode, everything just matched and it didn't seemed forced.

Basically, the characters we see in the game were involved in an accident caused by a meteor. Because of that accident they were stuck between life and death and they went to borderland. Only those who survived in the game and chose to return to real life, returned to the physical world. The ones who chose to stay, would remain in the borderland and become a game master until they lose to somebody. I actually think that explanation made sense, especially if we think that the characters have been wondering about the value of life since the beginning and whether they wanted to stay in that world or go back to the real world. Also, the writer clearly made a comparative between "wonderland" and "borderland", both being not a real world.

Now let's talk more about the games and the characters in this season. My favorites games definitely were the ones involving Chishiya. I swear it's not because he's my favorite character but I think they were the most interesting games, with the most interesting ideas. But I liked the game with Arisu, Usagi and the little boy too. It was a fun game. I expected a little more about the first games involving Yamapi. I was so excited for his character and don't get me wrong, I like it, it's just that I wished something a little more. Chishiya was my favorite character like I said but the girls literally dominated this season tho, I just loved all of them. They were so brave, charismatic, strong <3 totally badass. Arisu and Usagi chemistry were good as well and it's impossible to not like them too. One of the things I liked in this drama its that we see a little of everyone's life so we can understand the characters better. This make them seem more human, even if we don't like them or their action in the game. (not Niragi tho, its impossible to like him even with his past scenes)

They spend too much time on the big revelation in EP8 but I still appreciated because it seemed like the writer really knew what us, the viewers, hoped it was the final revelation. Would it be a virtual game like Sword Art Online? Would it be really like a survival game with humans betting on them and seeing who would win? Would it all be Arisu's imagination? There were so many possibilities to explain what was going on and it seems that the writer knew that we would think of several different things, so he took advantage of this in the end and played with us. Seriously, I literally believed everything the queen said, every time, because it all sounded reasonable.

But I got to say, IT PISSED ME OFF how Niragi survived in the end, he was a complete trash, I think it was one of the things I disliked the most in the end. Also, I wished we could see all characters reuniting, not only Arisu and Usagi :( But yeah, in general, it was a pretty fun, creative and interesting drama with a lot of interesting and amazing characters as well. I don't know if they will produce a season 3 (the "joker" card made me think they would), but I hope not. I think this season ended well and I'm afraid with a season 3, everything would be too forced.

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If you love intensity, gore dramas and enjoy the thrill ride then go for this series!

I disliked one thing in this show!

Niragi. Simple! That guy just never changes~

I loved the aspect of the characters of this season, how even the gamers also has human feelings and emotions. How they cared for justice and their friends? All they wanted was freedom and that place was the only place where they really could be free.

The dialogues were touching. For example Kayuma in the last scene "I hope you figure it out. How to live by your own rules. Your life is yours. Don't follow someone else's path." and how this implies to us in real life as well. The characters were loveable even the gamers who planned out all the games. The back story for each of the characters minor or main was just cherry on the top. It wasn't used as a filler chapter but led to build the character's personality and development into the story.

My favorite episode throughout the show would be Jack of Hearts, the game the manipulation the intellect used to figure out who's the mastermind played out so cool and Chishiya throughout the whole show was my favorite. Like boy was so smart, always learning the other challengers' behavior and their attitude and also how his instinct was mostly right during the game.

Loved it how the women in this show were such badass and brave those girlies who truly knew how to kick some asses while also helping in clearing out the stages of the games. This time women ruled. Man! Those girls are superheroes. Always love female archers.

That King of Spades was so ruthless and was he immortal? Got hit by a car, exploded and was on fire.... standing! Hit by arrow... nothing! The gunfires towards him... dodged 'em all. Stabbed by knives numerous times... didn't even shed blood. lol~

Ep 7 was the most saddest! "If we meet again... promise me we'll be friends."

And the final twist was superbly done... Loved the fireworks~

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Best Ending Ever

Story:
Part 2 of Alice in Borderland had a very straight plotline where they just picked up from the last season - still playing games in order to survive and collect the cards. Through each stage of the King, Queen, & Jack games they played some intense mind/physical games where any character could die. The hardest part, probably, was that even some of the characters that the main leads went up against had a strong personality where you wanted them to survive after knowing what their background was.

Skipping to the ending which was absolutely AMAZING! When the big reveal happened of why they were playing the games - everything made sense. The games were a metaphor, in a way, to their will to live. All the people that were in this game were in a coma and those that survived were actually survivors of the accident that happened in the real world. The people who failed at the games had also died in real life indicating that their will to live wasn't strong enough to claim victory. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I was worried that the ending was going to be some virtual reality thing or even a time skip where they are in this new kind of world. This ending was different and not really something I was expecting and it just fit perfectly with the entire plot.

Acting:
All the actors did an incredible job. Even the supporting cast did a great job. My 3 favorite cast members has to be Yamazaki Kento, Sakurada Dori & Murakami Nijiro. These 3 were amazing in the roles they played.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this drama. The journey is great and the ending ties up everything perfectly.

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It is not what it appears to be...

On the surface the show only appears to be an onslought in a game of survival. That was my first opinion of this show, so I waited to watch it for 3 years. There is violence and debauchery throughout 'this world' they are in. So some may hold off from watching this show for that reason, which I wouldn't blame if they deciced to not watch it. It is heartbreaking and twisted. 2 weeks ago my sister suggested I should watch it after she watched the last episode, as she knew I would most likely watch just for the ending. I would not have expected where they are, and it exceded what I had initially thought of. To me the ending was everything, it was complete and I wouldn't expect more. Where they were and how this place affects them, is beautiful. This game is twisted, but reveals to them who they truly are, and just maybe who they want to be. You don't find many movies or shows that touch your soul, because most do not have meaning that move you to tears. After I sat down and watched the last episode and said wow, I could not stop thinking about it... I had to say goodbye to a show I never thought I would watch... I had to say goodbye to two characters I began to love and understand. You don't find many love stories, but this one is precious. They met each other in purgatory and came back because of the will to live they had instilled in esch other. How? The power of love. That to me is profound. Their souls were searching for each other in purgatory, the border between life and death. I could say more, because there is so much more I could say if I wished to, but I will keep it to this. This show somehow and in someway touched my soul, and just maybe changed something inside of me.

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Love/Hate relationship

DISCLAIMER: My "reviews" are just my thoughts and feelings. I watch shows for entertainment only and can only write about hiw they make me feel.

I have a love/hate "relationship" with this series.

I did not write a review for S1 as I binged both seasons in 2 days and after watching S2 I didn't feel I would do justice to either season seperating them. I was into S2 before I even realized it the flow was so smooth.

First off if you don't like and violence and can't handle blood this series is definately not for you!

I hated this show because people frustrate me on a good day and watching them in these situations wants to make me scream. Yes I know it is fiction obviously but there is truth to the behaviours.

I loved this series for everything else. I fell into it hard. That was easy to do. The characters were believable, the story intense and I felt it to the depths of my emotions.

It needs to be watched on your good days though cause it will make your bad days worse.

I gave it a 7.5 for rewatch value for 2 reason; First because once you understand it all some of the appeal is gone. Second because it is intense and emotional I won't be rewatching it anytime soon.

I do recommend this overall. It is just so gripping if you can handle the violence and blood!

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What a show!

What a show! Season 2 starts where season 1 ended.

The games in this season were longer so we did see less games but this time every game has a game master (who, despite trying to win, all actually have a heart).

This season felt more emotional than the first one. It talks about love, friendship and just being human in general.

Most of the season 1 cast where brought back which I really like, Kuina is easily my favorite character in the show. She's a badass and her backstory made me sad (but I'm glad it got a conclusion at the end of season 2!)

The ending was good, I'm still not sure how I feel about endings where everyone loses their memory.... But I'm glad Asiru and Usagi still found each other, despite not knowing why they know each other.

And I'm not sure if that Joker card at the end meant something?

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Good, but could have been better

It's been way more than a year since I last made a review but I feel the need to give my opinions on this series.

I'll be honest and say I would've given this a 9.5 if they managed to keep up the incredible directing and writing the first four and a half episodes had to offer. But it felt like things were starting to go a bit downhill since the Queen of Spades game started and the story became less interesting and all over the place at times.

I was gushing over this drama for the first episodes for various reasons. Season 2 provided excellent story-telling as they provided backstories for a lot of the characters and also gave more context about the games they were playing as if to state that the games weren't only an obstacle a player needs to get past, but also a lesson a player can learn from. The games were exciting and the stakes couldn't be any higher; it truly felt like the games were more difficult than the numbered cards back in season 1. The drama felt more interactive from the perspective of the viewers because I felt like I needed to be more attentive to the details of the story so I can make assumptions and hypotheses in correlation to how the story will unfold and how the players could possibly beat the games. The first half of season 2 felt like it was perfectly making use of the groundwork season 1 provided.

As I said, things were going a bit downhill from the half of episode 5 where they play the Queen of Spades game. From there on out, games started to become less interesting and difficult, we're introduced to a few less interesting characters, the actions and consequences of the players would feel nonsensical and weird at times, and overall I feel like they could've done a much better job with how things transpired. At this point, I was beginning to think everything was falling apart and the story totally progressed in the wrong direction, but things changed after the long-awaited conclusion.

From the things that happened between episodes 4 and 10, things would only make sense with the ending they provided us with; if it was a different ending, nothing would make sense at all.

Alice in Borderland explained:

So from my understanding, Borderland is the place between life and the afterlife. The players found in Borderland are the victims of the accident that happened in and around the ward of Shibuya. Players didn't all enter Borderland at the same time because not all of them entered a state of "death" at the same time as well. Time worked differently compared to how time worked in reality, so people who entered Borderland first would've made a lot of progress already before other players would join. And this is where one of my questions about survivability was answered thanks to the ending. Some players died early, some players would die easily, some players just have a knack for staying alive no matter what happens, and that is all decided by your fate or your will to live. If you died early or easily it just means that you were fated to die or that your will to live was not strong enough, but if you survive and beat all the games, you'll be given a choice to stay in Borderland or come back to life in reality. Beating games and being given the choice to continue living or dying gives the players realizations about their life and whether or not life is worth living; Borderland is a place where unless fate decides for you, you yourself have the power to make your own decisions stemmed from how you value life. In the end, those who truly longed for a second shot at life prevailed and got a chance to live the remainder of their life with a renewed perspective.

The ending was satisfactory, but there is a world where I'd prefer a different ending where Borderland was also part of reality just in a different world.

Things that I really liked about season 2:
- Arisu being the smart, caring, awkward virgin protagonist we all needed.
- Chisiya being the coolest character
- Usagi's cuteness
- The charismatic duo Ann and Kuina
- The immortal Aguni
- Overall the characters were a joy to watch, and their actors/actresses we amazing
- And the best thing I liked about season 2 is the storytelling

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It was definitely worth the wait!

There weren't that many new characters (honestly I can think only of one new) but I enjoyed seeing the ones from season 1 reutrning on screen. Some of the games seemed meh to me but others were really well-thought and I very much enjoyed the psychological aspects of some of these games. I especially loved how Chishyia was always thinking about that aspect, his character is one of my favourites. Ann and Kuina's friendship was amazing to watch. <3 Usagi was badass as always, I can't understand the people who say that her character is boring. It was nice to see how her and Arisu's relationship developed.

9/10 rating from me. The ending was phenomenal.

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