Lived to expectations and made it easier to cope with life
I watched this show at a strange point in life. There's less than 20 minutes left until New years and I am over here writing this..As i watched the fireworks on my screen, I also heard them outside. I completely related to the characters- might want to mention I've been having a sort of existential crisis lol.
This show is difficult to rate, but it is the first thing to make me happy in so long. I enjoyed the process of watching it- I loved the action and suspense that kept me on my toes.
Sure, you could critique the 'protagonist' bias or some plot holes. However, I believe the show was well made nonetheless. There was certainly effort put into the acting and film making.
I think I needed this philosophy right now. In a way, it was a bit cliché, but still so needed and truthful.
I waited sooo long for this. I dont think I am disappointed. So thank you, Alice in Borderland, for providing me with a great deal of comfort :) Just questioning if there will be a s3?
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Liked season 1 more
See, it's not like this season was terrible, I just felt like more character actually had a good part in season 1. Some character that had great potential in season 1 didn't get that this season, kinda dissapointed me. Didn't like most of the games this season either, most of them seemed way too easy for the MCs to clear.Although, I loved seeing some other characters getting to shine this season and some new characters really put some extra spice in this season. The visuals were awesome this season, loved it a lot.
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The Borderland of Life and Death
From the director of Gantz, Bleach and I am a Hero, director and Screenwriter, Sato Shinsuke brings us back to the world of Alice in Borderland with gruesome survival games determining the life and death of those within it.Story:
The first episode had a promising and engaging start picking up immediately from last season's continuation. The stakes are higher and the games are increasingly challenging. Each episode throughout eight episodes covers the different perspectives of recurring and newly introduced characters.
One of the interesting points of this season was how the story revisited past season characters and the reasons behind their motives and actions. This resulted in bringing character development to this season's characters and gives us a better understanding of the games and the borderland.
The cons of this season were the plot armour of supporting roles which took attention out of the scenes. However, the reason was later explained in the plot twist. Also, some screen time was cut for certain characters such as Miyoshi’s character (Rizuna Ann). It would have been interesting to see more of her take on a game as shown in the manga.
In terms of story pacing, the episodes did not rush to conclusion but linger subtle hints while scattering misdirections for each game that unravels a thrilling reveal.
Acting/Casting/Crew:
It is uncertain how faithful the series' characters are to their manga origins. However, the action sequence and the desperation for the character's survival were performed well, especially in the semi-final games.
The arc that seemed neutral was the romance arc in the series. It would have been more impactful if the characters started showing gradual signs in the first season. However, it was better shown in the climax scene which was moving.
Mad props to the cast and crew for the stunt coordination. As seen behind-the-scenes, many stunts were performed by the actors themselves, especially the brutal fight scene in the climax episodes. It was evident, especially with the visual effects, the series was given a higher budget to heighten the strange world of the borderland.
Music:
The same soundtrack produced by composer, Yamada Yutaka was played throughout the series. The music department, Daniel Kresco did not drown out the character dialogues and they were timed appropriately to the given performance and scenes.
Rewatch value:
In conclusion, Alice in Borderland (今際の国のアリス) conveys a strong outlook from the various characters to appreciate the mundane parts of life despite the downsides they have experienced. A rewatch is worth the missed easter eggs, heartfelt moments between characters and the well thought out connections throughout the series.
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Games became too weak
Gonna say the sequel isn’t impactful as I thought it would be. The main reason why the show is excellent is all because of their death or live survival games. However, this season lies low with their set of games and more on focuses more on the truth behind the brutal world, wherein doesn’t explain well in the end.Chishiya, Ann, and Kukina own this season. They presented consistency in terms of individual capacity to survive and their characteristics are easy to love. It has come to the point that Arisu's presence became a nuisance for me. During the King of Spades game, his eyes only focus on Usagi and let the others slowly die in pain. But in the end, I understand that finishing the whole game is the top priority, and can’t blame the boy for choosing to continue.
The ending was too simple. I needed more explanations, interactions with those players who managed to survive the game, and another hint of a possible sequel aside from the joker card. But the thing that I was disappointed with the most is the final game which is the Queen of Hearts. I wasn’t too astonished or impressed with the rule and its hidden agenda of trying to win the game by attacking the players’ trauma, which only focuses on the main character.
This is somehow a rant but to be honest, I am entertained and feel good about this. The game Jack of Hearts is the highlight and my favorite game from this season. The presence of Arisu and the friendship concept is gone. I enjoyed pointing out who is the real jack of the hearts as each round continues to kill an innocent person. Chisiya, as always, executed how cleverness and sharp observation can help him win and survive. Another character that got my attention is Banda Sunato, the player who is a murderer in the real world. He has the visual and the angst that you can focus your attention on him. I like him as an artist. I hope there’s a third season in which we can see what kind of game are they playing as they choose to stay in the borderland.
The episode where Tatta forcefully remove the band from his wrist that led to his death was the only episode I cried with. It feels like he was making an exchange for the accident that he cause from his work in the real world.
I miss the intensity of games from the first season but overall, the sequel is good in letting us slowly learn the backstory of it. I can predict that another sequel is possible since they executed an open-ended finale.
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This review may contain spoilers
Season 3??!
I think this might be my first time watching something and not complaining how everything turned out, because they left me no room to complain, everything was just too perfect and precise, I'm also glad they showed us the ending, told us what really happened, the fact that they all died for 1 min is so... I don't have any word to express it.They gave us answers yet at the same time didn't, but it still felt comfortable and ease.
I love the fact that there will be season 3 as well, and more answers to our questions and WHAT THAT JOKER CARD REPRESENTED?!.
I'm sure it's not about the ones who survived death aka(game world, meteor attack), it's not about Arisu or any of them individually, it's also not about the cast and directors, there is more to it! that Joker card that was left alone on the table while all the other card flew away cause of the wind, it means something, the music and the look on jokers face 🃏 they all showed that there's more to it, and I really can't wait to see more!
also, the deja vu's are really amazing 😭 ai'm glad of how everything turned out (even tho some deaths were super sad, and Ann is in a critical condition but I know her surgery will go well).
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A second chance at life
Season 2 takes a psychological turn compared to the gritty, gut-wrenching violence we're introduced to in season 1. The violence is still very much there, but we get a focus on the more important things--the meaning of life vs. death.Everything that takes place in the borderlands is an amazing analogy to your "fighting chance" when faced in a near-death experience. Arisu and his crew survive because they fought for it. Even when words like "My life was trash" or "I was a terrible person" almost made them give up, each game was a test of whether they were willing to take that chance. The seeming plot armor of being able to take all these bullets and knife stabs is analogous to their will to live.
In the final Queen of Hearts game, Arisu could've accepted his death. He was close to giving in to his weakness and losing that reason to live, not knowing what to believe in anymore. It's amazing how much we got to see his character grow, as well as everyone else. I love how Season 2 delved into our main characters' backstories (Usagi, Niragi, Chishiya, Ann, Kuina, Aguni, and even Tatta). We saw the raw intentions and their resolve, and the reason they kept pushing—that's why we see most of them survive the meteor at the end. I especially loved Chishiya’s backstory in the King of Diamonds game with Kuzuryu, who decided he did not want to live an unfair and unequal life. As Arisu said, it's not just about surviving anymore. It's about hope and believing that they could restart, even with the survivor's guilt.
The ending was a perfect masterpiece, but bittersweet because clearly none of them remember anything that happened in the "limbo" during their brief moment of cardiac arrest. But they seem to have a deja vu, and a lot of them carried the values they learned back into the real world. They strived to become a better person in this second chance of the aftermath. It's such a beautiful parallel to our own lives.
Binging this series was supposed to be our source of escapism from reality, but the ending hits us with reality instead. Value your existence, it says. Life is really what you make of it--you can choose to stay miserable, or take control and embrace the flaws of it too. We're just living, after all. We learn, we fail, we learn, we try again. All in all, season 2 was a great transition from season 1’s thrill and impending death to finally finding that systemic purpose. I think it even outperformed it as we explored the reason behind the games (and life).
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My thoughts about it
It wasn’t bad at all. At the ending I was a little confused. What happened with the both who choose to stay at Borderland? I was a little disappointed that the characters don’t have any memories from the games. But the acting was incredible. But most importantly, why they didn’t have a game with the joker card? Well, this show was really interesting, I can’t say a bad word for it.Every game gave me different feelings and emotions. Most memorable is gonna be the one with the queen of hearts.Was this review helpful to you?
A Sequel Which Doesn't Disappoints !
When a series starts with a great season and renewed for another, most of the time it won't live to the hype, but not this one !Still remember that Alice in the borderland was one of the drama which I binged watched whole night because it was that good. Now comes second season which comes with equal or more binging pleasure.
The character development in this is what makes it worth every single minute and the games are more griping and interesting. I personaly enjoyed every characters arc but if I have to choose a favourite it has be chishiya, My boy was so cool he was breezing through the borderlands with zero fucks to give.
Conclusion : If you liked season one then without a doubt go for it. The ending has great things in store for you which will not left you disappointed.
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A god's message : "What is the reason for you to wake up everyday?"
I don't have anything to write, you have to watch it yourself, experience everything and understand it yourself.to finally found your own answer for "what is your reason to wake up everyday ?" just as how every character in the series to find their own despite every loss they had.
I recommend you to watch from the season 1 to have full experience, and just enjoy the journey. It never was about winning the games, everything that have gone are meant to be gone, what all matters is what after it. do you want to live on or stay.
warning for those currently struggling in their life, you find yourself think back, and repent about how you've lived your life.
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A beautiful wrap up of the games
I love how this series ended the way it did. Season 2 had much more meaning than the first one. Here, we've got to see more about the other characters and not just the main ones. Their reason for living, what life they had before the games, it's all revealed in here.The longer I watch the series, the better I like it. The chemistry of the characters is also worth-praising. Instead of the brutal deaths, I love how the characters gained depth during this second season. It was very well worth it.
Although I enjoyed the first season a little less, I still recommend watching from the start to see the journey they've been through from the beginning. It's really fun to see them grow and struggle together between life and death.
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I simp for Chishiya
Not gonna lie, I really did watch this show just cuz of Chishiya and didn't really expect much from it but I was pleasantly surprised. I was only disappointed by the fact that Chishiya wasn't main character. I love the actor and the character that he represented and played (simply legend), tho I need so much more of him on screen. Call me simp or biased idc, without him, the show would't be as nearly good as it is with him in it. Also my heart bleeds for Niragi... I am at lost for words, world is shitty place and it messes up good ppl, loneliness hurts more than being hurt... Niragi, he's a bad guy but he'd say simple sorry and I'd forgive him everything... Utterly painful ending? Not actually, they make you think that but it's very good and thought through ending which also created opportunity for maybe next season. Main character suffers bit from heroic complex but that's not necessarily problem, it just feels bit cliché. Actually, this show made sense to me comparing to other similar shows, it was very nicely presented all in all. The acting, I can appreciate good acting when I see one and this is the one. Im loving it and no but also prolly yes (I don't want to admit it) it's thanks to Chichiya - im such a simp for him...Was this review helpful to you?
Heartstopping, heartbreaking, heartpounding
This was fantastic. I wasn't one of the people who had to wait the full two years for the second season to drop but I can only imagine how satisfying it was to do that.First of all, the stunts are absolutely top notch (as expected). The jumps, the fight scenes — it really makes your heart pound while watching it and I felt every bit of high stakes that the games established.
The games are just as fun and provide really intriguing questions about human nature (which is always my favorite part of these survival shows. Compared to season 1, this season is definitely more heavy but slower paced. They spend multiple episodes on individual games, but it actually never feels slow or draggy. I even enjoyed the games where the characters were split up and we saw how different leads handled different sorts of games.
Until the very end, I felt really invested in everything: the characters, the world-building, the story.
The ending was a mixed bag for me; I think it managed to do something rare for me, which is simultaneusly wrap things up with a nice bow, while also leaving room for a season 3 if they decide to write a plot beyond the manga. I felt both satisfaction and completion, while also acknowledging that it used some tropes I don't really enjoy on principle, leaving me wanting the story to continue.
Other than that, I do think that this season suffers a little from the same thing season 1 did, which is that the backstories for each of the characters are interesting and add a lot but many of them stop just shy of "enough," and maybe part of this is just that there are a lot of characters and they kept adding more and giving even one-off antagonists backstories. I think that's valid because it certainly avoided the over-simplistic "good vs. evil" dynamic but I'd still rather have seen more scenes and various moments from our main characters' past lives (think of the American TV show Lost).
Overall, I would highly highly recommend this entire series and I know it will go down as one of my all time favorites.
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