Worth watching
I can't explain much. Out of words. Really great production quality. Awesome storyline and best cast. It will hook you till the end. Just go and watch. 10/10 for me.!!Story: 10 I will say both the writer of the manga and the series are genius. The director managed to fit 31 chapters of a manga in only 8 episodes without making it feel rushed in any way.
Acting/Cast: 10 They managed to find the best cast. Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya's duo is great as always. They found the perfect actor for the past(boy) kuina, which explains why she doesn't look much like a trans girl. Mira just looks like she came right out of the manga. And the acting is all good
Music:10 Enough to make one feel the suspense
Rewatch Value: 10 Can never get enough of it.
Overall:10 The best live action in history is here!!
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The story follows Arisu, an aimless young man suddenly transported into a deserted Tokyo where he and other survivors must play life-or-death games to earn days of survival. What starts as a nightmare of chaos soon becomes a profound exploration of what it means to find purpose in a world without rules.
Kento Yamazaki delivers a powerful performance — vulnerable yet brilliant, perfectly capturing Arisu’s evolution from disillusioned gamer to a man fighting not just for survival but for meaning. Tao Tsuchiya as Usagi is equally compelling: strong, resilient, and deeply human. Their chemistry anchors the chaos, turning the violence into something deeply emotional.
The direction and cinematography are world-class. The empty cityscapes of Tokyo are hauntingly beautiful, and every game sequence is crafted with intensity and precision. The production values rival Hollywood, yet the heart of the series lies in its quiet moments — the reflections, the losses, the brief flashes of kindness amid horror.
Season 2 brings everything to a stunning conclusion — darker, smarter, and more emotional than before. It’s not just about escaping the Borderland; it’s about confronting what we fear within ourselves.
“Alice in Borderland” is brutal, brilliant, and unforgettable — a series that dares to ask: when the world ends, what makes us human?
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Live Action Manga
This was a good adaptation of the Manga. When I started it I didn't know it was sourced from a Manga, but once I was done with first season I looked it up. Of course, then I ruined it for myself by reading the Manga, but still plan to be watching the second season when it comes out in December. This was like Squid Games on Steroids.I'm always pleasantly surprised by how faithful these live action adaptations are to the original source material when it's not done by Hollywood or Amazon.
It's not perfect, but it's definitely closer than what we got with Wheel of Time or Avatar, the Last Airbender.
It's worth the watch, but only in the original language. I tried the dub, and it changes the tone of the series into something of a comedy. But that's just my preference of sub over dub talking.
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This review may contain spoilers
rewatched 12/21-12/22
its been a year since my first watch of the drama so i rewatched before the 2nd season came out and wow! the drama never really failed me and i still was impressed after a second watch a year later! the best parts in my opinion were the first half of the season and the last episode..(no hate just didnt like hiragi and the other men). with only 8 eps and each having 45 min avg run time, it never managed to feel rushed or too slow for me, the cinematography was excellent as always and episode 3 remains as one of the saddest episodes in drama history in my books😖Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Survival Of The Fittest & Smartest!
15/01/2023
In brief, this is about everyday people taken into a parallel world similar to their own only they have no idea why. In order to survive they must play all these games against playing card characters (E.g. Jack of Hearts/9 of clubs) to buy them time through visas as well as enable them to collect all 52 cards if they win the games.
Each game is a live or die situation and as each progresses it gets harder and harder to win as well as to stay alive.
Quite simply, if the hosts lose they die - if the players lose they die.
In addition, no one can really be trusted and outside of the games and set rules anything goes!
Once all 52 cards are collected the survivors don't know whether or not they get to return back to their own world or if something else is in store for them all together.
Expect alot of gore, death, intense adrenaline rushes and psychological moments throughout each action packed episode.
My favourite characters in this entire series are Arisu and Chesiya even though the main duo is Arisu and Usagi by the end of season one. Unfortunately, Chesiya isn't actually a main character like Arisu and Usagi, but still has a strong impact and presence throughout both seasons.
If Usagi had been taken out at all I wouldn't have cared.
Different story for Arisu and most definitely Chesiya.
To me Arisu is likeable because he represents hope, positivity, possiblities plus he's simply just a decent person (once he's evolved) that cares about everyone not just himself whereas Chesiya is a somewhat complex character that does what it takes to survive even if it means double crossing someone. He is indifferent, unemotional, doesn't care plus he has a very high IQ which makes him just that bit more interesting.
In fact, I like Chesiya a little more than Arisu despite Chesiya making some rather cut throat underhanded decisions on his part.
What is brilliant about this series is that the games just keep getting better and better throughout each episode with some of the best being in season two.
I am also a fan of SQUID GAME and want to say that I like SQUID GAME and ALICE IN BORDERLAND for different reasons.
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A series striking of intensity.
I'll make it short, but from the first episode the series transports us to a very intense world of anguish and fear.People are forced to play games that are deadly, each of these games are represented by cards that designate whether it is a test of combat, physicality, mind or heart. Those of the heart being of course the most tragic.
The series makes us discover this almost apocalyptic world, we become attached to characters who leave far too soon, we root for them to just make out of a game while just afterwards they are immersed again in the cruel aspects of this world.
The loyalty and values of these individuals are put to the test.
It's really a superb first season that grabs the viewer and does not let go.
The production is insane and the acting is top notch, not one character was lacking.
I highly recommend.
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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting plot and games, but the Beach...
I started to watch this with little to no expectations, got addicted and finished s1 in two days:D. I found this because I heard its similar to Squid game (which I loved) and I have to say I liked this one even better.The games were exciting and required intelligence to complete them. I was holding my breath and thinking all the solutions while watching.
I also loved the characters and their friendship (ep 3:().
Eventhough I loved the series, I have to say that I wasn't fan of two last episodes 7 & 8 mainly because of the Beach. Like I get that it might symbolize real society but yeah... I was looking forward what the heart 10 game would be and I was kinda disappointed, so many unnecessary fights and killings IMO. Also why were the women wearing only bikinis...
But overall I would definitely recommend this!
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Adore it
While usually I prefer plots where the main thing happening doesn't rely only on one specific aspect this one was really good overall! I just absolutely loved it similar to My Name it was amazing, just something about it that was good, spectacular even, the concept was executed really well, and the acting is amazing. Overall everything was just really good, I can't even really think of anything that I didn't like at all I also love the way the characters interacted and that they weren't all one dimensional but the best part was that they didn't spend too much time focusing on making extra characters more fleshed out but rather focused on the characters that mattered more. Some shows get a bit too ambitious in trying to add dimension to too many characters in too short a period of time...Was this review helpful to you?
don't waste time, go watch it now
this series is amazing. the atmosphere and the story are original the ending of season 1 makes us want to understand the purpose of this world and why was it created why people are locked in it and why do people have to play games games to survive. I can't wait to see ......................................................................................'..............................................................................................................................................................................
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Perfect series for those who loves to watch "survival and death game" trope.
This series has been popular for years, and I may be late to the hype. And wow, it wasn't what I imagined it to be. It exceeded that. I thought the plot of this series was nothing like a death game, and Usagi was an arrogant, hot-headed girl. But I'm quite happy that I watched this. Every episode was a banger, and I could watch it without getting bored. Every character is layered and has something compelling that sets them apart. For example, Arisu, Chishiya, Kuina, etc.Was this review helpful to you?
had me feelings things i've never felt
going into this show i did not realize how heartbreaking and gutwrenching it would be. one of the scenes literally made a sob come out my mouth like it genuinely wrecked me how emotional it was. some scenes had me sick to my stomach and made my heart feel empty. everything was so well done about this i can't put into words how much this moved mecharacters were expertly done, acting was sublime and the story was just incredible. this is one of those shows where i will be thinking about even months after watching
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If you like thrillers with a mix of action, suspense, and psychological twists, this one’s definitely worth checking out. Just be ready — it gets pretty dark, but in a good way.
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