This review may contain spoilers
Make it make sense, because I cannot.
Inconsistencies in writing are my pet peeve and this drama was full of them - from the characters' actions and personality traits to ever changing rules and types of games. It's a show I would enjoy far more if I did not use my brain while watching.To be perfectly honest, I loved the first two episodes. I was ready for either clever or violent games that Arisu tries to solve. But as the drama progressed, the characters completely lost their wits and the games became painfully predictable.
Arisu ⇢ Keeping the character smart only when the plot needs it.
I'm sorry for the writers, but you cannot present your characters as this genius with an almost photographic memory in episode one, to turn him into a complete idiot in the 2nd half of the show. One episode he assesses the game based on the information he gained, taking into consideration different options and overall the type of the game that is indicated by the card's symbols, the other time he has his brain just turned off and runs. Well written and consistent character? Not this one.
Games ⇢ No one cares about the rules, not even creators.
What's the point in introducing the symbols as a game categorizations, when you just completely ignore it later on? How is the first game team battle, when it completely relies on wits? Or The Witch Hunt game, which again could be won only by using your brain and wits. Or the bus game which was a team battle, but had NOTHING to do with teamwork and again, needed a brain to solve it and understand the rules. The only game that truly fitted the category given was the wolf and the lambs game in episode three. It was pure survival based on betrayal. No double meaning, no hidden ways out.
The male lead should also be dead. When The Witch Hunt begins, his Visa is said to expire tomorrow. Since he was not part of The Witch Hunt game (he did not register before the game started by scanning his face on the phone), he did not gain additional 10 days to his Visa. They did not play any games after that. Unless they found the hiding spot of the Dealers right the next day, and he joins the new game right away, he should be dead. Or the game was just paused after the Beach event, but that makes no sense, since the events in the Beach did not affect all the players in that game world.
Predictable outcomes ⇢ The games that did not surprise me.
The games were either laughably easy to solve and I hated the characters for not understanding them, or were impossible to beat and you just knew from the start which character would come out of it alive. Because of that, there was no element of surprise or excitement. More often than not, it was just me watching idiots dying and feeling nothing about it.
Players ⇢ collective 10 points IQ
I get it, most people are not amazingly smart, but I did not expect everyone to be. I just wanted them to try to survive, but I felt like most people were working hard to die. The best example was The Witch Hunt. The rule was clear: burn the witch in the Fire of Judgement. So what do most characters start to do? Kill everyone. Which is the least logical thing to do, because it's impossible to move all the bodies to a Fire of Judgment in the limited time. They set themselves up for failure. When the two characters next to the pool said "We killed so many people and yet we still did not find the witch"... well you won't know if you found her or not, because you are just leaving the bodies here, when the rule said you need to burn the witch in the Fire of Judgment. No one cared about survival and winning the game. And while they explained that it was Aguni's plan for everyone to die and not solve the game, it did not excuse all the other people. Kill everyone, but remember, you need to burn them in the Fire of Judgement - the rules were simple.
You cannot claim this show is a commentary on how people turn into the worst version of themselves in life or death situations, and when their survival instinct kicks in, because the majority of the characters didn't even try hard to survive...
Out of place emotional elements ⇢ The lack of proper characters exposition.
I'm not gonna cry during the emotional game of hearts, where two friends are giving up their lives for the 3rd one, when the writers did nothing to make me care and connect to these characters in the first place. Each and every death in this show evokes in me this reaction: oh... ok. They gave some flashbacks about some characters' pasts, but more often than not, it was too little too late.
Still camera shots ⇢ The directing beauty
I'm honestly exhausted with all the shaky camera work and angles changing every few milliseconds style of presenting scenes that is used in many shows. I truly appreciated how calm the directing here was, especially taking into consideration the chaotic tone of the plot itself. Loved the opening shots of the empty city used in a few episodes. I took a ridiculous amount of screenshots - this show was truly an aesthetic masterpiece for me, perfectly fitting my taste.
Aguni ⇢ The one that made me care and surprised me
Taking into consideration the fact this is not a character driven drama and most of the characters don't have much depth (it's really superficial), it did not even cross my mind that there could be more to Aguni than just rivalry with his old friend. Slowly discovering his past and his role in The Beach was quite a nice side plot line, and even though him killing the Hatter was obvious, the reasoning behind it caught me off guard and I appreciate that.
Overall, the first two episodes were too good, which ruined the rest of the series for me. They got me excited for some smart games that will make my brain cells do some workout, but the show never delivered after that. Each episode was more disappointing than the previous one. I wanted to immerse myself in the show, try to solve the games with the characters, and wonder if I would survive... but I guess "the game master" was not clever enough to create truly challenging tasks. There were many rules introduced, but when you truly try to digest and understand them, you find out, nothing made any sense.
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A Whole New Live Action Realm
Mystery, Murder, Adventure, Isekai, time travel, Hunger Games, ESCAPE ROOM, Suspense, Thriller Lovers? Assemble on this series!!Before I start with the review, I gotta say : WATCH THIS SERIES GUYS!! YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED!! Here's why :
«Warning : Spoiler Alert & Long Read»
As a romance drama lovers I didn't expect to enjoy a live action with a genre of Fantasy/Thriller/Suspense/Mystery/Murder . But this series really changed my mind. I came with high expectation from the trailer and I was not disappointed.
Story : I believe you've read the plot summary so I will continue the rest. So the story itself I personally divided it into two main story line : Episode 1-4 (Explaining the current reality to us with game rules, the deadly borders, everyone missing & mainly focused on surviving some games) and Episode 5-8 (Explaining "The Beach" conflict with its power struggle + Arisu & Usagi relationship development)
I think I really enjoyed the most on the first 4 episodes, with its plot twists and emotional roller coaster. But when it comes to the last 4 episodes, the excitement felt kinda slowed down a bit. The hype & vibe is still there but personally specifically on the last episode I think that there are some scenes that should not be included bcs it felt useless for the development of the story (referring to the 'bald, tatooed guy with long sword' background story. It really was useless, I prefer Chisiya's background story to be told honestly, his character really intrigued me)
One more thing, this series actually needed more episodes. I would really prefer longer episodes but with just one season has ended rather than short episodes but we- as this series fans have to wait for another season :( So to be exact, WE NEED MORE EPISODES..
But other than that, I think this series is perfect. The pacing, plot line choices from the manga, etc. I felt there's almost no plot hole (if there's any you can tell your theory, guys, haha)
Characters :
(10/10 Casting. There will be no other casts that will perfectly portray their characters other than the current casts. So bravo, casting team! )
1.)Arisu - Our ML, Hero by process, underdog at previous life, loyal, kind hearted, brave, smart, but sometimes he's too idealistic. I love his character bcs I think he's a flawed ML, he's not perfect but he tried to survive just for the sake of their friends & his primal instinct. I have no problem with his character EXCEPT when he's being too talkative & wasted so much game time on the last episode when he tried to talk to Aguni like "bro, he's not worth your time, don't even try to convince someone that tried to rape your crush & kill you".
2.)Usagi - Our FML, brave, kind hearted girl (she's becoming more kind towards other bcs of Arisu), loyal, smart, tactical, has sensitive instinct/feeling, independent, strong but not losing her feminity. She has clear character development as before she met Arisu she was mainly individualistic & don't even pay attention towards other people but now, she has higher empathy.
3.)Chisiya - Our secondary male lead (I think?), mysterious, charismatic, cunning, selfish, smart, always one step ahead every one else, unpredictable. I love and hate his character. Damn, he caught many viewers attention with his visual & mind. But really, I think he's a depiction of perfect personality & mind for surviving in the world like that. I don't blame him & his actions at all even tho when he framed Arisu, I was so madddd. But again, he did that to survive. Mad respect for solving any game/problem with cool headed.
4.)Kuina - Our Secondary Female Lead, kind, smart for following Chisiya, brave. I'm surprised with her identity plot twist. But I'm glad the writer shaped her character perfectly. I love her already & damn the cast is so pretty. I love her fight scene.
5.)Aguni - Antagonist (?) male character, strict, cunning, mysterious, selfish, evil on the last episodes, but he's actually loyal with his bestfriend- The Boss/The Hatter (Takeru). On most part, I hate this character, he killed almost every one on the beach just as a redemption for accidentally killing his friend, almost raped Usagi, almost killed Arisu countless times. I also despise one of his follower character-Naragi/Narugi? (He was former victim of bullying turns out he's a killer machine & bully himself)
6.)Chota & Karube - Arisu's friend. Very loyal to Arisu, tho at one time Karube almost wanted to kill Arisu but he and Chota later sacrificed for Arisu. Very supportive, trusting, in the end they're very selfless. I cried so hard on episode 3 :")
Cinematography & Music : Very on point. The directing, music choices on suspenseful scenes & the intros almost scared me to hell.
Other elements : This series included gore, murder, deception, sacrifice, suicide, explicit killing, suspenseful scenes, jumpscares, other things that will drain your emotion, makes your heart jumps, and most definitely will keep you on the edge of your seat. But don't worry you will not regret it.
Values : You'll learn true friendship, love & the value of loving yourself, thankful for every chances everyday that you still survive in this world, and to always be cautious don't easily get fooled by someone. There's always more behind every problems in your life. You'll learn good things from bad things.
So, what are you waiting for? Close your browser & watch the series!!
P.S. If any of the production team read my review, PLEASE APPROVE & CONTINUE THE SECOND SEASON, WE'RE EXCITED FOR THE NEW PLOTLINE!! ❤❤
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AS A FAN OF THE MANGA, I AM SATISFIED
The long wait is over! As a fan of the manga, I have been waiting for this since the announcement and I am really happy that the adaptation met my expectations. I am really satisfied.Let's start with the opening - the opening was really good. It reflects what the series is all about. I have watched a lot of dramas and movies of Yamaken and dang, his performance in Alice in Borderland is phenomenal. I cannot believe he's the same person I have watched in Wotakoi which is a rom-com genre. I also didn't recognize Dori Sakurada, he's so different in this series. The main leads and supporting ctors are really amazing, I am surprised.
There are some scenes that I find awkward especially the Witch Hunt which is why I gave it a 9 as over all and for rewatch value, also a 9 - I dont like watching Seven of Hearts :( :(
If you enjoy As the Gods Will Movie, Escape Room, or any thriller, survival, gore genre. You will surely be hooked and love this series.
I am hoping for a sequel! The most exciting games are on the face cards and we'll meet the Kings and Queens.
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A Bloodthirsty Journey Down The Rabbit Hole...
“Alice In Borderland” is one of this shows which (judging from what you’ve probably read by previous reviews), attracts typically three main audience types; diehard fans of the original manga, J-drama fans of either particular cast members and a minority of “ casual” drama watchers who have either stumbled upon the drama during a search or have just been recommended it. For those in the former category, it’s fair to say the biggest question which should be raised is if the first season of Alice In Borderland is actually worth watching, or if it is simply a waste of time.As you can probably guess from the mention of this drama being a “ first season”, it’s wrong to entirely claim that some of the show’s flaws won’t be fixed in later episodes , however, there are a couple of notable reoccurring themes , inconsistencies and problems which should be mentioned to anyone considering watching this first season.As an idea the show is both intriguing, disturbing and undeniably quite ingenious throughout some of its storyline . From “ Liar- Game” and “ Battle- Royale” -style puzzles and fights , plot twists to the notable name references from Lewis Carroll’s surrealistic classic “ Alice In Wonderland” ( Arisu of course being “ Alice” as our protagonist ), there is of course a notable array of reoccurring and intriguing characters introduced into the show who all play intriguing roles . In particular these include; a mysterious girl and mountain climber called Usagi , the taciturn and conniving Shuntarō Chishiya ( Nijiro Muramaki) and his accomplice Hikari Kuina ( Aya Asahina ) as well as strong militant fighter Aguni Morizono ( Sho Aoyagi).
It should be said , however, that the acting in the show is bit of a mixed-bag .Whilst Kento Yamazaki ( Todome No Kiss and Death Note-2015) is undeniably a fairly good actor, there’s no sugarcoating that his performance as our main protagonist Arisu was a little lacklustre to say the least , with several scenes throughout episodes of fairly generic line deliverance . Similarly whilst Tao Tsuchiya ( Mare, Orange) wasn’t bad as our female protagonist Usagi, her performance was a little questionable in consideration to her fame as a fairly renowned actress. Perhaps the one role which was certainly well-performed in the show and must be given some praise to is Nijiro Muramaki’s (Anohana; The Flower We Saw That Day-2015 , and The Isle of Dogs) roel as the intelligent, mysterious and conniving player Shuntarō Chishiya ; a character who against all odds is more likeable than the male lead.
By all default Arisu had all the right traits of being both a likeable and deep male lead; a traumatic past with his family, experiencing loss and loneliness, intellectual and undeniably socially-awkward at times as well gave boundless opportunities for character growth . Sadly, the biggest issue with Arisu’s characterisation was that against all the action and bloodthirsty moments of the series, there was little time provided for us as viewers to either reflect or see Arisu being able to contemplate these moments both through his interactions with other characters and through his own doubts as well. Whilst it can be argued that Arisu’s poor character depth was a it consequence of the show “ running out of time” than anything else, there is still the notable presence of minor well-written characters such as Kuina and Aguni who actually have quite good character depth, interesting pasts and are fairly three-dimensional in comparison.
This resulted in Arisu often coming off as a notable plot device in the series rather than an actual character; impassive to certain events and only really having the “ driven- angst” when it was necessary for a plot event rather than allowing Arisu to be a likeable male lead.
The ending was undeniably open. This is naturally because the show will receive a second season and allows the plot to extend outwards, however, there were several notable flaws in this first season alone from acting abilities, a fairly lacklustre OST and even our main protagonist’s depth which will probably need to be smoothed out or at least focused upon going forwards. Overall, the first season of Alice In Wonderland was far from a masterpiece ( in addition to some questionable CGI as well) , however, nonetheless it was a fairly thrilling journey down the rabbit hole into a bloodthirsty Wonderland ; undeniably ridiculous at times, but surprisingly a fun ride.
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A very good live action of a manga/anime
Story- The story is just so dark which makes every episode a little more nerve wrecking. You're always thinking you might not survive next.
- The series is just long enough. It doesn't drag out.
- The series looks at the background of more than one character which was really interesting.
Acting/Cast
- My bias towards Yamazaki Kento means he can do no wrong in my eyes. He is always so good no matter what type of character or what kind of genre he is in.
- Sakurada Dori is also an actor I really like but I barely recognised in this due to the character he was playing.
- Murakami Nijiro is a new actor for me but he had that smirk down perfectly. Like he had the 'I'm superior' look perfected.
Music
- I'm not gonna lie, I don't really remember the music so can't say much,
Rewatch Value
- Given how short the series is, I think it definitely rewatchable.
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One of The Best Adaptation From Manga | THE FIRST ASIAN DRAMA TO REACH TOP 5 in Netflix
As one of my favorite manga will have Live-Action Adaptation my excitement starts when a saw the first trailer.Still, Jdrama for me is one of the best production and entertainment industry, because it's not a political and stereotyped industry. Which A-listers stars can adapt any roles lead-roles and support roles don't matter to them.
THE FIRST ASIAN DRAMA TO REACH TOP 5 in Netflix World Ranking with highest points per day recorded.
The Series gets more excited because of the cliffhanger ending in Season 1
Love wow they change the game and player/participants playing but still the story is still intact
They will dominate in the yuletide season because they dropped it all (8 Episodes)
Fans will be wanting more and high expectation for Season 2
This is one of the Best Series on Netflix in 2020
Thanks to Production and Casts.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Wow, Just Wow
TLDR: a literal masterpieceThis series was absolutely mind blowing. I love the storyline and the characters and the cast were perfect for their roles.
Some mentionable points that really stuck with me:
1. The fact that we got backstories for most of the characters was spectacular, you felt like you got to know what the characters were fighting for and then most of the time they got unapologetically ripped away from you
2. Arisu’s emotions after the sheep and wolf game. Wow. Honestly wow, I was absolutely balling my eyes out when they stopped responding to him during the game and that was all down to the acting, the connection they made us form with the characters and the cinematography during that sequence; the ring, chota basically choking out that girl...
3. I loved that every games goal wasn’t the goal you were told it was, it made them exciting to watch and made me really uptight in a fun edge of my seat kind of way
4. Arisu managing to figure out basically every game (sometimes even by accident) amazed me, it really showed how even though he was viewed as effectively useless in the real world by his family and friends for only playing video games, his knowledge and problem solving skills saved countless lives in this alternate country (?)
5. That injured guy on the bus, who I convinced myself would die, being saved and then walking off into the horizon like ‘see you guys later’ as if he would survive on his own, iconic
6. Chishiya. That’s it. That’s the tweet. Is he good? Is he bad? Who knows but he’s serving looks like he’s on a international runway, the hair really does it for me and his characters so mysterious he just really adds to the show. The casting for chishiya was particularly spectacular
7. The Easter eggs to Alice in wonderland that I didn’t even get until after I finished watching it. Obviously I got Arisu because it kind of sounds like Alice with a push, but the rabbit one? Genius. And chishiya obviously sounds like Cheshire now that I think about it but yeah, I’m dumb. And I have no excuse for not realising the hatter, that ones just dumb on my part.
A couple more mentionable things were the visuals of the buildings and all the game arenas, wow. They were all so breathtaking in a gloomy ‘you’re gonna die here’ kinda way. And the inclusion of a transgender character without it being made obvious all the way through? *chefs kiss* also the mums acceptance, I didn’t cry, you did. Oh and the hatter and the scary guys friendship being revealed at the end!
Sorry it’s long lol, if you didn’t get the memo so far I loved it, it was a masterpiece
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This takes the cake for the worst thing I have ever had the displeasure of watching
Big content warning for both the drama and this review: sexual abuse, murder, dead bodies (mostly women's)Before I get into what exactly made this drama so disgustingly unenjoyable and so mind bogglingly regrettable for me, I want to say that I cannot believe that out of SIXTY SEVEN reviews, there were only two that rated this sad excuse for a drama 6.5/10, and that's as low as they get! The fact that the majority are 9s and 10s makes me sincerely question the authenticity of the reviews. No human being with more than two brain cells could genuinely give this shit-show a 10. Either most of the reviews are shills or I'm just some stupid lunatic who's lost their mind. Don't take my word for it, though.
Let's start with the characters. There is absolutely no reason to give a shit about any of them because this drama prefers to spend its hours upon hours of potential character development on useless scenes—failing to foster attachment to any of the characters or the story itself—and as a result literally every single scene that's supposed to carry weight ends up falling flat. Oh, character X is screaming his lungs out from grief because his best friends Y and Z (the three of whom we know jack shit about apart from a few flashbacks that last mere minutes) died, how sad! The emptiness of these supposedly "emotional" scenes is further emphasized by the epic-sad-angelic-dramatic music that J-dramas love to overuse.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for emotional scenes and the cliché J-drama tearjerker style. I love it when a drama is able to move me to tears, but this ain't it chief. This ain't even close. To empathize with characters and actually have an emotional reaction to any given scene we first need to be invested. This drama does the opposite of that, it pushes you away by trying to force a reaction too early and too hard.
The female characters are nonexistent. No, really. The first female character we're introduced to serves the role of a sex object, basically, who is then further degraded when she's easily restrained and manhandled by the token wimp character who's shorter than her, skinnier than her AND injured. Not to mention her opting for fucking high heels when she herself knows she might have to run in a life-or-death situation. Oh wait it wasn't her opting for high heels it was the stupid writers who created her character and made it so that she'd be pathetically attempting to run in high heels. It was painful seeing the first female character we're introduced to get humiliated (directly and indirectly) and reduced to someone who's good at nothing but being used for sex. It's not surprising when you take Japan's view of women into consideration but it still feels like some cruel joke. Oh and about that token wimp character, she decides to have pity sex with him hours after meeting him for no apparent reason. Maybe some self-insert fanservice for all the real life wimps?
The second female character is the female MC counterpart except she's actually brave, strong and capable. Sounds too good to be true? That's because it is. She is reduced to a sex object when she gets ordered to be taken to the stupid bald mustached tank-top wearing macho character's room at gunpoint because he's "taken a liking to her", the only thing stopping her from being taken away against her will and raped is another man (whose only virtue is having more authority than mustached bald-tard, otherwise it's obvious he's done his fair share of rape as well) stepping in to keep the peace. Cool, so does she get more character development? Nope, a few more episodes in and this time she actually gets taken to a room against her will and sexually abused (this time by the bald tanktop-tard's edgy, cringey henchman and his goonsquad—one of which is a woman herself), the only thing stopping her from being actually raped is the distraction of loud alarm noises signaling the start of a new game. Not to mention during said scene the cringe henchman monologues about rape and other similar crimes being normal and part of mankind's true nature, therefore his actions are justified. Some bullshit along those lines.
We have the self-insert mega gamer, high IQ, no purpose in life, NEET male MC character. We have the burly-bald-badass tank-top-tard male character. We have the cOoL bUt cRaZy, charming, cocky cult-leader character that midwits love to imagine themselves as, also a male. We have wimp male characters who make up for their wimpness through some other merit or virtue, we have aggressive male characters who care for their loved ones and aren't afraid to fight for them. We have mysterious male characters, cold hearted male characters, edgy male characters. If you're looking for a specific type of male character I'm sure you'll find them, or at least an echo of what you're looking for.
Female characters? Almost all female characters serve only one role: eye candy. Okay one of them is obviously smart and dissects bodies and stuff. Cool, she has no say in anything. No power, no authority, nothing. Her entire existence and character is reduced to looking pretty for every other male character. The other female character who is supposedly high in the ranks serves literally no role other than showing off her body throughout the entire drama until the very end where a weak ass-pull (that I won't spoil) occurs. Every other female character is only there to look sexy and die for shock value. That's it. Really. One scene was particularly disturbing in how specific it was, it practically screamed "Look at this pretty woman get brutally murdered for no reason!". Also about the aforementioned Ms. I-Dissect-Bodies, there's a scene in episode 6 where she's searching for a GPS chip in the brains of two dead bodies. Two dead bodies as in two dead women. Two dead women as in two dead women whose butt-naked bodies are exposed bare and shown off to the camera for some fucking reason. Like come on, really? What the fuck?
Another thing that really bugged me was how unrealistic some scenes were. You think an untrained NEET is going to be able to run for miles and miles without his body shutting down, LET ALONE carry a fucking MOTORCYCLE all the way back to his starting point without resting or drinking more than a sip of water? You think humans can somehow outrun a fucking ravenous panther multiple times? How the fuck can a panther not reach under a car that a fat fuck somehow crawled under? How the fuck does a bald mustached tanktop-tard manage to pistol slap a full grown airborne TIGER so hard that it goes flying in another direction? You think some stupid bald macho-man can just casually slap a 600 pound muscle-bound monster (who can leap with the force of a fucking truck) so hard it changes trajectory? Fucking impossible. Literally against the laws of physics. How the fuck does a tattooed skinhead who doesn't weigh more than 100 pounds soaking wet, holding his katana in ONE HAND, manage to slice an airborne tiger (again, WEIGHS AT LEAST 600 POUNDS AND CAN LEAP WITH THE FORCE OF A TRUCK) like some anime character? That's only scratching the surface by the way! There's so much more that I won't even bother with, just know that the choreography and direction of most action scenes feel like they were handled by an 11 year old who has no idea how real life works.
Finally, about The Beach. So we've got hundreds of people who have been separated from all of their loved ones, being forced to face the reality that they may never return to their old lives (or old world, for that matter) and the majority of these people can just party, drink, do drugs and have sex without a care in the world? Like that's all their happiness and stability hinges on? Zero qualms about anything, including the fact that they have to participate in life or death games literally every couple of fucking days? Are these people completely immune to stress/depression? I can get that there would be a certain group of people who would thrive in that kind of situation, hell some would even kill for that kind of life. It just felt so weird seeing hundreds and hundreds of people act so carefree and oblivious as if they didn't lose anything, as if nothing's at risk.
The story had virtually zero progression. Zero foreshadowing. Zero sense of mystery. Zero development. We're not even close to finding out anything, nor are we even left wondering what's next. All I could wonder was what the fuck just happened. It's all one big confusing cluster-fuck shit-storm of a ride that I wish I had never gotten on in the first place. I couldn't give this pathetic excuse for a drama more than 1 star if you held a gun to my head. What a waste.
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Watch it! Don’t hesitate
Escaping reality isn’t always rainbow and sunshines. Through this series we really get to see how strangers were transferred from their normal daily lives. Into a world where they rely on escape room games in order to gain Visas for their remaining days of surviving. I find it interesting how the games where sorted into difficulties levels and genres. How they finish the game at times gets you thinking about the saying of “work Smarter not Harder”. There were some reckless decisions by some characters at times but they don’t really play a huge aspect. I’m excited to see what will happen next as it was left on a cliffhanger. Hoping for another season!Was this review helpful to you?
Alice in Borderland: A Netflix Gem
As a watcher of many movies and Dramas in this genre, story is usually secondary to the unwritten social contract break down. Usually we play nice with each other as humans but when we add death as a consequence, things we would never have done suddenly become acceptable. Survival is so hardwired into us.The Story is actually the star of this drama, the mains not instant badasses, flawed and yet over come the flaws through the course of the episodes, Or not and accepts them.
No one is overly naive to propel the story, just everyone has their own back story and reason for who they are (kinda like real people).
The transgender plot line was done extremely well and it wasn't thrown in your face, it was folded into the story like just one more ingredient AND I LOVED IT.
Acting totally on point by this star filled cast.
It gets a 9.5 because...because I cant bring myself to give this genre a 10.
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Adrenaline Rush!
The drama begins with a glimpse into the normal life of Alice, homebody and gamer, from a rich family but regarded as "parasite" by his family, who finds solace with his good-for-nothing friends. (Everybody is kinda trashy and loser, I thought) Troubled by their life, they escape the reality, by running wildly in the busy streets of Tokyo. That's the only moment to see so much liveliness and happiness in Tokyo. Because one thing leads to another, they land in this new Tokyo, completely empty. (Man, hats off to the production team for the amazing visuals of empty Tokyo!), where 'play or die' is the only rule to survive.The survival games are very interesting and logical too. Pro-tip, you could pause and think for the answer, if you like. With games, comes new characters and things get bloody and gore. (Boy, I was so wrong for thinking the original trio to be trashy but almost every character we meet is a lot more trashy.) Cynicism, betrayal, and mind games become the new norm.
Soon, Alice seems like the most decent person besides Rabbit (giving an unthinkable reunion of Naho and Kakeru) but of course, not without undergoing a 'do or die' situation himself, which was quite an emotional ride. Another pro-tip, don't get attached to any character, or pay for the consequences. As the story moves, new games and new friends, so many die but got to keep going. That's just the first half of the episodes. Now the big question is, "If there is a game, then there must be a gamemaster right?" which leads to another killer thriller ride for the second half of episodes.
Once again, new games and new characters. If there is a dystopian world, there must be a utopia and if there is no authority, then someone assumes authority. With authority, comes the division of two groups "US" &"THEM" and their own power struggle. This all infused with the madness to survive, back-stabbing pushes everyone to the edge. More blood, bodies and betrayals. The ending, like with usual Netflix shows, it was only a teaser for a much, much bigger thing.
What was Good? And Bad?
The entire series was so well produced. Everything top-notch. The games were superb and mind-blowing. The story was tightly packed. It felt like a blend of game movies like Jumanji, Zathura and English drama, Black Mirror. It starts out as an adventure fantasy developing into a dystopian thriller.
Themes: This drama touches so many themes like how the idea of death can bring out a new side of people, a new faith, manipulating others, seduction, and worst of all, fake hope. It also shows the narrow gap between sanity and insanity, friendship and enmity. Sometimes, the drama tries to give humanity messages like altruism but which soon fades away as the story moves forward. Oh, on the sexual content and violence: for starters, there is too much blood splattering and bodies. There is definitely sexual content. (I'm not going to word it but I almost thought I was watching an American show, they don't substantially add much to the plot so skip it if you don't like, there are only placed to understand the intensity of their newfound freedom and reality)
Although almost all characters have some sort of backstory to understand them better, only a few make it to the end, of which, Alice undergoes the best character growth and Rabbit is such a powerful and admirable character capable of rescuing herself.
Acting: Like always Yamazaki Kento excels in portraying as Alice. The agony, the anger, the happiness, every emotion was so perfect. Tsuchiya Tao, as Rabbit, no doubt she must have undergone rigorous training for her role, exudes the strength of her character. It was surprising to find Machida Keita in a new role and thug-like look. But the biggest surprise was Sakurada Dori. He was almost unrecognizable in his character. (It was the most unlikely Orange squad mini-reunion) Asahina Aya's character had such an amazing fight scene.
Music was apt and lifted the suspense to a higher level.
It is definitely worth the rewatch for its plot but would be a hassle to undergo the same emotional turmoil once again.
Final note, adrenaline rush inducing drama which can sometimes make you think and sometimes anxious and disturbed, all the while keeping you entertained.
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Survival of the fittest
Imawa no Kuni no Alice shows the various challenges towards human survival.The 8 episode series manages to include backstories for not only the main but also the side characters—which gives us an understanding of the characters motives and motivations. It brought dimensionality at least towards the characters that played a key role in the story. Also, the characters showed many points of ups and downs that made the story consistent. The acting was not your typical Jmovie style; instead, it was very suitable for the story’s tone and setting. The soundtrack, especially the opening credits conveyed an eerie tone for each episode, therefore, building the suspenseful tension.
Usually, in this given genre of survival game I have a hard time getting invested in the characters, however, this series managed to show the bonds of the characters in a heartfelt and somewhat realistic light. It also takes a lot for me to become emotional for a film or drama. However, the series framework and acting succeeded in making me feel what the main protagonist’s felt during tragic scenes.
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