Alice in Borderland Season 3

Unnecessary

The way that Alice in Borderland was ended with season 2 was a good way to end the story and in my opinion was a satisfying ending for all characters. that is why I went into this season with some weariness because I was happy with the season 2 ending and figured that going away from the original material would cause the series to be sullied in my mind.

I was impressed with how likable they were able to make the cast of characters in only 6 episodes, but the short run time of 6 episodes also was to the detriment of a lot of the characters as we only got about 5 minutes for backstory that was done mostly through a quick scene for each character.

Then there is the last episode; I hated this episode. The whole episode felt like a crappy action movie that wanted to show off their effects they can do because of their budget. So many times during this episode I found myself clicking my phone screen to see how much time is left in the episode. I think a big problem of this season in my opinion is how bad the antagonist is to me. He is not intimidating to me at all and his motives also make no sense to me. The only good part of this episode was the 3 minutes of fan-service they had in the final 10 minutes of the show.

Overall I'm not upset that I watched this new season, but I also would have been perfectly fine and truly would have preferred if the series ended with the conclusion of season 2.

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Same thing as squid game s3, disappointing

I don’t have much to say honestly. A lot of thing were done in season 3 just to milk the little bit of popularity it still had and it felt like the ending was the exact same as squid game season 3 lol

Yeah like i said, if you waited a lot of years for this season then you would understand why its a bit disappointing to come to a season like that. The games seemed a bit boring and tame as well, and the whole show seemed to have skipped around and the directors slapped this onto the viewers like ‘here damn!’ 😭 But yeah it was still nice to get the main couples canon endgame confirmed and the fact that the characters from s1 and 2 are confirmed to be alive and recovering! Very sweet ending.

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Disappointed in this season yet still somewhat good

After watching and loving Seasons 1 and 2, I had high hopes for Season 3. Unfortunately, where the first two seasons delivered on so many levels: gripping plot and twists, strong acting, an amazing soundtrack, emotional depth (I cried so bad T—T), psychological tension, and genuine thrill, this season fell noticeably short in almost all of those areas (aside from maybe the acting).
The plot doesn’t quite "plot," the twists don’t twist, and the emotional or psychological weight just isn't there.
Maybe it’s just my disappointment talking, because in the end, I still watched it all the way through (that says something). I did enjoy seeing the main characters again and following their journeys, but next time I rewatch the series, I’ll stop at Season 2. That ending was far more satisfying, with much better suspense and resolution.

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Good, but irrelevant and unnecessary

the games are top tier! Games were peak in this season, i think. If given a few more eps, games would've been SO much better. HOWEVER, The story itself was irrelevant, and how it started was pointless too. They aimed to reveal more about the borderland, but to no avail. They also missed a plot hole from s1, where a bunch of employees were watching & *betting* on the games.

TBH, this is a great watch but better considered as a spinoff/special. It literally added NOTHING to the lore thats alr in the first 2 seasons. The last part of the games with the old man be tried to be philosophical, but ended to be just a bunch of nothing burger. This season was good, but better left off at S2. IF you watch this season, just don't expect much exploration of the lore. Just enjoy the games, it was a good watch because of the games.

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A solid series, but it didn't connect the best with S1 and S2

[spoiler warning]

In my opinion, I loved AiB 3. I feel like the games were more nerve-wracking, the characters felt less manga-like (although this was never an issue for me in the first two seasons), and I liked how the series still focused on the survival aspect while still centering it around the concept of "love being a reason to live." I also felt like Yamazaki Kento and Tsuchiya Tao leveled up their game performance-wise, since they did SO WELL in acting out emotionally-charged scenes. It would have been a solid 10 for me if it weren't the third season of AiB.

Personally, what I loved about the concept of AiB is that the Borderlands literally represent the "border" between life and death. It's the place where people--who are in the brink of death--participate in the games to determine their path: either they live, or they proceed to the afterlife. So in a way, it is connected to the afterlife where there are beings that govern it. The air of mystery surrounding the borderlands is what made it so intriguing. In the first two seasons, I actually liked that they never fully revealed everything about it and that it remained relatively mysterious until the very end.

But S3 somehow made the borderlands more confusing, because how come Banda is coming in and out of the borderlands? Even taking frequent trips in the world of the living? That contradicts what happened in S2, because it has shown that the citizens are still bound to the rules of the borderlands. They could still get lasered off if they disobey the rules. But Banda is able to go in and out of it simply because he wanted to lure Arisu in to live as a citizen. Although the full benefits of being a citizen were never fully elaborated, I don't think they are powerful enough to do that.

I feel like that specific event didn't tie very well with the first two seasons, and it's actually the only reason why I ever deducted points. But otherwise, I still enjoyed it very well. If I would be honest, I enjoyed it most out of all the seasons.

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Arisu versus Borderland, the rematch

Honestly, I think the majority of us can agree that them clearing up all the games from the second season was already a great conclusion to the story. Yet, knowing that a Joker card does exist in all card decks, I am loving the way they utilized this as the final season of the franchise. Do they manage to pull up a good season? Yes, but compared to the prequels, this season was obviously the weakest. Still, we can’t deny the fact that they showcase another banger story; however, with less impact on the viewers.

The one thing that I hated the most about this show is how all the survivors from the games lose their memories when they come back from the real world. As a viewer, I wanted them to be reunited with the memories of them all fighting for their lives inside the game, and creating new memories living their second lives in the real world. This is also the reason why the rulers managed to bring back old players to participate in a rematch game of survival under the Joker games.

We only have very limited games this season, but they are more than enough to carry out a dramatic and creative execution of stories. Meeting new players and alliances, Arisu once again led the team with his compassionate and strategic mind with enhancing the capabilities of his teammates. As in the previous seasons, Arisu will never survive without the help of other players.

Here is my ranking of the games from toughest to weakest presentation.

Semi-final game: Kick the Can
With a limit of ten chances to survive, this is a team fight with straightforward instructions that involves speed and power. It became a relay game for everyone. This is the game where they showcase how Arisu and his alliances deeply bonded over the short amount of time they shared from the previous games. At the end, they managed to survive, with three teammates unfortunately died.

Second game: Zombie Hunt
A card game with the twist of zombie, shotgun, and vaccine. Inside the Institute of Virus Research facility, players must survive by either becoming a zombie or healing others back to their humanity. It is a cool twist that needs a clever way of convincing other players. Arisu being a zombie since the beginning was good, but it needed to present more context after the revelation.

First game: Fortune of Luck
This may seem so basic at first, but this tested the players’ intellectual strength. Solving scenarios and equations that involve actual numbers in a limited time was such pressure for everyone. Knowing that a random fire of arrows may strike out depending on the margin of errors was truly terrifying.

Semi-final game: Tokyo Bingo Tower
Endurance, balance, and tough strength until hitting the bingo. It was fine that players needed to climb up the Tokyo tower and hit the button all around the corner, but I feel like the metal balls falling from the sky were so random. We don’t even see them when Usagi is climbing the peak of the tower.

Third game: Runaway Train
This is a game where Arisu and Usagi finally get a glimpse of each other, with such a dramatic train situation. Yet the game itself was tough luck, and you needed to think outside the box or literally think outside the train. Stay, and you will breathe poison gas.

Final game: Possible Futures
Nah. This game was kind of a meh for me. I was expecting a full-blown championship game. But similar to the last game they played before, this is a game of testing one’s desire and temptation in securing his own future. The take from this game is that an alternate reality was too much of an option if you think about the logical reasoning to at least survive the game. Hailing Arisu as the winner was kind of breaking the game's rule that they set for the players, since the rest of the players were finally able to exit from the digital double rooms. Taking place in Shibuya was too amusing.

Side game: Dodging Lasers
Intense yet feels too much for the wheelchair man manages to survive this with the help of Usagi and the people he used as a human shield.

Think. Think. Think. As Arisu always says when he faces an oddly life-and-death situation. The games are the major charm of this series. But the players themselves are the reason why the audience loves the show. Ending the finale season with Arisu interviewing all past players we fell in love with from the prequel seasons was heartwarming. Everyone is living their life to the fullest. Such a nice way to finally conclude the franchise.

My wishful thinking is that Arisu and Usagi celebrated the birth of their first child with the presence of all the people that they met as co-players inside the alternate world. With them having the memories from the past and securing their futures in the real world with the support of everyone.

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Finally this aired. Let's watch…

The story of Arisu and Usagi continues…

After finally returning to the real world, the two got married and began living a quiet, peaceful life—completely forgetting their time in Alice Town.

But that peace doesn’t last long. One day, Usagi mysteriously disappears, drawn back into Alice Town under the influence of Ryuji, a researcher obsessed with uncovering the secrets of the afterlife. Determined to bring her back, Arisu follows her back into Alice Town.

As Arisu re-enters Alice Town, he confronts a sequence of life-threatening games. When they progress through the first game, his memory of his time there also returns.

This season introduces the Joker cards, and the games become even more brutal and mentally taxing. The players face new deadly challenges, complex rules, and moral dilemmas that push them to their limits.

This season they introduce Joker cards & the games itself become more brutal and mentally taxing. The players face new deadly games, more complex rules, and moral dilemmas.

So Arisu is once more forced to strategize not just for survival, but for rescue and sacrifice.

Now the questions:
? Will Arisu finally find and reunite with Usagi…
? Will they make it out of Alice Town alive—again
And the biggest question of all…
? Who is the Joker?

That's pretty much the story without giving spoilers. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ As usual the game itself quite intriguing to say the least. The effects not bad too...

What I don't like:
- Well this season feels unnecessary. But maybe for some people this is a need for closure.
- I kinda hope I can see the character from season 1 & 2 to re-join the game in this season. But instead they introduced new member
- Don't like the ending. The way Netflix messed this up… Like Squids Game or Money Heist

Overall I'm just happy I can put this as the title in my Alphabet challenge. Haha…

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Not perfect but an easy binge

I went in to this thinking it would be really bad but honestly both me and my husband said it was not as good as season one but better than season two.

To watch this you will have to turn off your brain as not much actually makes any sense, like at all but I do believe the story does give us some depth, closure to the other two seasons and sheds a pretty decent light on survivors guilt and that surviving (what ever it may be ) is just the beginning and in no way the end.

It also feels true to the Joker for not really making any sence and giving us the feeling of anything can happen as the rules can change and all is a mess.

As for the near death experience and afterlife stuff I feel like it is more of a show of the body struggling in those minutes than the consciousness... As I am a firm believer in the near death experience being a whole lot of nothingness, but htat could of course just be my personal experience of it...

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Too Short - resolution weak

spoilers included: Are from previous seasons and first couple minutes of this first episode this season.

The headline to this review really has more to do with this season feeling forced. Due to the fact that there was weak character development, some of the deaths you are supposed to care about seemed very anti climactic. Ending easter eggs were great, but would have loved the MC somehow showig homage to his best friends. seriously.... they made the ultimate sacrifice, that he can't remember, but they were obviously "ended" by the meteorite. He should have at least visited a memorial "picture/name" wall, looked at a pic of the 3 of them on his phone, or even a pic on his desk....something?

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Not Terrible but unnecessary

I am a massive fan of the series and I felt that season 2 came to an appropriate ending,but with Netflix teasing the joker you knew that season 3 would come.

After watching the season it wasn’t that as bad as I thought it was but I felt like it was so unnecessary.Usagi need for her father didn’t really make that much sense,but I felt that ryuji character was good backed by great acting.Episode 5 for me was the best episode,the need for a great future messed up the game for others but gave a great story and some amazing acting in the show.The scene in the chapel was some heart wrenching stuff.

A lot of scenes felt unnecessary,but I felt like the cast pushed a terrible plot and made it watchable.

Some greatly written characters but with a bad plot

Also great to see a chishiya cameo and to see the original cast

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