This review may contain spoilers
“You’re playing your own game. You’re the master of your own fate.”
the search for one’s purpose and the meaning of life, if there is any, continued this season and hit me right in the heart as we see not only arisu but even side characters question if it really would be better to remain a citizen of the borderlands if it meant they’d be able to escape from their previous lives. this series is about more than just surviving but about truly living and learning to value your experiences, taking control of your life and making it into something you can be proud of and face the end without a single regret. our characters did a wonderful job of showcasing that while this may look different for everybody, in the end there’s always a reason to continue living.
the face card games always stress me out no matter how many times i rewatch them. all of the games are, just like last season, well thought out and keep you on the edge of your seat as you hope that arisu somehow managed to think of a way to turn things around in his favor. my personal favorite game this season is the king of clubs and it’s totally not biased and not because i love kyuma to bits… but i also really love the heart games this season because they’re exactly the kind of mindfuck i expect, especially the queen. i remember the first time i watched it i genuinely believed everything that was happening and was screaming the entire time.
i think the only major flaw of this season was trying to introduce a new player, akane, into the cast and quickly trying to make us care for her by throwing in her first game and her backstory. while i think her character is an important message and not only paired well with aguni as his supporter but gave us another perspective on why people struggle and live against all odds, it was a bit rushed considering all the other things that had to get done in this season. i think if there were more episodes she would’ve really had a chance to shine. on the topic of the cast i really loved how we took some time away from arisu to explore the other games from a different perspective, and it being chishiya made for really fun and insightful moments. his nonchalantness caused a lot of unintentionally comedic scenes but also seeing how his games contributed to his character development and his big moment near the end made me love him even more and gave his character more depth. usagi also had a lot of growth this season after meeting the kid and participating in the queen of spades game and it made me appreciate her character even more than i already did which is saying a lot. while there was a lot of development there was also one character who stayed the same and i’m glad they didn’t try to redeem him because he acts as another truth in our world; some people are evil and they don’t change. i loved how they approached our existing characters while also bringing the game masters, like kyuma, to life and how every single character is so complex.
aib is a series i love with my entire heart because of what it represents and as someone who’s asked these questions to himself dozens of times it gives me hope that my story could end up like arisu and kuina’s one day. im writing this a bit before season three airs and i couldn’t be more excited for it <3
the face card games always stress me out no matter how many times i rewatch them. all of the games are, just like last season, well thought out and keep you on the edge of your seat as you hope that arisu somehow managed to think of a way to turn things around in his favor. my personal favorite game this season is the king of clubs and it’s totally not biased and not because i love kyuma to bits… but i also really love the heart games this season because they’re exactly the kind of mindfuck i expect, especially the queen. i remember the first time i watched it i genuinely believed everything that was happening and was screaming the entire time.
i think the only major flaw of this season was trying to introduce a new player, akane, into the cast and quickly trying to make us care for her by throwing in her first game and her backstory. while i think her character is an important message and not only paired well with aguni as his supporter but gave us another perspective on why people struggle and live against all odds, it was a bit rushed considering all the other things that had to get done in this season. i think if there were more episodes she would’ve really had a chance to shine. on the topic of the cast i really loved how we took some time away from arisu to explore the other games from a different perspective, and it being chishiya made for really fun and insightful moments. his nonchalantness caused a lot of unintentionally comedic scenes but also seeing how his games contributed to his character development and his big moment near the end made me love him even more and gave his character more depth. usagi also had a lot of growth this season after meeting the kid and participating in the queen of spades game and it made me appreciate her character even more than i already did which is saying a lot. while there was a lot of development there was also one character who stayed the same and i’m glad they didn’t try to redeem him because he acts as another truth in our world; some people are evil and they don’t change. i loved how they approached our existing characters while also bringing the game masters, like kyuma, to life and how every single character is so complex.
aib is a series i love with my entire heart because of what it represents and as someone who’s asked these questions to himself dozens of times it gives me hope that my story could end up like arisu and kuina’s one day. im writing this a bit before season three airs and i couldn’t be more excited for it <3
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