kellzz

nah, the joker is the one who runs the borderlands, so i'm assuming they left it open to another season or movie based off of either the sequel manga where arisu is sent back to the borderlands, or the spinoff manga with new characters, or potentially a whole new storyline, but either way the games are strictly within the borderlands

i think it's explained better in the manga, but essentially the borderlands are just a form of purgatory between life and death. so those who are there, even the dealers and game masters, are people who experienced a near death experience. the borderlands from my understanding are run by the joker, who is supposed to represent the ferryman in mythology who transports the souls of the dead to the afterlife. but from what others have said, due to so many people dying, the joker decided to create the games in order to give people a second chance at life rather than immediately dying. those who die in the games die in real life, and those who complete the games get the option to return to their lives and have a second chance, or they can choose to stay in the borderlands and help run the games, and essentially just become stuck in purgatory until they inevitably die at some point.

basically the meteors that struck the city are what sent them all into the borderlands between life and death, the games gave them a second chance to potentially survive the meteors and have a second chance at life. that's why those who woke up were all in critical condition to some extent, like arisu's heart stopped, aguni is in a coma, ann was resuscitated, etc.

yeah, i liked that this season showed strengths of every character and didn't focus so much on making the lead the strongest/smartest one

i agree, i think if it actually ended any of the ways mira was messing with them about, it would have been extremely dissatisfying

i thought it was nice. i liked that it wasn't the main focus of the show, but it showed the connection and bond they formed while there

i don't think she died, i think she was just in critical condition/on the verge of death

i mean the sequel is about arisu being sent back to the borderlands, and the spinoff is about a different set of characters in the borderlands

it was a second chance, it's apparently explained better in the manga, but the whole point of the games is to literally give people a second chance at life in the real world after being caught in a life or death situation which sent them to the borderlands

honestly i think them not including the joker part from the manga is why it may not be as clear

technically there's a sequel manga, and a spinoff manga, so they could use those

i think you explained it really well, but it was mira, not ann

it wasn't really stupid, i think you were just expecting a gory and intense game like the ones from S1. this season they were a lot more psychological based, and the last game was a clear example of that. her goal was literally to make sure they didn't complete the game due to her manipulating his psyche, which is fitting for her since in the real world she was neuroscientist/psychologist.

same tbh

i wouldn't get your hopes up, but it's possible for another season or spinoff or movie, considering there's a sequel manga and a spinoff manga

what are you confused about

in the manga the joker represents the ferryman who transports those who died into the afterlife, but im assuming since they didn't actually explain his role in the drama they potentially plan on continuing it by using material from the sequel manga or spinoff manga.

the whole ending basically showed that the borderlands are just a form of purgatory, so the games were not fake or an illusion, they were real for those involved in them because it was literally their opportunity to fight for a second chance at life since they were stuck between life and death. the meteors were real, and were the actual cause of the people being sent to the borderlands. if they died in the borderlands, that meant they died in the real world, if they completed the games they were given the chance to continue their life in the real world, or basically stay in a coma in the real world and continue to participate in the games instead when new people arrive to the borderlands.

in the manga the joker is supposed to be the ferryman who transports those in purgatory (borderlands) to the afterlife when they die, but he's just not shown the same way in the drama which is why there's speculation there's going to be some form of continuation, either based on the sequel manga or the spinoff.

someone apparently said there were plans for a continuation but it's all hearsay at the moment of course. however, the fact that they did change the ending a bit from the manga does potentially leave it open to them continuing it. there is a sequel manga as well as a spinoff manga, so they could potentially use those as material to make a movie or another season

it's somewhere around 32 or 33 that they get officially divorced

i think that's what really confused me, because in the scene, it obviously wasn't aguni in that flashback with the king of spades, but aguni was still responding to him as if it was. was he just trying to give the guy peace?