Alice in Borderland

If you get tired of OP characters in non-existent peril with Netflix's US productions, this one will fix that for you. After we watched several episodes my son walked away shaking his head and said, "I'm going to go read All Quiet on the Western Front" to cheer myself up.

It's pretty darn good. A couple of the games had some holes in them, and some of the character behaviors didn't make sense outside of it's what the writers wanted them to do at that moment. But really watching this is more about feeling like the last year wasn't so bad compared to what these characters are going through. Hoping Season 2 can keep pace.

This show is definitely among my 20 favorite shows, ever. It is exciting, it is fun, it is amusing, and it is full of emotions. The thing that I find stranger than the fact that so few people have watched it, is how low its ratings are. Honestly, people what more do you want?! The episodes ratings are so unfair. Each and everyone of them deserve much higher than this; especially the ending (if that is in fact the ending). Season 2 Finale was the best ending possible for the show. However, I do hope that they renew it for a third one because it has a lot of potential.

Anyway, if you're looking for a 16-hour worth of time roller coaster that makes you stay awake for two days, Alice in Borderland is your answer.

This show has a fun premise with great production. Some episodes are very strong and worth watching, but otherwise, the show is littered with poorly written characters that at times are acted out very stiffly. You can feel the actors going overboard or are poorly acting out a few too many scenes. The plot manages to hold interest but messes up small details that would often leave you face-palming or shaking your head.

Overall, the show is a far cry from the 10/10 rating many reviews seem to be giving it... Think of it like a good way to mindlessly pass the time.

To be fair, it's not that big of a feat, especially considering Netflix produced Death Note and Cowboy Bebop, iconic stories in their own right, and failed miserably with them.

But boy, they hit a home run with Alice in Borderland. The post-apocalyptic landscape of Japan looks incredible, the design and stage of each games are fantastic, and for the most part, the characters aren't all weirdos, *cough*, well a lot of them are but that's the charm, right?

Now you can probably find a ton of plot holes with how some of the games went, and you will totally see this in many other reviews. But, just the sheer volume of so many types of survival games to be adapted was a delight to see.

Not all games are equal in quality, but some really stands out, like most games that involves Chishiya and most of the games in season 1. All the games are absolutely brutal, whether it is a physical challenge, a mental challenge, or both. I was very surprised to see how some of the action scenes are done so well, like Usagi's parkour scenes, and probably the most memorable one that involves a katana.

As far as the story goes, you're watching this and reading this review because you have some interest at least with the survival games genre like Saw and Battle Royale. Alice in Borderland mixes Battle Royale with a decent amount of wit and a bit more set of relatable characters. I even thought some character progression to be delightfully done even if they're simple and straight-forward.

Alice in Borderland has gotten a lot of things right, and is probably the best anime/manga live adaptation right now. It certainly makes someone like me who has seen way too many terrible live adaptations of anime/manga interested to see if Netflix can hit another home run next time.

* I would love to talk about the ending but this will not be a spoiler review. But I do appreciate the adaptation for faithfully adapting the ending (which I enjoyed, but it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea). *

As someone who's a big fan of the manga, I think the Netflix adaptation does a decent job for anyone trying to find more Alice in Borderland content. However, the devil is in the details, and except for the main story arcs, it's quite different from the original story.

Many characters are introduced earlier than expected, and some games have changed concepts entirely. Certain story beats are shuffled around or erased. In addition, Arisu participates in several games that he wasn't part of originally. I would have to say to avid fans of the manga to watch this series pretending you have no prior knowledge unless you like to be disappointed. But by itself, it was spectacular to watch this interpretation of Alice in Borderland.