I binged watched this until 4:59 am
I just finished watching 'Alice in Borderland', and I'm still reeling from the intense ride that it took me on. This drama is like a dark, twisted wonderland that sucks you in and refuses to let go. The cast, led by Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya, deliver performances that are both haunting and mesmerizing. Yamazaki's portrayal of Arisu is particularly impressive, as he brings depth and nuance to a character that could have easily been one-dimensional.The story is a complex web of mystery and suspense, with plot twists that will keep you guessing until the very end. Just when you think you have a handle on what's going on, the drama throws in another curveball that will leave you reeling. It's a true thrill ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The cinematography is stunning, with a blend of eerie and beautiful visuals that perfectly capture the drama's surreal atmosphere. The use of lighting, color, and camera angles creates a dreamlike quality that immerses you in the world of Borderland. And the OST? Absolutely chilling and addictive! The music perfectly complements the drama's tone, adding an extra layer of tension and emotion to each scene.
'Alice in Borderland' is not for the faint of heart, but if you're ready for a mind-bending, emotional rollercoaster, then buckle up and get ready to enter the rabbit hole. Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and dark fantasy, this drama will leave you breathless and eager for more.
IF I GOT ANYTHING WRONG PLS TELL ME I DONT WANT TO MISLEAD YOU GUYS
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one of the only live adaptations of an anime/manga that i’ve really loved
definitely had moments that made me annoyed because someone did something stupid or was blind to the obvious or because of plot holes that didn’t really seem to have any explanation but besides that i really enjoyed this show :) i loved the FL and ML i think the casting was great for them, and i 1000% fell for Chishiya (i really do hope they get him a less fried wig for season 3 though). didn’t read the manga/watch the anime before watching this, but took a quick look after watching both seasons of the live action and in all honesty i prefer the live action more which is something i never thought i’d say about a live action anime (i normally find that the wigs/costumes/backgrounds just look a little too extra which makes sense because it’s difficult to replicate certain manga/anime exactly because they aren’t as easy to film as they are to draw but i normally cant get past it so i don’t really watch live actions of sci fi/action/fantasy anime/manga at all) i actually finished both seasons in less than a week because i was so invested in this series ! really love arisu’s character yamazaki did a great job with making him feel human and not just a character on the screen. i always love a genius character who figures things out just in time or happens to get lucky occasionally (not tooo much). the concept of the whole borderlands thing is really interesting and i’m excited to see what netflix is going to do with the third season! definitely recommend this show if you like smart characters, action, dystopian, survival games, thriller, mystery, a teeny bit of romance, high stakes, and trauma bonding ?Was this review helpful to you?
Funnily kinda agreed with 3GGG: "Interesting but Unmemorable". Interesting choice of title to summarize the drama. Haha... Yeah I also feel, compared to other reviewers, my mark gonna be a little bit lower. So for you fans of the drama or anime or manga, don't be mad at us. Haha...
This part or season of the drama is starting to give introduction to everyone about who is who and sometimes also their part in the whole 'game'. The character getting to know each other but also lose someone, know the game, find partner & companion & finally found a purpose, aka how to finish the game & get out to the real world.
But even with many thing that happen in this season, I still kinda feel this lack of something that I don't know what was it..... No, I'm not say they lack of good acting or just simply bad performance. But yeah maybe also like 3GGG, J-drama sometime not fly in same wave length with me too... Haha... And if you compare this to the hunger game. I still feel the character development better in hunger game than in here,
Overall this just another drama to watch. We need to watch the other season to get the whole picture...
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First Japanese drama I've ever watched. and......
This is the first-ever Japanese drama I've watched. The survival plot got my attention that's why I spent my leisure time watching this drama. I could label myself as an anime lover/watcher as I've watched a ton of anime since childhood but I never got interested in watching a drama from Japan as I found their acting sometimes exaggerated (I watched clips from TikTok) which is not for my taste when it comes to dramas unless its an anime you can be hysteric all you want cause it's cute. However, this one is different, I was amused by how it was directed and acted.First of all, let's talk about the cinematography, EXQUISITE. It is so well done, I wasn't expecting it would that superb. I thought it would have some naive special effects. ambiance. camera transitions etc but I was amused. Second is the plot, I've seen a lot of kinds of dramas/movies like this and I always find myself immersed in the situations they got into and try to guess or find the answers for myself if my observations/suspicions are correct. This drama got my intuitive self wrong, there are just those scenes where you thought your guess was right but it wasn't, so good job on making it unexpected answers from the wrong guesses the viewers made. The third is the acting, the acting was superb I'm not going to lie. I thought sometimes they are just going to act hysterically but they did not. Lastly, I've found some scenes that look like anime scenes. For instance, random flashbacks from characters, the way they sound sometimes reminds me of anime, and some transitions when there are many scenes that are going on simultaneously.
In conclusion, It is a great drama that is worth your time. I wouldn't say I would watch it again because it's too violent for me and I already know the mystery the drama has so the thrill would be gone if I rewatch this.
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Extraordinary
Extraordinary series. Although not as much as Squid Game, I can say that it is an original adaptation. The adaptation from the manga is pretty impressive. 8/10. I liked the story. Music is not good at all. Acting so so because some actors/actresses doesnt good acting. I'm looking forward to release second season. If you liked Squid game you like this series too. Every episode's time is 40 mins in average. So you won't boring at all. I watched Korean drama for 5-6 years. Let's give a chance Japanese this time :)Was this review helpful to you?
There were a few things that I felt could have made this better. They tried to provide the backstories to too many characters with the limited time they had. More time should have spent on the MC’s backstory and some other main characters. It was so brief that you kinda just get a glean into the reason why he didn’t live a life until the games.
Then there was the last game. The more people and killing involved doesn’t always equal better. The game itself was underwhelming for me personally compared to the rest of the story. What saved it was the introduction of two strong and intelligent female characters, more depth into one of the intelligent male characters, and the race to save MC. The ending was a bit average to me compared to the beginning.
Despite the drawbacks, it is entertaining filled with characters whose survivals you’ll care about and well worth the watch. There is a lot of potential for an amazing Season 2.
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Worth watching
I can't explain much. Out of words. Really great production quality. Awesome storyline and best cast. It will hook you till the end. Just go and watch. 10/10 for me.!!Story: 10 I will say both the writer of the manga and the series are genius. The director managed to fit 31 chapters of a manga in only 8 episodes without making it feel rushed in any way.
Acting/Cast: 10 They managed to find the best cast. Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya's duo is great as always. They found the perfect actor for the past(boy) kuina, which explains why she doesn't look much like a trans girl. Mira just looks like she came right out of the manga. And the acting is all good
Music:10 Enough to make one feel the suspense
Rewatch Value: 10 Can never get enough of it.
Overall:10 The best live action in history is here!!
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Live Action Manga
This was a good adaptation of the Manga. When I started it I didn't know it was sourced from a Manga, but once I was done with first season I looked it up. Of course, then I ruined it for myself by reading the Manga, but still plan to be watching the second season when it comes out in December. This was like Squid Games on Steroids.I'm always pleasantly surprised by how faithful these live action adaptations are to the original source material when it's not done by Hollywood or Amazon.
It's not perfect, but it's definitely closer than what we got with Wheel of Time or Avatar, the Last Airbender.
It's worth the watch, but only in the original language. I tried the dub, and it changes the tone of the series into something of a comedy. But that's just my preference of sub over dub talking.
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This review may contain spoilers
rewatched 12/21-12/22
its been a year since my first watch of the drama so i rewatched before the 2nd season came out and wow! the drama never really failed me and i still was impressed after a second watch a year later! the best parts in my opinion were the first half of the season and the last episode..(no hate just didnt like hiragi and the other men). with only 8 eps and each having 45 min avg run time, it never managed to feel rushed or too slow for me, the cinematography was excellent as always and episode 3 remains as one of the saddest episodes in drama history in my books😖Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Survival Of The Fittest & Smartest!
15/01/2023
In brief, this is about everyday people taken into a parallel world similar to their own only they have no idea why. In order to survive they must play all these games against playing card characters (E.g. Jack of Hearts/9 of clubs) to buy them time through visas as well as enable them to collect all 52 cards if they win the games.
Each game is a live or die situation and as each progresses it gets harder and harder to win as well as to stay alive.
Quite simply, if the hosts lose they die - if the players lose they die.
In addition, no one can really be trusted and outside of the games and set rules anything goes!
Once all 52 cards are collected the survivors don't know whether or not they get to return back to their own world or if something else is in store for them all together.
Expect alot of gore, death, intense adrenaline rushes and psychological moments throughout each action packed episode.
My favourite characters in this entire series are Arisu and Chesiya even though the main duo is Arisu and Usagi by the end of season one. Unfortunately, Chesiya isn't actually a main character like Arisu and Usagi, but still has a strong impact and presence throughout both seasons.
If Usagi had been taken out at all I wouldn't have cared.
Different story for Arisu and most definitely Chesiya.
To me Arisu is likeable because he represents hope, positivity, possiblities plus he's simply just a decent person (once he's evolved) that cares about everyone not just himself whereas Chesiya is a somewhat complex character that does what it takes to survive even if it means double crossing someone. He is indifferent, unemotional, doesn't care plus he has a very high IQ which makes him just that bit more interesting.
In fact, I like Chesiya a little more than Arisu despite Chesiya making some rather cut throat underhanded decisions on his part.
What is brilliant about this series is that the games just keep getting better and better throughout each episode with some of the best being in season two.
I am also a fan of SQUID GAME and want to say that I like SQUID GAME and ALICE IN BORDERLAND for different reasons.
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A series striking of intensity.
I'll make it short, but from the first episode the series transports us to a very intense world of anguish and fear.People are forced to play games that are deadly, each of these games are represented by cards that designate whether it is a test of combat, physicality, mind or heart. Those of the heart being of course the most tragic.
The series makes us discover this almost apocalyptic world, we become attached to characters who leave far too soon, we root for them to just make out of a game while just afterwards they are immersed again in the cruel aspects of this world.
The loyalty and values of these individuals are put to the test.
It's really a superb first season that grabs the viewer and does not let go.
The production is insane and the acting is top notch, not one character was lacking.
I highly recommend.
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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting plot and games, but the Beach...
I started to watch this with little to no expectations, got addicted and finished s1 in two days:D. I found this because I heard its similar to Squid game (which I loved) and I have to say I liked this one even better.The games were exciting and required intelligence to complete them. I was holding my breath and thinking all the solutions while watching.
I also loved the characters and their friendship (ep 3:().
Eventhough I loved the series, I have to say that I wasn't fan of two last episodes 7 & 8 mainly because of the Beach. Like I get that it might symbolize real society but yeah... I was looking forward what the heart 10 game would be and I was kinda disappointed, so many unnecessary fights and killings IMO. Also why were the women wearing only bikinis...
But overall I would definitely recommend this!
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