a brilliant psychological and dystopian thriller
this was a ride!! imawa no kuni no alice's dystopian game universe setting was fascinating, the games gruesomely captivating, and the characters so intriguing. this show will play with your heart, your senses and your logic in the most perfect way!this is a must watch if you don't mind graphic deaths, and love mind games. the way the episodes are tangled with each other and make up the entire universe the players are stuck in is really mesmerizing. the twists and tangles will keep you on the edge of your seat. the production was fantastic too, some of the shots are out of this world. the sets are stunning in each episode.
the cast is undoubtedly one of the best parts of this show as well. the acting is excellent, and each character's personality traits are superbly portrayed, from madness to vulnerability. i can't wait for season 2 !
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WOW.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but anything I was thinking did not give the appropriate amount of credit that was due for this masterpiece. It had everything I enjoyed as a viewer, as I am a huge fan of intense, life-or-death decision making shows and movies.And I believe anything I write in this review will not give the drama any justice. I know Japan goes hard with their dramas, but this was something completely different and probably one of my all-time TOP dramas of 2020.
If you haven't watched it yet - DO IT.
I think this was perfect and super intense, BUT around the time when the characters arrived at The Beach, and the different groups were introduced, we are introduced to Niragi Suguru. I thought who is the wild character. Oh...wait...is that my Jdrama husband, Sakurada Dori? Yep. And I knew that I would not only love this drama, but it added a level of comedy, which is oddly bizarre to say, but once I knew Dori was this psychopath, I kept thinking about all his other roles and the contrast. Other than that, all characters had this likeability as well as this humanity in them that made them not perfect. I did appreciate that both "Alice" & "Rabbit" (cause apparently Arisu & Yuzuha had nicknames) were badass characters.
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This review may contain spoilers
Allowing you to think while watching
Alice in Borderland is a manga-adaptation and they did well.Though I want to give it a perfect score, but I find it too much for the overall rating of the show.
First, the concept is so typical, a survival game which I've watch several same kind is story. Good thing is, the series manage to pull out and gives plenty of newly & fresh life-dependent games.
Great Acting! specially the main lead. The poster and cinematography of the show is so lit. I was so amaze how wonderful their production is.
My fave thing about Alice in Borderland is the CHARACTER DESIGN of the cast. It was well suited and fit for a live-adaptation.
Out of 8 episodes, the third one is what I love the most. The bond of their friendship is so strong. I love how the story lead us in crying the way they let the two friends sacrifice for their friend. I really cried during that scene. "Thank You" and "Live on for us" - These lines huhuhu
Still glad they announce season 2 fast because I want to know what's going to happen next.
Cons of the show:
• Some episodes are not really impactful
• predictable outcome (is it just me or nah?)
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Please watch.
I don’t usually watch Japanese dramas so me giving the story 5 stars is saying something. It follows the type plot line: main character is happy, people die for the main character to have character development, main character matured to take in the world.STORY:
Great! No complaints
ACTING:
It was amazing. Some of the characters had very different personalities from the real world and the game world. To be able to mix those personalities into one person without it feeling forced is a feat all in its own.
MUSIC:
Nothing memorable
REWATCH:
Yes I would definitely watch this again! They need to hurry up and make a season 2.
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A good drama adaptation to a manga atlast.
Alice in borderland is now among the few adapted from manga (or anime) which was fucking decent. Once again Netflix does a fucking great job, like it did with the movie Bleach.The drama itself was quite engaging from the very first episode till the last one. It is a plot driven story, and the twist and turns, the ticking clock, action and thriller gives us a nail biting & head scratching experience. (That's the shit I liked about it the most).
The life-at-stake games are the fire of the story; fueled by it's compelling characters and the action+mystery combination. This drama will surely keep you on the edge of your seats, keep you guessing and when you will think you fucking know where it's going, it will punch you in the gut & leave you there to witness it's unpredictablity.
The first season just felt like the introduction chapter to me. You will get know the ropes of the story, how the games are played and what type of them are. But still we have yet to know how the duck they got into the game? & who are the almighty cocks who runs these games? Aliens? God?
That's why I am waiting for the 2nd season, and hope we will get some of the answers.
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Such a good series with so many questions?
im so sorry this is a long read but i PROMISE you it is worth reading...im going to start off with my theories because that is what i want people to see first...
THEORIES?---major spoilers---
when Karube and Choto died I was so mad with the writers but then I was thinking.... why would they make such a good bond... such a cute, tight friendship with the three of them.. and then just *snap* kill them off? there has to be something else to it.. Because once Arisu became the wolf Karube was so angry and was trying to kill to be the wolf but then just stopped..? "Hide well sheep". Or maybe it was just to show how cruel and cold this "game" is.. but maybe... JUST MAYBE... when the people in the game "die" they are sent somewhere else?? I know its a stretch but the hide and seek episode just rubbed me he wrong way.. i would love to see that they are sent somewhere else to redeem themselves.. cause as you know,(if you've watched), we don't know if they're in a simulation or not... like the game master made everyone in Tokyo DISAPPEAR for Christ's sake.. what else are they capable of?
CHARACTERS---big spoilers don't read if you haven't watched---
although im not supposed to contain major spoilers i think i need to say this to get my point across.. ---spoilers--- i think arisu, karube, and choto were such a cute friend group and im so sad with what happened in the hide and seek episode.. it absolutely broke me.. and also i know some people hate nijirô murakami's character for what he did to arisu in the beginning but arisu is so forgiving that i think he was happy to help him.. also nijirô murakami is friggin hot WATTTT.. anyways... the cast is FANTASTIC and everyone is beautiful..
PLOT---
when everyone in Tokyo disappeared is when the drama really started.. How did they vanish? So quickly? Karube and Choto were so lucky to be with Arisu throughout their journey together.. And if youve watched, you know that in the other games he is so clever and smart like THE ONE WITH THE LIGHTBULB??? my god that was so smart of him.
MY QUESTIONS---spoilers i think---
These are my questions that may or may not be answered in season two...
1) When everyone from Tokyo disappears, are the people in the game missing in the "original world" or could the game time be different than "OW time"? (imma say OW cus writing out original world is annoying lmao..)
2) When Choto, Karube and Arisu were hiding in the bathroom stall, who knocked on the stall door? Because when the people are transferred to the GW (game world) all the people disappear when all the electricity goes out.. but someone knocked on the stall door AFTER the power went out.. I though that was really really weird
3) If these people in the GW are being watched by people (for example, when Arisu watched the video on the girls phone there were the people watching a bunch of screens) are the real game masters controlling the game from the OW? Because unless since they are the game creators, they could have unlimited visas, but if they don't,, anyone could be playing with the game master.. because if they need to earn visas just like everyone else, they need to play games to earn days... just like the two girls who setup the games got killed because she revealed she was the dealer..
4) this may be a stupid analogy but, in the final episode with the witch hunt,, how was nobody around when the fire of judgment was being set up? or how did the two little girls set that up all by themselves? Because the fire was massive and those were HUGE logs.. so i think maybe there are more "game masters" upon the people who were at The Beach.. unless that was a stupid analogy because they could have built it themselves..
ANYWAYS THAT WAS THE END OF MY REVIEW i could go on for paragraphs of my questions but they're all stupid haha.. if you read this far great.. follow my insta if u want >>>> @/ floodhill
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This review may contain spoilers
aaaaaa, I loved it! I've always been a fan of these kinds of series, but this one really stood out for me. The story was very well thought out and in some places I could've cried my heart out, in others I didn't even know who the good guys even are anymore. The quality of all the scenes was also great, there wasn't any akwardness.
The actors were great too. Their acting was really good and of course Keita Machida was there, although only for three full episodes. II also must confess, i have been terribly simping for Chishiya, Kuina, Usagi and Niragi.
Man, this series was just great.
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Excellent.....!
Oh my gosh that was really a wonderful experience. First of all i don't exactly know there was this particular NF Orginal released. I haven't heard anything about this at all before it's release. So actually i didn't push myself into more about to the plot or trailers. i just heard some good opinions and went through it. The genres were really weird, as i already told that i haven't watched any of the trailers before but after the completion of the whole Season, i just saw the trailers and i mean iam really glad that i skipped those and for this reason got a really different experience till the end.So just quick look to the plot. Alice in borderland is a fantasy supernatural psychological may be parallel world kind of story line, infact it's all about the game in a do or die situation. I don't want to explain further i think you should watch and see yourself. Its an 8 Episode Netflix Orginal series and definitely 18+. It starts normally and slowly move into the real actions which was way more gripping with some outstanding making and performance from the cast
Its very brutal in some point as well which was hard to watch also the emotional scenes were superb. You will surely wonder to see the way the story moves and for a Netflix Orginal series, the duration of Episodes is always a biggest point, it contain a minimum number to 45min which actually including big end credits with 3 or 4 min.. So its quite feel free to watch all at once.
The better you watch without looking anything further.. superb experience... Worthy binge..
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Beast Mode
Looking for a mind f*** with suspense for days? Look no further! I've had this on my PTWL and I'm disappointed I didn't watch it sooner. It reminds me of some anime with the same concept and OMG I'm obsessed! There's AH-HA moments, you'll be in your feels hardcore, might even make you cherish your friends more. No for the faint heart and if you love bomb dot com plot twists this is right up your alley. I highly recommend to anyone who likes games, violence, suspense, gore and wow moments. You'll find that all here (and more). The ONLY reason I didn't give it a even higher rating, despite all my praise, is cause I feel the graphics could've/should've been better for the theme it has. But don't worry....you might end up happy they aren't more realistic. Stoked af about a 2nd season! And if you need more of a reason to watch just know that this show is popular enough to have a S 2 in works so soon after original release. It's a roller coaster ride you won't wanna get off and you're gonna love the ending.Enjoy...
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This review may contain spoilers
This takes the cake for the worst thing I have ever had the displeasure of watching
Big content warning for both the drama and this review: sexual abuse, murder, dead bodies (mostly women's)Before I get into what exactly made this drama so disgustingly unenjoyable and so mind bogglingly regrettable for me, I want to say that I cannot believe that out of SIXTY SEVEN reviews, there were only two that rated this sad excuse for a drama 6.5/10, and that's as low as they get! The fact that the majority are 9s and 10s makes me sincerely question the authenticity of the reviews. No human being with more than two brain cells could genuinely give this shit-show a 10. Either most of the reviews are shills or I'm just some stupid lunatic who's lost their mind. Don't take my word for it, though.
Let's start with the characters. There is absolutely no reason to give a shit about any of them because this drama prefers to spend its hours upon hours of potential character development on useless scenes—failing to foster attachment to any of the characters or the story itself—and as a result literally every single scene that's supposed to carry weight ends up falling flat. Oh, character X is screaming his lungs out from grief because his best friends Y and Z (the three of whom we know jack shit about apart from a few flashbacks that last mere minutes) died, how sad! The emptiness of these supposedly "emotional" scenes is further emphasized by the epic-sad-angelic-dramatic music that J-dramas love to overuse.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for emotional scenes and the cliché J-drama tearjerker style. I love it when a drama is able to move me to tears, but this ain't it chief. This ain't even close. To empathize with characters and actually have an emotional reaction to any given scene we first need to be invested. This drama does the opposite of that, it pushes you away by trying to force a reaction too early and too hard.
The female characters are nonexistent. No, really. The first female character we're introduced to serves the role of a sex object, basically, who is then further degraded when she's easily restrained and manhandled by the token wimp character who's shorter than her, skinnier than her AND injured. Not to mention her opting for fucking high heels when she herself knows she might have to run in a life-or-death situation. Oh wait it wasn't her opting for high heels it was the stupid writers who created her character and made it so that she'd be pathetically attempting to run in high heels. It was painful seeing the first female character we're introduced to get humiliated (directly and indirectly) and reduced to someone who's good at nothing but being used for sex. It's not surprising when you take Japan's view of women into consideration but it still feels like some cruel joke. Oh and about that token wimp character, she decides to have pity sex with him hours after meeting him for no apparent reason. Maybe some self-insert fanservice for all the real life wimps?
The second female character is the female MC counterpart except she's actually brave, strong and capable. Sounds too good to be true? That's because it is. She is reduced to a sex object when she gets ordered to be taken to the stupid bald mustached tank-top wearing macho character's room at gunpoint because he's "taken a liking to her", the only thing stopping her from being taken away against her will and raped is another man (whose only virtue is having more authority than mustached bald-tard, otherwise it's obvious he's done his fair share of rape as well) stepping in to keep the peace. Cool, so does she get more character development? Nope, a few more episodes in and this time she actually gets taken to a room against her will and sexually abused (this time by the bald tanktop-tard's edgy, cringey henchman and his goonsquad—one of which is a woman herself), the only thing stopping her from being actually raped is the distraction of loud alarm noises signaling the start of a new game. Not to mention during said scene the cringe henchman monologues about rape and other similar crimes being normal and part of mankind's true nature, therefore his actions are justified. Some bullshit along those lines.
We have the self-insert mega gamer, high IQ, no purpose in life, NEET male MC character. We have the burly-bald-badass tank-top-tard male character. We have the cOoL bUt cRaZy, charming, cocky cult-leader character that midwits love to imagine themselves as, also a male. We have wimp male characters who make up for their wimpness through some other merit or virtue, we have aggressive male characters who care for their loved ones and aren't afraid to fight for them. We have mysterious male characters, cold hearted male characters, edgy male characters. If you're looking for a specific type of male character I'm sure you'll find them, or at least an echo of what you're looking for.
Female characters? Almost all female characters serve only one role: eye candy. Okay one of them is obviously smart and dissects bodies and stuff. Cool, she has no say in anything. No power, no authority, nothing. Her entire existence and character is reduced to looking pretty for every other male character. The other female character who is supposedly high in the ranks serves literally no role other than showing off her body throughout the entire drama until the very end where a weak ass-pull (that I won't spoil) occurs. Every other female character is only there to look sexy and die for shock value. That's it. Really. One scene was particularly disturbing in how specific it was, it practically screamed "Look at this pretty woman get brutally murdered for no reason!". Also about the aforementioned Ms. I-Dissect-Bodies, there's a scene in episode 6 where she's searching for a GPS chip in the brains of two dead bodies. Two dead bodies as in two dead women. Two dead women as in two dead women whose butt-naked bodies are exposed bare and shown off to the camera for some fucking reason. Like come on, really? What the fuck?
Another thing that really bugged me was how unrealistic some scenes were. You think an untrained NEET is going to be able to run for miles and miles without his body shutting down, LET ALONE carry a fucking MOTORCYCLE all the way back to his starting point without resting or drinking more than a sip of water? You think humans can somehow outrun a fucking ravenous panther multiple times? How the fuck can a panther not reach under a car that a fat fuck somehow crawled under? How the fuck does a bald mustached tanktop-tard manage to pistol slap a full grown airborne TIGER so hard that it goes flying in another direction? You think some stupid bald macho-man can just casually slap a 600 pound muscle-bound monster (who can leap with the force of a fucking truck) so hard it changes trajectory? Fucking impossible. Literally against the laws of physics. How the fuck does a tattooed skinhead who doesn't weigh more than 100 pounds soaking wet, holding his katana in ONE HAND, manage to slice an airborne tiger (again, WEIGHS AT LEAST 600 POUNDS AND CAN LEAP WITH THE FORCE OF A TRUCK) like some anime character? That's only scratching the surface by the way! There's so much more that I won't even bother with, just know that the choreography and direction of most action scenes feel like they were handled by an 11 year old who has no idea how real life works.
Finally, about The Beach. So we've got hundreds of people who have been separated from all of their loved ones, being forced to face the reality that they may never return to their old lives (or old world, for that matter) and the majority of these people can just party, drink, do drugs and have sex without a care in the world? Like that's all their happiness and stability hinges on? Zero qualms about anything, including the fact that they have to participate in life or death games literally every couple of fucking days? Are these people completely immune to stress/depression? I can get that there would be a certain group of people who would thrive in that kind of situation, hell some would even kill for that kind of life. It just felt so weird seeing hundreds and hundreds of people act so carefree and oblivious as if they didn't lose anything, as if nothing's at risk.
The story had virtually zero progression. Zero foreshadowing. Zero sense of mystery. Zero development. We're not even close to finding out anything, nor are we even left wondering what's next. All I could wonder was what the fuck just happened. It's all one big confusing cluster-fuck shit-storm of a ride that I wish I had never gotten on in the first place. I couldn't give this pathetic excuse for a drama more than 1 star if you held a gun to my head. What a waste.
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I wish I could write this big long extravagant review about it but honestly I still feel mind-blown even though I finished this 2 days ago. I admit I wasn't expecting much from this show. Don't come for me, the cover and preview just was a bit bland for me. Even the title made just shrug like "eh" yet there was still something about it that made me really want to watch it. I'm not even mad! I'm so glad I watched this when I did. It turned out so good. I'm not sure many people know about the show Battle Royale but it gave me those vibes mixed with Hunger Games/Maze Runner.
I wish I could say I finished this show unscracted but bruh... by the end I feel like I had been through everything they had been through. My brain function pretty much shut down lol. The betrayal, man!! the freaking BETRAYAL! This show messes with your head like it messes with all of the characters. I seriously can NOT wait for the next season. There has to be some kind of justice. oegihrwohgrohg OMGGGG!!!! PLEASE!!! Lol
That ending left me hella shook. I just wanted to throw stuff at the TV while screaming my head off. I didn't expect that and it blows my MIND that they did that in CLEAR VIEW!! how did none of us notice THAT?! And if you have finished you know exactly what I mean! I feel like we knew, we KNEW but so much was going on that it was there but we never saw it coming. X_X *screams* lol I love this show though haha
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