"Alice In Borderland: Play to Survive"

 "Alice In Borderland: Play to Survive"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Alice in Borderland is a live action series adaptation from a manga that ended in 2016. Arisu and friends are transported into a parallel world where they need to play games to survive. It is a fast paced thriller where you have to keep guessing at every turn. Each game seems like an escape room on steroids!!! 

My wife Hanie De Leon decided to put this on while we were having dinner and it was an interesting ride.

The Good:

This has been compared to Battle Royale. Another cult classic where people are pitted against each other and are made to make hard choices. The same feelings resonate as you go through the games. There are decisions that you have to make that would haunt you forever.

The games are hard and push the characters and they grow. I like the pacing of how the characters are introduced slowly and in ways that are relevant in the current episode.

Some character names are obvious references to Alice in Wonderland. Like Arisu , Cheshiya and Usagi. I am sure that other names are more subtle in their references as well.

The Bad:

That Scene in the Witch Hunt Arc where the Character Ann wastes time by analyzing the finger prints on the knife used to kill the witch. Sure it supports the findings in the end but if she does manage to get prints off the knife which she was trying to do how can she compare those prints with all of the people currently trying to survive on the beach and the people who are trying to kill all of those people. 

Pretty sure this was put in for the latter pay off/ support of the findings of Arisu in the end but it just seems off.

The Ugly:

The rotting corpses found by Arisu in the dumpsters on the beach. It does reveal a very ugly truth. Traitors are dealt with swiftly.

All in All this has been a great ride and one of the things i am looking forward to in the next year.