What to Watch - Alice In Borderland

by Mike Lunsford, GGR Editor-In-Chief

For the most part, my television watching habits fit into a series of Venn Diagrams. Is it some form of Disney-owned content? I’ll most likely watch it. Is it Star Trek in any form? Done. You had me at “make it so.” Food related content, either cooking or exploring? You son of a bitch, I’m in! And there are the outliers, the shows I watch for reasons I’m not entirely sure of. Mostly, it’s recommendations from friends or family. Very rarely do I walk away from those disappointed. This entry is no exception, as I just finished the Netflix exclusive Alice in Borderland. For all those who have not watched the series, I will do this as a spoiler-free article and if you read my stuff often, you know how much I hate spoiler-free. You’re welcome.

Alice in Borderland is a Japanese series based on the manga of the same name. The series focuses on Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) who is shown early in the series as jobless and video game obsessed, much to the consternation of his father. Together with his friends Chōta (Yûki Morinaga) and Karube (Keita Machida), the trio do typical twenty-something douchebaggery. They cause a ruckus in a part of Tokyo, Shibuya Crossing, and hide in a bathroom to escape the police. When they emerge, thinking everything is safe, the world is changed: everyone is gone.

The streets, which were were bustling just minutes before, are now empty. As they begin their search for civilization, Arisu, Chōata and Karube quickly find out that they are trapped in a city in which they are forced to participate in risky, violent, and dangerous games, pushing their own "emotional and physical limits" in the process in order to survive.

At night, the group notices a billboard leading them to a "game arena". Inside, they find a stack of phones, which show them the game's difficulty level, illustrated by a playing card. The group is also joined by other "players.” One informs them that once a player enters an arena, they won't be allowed to leave because a laser will shoot them dead. They must complete the game, or die trying.

In their first game, a "Three of Clubs" difficulty-level titled "Dead or Alive", the group is forced to pick between two doors under a certain time-limit, one containing an entrance to another room with the same choice, and the other leading to certain death.

Another main character, Yuzuha Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) shows up in the 3rd episode and is an integral part of the story going forward. She meets Arisu in one of the future “games,” and she proves to be an important piece of the puzzle.

I am purposefully being vague about these characters and the storyline with the exception of the basic premise. I went into it knowing very little about any of it, and I was pleasantly surprised. That’s what we do in these “What to Watch” articles: we let readers know whether something is worth their time, whether it be a popular title everyone has heard of or turn them on to something new they may not have watched otherwise. This article is the latter. Had it not been recommended to me, I wouldn’t have watched it.

The show is best described as a mash-up of Saw, Alice in Wonderland (the names, the playing card analogies, etc) and The Running Man. It is violent and bloody (so take that into consideration before you jump in), but it’s not over the top. The main storyline is a mystery and you are trying to solve the riddles at the same time as the characters. It makes for a fun dynamic. It is a Japanese show, so when watching it on Netflix, you have options on how you view it: subtitles with the original Japanese or you can have it dubbed. I went subs with original audio because I wanted to hear the actor’s voice and I don’t like when their lips don’t move in synch with the dialog. The show is beautifully shot and impossible to look away from.

Carve out some time in your schedule and watch Alice in Borderland. It’s action-packed, exciting, and will keep you guessing during the entire 8 episode series. Plus, it’s gotten the green light for a second season!