Alice in Borderland Season 2
Comparisons to Squid Game were always going to come, especially given how the Korean monster took over the world last year. But ironically, it wasn't even the best K-drama on TV! Meanwhile, Alice found herself punching above her weight as the often overlooked little brother in the Borderlands.
Well, fast forward to 2022 and Alice In Borderland isn't just coming back stronger, it's knocking the Squid Game out of the proverbial ring and delivering a knockout punch of epic proportions. The second season is bigger and more lore-heavy than its predecessor, but it still features a litany of different games to keep alive the common themes and ideas it played with the first time around.
It's one of those rare cases where a live-action remake really does the anime justice, and season two exemplifies just that. For those who have forgotten what happened the first time around, the story follows Arisu and her two friends who find themselves in a crazy dystopian world where they must compete in deadly games to survive. Failure to compete will revoke their "visas" and kill them.
Arisu and a makeshift group of surviving characters are alone in Shibuya Square until guns start flying overhead.
It doesn't take long for the next wave of play to begin as the King of Spades attacks. While trying to escape his wrath, the gang tries to find a way to escape the game world while also making sure their visas don't expire.
The only solution is to compete in the games again, but this time the group breaks up and finds themselves separated in different areas as the show continues.
All of this finally collides in a dramatic few episodes to wrap up the season, where big questions are answered and the fate of our heroes is finally revealed.
I'm not going to spoil it here, but suffice it to say that the extra length of these episodes serves Alice in Wonderland well, with extra time to explore the characters and a really interesting division between the players. One thing this show has always excelled at is character exploration, and season 2 expands on that.
The idea that there are no "bad guys" and that they're just guys and girls trying to survive is an interesting motif, and while some of the characters do do disgusting and horrible things, they also have solid motivations that at least help you understand why. they do it.
The games range from deathmatches with the threat of a sulfuric acid bath to a simple game of tag, but the tension never lets up, even when the action stops. The tension shifts a bit to focus more on why they're all in the game world - and we get some answers at the end.
You could say that the budget for this second season has also increased and the team has certainly put that money to good use. The way it makes Rings of Power (the most expensive TV show of all time, by the way) look like a school nativity play is absolutely amazing. The mix of practical and CGI effects is incredible, and this is combined with the music, with a pulsating score throughout.
Alice In Borderland is the perfect winter warmer and a great last minute pre-Christmas treat. The second season is leagues ahead of the first and the story is nicely paced, bringing everything to a satisfying conclusion in the end. Squid Game has a very steep mountain to climb to try and match this.
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