Drama Digest
Imawa no Kuni no Alice (English- Alice in borderland) is a recent Japanese television series based on a Manga that was highly anticipated by the audience. This is a suspense drama depicting the life of the protagonist, Ryouhei Arisu, who lives an empty life. He does not like socializing and is desperate to escape this empty life at once. He only wants to be with two of his friends. One day, an uncertain event takes place that changes the lives of these three forever. This event teleports them to a different dimension, where they need to survive through gaming. The series takes place over two seasons (2020-2022).
The Feel-Good Part
The producers of the show spent a lot of capital on the production of the series. A separate set was built a few kilometers away from Tokyo solely for the purpose of special effects. The games portrayed in the series are unique and exciting. Even though the series may seem depressing at first, it cleverly slides humor into the scenes. The actors acted pretty well. The camera work and the action scenes are well-choreographed.
The Disappointing Factor
One of the main disappointments was that the first season was better than its counterpart. The first season starts strong and ends strong, but the story loses its way at the beginning of the second season.
In-Depth Analysis
The protagonist of the series, Ryouhei Arisu, does not like to live a social life. He lives with his family but barely interacts with them. He likes to be indulged in video games the entire day. This has caused him to be a loner and not have proper mental health. He is a young man, but he is already tired of life. Nothing has made him excited in a long time. He only has two friends, and they are his best friends. Their names are Chota and Karube. Both of them are obsessed with video games too. These three often hang out together. One day, they get into an argument in public, and someone complains about them. In order to hide from the police, they wander around to find secret hideouts. After searching for a while, they find a public bathroom and hide there. After some time, when they come out, they find the entire city empty, to their surprise. They are taken aback by the shock and try to figure out what to do next. Wandering around for a while, they suddenly find themselves, in a gaming arena. They meet an unknown girl and a woman there, named Shibuki, who informs them about the game they’ve entered in and the rules concerning it. She tells them, once people are inside this game world, they cannot return to their original lives unless they win the final round. They are forced to play an inauguration game which results in them receiving their gaming visas. If these visas expire, it results in the execution of that person. Just like this, a series of various games follows, and they are forced to play in order to extend their visas. All this makes Arisu feel alive after a long while. They meet several other players on their way ahead, out of them, one person is Usagi, the romantic interest of Arisu. After all the games are done, the players alive are given a choice to return to their original lives and almost all of them choose to return. They don’t remember anything after they return but still recognize each other. They return as the survivors of a meteorite crash that happens in Tokyo. This is the story that takes place over two seasons.
Star Power
The transformation of the lifeless protagonist, Arisu, to a doting and excited gamer was the highlight of the show.
Overall Opinion
The series incorporates a lot of emotions into the story, such as sadness, anger, desperation, longing, happiness, excitement, companionship, etc. it is enough to keep the audience on their toes. It received a lot of praise from the audience.
