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• Jan 2024

Yes, you read that correctly—I said ‘Borderland’ not ‘Wonderland,’ and I’ll get back to that later.

Released in December of 2020, Alice in Borderland is a Netflix, live action adapted Japanese thriller series that follows the protagonist, Arisu, and his friends as they are transported into an apocalyptic and alternate reality of Japan. They’re forced into playing deadly and manipulative social games to survive, all while simultaneously trying to find the truth about this reality so they can return home.

Believe it or not, this story originated in November 2010 when Haro Aso wrote and illustrated the original manga series until March 2016. According to Looper.com, there was even a short anime OVA created for Alice in Borderland in 2014 and 2015 by the CONNECT animation studio. Unfortunately, there were only three episodes, and it doesn’t seem like anyone talks about it nowadays.

Game Rant’s “8 Things Netflix’s Alice in Borderland Changes from the Manga” credits Netflix’s adaptation with honoring the integrity of the manga series’ counterpart. With only minor stylistic and character changes to ground the show and make it more realistic, the overall story is the same. Two years later we now have the second season, and the series’ popularity has grown to greater heights.

Enough of the lore and the statistics, what do I have to say about Netflix’s new anime favorite?

As someone who had never heard about the series until my sister showed it to me last year, I’d say it’s a very interesting show. It has intense mystery and depth; the characters are well-written, despite all coming from different walks of life; and the world seemingly makes no sense with its fictitious founding and gruesome social games