Alice in Borderlands Season 2 Review – Raising The Game (No Spoilers)

Alice in Borderlands returns with Season 2 (S2) seeing Arisu and the gang continue to survive in a deserted world consisting of death games and betrayal.

Rather than continuing with more of the same, S2 really brings a new level of danger to the game with the very streets of Shibuya no longer being safe. Arisu and his allies are pushed to the limits further than they ever have and while the ending is a little weak, the journey into the borderlands is all the more exciting.

The Next Level

Season 2 of Alice in Borderlands takes place more or less where the last season left off. After escaping the wreckage of the Beach organization, Arisu, Usagi, and their surviving allies, go into a whole new fire.

With the regular card games all complete, the game masters are now moving on to the next phase of the games. These are the face card games with the kings, queens, and jacks. This starts with the King of Spades, a masked gunman mowing down any player he sees through the streets without even initiating a game. Arisu and their friends must now complete even more challenging face games, survive in the dangerous streets of Tokyo and maybe even find a way back home.

The Face Games

It’s hard to go into detail without spoiling the plot but I like that there feels like a significant advancement from Season 1, especially with the games. The fact that the overworld of Tokyo, the one place that seemed somewhat safe has now become the biggest death game of all, adds to the feeling that the character will get no relief.

The death games, in general, are also more elaborate and greater in variety. You see both very physical games and also a lot of mind games that add a great psychological element to the battles. We also see more from the perspective of characters that aren’t Arisu, especially Chishiya who gets to partake in a few games on his own, some of which are the best in S2 as he has to match his fits with equally clever opponents. 

The only downside here is since characters split up frequently, some of the supporting cast may not get us as much individual screen time as they did last season. Once again, I can’t say who exactly but they do disappear somewhat after the initial challenge and only return for the finale. S2 also adds a couple of new characters who while interesting, don’t really contribute to the overall plot, making them seem a little superfluous. 

I also wasn’t a fan of the final game of the season. Without spoiling anything it was a little underwhelming as I felt it could easily be won if the characters had a bit more common sense. As a result, the drama of what is supposed to be the season climax felt a little contrived.

The Characters 

For the character who does get more screen time, they do get some solid development. Arisu further’s his growth from an unambitious neet to someone who not only wants to survive but helps others and stops the games altogether. You see how the weight of his ally’s deaths is taking their toll on him but also driving him forward to prevent anyone from getting hurt. 

The main heroine, Usagi shows a more trusting side, expanding beyond her initial desire to survive and find her father. She continues to come out of her shell and bond with the rest of the cast in a way that feels natural. As for the side characters: Tatta and Chishiya really shone for me, the former is earnestly loyal and the latter for his cunning strategy, especially in the later games. 

Another group of characters I surprisingly liked a lot was the new villains. Instead of just playing the games, they now must compete with the different face cards: The Kings, Queens and Jacks. These are ‘citizens’, people who have taken up ‘permanent residence’ in the borderlands (although what that means remains a mystery). Each not only offers a new game but clashes with the hero’s ideology, putting their goals and drives into question. They’re great foils that remain pretty memorable even if many of them only appear for a short time.

The Body Count Rises

I don’t think it’s too much of a shock to reveal several characters die throughout the series. Like with the last series, these are generally well-handled. I like how it truly feels like anyone can die in this series. Characters can make it through the whole of the first season only to drop in this one, likewise, newly introduced characters can be set up for important roles only to die soon after. It’s very spontaneous but does a good job of keeping you on your toes. 

The deaths are also treated with a lot of weight with each character’s death clearly affecting the surviving characters. The series really makes you feel for these people and I can see people getting generally teary-eyed over a couple of characters.

These also added higher-quality action scenes as well. The crew definitely got a higher budget this time around as the new season constraints full-on car chases and even more gun battles. That gore and violence are particularly noticeable for how much more visceral they are and that’s saying something considering how bloody the first season was. There were times I was psychically wincing. You can hear bones crunch, and feel the impact as people are blown back by bullets. They make the very hit count and all the actors really sell the amount of pain they’re in.

Closing Thoughts

Alice in Borderlands Season 2, is a well-executed follow-up that seamlessly adds to the story and mystery of the first season. If you’re hearing for the action, the death scenes offer more variety and the action scenes feature great choreography amidst intense violence.

While I do wish certain characters got a little more screen time and the ending of the final match was a little underwhelming, I thoroughly enjoyed this deeper dive down the rabbit hole. If you enjoyed the first season of this grim death game, you’ll likely enjoy the new season just as much.

Alice In Borderlands is available to watch on Netflix. The second season will launch on the 22nd of December 2022.

For more information on the series, check out our interview with the lead actress Tao Tsuchiya who plays Yuzuha Usagi.

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