‘Alice in Borderland’ Season 2 Review - Gore, Tension, and Thrill Dialled Up to Eleven

Season 1 of Alice In Borderland (based on the Haro Aso-written manga of the same name) was just the series one needed to watch. The stakes, deaths, and gore took my breath away. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The level of stress and graphic violence was way higher than anything Squid Games had done. Not to mention that the show had mesmerizing world-building that kept me on my toes and made me keep guessing what was going on. 

The first season ended on a cliffhanger, and the second begins right from there. And boy, does it start as if it had never left. The first game of the new season raises the stakes so high that you wonder how the rest of this series will top that. You will be glad to know that the show only gets better from one episode to the next. Director Shinsuke Sato uses tight frames and effective blocking to ensure that the show keeps looking like a mad live-action anime. 

However, I felt that this season demanded way more suspension of disbelief than the first one regarding the games as well as who survives them. But the games themselves are so enthralling and fascinating that you will find yourself getting swept up in the emotions and keep rooting for your fave characters. We follow Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya), Arisu (Kento Yamazaki), and Chishiya (Nijiro Murakami) this season and get to know the characters even better. This is because each one has to individually take part in some games. 

This allows us to finally witness Chishiya's cerebral prowess in the mental games. And I have to confess that while I love adrenaline-fueled action games, the confounding cerebral games are more interesting. As for the mind-turning games in themselves, we come closer to knowing what's it all about. We learn that there are citizens who also take part in the games with the players. This puts us one step closer to understanding it all. 

However, it's not that the series is without any drawbacks. Alice In Borderland Season 2 fumbles at the very end. The finale does give us a little of the answers we desire and sets up season 3 nicely, but it's not as satisfying a conclusion. However, that's a small complaint to make because the show is as strong as ever. In fact, it's better. I couldn't stop watching till the end credits of the last episode rolled. 

Overall, if you loved season 1 of Alice In Borderland, then season 2 will make you fall madly in love with this battle royale masterpiece where allegiances are always shifting, and the rules are always changing. While there's no certainty if the show will get renewed for season 3, I hope this brilliant show gets to continue providing the kind of adrenaline rush that's missing in modern action shows.

Final Score – [9/10]
Reviewed by - Ishita Chatterjee
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Publisher at Midgard Times