Ryohei Arisu has been a slacker his entire life, but he’s
always a whiz when it comes to video games.
A fun afternoon with his two best friends, Karube and Chota, turns into
something bizarre when they are suddenly transported to a seemingly empty and
deserted Tokyo. But this has been done
for a reason. Now the three friends are
about to enter a tournament where their friendship will be put to the ultimate
test. In this world, the only thing that
matters is how badly you want to win the game, how quickly you can solve it and
how much you’ll sacrifice to survive.
Just because he’s good at owning noobs in the digital world doesn’t mean
Ryohei is ready for the tumultuous trials that lie ahead for him and those
others unlucky enough to be brought to this hell.
Netflix was throwing out a lot of recently acquired
Japanese Dramas in 2020 and near the top of that list was Alice in
Borderland.
Wasn’t sure what to really
make of it from the trailers though I equated it to Kaiji meets I Am
Legend.
Now I have never seen Kaiji
before but I know the basic premise about the titular heroes quest to survive
an onslaught of gambling games.
Man…I
don’t think he’s ever had it as rough as our heroes do in Alice in Borderland.
The very beginning of AoB is quite deceptive for the
first ten minutes, showing 3 of its 4 leads (or 5 depending on the first
episodes final moments) enjoying a normal day in Tokyo even if that life isn’t
the best outside of their friendship.
Heck, it feels like AoB even starts off like a Japanese comedy until the
suddenly tonal shift and reworking of the setting.
Gone instantly are the crowds flooding the
streets of Shibuya Square, replaced with an empty silence, kind of like Cillian
Murphy waking up at the beginning of 28 Days Later.
Actually the true psychological terror of
Alice in Borderland doesn’t kick off until the first game and the first major
death.
From then on, the gloves are off.
I will say the first episode looks freaking spectacular
for a TV Series, but I guess you can do that with an adequate budget.
From the vast, deserted streets of Tokyo to a
seemingly endless amount of empty rooms with similar ways out, the production
staff should be commended for making this dystopian setting look really
nice.
The three besties all have strong
performers in the drivers seat.
Kento
Yamazaki will definitely have his work cut out for him as main lead
Ryohei.
He’s the ultimate game master
but will his hundreds of hours in digital lobbies serve him well in this Saw
meets SAO hell trap.
I think Yamazaki
will be running the most of the gauntlet of emotions Alice in Borderland will
try to tear out but I think he’s up to the task.
Cudos to Ayame Misaki as Saori Shibuki as
well.
Clearly, she’s playing her own
long game and its kind of fun watching her see how far she’ll go with it, even
if it means sacrificing Ryohei and company.
Alice in Borderland has the potential effect of an Anime
like Freezing or Deadman Wonderland, where the worse it becomes for the main
cast, the harder it is to look away from the screen.
The first game presented in the premiere was
pulse pounding and intense and I can only imagine what some of the other games
will look like.
Whether it tears my
heart and soul in half like say Madoka Magica, Alice in Borderland might be
worth an extended watch, especially if it’s a short 8 episode season.
No comments:
Post a Comment