Ratings (3 out of 5)

Summary: Much along the line of “Squid Games,” “Alice in Borderland” is a Japanese TV Series from Netflix. The plot is 3 young men find themselves in a deserted Tokyo. They have to play games, which may involve death. A laser blast from the sky will kill them if they don’t play. Slowly they find others are trapped in this Tokyo.

Overall, I was interested in the characters, and there was enough action in the 8 episodes to keep you engaged. There is less drama than “Squid Games,” which I thought kept the show moving along at a better pace. “Alice in Borderland” does explore the usual good versus evil, friends, or survival issues. The love interest they develop without having deep conversations about feelings is a welcome change. I am sure the long confessions of love comes in Season 2.

There are some flashbacks to their prior lives to help outline motivations for current scenes. The duel between Kuina(Aya Asahina) and Sumara (Shuntarô Yanagi) is an example of the excellent mix between the flashbacks to provide depth to the character and help understand the given moment.

“Alice in Borderlands” does explore the games and how to solve them. Many of them are puzzles, or there a slight tricks to the games. Arisu (Kento Yamazaki), being a dedicated gamer, was able to think through many of the puzzles, and how he solved the puzzles was very relatable for me, a dorky gamer.

An enjoyable series and I look forward to watching Season 2.