Synopsis
Three friends are left deserted in Tokyo after all the inhabitants mysteriously disappear. Along with others, the three friends must survive a series of survival games in order to grant themselves more time to solve the mystery of the disappearing populace and the architects behind it and the games.
Aside from the intriguing title, two things drew me to the Neflix series, Alice in Borderland. First, it was included in various lists of new films and series that promised to scare viewers straight, and second; it featured one of my celebrity crushes, Ayame Misaki, who appeared in other titles such as the entertainingly absurd Girl's Blood and the disappointing live-action adaptation of Attack on Titan, to name a few. I entered the series with a large degree of curiosity as to how director Shinsuke Sato would adapt the timeless classic of Lewis Carroll to a Japanese landscape, if adaptation was on his agenda at all.
My curious mind raced with the various possibilities of how the tale's classic characters and environments would be brought to life in modern-day Tokyo. But what would eventually unfold would jettison expectations out of the window, for their was no white rabbit, Absolem or concoctions that made people grow or shrink, even the Alice that we have come to know and love would not be represented by some blonde headed girl or even a Japanese counterpart, but rather by a young man named Arisu.
The black sheep and overall disappointment of his family, Arisu would spend most of his days behind a screen playing video games, much to the irritation of both his brother and father. Having had enough of his parasitic lifestyle, both members of his family would write him off and Arisu would eventually decide to depart from their company for good.
His decision to grab independence by the scruff of the neck would lead him to find comfort in the company of his two equally wanton friends, as misery so often tends to do. The friends in question are Karube and Chota, the former a bartender and the latter a typical 9-5 office worker with no real passion for his profession. After Karube is fired for getting a little too friendly with his employer's girlfriend, and Chota decides to take the rest of the day off, the three meet in the hopes of drowning their respective sorrows in alcohol. Their meeting leads to some typical, youthful shenanigans to celebrate their freedom, their actions leading to a ruckus in the middle of a busy pedestrian crosswalk with the ensuing car collisions necessitating the presence of the police.
The three would take off and hide from the authorities in a bathroom stall, satisfied with their ability to still laugh in the face of the difficulties that life throws at them, but when the lights suddenly go out, the three slowly emerge from their hiding place to a city completely deserted. The once bustling streets of Tokyo stripped bare of its inhabitants, the once familiar sounds of the city replaced by a deafening silence. As the day progresses, the three try to make sense of what could've happened during their brief period in the bathroom, their confusion eventually interrupted by a marketing board coming to life and announcing the commencement of a game.
The three follow the provided directions to a building where they find cellular phones for each to take. The phones identify the players with face recognition technology and also provide the rules of the game that they will all play. The friends are joined by two other competitors, a young girl equally confused by the current circumstances, and a more confident woman named Shibuki Saori(Ayame Misaki) who seems to be the most experienced of the group as to what is going on. The boys soon discover that they are a part of a game of survival, where the wrong decisions lead to death, while clearing the deadly challenges is rewarded with Visas that give respite from the games, at least temporarily.
The group assists each other as far as they can, continuing to try and find a rational explanation as to their present circumstances, who the main puppet master of these games could be, and how they can return things to the way they were. Arisu and the rest would slowly go on to make small realizations as time would go on, first being that they are far from the only competitors forced to compete in the games, Shibuki's experience even proving that some have been playing longer than others, raising further questions about the mass disappearance of the cities' inhabitants. Second, the playing cards provided at the start of each game give more information than meets the eye. The suit representing the type of game, while the number presents the difficulty.
While some games are best suited to teamwork, analytical reasoning, and creativity in thinking, others require physical prowess, dumb luck, and sometimes a great deal of manipulation and treachery. While the games act as great appetizers, the main course lies within the confines of a hotel used as the base of operations for a highly organized community. The Beach, as the place is called, provides a paradise for participants as well as hope during the precarious times, not to mention strength in numbers. The "utopia" is lead by a charismatic leader who calls himself The Hatter,a man who grants power and position to members based on their performance in the games and their loyalty towards his cause.
With these frameworks in place, audiences are treated to yet another showcase as to the complexities of human psychology and the natural tendencies we exhibit towards survival, co-operation and violence.
Thoughts
It didn't take a long stroll through this series to know that it was a story right up my alley. Alice in Borderland can be best described as a series that takes the sadistically clever and cruel aspects of a film like Saw with regards to the nature of the games that the characters must compete in and combines it with the mayhem and scale of a film like Battle Royale. High praise indeed, but accurate as far as this offering is concerned as its creates the perfect parameters for the human will to be tested, bent and broken.
Each game is more exciting than the last, and audiences are left salivating at how each will unfold once the cards have been dealt. The surprises and twists will drop jaws and quicken pulses as each challenge tests the psychological fortitude of every participant that crosses the beams for registration. Alice in Borderland acts as a rare gem within a field mostly populated by Japanese films and anime. It impresses with a phenomenal cast, engrossing writing, and impressive production that will keep viewers engaged until the very end.
Those well versed in Japanese anime or cinema will also find amusing satisfaction in the familiar nature of writing, so beautifully demonstrated by the dramatic exchanges between characters and the monologues centered on thoughtful reminiscing followed by resolute declarations of survival. These serve as classic mechanisms that some will know all too well and are permissible as far as stylistic factors are concerned. Most may find it difficult to instantly appreciate the nuances of Japanese culture portrayed through such mediums, but if there was ever a good entry point into offerings of this sort, then this is it.
I liked that the creators took responsibility for the name of the series without trying too hard to fit characters and events into it. If anything, the title serves more as a descriptive matter of fact, for while Alice does find himself in some alternate universe littered with colourful characters, it is, in fact, a land with laser beam borders that appear to keep participants confined within the baron streets of Tokyo. The series is a fine addition to others that have also stripped its characters bare of regular societal expectations and constraints, leaving all to rely on their strength, intellect, and will to live. With the green light given for a second season, we can look forward to the adventure continuing, although it is an adventure we will unfortunately have to wait another year for. If you had to only watch one offering in the roster of Japanese entertainment, then it should be this one.
Happy viewing :).