I started watching the second season of Alice in Borderland right after completing the first one. Season 1 left my mouth hanging open, and I tossed and turned in bed thinking how gruesome the next set of games would be. Thankfully, the second season didn’t disappoint. I finished it in 3 days, and was left wanting more.
READ THE REVIEW OF SEASON 1 HERE.
The games were more intense and filled with drama. Some of my favorite characters made it through, and some didn’t – but that’s okay.
Without further ado, let’s jump right into the review!
Storyline
“Alice in Borderland” season 2 is the continuation of the first season where Arisu, Usagi, Kuina, Chishiya, and Ann must continue playing the games to survive. The Kings, Queens, and Jacks of all four packs have come forward with their own games – more intense and deadlier than the ones so far – and Arisu and his companions must pass them to know what this world is all about and how they can return to their world.
The games begin in the streets of Tokyo immediately. As Arisu and his companions see the King of Spades roll onto the streets with his zeppelin flying above their head, they’re given only a few seconds to run before the King of Spades starts gunning everyone down.
They survive, and then gradually clear games with the King of Clubs, the Jack of Hearts, the Queen of Spades, King of Spades, and Queen of Hearts. As Arisu clears the games, he gets closer and closer to the question he’s been asking himself and everyone else, “What is this place, and how can I go home?”
Characters
Season 2 comes with many new faces. I couldn’t but fall in love with every King, Queen, and Jack we came across. Arisu’s leadership shines much brighter in this season. Usagi also gets to show her prowess better, especially in the Queen of Spades game. Chishiya and Kuina become more prominent characters in this season, and I loved to see their growth with every thrilling episode. The character of Heiya is also worth noting, as she literally is the embodiment of strength and bravery.
Mira – the Queen of Hearts – was a phenomenal character. The finale was exciting. Even I started questioning the reality halfway through the final episode.
A few of the old characters come back in this season, and reached the enlightened that their character arc required. We also lost a few characters we’d grown to love a lot, but they met their much-needed destiny.
Pace
Unlike the previous season, this season picks up the pace really fast. I loved how we jumped from game to game without wasting much time. I can understand that the first season needed to set the tone and even ease us into the plot, but a few of the episodes were really dragging. We didn’t see that in this season.
Ending (with spoilers)
Don’t read this part if you haven’t watched this season yet.
When Mira told Arisu what Borderland truly was (of course, she was misleading him), at one point I started to trust her. But I was shocked when the truth of what Borderland truly is finally came out.
The Borderland is the small limbo where a person is held after they die. It could be a minute or several minutes. They play games to survive. The games are nothing but a symbol of how people fight to stay alive. Some make it, some don’t. The one who lose their lives die in the human world as well. The ones who make it out alive have a chance to live on in the real world.
Needless to say, my mind was blown! This wasn’t the ending I was expecting, not even in my wildest imagination.
Overall Thoughts
Alice in Borderland Season 2 lived up to its expectations. I can’t envision a better ending for this series. It was thrilling and had many nail-biting moments. I found a bunch of crazy good characters played by talented actors (more social media accounts for me to stalk, hehe), and a story that I’ll speak of for a long, long time.
Many viewers are asking for a third season, but the manga ends right where the second season ended. The creators can choose the same format and portray different characters, but now that we’re aware of what the Borderland actually is, the mystery element won’t be there anymore.
Having said that, I’ll re-watch the series many more times, and if the creators bring out more episodes, I’ll be the first one in line to watch them!
Rating: 4.5/5