Alice in Borderland - Season 2

Shinsuke Sato is for me the best Japanese director, his films have quality action and visuals, which can rarely be said about other Japanese films. I recommend his Kingdom, Inuyashiki and I Am a Hero. The second series of Alice is quite possibly the technological pinnacle of Japanese filmmaking, and any fan of life and death games will be satisfied again, because it is again very nourishing. The second series is more epic in some ways, the games are more thoughtful and polished, and it's cool that there's a person from the other side in each game, so they have a bit of an edge. The old friends and new characters on the scene are a delight, and once again it's an 8 hour ride that doesn't let the viewer breathe a sigh of relief. For me the best character is Chishiya, he's terribly charismatic and intelligent, and surpasses everyone with his intellect; he's always one step ahead, he keeps a cool head and the games with him are some of the best the second series has to offer (I'm a bit disappointed that he's not the main character). The prison game is an uncomfortable test of human character, where you really can't trust anyone and what people are capable of when their lives are on the line is highly disturbing, it’s a sophisticated game, with a strong psychological undertone and an amazing twist. I also loved the mathematical court, I was almost breathless with suspense. The course of the game is intense and when you lose, a weight of boiling water is poured on you – seeing someone being fried alive on camera is so gratifying! The absolute highlight of the whole series is episode 7. It’s quite possibly the greatest action orgy Japan has ever presented, a brutal carnage in the streets of Tokyo. The King of Spades! The biggest bastard I've ever seen on the show. I haven't wished death on anyone like him in a long time. The villain of all villains. The human Thanos cuts it out like Breivik in Utøya, he's unstoppable like the Terminator, a former elite mercenary who mercilessly executes anyone who gets in his way, and there were a shitload of people! Add to that the wonderful teamwork of the protagonists as they try to take this invincible fucker down and I was screaming with bliss as as a in The Raid. What this guy does is so awesome that I thought I wouldn't live to see the finale. The finale is a bit slower, but it explains all the events nicely, it makes sense, and I would say that this rational explanation is acceptable. The important thing is that emotionally it wrung me out more than adequately. With this series, you have to take into account the fact that it's still a Japanese production, so it's a bit over the top at times, the characters survive the impossible, but it's Sci-FI, so why the fuck not. Amazingly, all the characters are awfully cool, the viewer grows to like and sympathize with them, and the women are one hotter than the next. 8.5/10. (2022-12-24)

The second season of Alice in Borderland is in the same style as the first, building mystery and suspense from the beginning, only to be completely devastated in the last two episodes, leaving the viewer with a bitter aftertaste. I have to (again) praise the great technical and visual aspects, they pull the whole thing to great heights, and together with the amazing, imaginative and fun games, it makes for a hi-tech series that doesn't get boring. But the problem comes in between the competitions, because it's only here that you realise how bad the series is in other aspects. The dubbing is disastrous, the acting is unbelievable rubbish, the emotions and dialogue are very bad and unbelievable and the behaviour, facial expressions and believability of the characters is completely missing. The supporting characters are two levels worse, as I believe even an awkward extra cast of trained monkeys would give a much better performance. The love story of the main couple is lame, all the filler outside of the games pointless. The biggest highlight is the seventh episode, the creators are literally making fun of us if they think anyone is going to buy this kind of shitfest and godlike immortal king of spades mode. By the last episode I didn't really care how it all ends. Incredibly conflicted feelings, because on the one hand it's a highly sophisticated idea with a fine style, but everything around it is unfortunately tragic. I believe that if the ambitious Americans had taken over the work, there would have been plenty of five stars. (2022-12-26)