Alice In Borderland Season 1 Episode No 1 Review And Recap

Alice In Borderland Season 1

Episode No 1 Recap And Review

Episode 1 of Alice In Borderland opens with Ryohei playing video games with Arisu and listening to his brother berate him for his lack of work ethic. "I wish we could restore reality," he lamented, referring to his late Mother. 

 Arisu finally leaves to spend time with her friends Chota and Karube. While on duty, Karube finds himself on the wrong side of his boss (well, the ex-boss was fired) after kissing Amy, the bartender. As the trio begin texting each other, we see a flurry of texts being exchanged when they decide to meet in front of the station.

  Together, the three ponder where to go from there as the conversation turns to zombies and video games. During the conversation, Karube solemnly tells his friend to live a normal life. It's clear that these three are abandoned people, and as Karube looks at the throng of people who have gone about their lives, Arisu's words hit.

  Accidentally causing an accident on the street outside, the boys rush into the station and huddle together in one of the stalls and start laughing.

  When the lights go out and back on, the boys step outside and find themselves in a very different, unexplained world. The streets are empty; they were eerily quiet and devoid of noise, except bits of paper flying past them. Confused, Arisu stares into space.

  It has a real 28 Days Later vibe as the boys return to their lives, only to find the bustling and bustling places they once frequented completely empty. Strangely enough, their cell phones don't work either.

  Sitting on the Shibuya crossing as night approaches, Arisu smiles and tells the others that this turn of events is exciting. Screaming and soaring into the heavens, a projection suddenly appears on the apartment building above, informing them that the game is about to begin.

With red lights flashing in the distance and a handy arrow pointing them in the right direction, the boys set off to investigate.

  This brings them to the GM Building; a faint sliver of light in an otherwise dark and gloomy world. As they approach, a handy arrow flashes, pointing them in the right direction.

  With only 3 contestants and a countdown, the boys are approached by a girl named Shibuke who informs them that they have now passed a certain point and there is no going back.

  They are not alone, as a high school girl shows up and enters the game at the last second. We don't know his name yet, but we do get more information about the game.

  It's called Dead or Alive, and for now, there's a mysterious clue in the form of the Three of Clubs playing card. They have to choose the correct door and exit the building within the specified time.

  With 2 minutes to complete the puzzle, an escape room scenario occurs as the group is faced with an almost empty room except for two different doors, one "Live" and one "Dead".

  As the game begins, Shibuke tells Arisu and the others to choose the "Live" door. Only... it's the wrong choice and the high school girl is instantly killed.

  The others go through the door that says "Die" and are immediately confronted by Shibuke, asking why he chose the wrong door.

  With the same rooms facing each other, the kids argue with each other as this game gets worse. A punch to the face jolts Arisu's memory over the car outside, and she uses math to solve the puzzle ahead.

  It was touch and go for a while, but after spending less than a second, the group, burning the rooms with hunger, managed to get out. The app on your phone congratulates you as you walk down the alley. It's just that Chota's leg was badly burned.

  On a table outside is the card they're looking for - a three-day visa ticket for survivors. As they look up, a strange man stumbles towards them and announces that he is leaving the game. Falling means a brutal execution with a red laser through the skull.

  Realizing that their visas are limited to the length of time they are allowed to survive, the children realize with horror that they must play to survive.  

Episode Review

  So far, this first episode has felt like a mix of Cube, 28 Days Later, Sword Art Online, and Saw. This mix of influences works really well and it definitely gives a live remake of the manga as well. While the concept isn't entirely original, the execution is certainly quite impressive and leaves the door open for the rest of the episodes.

  The characters outside of Arisu are lacking a lot in terms of distinct traits, especially Chota, but I'm sure that will change in future episodes.

  This sci-fi series is both exciting and dangerous, and it feels like it could really go in any direction in future episodes.