Alice in Borderland Season 2 (Mini-Review)

Alice in Borderland Season 2 starts soon after Season 1's cliffhanger ending. Ryōhei Arisu, Yuzuha Usagi, and the other survivors from the Beach wait impatiently for the new games to start. Then the King of Spades attacks and begins to slaughter all those he sees. With the group split up, Arisu must continue to focus on beating the sadistic games in an attempt to find out the truth of what's actually going on. But after everything that's already happened, Arisu might not be able to muster the will to survive. Alice in Borderland Season 2 was released on Netflix in 2022. Alice in Borderland is an adaptation of the manga of the same name by Haro Aso.

The cliffhanger ending of the season means there might be a Season 3. But the series has answered all the important questions and there might need to be a whole new cast if it continues. I am hoping that there isn't another season as I like where things are now. But if there is another season...I'm so addicted to this show that I'd watch it.

What is really going on in the show makes the reveal less important than the characters' actions. Even rewatching the show and knowing the twist, everything is meaningful. The whole point of the show is how people react in hopeless situations. It's about what makes people continue to go on even when there appears to not be any hope. Characters are pushed beyond their limits and yet still hang on to life. Minus a few that just give up.

Hikari Kuina is my favorite character of the series. She is one of the best fighters but that's not the reason I love her. She's transgender and was disowned by her father. As I'm agender, I really connected to her. She's both trans and allowed to breathe as a character. Her goal this season, as well as last, is to get back to her ailing mother. She ends up teaming with Ann Rizuna after the group splits up. They made a great duo. At one point they walked away from an explosion and looked so badass doing so.

Arisu was not as clever as in the first season. This bothered me as the first season he was clever which made watching the show so enjoyable. But once someone pointed out that he was most likely crushed by everything that had happened, it all made sense. Of course he wouldn't be the same person as the first season. That man hadn't had friends die for him. That man hadn't been involved in the massacre at the Beach that occurred due to one of the sadistic games.

Hearts games were the highlight of the first season. Whenever a Heart game occurred you were absolutely devastated by the end. But the Jack of Hearts game this season didn't have that impact. It was still an intriguing premise that saw people turning on each other when that didn't need to happen at all. Yet by the end I wasn't devastated like the previous Hearts games. And this one was a face card!

I would highly recommend Alice in Borderland Season 2 to those that loved the first season. I would also highly recommend Alice in Borderland to those looking for a depressing fantasy show.