Alice in Borderland, a Japanese live-action adaptation of the manga of the same name, has become a massive hit after the success of Squid Game in 2021. The show’s initial worldwide success, with the release of the first season in 2019, was fleeting until it saw a resurgence in the previous year. Despite Netflix’s initial skepticism, the Japanese drama Alice in Borderland will be returning for a second season.
While much has happened in the first season, the most startling incident has been the mysterious disappearance of every Tokyo inhabitant save for a select few who are forced to participate in deadly games in an alternate reality. When Alice, Usagi, Kuina, and Chisiya finally get into the lair where the game masters operate, they find Mira, the true mastermind.
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Fans are in a frenzy with the release of the official trailer for Alice in Borderland season 2. With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of Netflix’s trailer for the most anticipated Japanese drama of 2022.
Let the Deadly Games Begin, Once Again
The trailer begins with the camera fading away into the sky, displaying the Heart of Kings hooked to the flying balloon, indicating that the players have completed all the levels and are now in the last three stages of the game. The players leave the wrecked Island from the previous season and arrive in a dystopian city, where they begin to question the game’s very existence due to the obvious fatigue brought on by the game’s increasing threat.
After this, footage of game masters who posed as participants at the beginning of the game is shown. While some people played along as game masters for their own survival, others attempted to expose the truth to the players and were slaughtered in the process.
The following scenario depicts gamers fleeing from a masked assailant wielding an assault rifle and shooting at will. Presumably, the game is identical to the one from the first season, when the players confronted the Horse-faced shooter; however, the stakes are higher this time around. As Usagi puts it, “Once the borderline is crossed, there’s no leaving. You can only join the game.” It means that whoever entered the city is no longer safe because the borderline is now on the outskirts of Tokyo.
In the following scenes, we see multiple games in which players attack each other with lethal laser balls, and the few survivors are escorted to the shipping yard, where game masters formally supervise the games.
Unsettling Memories and Emerging Dangers
Netflix
As Usagi mentioned in the trailer, “If we defeat all the card members, we might be able to return to our world,” the people shown in the shipyard may have had the final cards and would most likely participate in the game. As the trailer progresses, we get a glimpse into the characters’ pasts with a passionate scene between Usagi and Alice. As Usagi leans against him, she asks Alice, “Did you enjoy the old world that much?”
In addition, a few flashbacks show Usagi sprinting away from the blast, and she later asserts, “I’m here because I did my best to survive.” Although it is not apparent, Usagi appears to be motivating Alice, who may have given up all hope of survival.
As the trailer progresses to the next scene, we learn that Chisiya was formerly a doctor. He’s usually quiet and composed, evaluating the situation before making a move and resorting to whatever means necessary to survive, even if it means using others as pawns. The question is how Chisiya, formerly a lifesaving doctor, turned into the cruel person he is now. The trailer also shows us a glimpse of Ann’s past, including a brief encounter with Aguni, who we assumed had died at the end of the first season.
While all of these pasts have an influence on how the characters have changed, the games have gotten far deadlier than the previous season.
Welcome to the Game’s Final Avenue
With all the fast-paced sequences jammed into the trailer, it’s difficult to notice all the new characters. However, one character is shown torturing without remorse and even admits, “I don’t know the value or meaning of lives.” He could be the one who started it all, treating the lives of the participants as a form of amusement. The trailer also displays the games in a scene where the characters desperately fight for their lives, whether by joining hands with others or bringing them down for their own benefit.
The trailer concludes with a series of breathtaking action scenes as the characters push themselves to their absolute limits to beat every game. In the end, they are welcomed by Mira to the final avenue of these insane games, and who survived till this point will remain a secret, at least until the series premieres.
The trailer was brief and filled with intense situations while depicting the characters’ tragic pasts, who may believe the new world isn’t as bad as they think despite persistent threats lying around the corner. It did, however, leave us with a few unanswered questions. Who is the individual seated in a chair surrounded by wealthy people? And how did Aguni survive after being riddled with bullets and sacrificing himself by tackling the opponent into the fire?
The much-anticipated Netflix Japanese drama sequel, Alice in Borderland season 2, will be available on December 22, 2022, and we’ll have all the answers soon.
