Imawa no Kuni no Alice
Alice in Borderland

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What do you live for?

Neither the question nor the answer to it might particularly interest you, yet reading this manga's attempts at trying to give you answers to this very question can still be a great investment of your time.
The name might strike you as very odd, "Alice" from Disney and in"the borderlands"? Will there be over-the-top humor and a little girl protagonist or what?

Audiences:
Borderlands primarily targets 2 kinds of audiences.
The first one being people who enjoy to read manga with games of life and death and an abundance of characters that make these sort of games interesting to spectate.
The second one are people ... with a very reflective or depressed personality. The manga manages to find a good balance between keeping dark/serious topics with drama and feels at the core and still keeping a very shounen-esque positive, friendly atmosphere that manages to turn heart-tearing stories into heart-warming experiences.

Don't mistaken this with material like One Piece or Naruto, just because it wears the shounen tag. This manga is rich with consequences. You'll see people die for taking wrong steps at every turn.
However, this isn't a Tokyo Ghoul or Re:Zero either. The characters have heart and are relatable to a certain extend. The writer did a good job trying to portray people that you could possibly meet anywhere.

The weakness in the writing for this work shows when characters start to act overly corny or when characters start to emotionally overreact at times. It makes you question whether the story even knows where it wants to go or if it doesn't know which audience it wants to target.
The truth of the matter is that Alice in Borderlands knows exactly where it wants to head with it's story and that it is doing what it is doing almost too well for it's own good, because what it is doing is neither popular nor wanted in most of the anime sub-communities. Alice in Borderlands applies a concept that is alien to most anime watchers and resented amongst many manga readers: The attempt to tell a story with a clear message through a storytelling that let's you look from different camera angles and let's you see the stories of different characters, distancing itself from being too judgemental or imposing and instead allowing readers with a free mind to think for themselves.

MC:
The main character, Arisu, is the person you'll be following throughout most of the story. He's not shounen-MC-level of stupid, but he's not a Yagami Light either. If you're into badass main characters, this manga will probably not do for you. The main character's attitude throughout the story fits the atmosphere of the manga very well, which is melancholic. So don't expect some ruthless guy finishing off adversaries in cold blood.

Plot:
Ever read one of those Battle Royale kind of manga, where a bunch of people are thrown somewhere and expected to kill each other off with certain rules in place? This is basically one of those.
The setting is some unknown, wide open area with certain places marked for games of life and death to be held there. None of the people there are forced to participate in these games. But finishing a game and surviving it extends the time on the victors visas, which will otherwise eventually expire, resulting in certain death.
To make the games more interesting, the manga introduces different game categories and difficulty levels represented through playing card symbols and it attributes characters that are especially suited to a certain kind of game with that category.
There are, for example, games that require intellect to survive or games that require physical fitness.

But it's more than just a myriad of death games following each other. The manga forces characters to face questions that you would typically try to avoid having to deal with. In that sense, you are being shown not only the ugly sides of the reality of the story and those questions, but also the brilliance that lies with all the different possible answers.
That's why the stories of these dozens of characters you'll be following are not just some decentralized, loosely tied one-shot stories to their own, but branches that come together at the end to form a whole tree.

Characters:
While there are a lot of great characters, there are also some very annoying ones. On top of that, the story burdens you with some very ugly, dislikable character designs for some characters. In the end, nothing I describe about the characters here will be on-point, because it's just too dependant on taste.
However, one thing that can be said about many of the characters is that they act very appropriate considering the circumstances they find themselves in and considering their states of minds.
And, I just have to say it, as if the constant whining of the MC wasn't enough during some chapters, they just had to add the probably most annoying side-character to tag along with him and become his mental and physical support.
At least in that regard this manga is very alike to almost every other manga you might've already read, with it pandering to self-absorbed hikikomori due to the relationship going on between that self-insert of a MC and his on-command make-up doll and inofficial girlfriend.

Conclusion:
I enjoyed this a lot, despite not being overly comfortable with many of the early cast and despite the manga sometimes giving you the feeling that it's trying to let the world revolve around that self-centered MC at times, with entire chapters contributed to nothing but whining from Arisu that I gladly skimmed through with a good fast-forward reading technique, called the autopilot. I wanted to read some manga with survival games going on, where there are stakes for the characters and not some illogical happy ends for the sake of letting friendship win. Alice in Borderlands delivered.
And it also made for a story with some depth to it, which I gladly took as the icing on the cake. It's far from perfect. There are just too many annoying and unnecessary scenes in this manga for a 10/10 and there are in fact so many of those that if you are either just enjoying to read for the brutality going on or just enjoy the story, but don't get enough enjoyment out of the action that a 7 or 8 out of 10 would be a fair rating. For me it's a 9/10.

This is the best survival manga and overall manga I've ever read. I'm not the type of writing reviews, and I don't even know if someone will read this, but I just wanted to put in words my thoughts about this work.

If you like survival games, this is for you. If you like reflecting, this is for you. If you want a mix of happiness, surprise, anger, sadness and greatness, this is for you. Everyone has different tastes, but I don't know a person I wouldn't recommend this work to. This is truly a masterpiece that, beyonds giving you pleasure, changes the way you view ... the life (atleast, it did to me).

Well, I still think these words don't express what this manga is, and if I can even express it with words, so READ it. I swear you won't regret it, really.

Hello this is my Second Review

till-[Vol.4]


CAUTION CONTAIN SPOILER!


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first i socked after compliting volume 4, but it satisfied, dont know why, maybe because atmosphere of tension is too high and i enjoy when read this manga. Okay lets begin the Review
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Alice[Arisu] is Highschool student that on one day,transported to the Borderland World with his 2 friend, Chota and Karube after see a big fireworks. after that they meet a girl named shibuki in their first "game". the purpose of game is collecting a "playing cards", every cards have their difficulties, for example heart is most dangerous cads, because when you play heart game you your soul will stake in here and
increasingly dangerous when number of a cards increase.
Chota, Karube, and Shibuki dead in 7-Hearts game [Vol.3]
After Vol.3, Arisu feeling deepresed and meet another girl and go to beach as Karube notice before dead. and they meet a big group called "beach" in there[beach]. then they join to group but all of their cards taken by leader of the group.
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as i read now [vol4] in "beach" group not yet have All King,Queen,Jack Cards, maybe when they play these game its very difficult and ended with dead. this manga is about
tension and satisfaction.

Score :
Art - 9/10
Story 10/10
Chara 9/10
Enjoyment 10/10
Final Score - 9,5/10


End of Review

I'll update later :D

The manga is based on a high school student who is about to face the tomorrow of independance,he makes a wish that brings him in a world of joy at the start,but good things may not last long.
He and his friends face the cruel reality of this dreamy world...a place where the strongest survive.The manga is well written with a great variety of characters and some quiet cunning thinking,I really love it so far I am looking forward finishing it.Whoever looks into it and they are in for survival they are not going to regret it!
Although everything good has it's cons as well.There is ... not much character development overall or it might be predictable to see how they are going to change.The manga does not tire you but as a psychological-survival it contains some explicit content so I advise you to read it if you are mature enough *smiles*.
That was all from me have a good day!

*This review will contain minimal spoilers for interested readers.

"Why do you think you're alive?"

Imawa no Kuni no Alice (今際の国のアリス), also known as Alice in Borderland, is a beautiful, psychological manga that primarily focuses on themes such as human nature, changing one's path, and most importantly, life. It is inherently able to provoke readers in protruding thoughts around the meaning of life and how far and willingly we can define what life is. Is life what you make it? Is life simply us being born? Questions like these is what the author attempts to evoke from us readers.

STORY - 8.5/10:
You most likely have already read the ... synopsis written for Alice in Borderland. It is about our main character who sees fireworks with his friends late at night and are randomly stuck in this post-apocalyptic world where they play games based on a card value and ranking. Hearts - Psychological; Diamonds - Intelligence; Spades - Physical; and Clubs - Balanced/Cooperation. The higher the card value, the more difficult the game is. Thus our protagonist and friends are left to find a way back to their original world and answer to why they are here, but what makes the story so charming is how pleasant everything plays out. Sure, we've already seen similar stories based on survival game-like genres but this story in particular really hooks the reader is how immersive the entire story is. It never gets boring or dull to read and manages to keep everything interesting and well-paced for a survival manga.

ART - 8.5/10:
The art is an enjoyable treat for the eyes as the manga progresses along with the author's form and art style for this particular manga. It is delicate, yet rough enough to illustrate different meanings during scenarios. Character art is excellent and the author's attention here is definitely evident. If a character is upset, you're able to really feel the intensity in their anger with every stroke in the panel. The background art surrounding characters is beautifully done and readers are able to visualize the story easily. There's enough details that any less or more would take away meaning behind what's happening during a situation.

CHARACTERS - 10/10:
In my opinion, this is where the manga truly shines and it is easily seen throughout the story. There is considerable raw development in not only our protagonist but in many characters. We're able to understand their pasts and how this world affects who they will and have become after experiencing traumatic moments. Arisu, the protagonsit, is a somewhat underachiever in life who doesn't get great grades and is always being compared to his genius, younger brother. But one game after another, we see how much he changes and the journey of him finding the answer to this world. I don't necessarily want to give out too much about the characters but most of them are great.

ENJOYMENT - 9/10:
This manga is one a kind and I really enjoyed it from start to finish. It was well-paced and always kept me reading and wanting me to know more. There are twists, psychological warfare, intense action, outstandingly wits and cleverness, and amazing teamwork all blended into one fulfilling manga.

OVERALL - 9/10:
In the end, I believe anyone reading this review should check out this manga if you came this far. It really starts to pick up the pace after a few chapters in, but if it's not exactly your tastes then that's okay because that's also what life's about.

Inglish is not my first language

I don't know if the Netflix series is different, but if it's the same as this manga, I want you to know that the hype is, without a doubt, 100%...undeserved. The hype this manga gained was 100% undeserved; he is surfing a wave that is not his. If you want to know why alice in borderlands is famous, go to the series, because the manga obviously doesn't deserve the hype and is nothing more than a generic psychological manga with substandard quality compared to its peers.

Alice in borderlands is yet another manga filled with expository monologues. Every action, ... every conflict, every development and every DIALOGUE is followed by an unnecessary monologue. a raindrop cannot fall or a stone cannot move without a monologue inside a introspective moment to explain it. You can even excuse some moments, since they serve as a tool for the characterization, by showing how smart a character is by having him explaining everything. But this goes beyond the limits when wanting to do the duty of the reader by analyzing the characters.

This just shows the author's inability to:

A) create a narrative/plot that clearly SHOWS what he want to tell us;

B) the fear of being misunderstood, which motivates him to explain everything.

Reason B is understandable but not acceptable. If he's scared, he should change his methods or just give a fuck to the idiots who don't understand what he is saying.

And the way the MC's past, and the psychological problems caused by it, is revealed to us is done in such a poor way that it almost seems that the author is simply adding things as the work develops. The MC of the beginning is not the Same of the middle, but not by development, but by this "alteration" (I put it in quote because maybe it really was just a bad characterization) of the concept behind the MC.

And wow, what a crybaby the MC is. The first few times are more than understandable, since he's going through a terrible situation and all, but as the work develops, he starts crying about anything, in a Steven universe way. And sometimes, even if the moment is justifiable for him to cry, his reaction is... exaggerated to the point of embarrassment. Many authors forget that crying character =/= emotional. Actually, everything in this manga is extremely exaggerated.

The maturity of the dialogue and how the themes are approached seem to come from a children's book. This is a common problem with mangas and I'm always wondering: does the author believe what the MC is saying (which seems like as it is the definitive moral lesson of the work) or is he just repeating what other works have spoken? because the way certain ideas are conveyed are so robotic, silly and shallow that I can't believe that the author really believes and understands what is being said, because, normally, when you believe in something, you usually have a basic understand about that, ESPECIALLY if you're going to put this into a story. Don't think I'm saying this because i disagree with what is said in this manga or others, because i actually agree with the majority of them, actually, it's because i believe and understand about it that's making me confused and asking myself if he really understand what he is talking about.

The art is very tough in the start, but it improves with the time and the plot is really interesting, despite how weak the revelations of vital information are and certain nonsensical, but on point, conclusions are made to solve certain question (something classic in these psychological mangas). Some characters are also interesting, so it really is a shame that the author approaches them with the classic Shounem way: scream, expository monologues, more scream, expository monologues during an introspective moment, expository flashbacks, screamed expository monologue during an introspective moment with flashes of the past passing through the frames and, obviously, an unbelievable character change (the character can spend entire volumes having the same dilemma/internal conflict, but he magically manages to change after hearing 3 or 5 little words that are a very simple/rase answer to a complex problem or a hard to get out mental state; which, again, makes me wonder if the author really understands what he's talking about).

There are a few more issues at times here and there, but I won't go into those, because they're just that: moments. I don't think you should use isolated issues that don't recur in a review. But dont think they are not bad and wouldn't make someone droppe this manga.

And the last thing I want to say is: the last game is disappointing. He takes a lot of the things I said and multiplies them by two. And what happens after all the games are done is also anti-climactic.

If you are interested with the premise of psychological game, then turn away.

I’ll be honest in this review, the enjoyment you get from reading this depends on what you look for and expect from the manga.

If you’re looking for psychological drama about the concept of living and friendship then you are at the right place. There’s a lot of that here. Wall of text with sentimental monologue and backstory. Sometimes, I admit it was too much and thinking it was made with the reason to drag the chapters.

If you’re reading for the game, then you will be very very very disappointed. The Game design is ... quite good, it starts with a great premise and making the reader hyped but the games always ended in a really unsatisfying way. From the hype, the reader will expect something brilliant from the MC, but it never really lived up to it

My theory is that unlike any other similar manga, the author did not plan everything from the start but instead he/she created the game first, and decide later how to end the game in later chapters. This is supported by how the author drags the game plot by putting backstories and recaps in the chapters, while the MC keep repeating “I know how to win the game” in every last page for few chapters straight. This is to maintain the hype while thinking about ways to ending the game. Also, side stories within main story as plot dragging medium.

Besides, the game mostly ended in a convenient way. If you are from Liar Game, these here will look really dumb. The manga shows that the MC is a genius and think of a masterplan but in the end it always won due to luck, coincidence, enemy doing something stupid or something that was never there suddenly appear as a convenient way to end the game. So after every game, instead of “wow! never thought of that”, you just go “what? thats it?”.

I don’t know maybe others like the game but to me as a manga where its main selling point is about the game, the game to me is the weakest part of the aspects in the manga

Fuck... This won't be seen.

Disclaimer: The numbers reflect not what I think you'll get out of the piece of media i'm reviewing, It all is just to pay lip service to how much I love this series and may even go down on subsequent reading, So I ask you base your understanding from one of intense bias, And tackle it based on if you think we'll have similar tastes as I explain why I love it so much.

Alright! I need to explain myself before I explain my score, so here we go.
I came into this looking for a generic Isekai to waste time away ... through indulgence and to hope for something that was competently made in some regards (Fuck you smartphone) and ended up with this, however, it didn't surprise me for long, as it honestly feels like this was made to reinforce all my beliefs, So why would that be you think? How could I be so self-conceited? Well it was, And it was also made for everyone else who doesn't think so, People who find this in search of self-indulgence and a reminder to something, To appreciate your extremely pointless life, Cause "What's the point of a game, If not to enjoy it?" and so I answer.

it's 10/10 cause it was another level of self-indulgence, It was actual verification of my existence. It was done that convincingly, Even though I acknowledge some changes in characters were a little drastic, Even though I acknowledge I only like it as much because it's all to my bias. After all, this feels like my life but emphasized, through the lens of a group of fictional characters, A.K.A a relatable story. And the first that has had such an intense effect so soon after finishing, I feel like I could end the review there and I'd be fine with it, to be honest, But I need to show this to my friends and brag I wrote something long so I won't be cutting it short, So alas, Why is this manga my now favorite manga of all time?

Art: It's fine, The subtle details in some parts meant to hold extra weight do what they need too and I never found it intruding on the story after the first few chapters(Which are the weakest part of the series). In the end, it mostly added to the story so I'll be harsh to counteract the disgusting amount of praise I will be giving this series.
7/10-I enjoyed it

Characters: To put it simply there was a part where I could define 3 characters as the embodiment of current humanity, the hope of humanity and the doubt of humanity, Where then you realize that similar situations happened all over the story, The author made characters that can facet into multiple on dimensional roles while still making it so that they hold individualism, And even if they don't fulfill one single ideal, That just means they had no set tracks as people, This ties into the story and its themes not as a theme in of itself but rather to serve the existing ones, That's the amount of depth I could gleam from one interaction. The relationships sometimes felt rushed or shoehorned in but I could care less.
10/10- Mastah piece.

Enjoyment: read the 1st part
10/10

Story: It never dwelled on one idea long, It wanted to introduce it, Then let it serves as something and disappear, And other than the 1st idea that was introduced the rest of it was stellar and extremely interesting to hear the inner-workings of every part they bothered to explain, I sometimes figured out the mysteries or answers and other times the pages figured it out first. However, I cant wholeheartedly recommend this if I don't mention that there's some stretch in logic in the individual segments and that the overall themes and story lead to something that can seem very dismissive of some beliefs that people may have, But if you think yourself to be virtuous I challenge you to read this and if you don't end up disagreeing with the "Answer" then I can completely respect you, Even if you don't fully agree with it either.
10/10-I feel like I'm underselling everything.

Overall: Fuck you
10/10

Tomorrow is never guaranteed. The idea that you will always live to see the next day, mostly with younger people, is born from the false sense of security from death simply because of the human race’s technological advancements. When that sense of security gets shattered is when you truly start to treasure each and every moment of your life.

“There’s a limit to our lives. I’ve lived my life so far without thinking about that.” Arisu starts off as a good for nothing highschooler who has been shunned by his father for his lack of academic talent in comparison to his younger brother. Where Arisu shines ... as a character is not some superb development or overwhelming intelligence, it is the fact that he is acting as a real person would in his situation. While someone calm and collected like Chishiya might seem like a better choice for a protagonist on the surface, Arisu feeling like a real person is what makes him the ideal protagonist for a manga that puts heavy emphasis on the psychological aspect of the games. Arisu changes immensely with each game and has a roller coaster of emotions, going through and overcoming all of the stages of grief multiple times, eventually arriving at true acceptance at the end, accepting both his and others’ feelings. At the core of his character, Arisu is a heroic existence in the world of the Borderlands, both for the players and the reader.

Alice in Borderland is a manga that wants to inspire and it tries to convey that message through its character dynamics. Chishiya, someone who wins games because he has no will to live and does not get phased by death, eventually comes to admire Arisu for his indomitability and stubborness. After each tough game, we see the cast members actually suffer from them, instead of just leaving the game with no consequences. Character growth is often overlooked in death game mangas, especially since the cast members tend to die off quickly. In Alice in Borderland, there are not necessarily a lot of important character deaths but once they do happen, it is with clear intention and not just for the sake of the shock factor. Each time an important character dies, the characters change from it, be it for better or worse, and each death has an impact on the cast. The goal of a psychological death game manga should not be to kill for the sake of it, but to kill for the sake of the characters.

Coming up with an interesting premise is tough as is, but utilizing it to its fullest potential is a whole different task that often makes or breaks the story. Alice in Borderland takes the proven formula of revealing info little by little instead of mindless info dumping. It relies heavily on the mystery aspects and does the reveals amazingly and with precision in both timing and execution. A problem with restricted worlds in media is the lack of willingness to explore it. The characters are told that they cannot go somewhere and they simply do not even try. Alice in Borderland uses multiple instances to truly prove that there is no escape from its world and that it leads to nothing but death. The aspect in which Alice in Borderland lacks a bit is the exploration of the games themselves. It often feels like the information the reader has on the games is far more vast than the actual showcasing the games got, and the ones that were showcased, especially the clubs category, were quite repetitive and their twist and hidden meaning was easy to guess after a while.

When a story presents its main themes to be psychological and dark, the ending needs to be consistent with them in order to make the reader satisfied. Alice in Borderland fails to stay true to itself in its ending and ends in quite a “sunshine and rainbows” way for almost all of the cast members. The buildup was amazing and left many options for the final game, what the reader gets instead is a psychological battle which ends in the best possible outcome for everyone except the big bad guy, which makes no sense in a show that has previously done everything to show that sometimes just trying is not enough and that sacrifices need to be made in order to progress in both life and in the games within the world. Increasing the stakes is always a good thing in a story such as this, but when increasing the stakes you also have to sometimes make the good guy lose or make enormous sacrifices to proceed, instead of getting by with a newfound dedication and will to love.

Whilst the art is by far not the series’ strong point, it holds up well and does not hinder the quality of the work. The character designs are mostly simple with some wild ones mixed in that liven up the mostly mundane ways in which the characters are drawn. The paneling was good and the moments that needed to truly be indicated were drawn extremely well.

Alice in Borderland is a manga that I picked up after watching the live action show and being left wanting more. The manga is definitely a step up from the live action and brings new themes while also developing the cast more, instead of filling up time with useless dialogue. Whilst the execution of the premise itself leaves a few things to be desired, the cast and their development is done amazingly, along with a, mostly consistent, base of themes that are repeatedly built upon and explored. Despite its flaws, Alice in Borderland is a show that makes you rethink how you live each day and inspires you to enjoy life.


Tomorrow is not guaranteed, so just live in the moment.

Imawa no Kuni no Alice is the best manga I've read in my entire life.
It changes my way to look at things, as this is a real piece of art with a powerful message that the author try to describe: the meaning of life.

The story is full of plot twists, well made games and has a lot of characters that are perfectly characterized.
First of all: Arisu. He changes his way to be, making mistakes and being insecure, learning step by step what's important and what he need to be stronger.
The games are exciting, every one of them has a lot of beautiful moments.

I'm in love ... with every single chapter of this milestone, it deserves a full ten out of ten.

Alice in borderland is a lot of concepts and ideas trying to be encapsulated into one and failing to deliver every single one of them.

Let me start with an overview; I started the manga after watching the Netflix adaptation because I really enjoyed the concept presented and I usually like the death games-esque story settings. I thought the characters seemed decent enough to be further explored in the manga and the potential for an intriguing resolution to the many threads presented throughout the story.

In the end I was left with an underwhelming story with a lackluster cast and plot suffering in its execution due to ... pacing issues.

The story is probably the weakest point of Alice in Borderland, as it often doesn't make sense and leaves a lot of plot holes for the reader to just gloss over. I am normally the type to overlook these things, it's a fictional work and I am not looking for a metaphysical explanation as to everything that happens when I am digesting manga or anime. However, Alice in Borderland tries to sell you these ideas and big twists that are so out of reach for anything comprehensible it just leaves you… Kind of bored and confused.

My biggest complaint (and spoilers ahead, if you want to go into it blind I suggest you skip this review) probably comes with the ending. It's such a bs answer to absolutely everything that we experience and so underwhelming I was left just staring at the last pages like…. Huh… So… That's it? I think the erasing memories plot device is such a cop out and completely diminishes everything I read in the other 86 chapters. If everyone forgot everything, why are they suddenly all changed? How can everyone experience a “character development” moment if they all think their heart stopped for like a minute? The ones who died were simply forgotten and just taken for dead because of a random meteorite accident? Are all the connections, games and bonds we went through 86 chapters just… gone?

As I said, it's very underwhelming for the reader and the story often suffers from these peaks and lows. Alice in Borderland has its moments where you are thoroughly enjoying something going on (for example, the seven of hearts game was interesting and emotional because of what we knew about Arisu’s connections to his friends and the impact their deaths caused) whilst others just left me frustrated and honestly just bored (like that one entire volume with a bunch of random side characters locked up in a venue, i'll touch upon that later).

The games also are a big issue for me. Linking it up to what I was commenting before, the story tries to overly complicate everything to attempt delivering a “deep” and “meaningful” message where there isn't one sometimes. Some of the games seem way convoluted and to be honest by the third or fourth one I stopped reading the explanations because it was more of a hassle than anything else. There are other death game type mangas I've read and this is the first time i've encountered this absolute lack of interest towards what seems at a first glance to be the most interesting part of the story. You are reading a story like Alice in Borderland because you are interested to see the outcomes of these games and how they play out but to me they ended up just being way too confusing and meant to throw the reader into a loop when it really didn't have to.

Moving on to the characters, I also have a lot of things (good and bad) to point out. Starting with the not so good points; I believe when you are delivering a story like Alice in Borderland where you as the reader know that eventually some of your favorites will die, the rushed pacing made this effect very much so “in your face”. Most of the interesting characters or the ones who were starting to get some sort of exposure die off a chapter later so you are left with no real attachments or connections to them. Halfway through the story I really stopped caring for the entire cast except for like 2 characters because what was the point if I was going to be presented with a million backstories, goals and what not if three chapters later they were going to be killed off? There's no gratification nor real interest as the reader to really get to know the characters and that makes it so that the driving force of the story ends up pulling you back even more.

Characters also suffer from what I like to call “moral syndrome”, which means that we get these eureka moments from them to an overly complicated exposition of their mentality and ethical codes that really isn't necessary and adds nothing. Keiichi is an example of someone with a weird overly moral metaphor that defined his entire character that had a conclusion that if you think about it for like two seconds doesn't make any sense. Keiichi’s whole thing revolved around who was worthy of killing and being killed and the measurement of people’s lives but it’s not like he had never chosen to kill before? He must have played games in the past with only one winner where he, wanting to or not, had to kill. Maybe it was not someone in the smart 2000 IQ level as Chishiya but nonetheless another human, therefore making his whole morale speech null. This happens with half of the cast and that's why it makes it hard to think of these people as anything other than plot devices to try and sell you a deep in-your-face story. There are so many side stories to characters that we know nothing about but we are supposed to care/hate that it just becomes very overwhelming, some of them were a hit (I did enjoy the whole king of spades one) while others were a huge miss (the one where they were all trapped in the venue).

Arisu is also a frustrating character but I feel like the narrative is at fault for this one most of the time because they don’t show you his character development, but rather tell it to you and it makes it tedious. The guy had a luminary moment of reflection towards the same two problems he constantly battled with like 20 times throughout and by the 5th one I knew his entire speech by heart. Arisu suffers from poor narrative choices and weak motivations which just makes him kind of forgettable in the end even though he plays the role of main character. I also knew nothing about the villain. I didn't care for her as a person and she didn't compelled me to feel anything at all, I wasn't rooting nor hating on her, Mira was just… There I guess. She said some things and appeared like once or twice without any impact whatsoever, very plain and predictable.

Now onto the better part regarding the characters, we gotta admit that there was not enough Chishiya and Kuina, arguably the best characters on the series by far. Both of them however seemed to have been forgotten and only remembered to be existing like 5 chapters before the end (specially for Chishiya which would have played an amazing moral opposite to Arisu as an antagonist) but alas I did enjoy it when both of them had panels and relevance. Both of them were majorly underused and I wish we had more time to enjoy them but they were well built; interesting motivations and moved the plot along significantly more than most of the other supporting cast members.

To wrap it up regarding the art, it was alright. It's not the most stunning looking manga but I don't think it needs to be, it serves its purpose and some panels were good. Kuina and Mira had probably the best character designs and the rest were alright, nothing outstanding but not really much to critique either. As for the enjoyment, I think it's a give or take, I do enjoy this kinds of stories because they compelled me to keep reading to find out what happen but I just ended up being frustrated more than anything with Alice in Borderland by the way things went down so I guess it kind of depends on what you are looking for when you are reading a story.


Alice in borderland in theory, has a good base idea of what it wants to be. If I had to wrap it into a single sentence I would say “It’s a good concept with a mediocre execution”. I don’t think its the worst manga out there but I do think there are better executions to similar concepts without the convoluted plot and weak characters that try to move the story along.

-----------Story: 10/10---------

At first, the story seems like something that's been done a few times before, for western media fans its the hunger games, for eastern media fans its battle royale, but I definitely think this one stands above both in terms of story and originality since there are many, many games and aren't as simple as just "kill everyone, be the final survivor".


-----------Art: 6/10---------

By far, the manga's only weakness. If we're being honest, the art is pretty weak, the author should've gotten a separate artist to illustrate it tbvh but I'm gonna excuse it because it isn't really "bad" and the story still flows well ... with the mangaka's limited abilities.


-----------Character: 10/10---------

At first, I found the characters to be whiny or irrational, but by the end of the story, you're able to empathize with all of them, even the "villans". I particularly loved Igni's redemption arc and would've probably given it a lower rating without it.


-----------Enjoyment: 10/10---------

The exciting and high stakes games are SURE to keep you at the edge of your seat. The story is surprisingly unpredictable without turning into a dark void like most stories attempting to keep the readers guessing do.

-----------Overall: 10/10---------

Definitely think everyone should read it, but I think there is no point to starting it if you don't mean to finish it. So if you decide to pick it up, you better finish it!

Even though it got a low ranking for art, I'm giving it a 10 overall because I truly think this is a masterpiece.



-------------final notes--------------

/semi-spoilers ahead/

I really underestimated it when I first started reading it, I really thought it'd be another seinen manga about pointless violence, maybe with an end that criticized the reader for finding amusement in these characters' suffering, but instead, the author used it as an opportunity to teach the reader a valuable lesson.

It's kinda crazy how a manga about death, despair and cruelty can end on such a hopeful note. It was a brutal story that pulled no punches with the intent of forcing the reader to realize how much they take life for granted.

/end of spoilers/

This is my first review. I've only read 2 survival games. This one and High-rise invasion. I loved the latter however Alice in Wonderland stole the position completely.

The characters are so well thought out with amazing back stories. It highlights how everyone has some form of a difficult past that they have to fight through while questioning their existence and whether they're worthy to even live.

It makes you contemplate life and its meaning. And, honestly, this manga really hits home. Might sound slightly cheesy, but it does make you contemplate life itself and what meaning it has to you.
It has the sweetest ... romance and friendships. It has the messed up antagonistic characters throughout, which have their own backstory to how they got to how they are now.

It has horror, gruesome games, people willing to kill another to win, and others sacrificing themselves for another.

All in all its a great read. Would highly read it. It is super worth it. Have not watched the live-action or the anime adaption of High-rise invasion, but I can't wait. :)

I honestly think no amounts of words that I will say will be able to give this Manga series any justice. This was only the fifth manga I read but out of the five, this one had the most impact to me the most.

The OVAs are actually what brought me here. When I watched the three episodes, it really left me wanting more to the point that I thought it would be a good idea for me to read the manga instead. And boy, am I GLAD I DID.

I am a huge fan of stories that involve surviving/completing puzzles or whatnots to survive and ... this manga definitely delivered on that. Each game had its own unique and mind-bending twist that really, it always makes me think who or what you have to do to survive it.

Aside from that, the characters are also given amazing backstories that you can't help but emphatize with them.

Like I said, I don't think my words will be able to do this manga any justice, so please, read it and see it for yourselves.

I actually read this manga after watching the live action series. Gotta admit, the first half of the manga wasn't as good as the series. It was too much focused on the games rather than the plot and the characters and I am someone who enjoys a project depending on it's quality of characters and the message that it gives. To add more to this, Alice in Borderland is not the type to be dissected in detail. Rather, it's a thrilling survival manga that is more enjoyable than any other survival-themed recent projects I have read/ watched. After the second half, I think the manga ... just gets better and better, focusing more on the background of the story of the Borderlands. And to be honest, the games are really exciting and the ending is very well written not because of the secret of the Borderlands but because of how the climax was articulated. Overall, this manga does a good job playing with the readers mind. As a survival-based psychological thriller, this manga is very enjoyable.

One of the best if not the best manga genre about battle royale style . I personally recommend this one over Neverland , cause this story is much more realistic , where the MC is forced to choose sth over sth , wherever it might bad or good , he have to do it because he have no choice . Overall , this manga deliver to you a reality where you have to endangered yourself to have a better chances at surviving

Story : 10/10 - No complaining about the story , because it is just too good , well-written , it actually force ... , also making the reader sympathy with the MC's course of action . The ending is well done too, the MC to act not because he want it , it is just because he have no other choices

Art : 8/10 - It is not bad , but could be better , it is a manga though .

Character : 9/10 - some are bad , some are good , some are here to make you pissed up so much

Enjoyment : 9/10 - Hell yea , I've enjoyed all of the chapters till the ending . Even the ending is damm good , and made you cry also .

Overall : 10/10 - A MASTA PIECE , THIS IS HOW BATTLE-ROYALE LIKE MANGA SHOULD LOOK LIKE

Sorry for my bad English

My review is separated to 2 parts , first contains my review for general plot , and the second my review for the end , so If you haven't read the manga yet , I recommend to take a look first .

Basically this anime is like Kaiji ( survival and psychological ) , No game no life ( game / puzzle ) , btoom ( survival ) in my opinion .
In general , the main character and his friends have an ordinary life , but one day they were transferred to an unknown world , but after that they were involved ... in a game , and after that the secret of this world is revealed , basically if you want to continue residence you need to recharge your visa ( of this word ) by playing games by putting your life in danger , otherwise when your time limit reaches ( visa ends ) you receive your end by a laser from the sky penetrate your head .
What I have liked the most , is the psychological stress is all games , especially the heart one ( psychological game ) , the kill between the players to survive .
Every game , make you feel that the mangaka is genius game player .
The art was perfect , some scenery were unforgettable , there were also a frames like 3d

**************** Spoilers for the ending of story **********************
after reading the end , I was pretty disappointed .
For me , I think that there still nothing clear for the reason why there were transferred to the borderlands , And making all things like there were just dreams make it more and more bad , and also if the meteors were the reason of the transfer , does the borderlands repeat July month as it was said , and how the players gonna continue to transfer to the borderlands without meteors ( if that the real reason ) .
So for me I think it is a big mistake to end the story without revealing all things , I believe it is one of the mangaka duties to explain all mysterious things to the reader

For an author in the modern age, there is perhaps no greater accomplishment than being able to craft a captivating story that no one has ever seen before, but there is something to be said about authors who are able to revisit old, overdone ideas while still managing to innovate them in new ways. Asou Haro’s **Imawa no Kuno no Alice** is an excellent representation of the latter, finding success in the Battle Royale subgenre normally tainted by mediocre writing.

The most immediate draw of **Imawa no Kuno no Alice** is simply how creative some of the individual games can be. Other titles such as **Kakegurui** ... or **Kamisama no Iutoori** often have games that, while unique, are either far too simple or complicated for their own good, while others are too fundamentally similar without much twist. While **Imawa no Kuno no Alice** does occasionally have moments like that, the majority of games presented are either completely unique or have an added twist to them to make them more interesting. Both the King of Diamonds and Jack of Hearts events are excellent examples, constructing unique games with simple rules but a wide room for story telling and strategy. The Six of Diamonds is a good example of a game where it completely borrows from another (Blackjack) but still manages to make it narratively interesting by exploring the many different ways the game can be approached. Asou Haro also seems to understand that the task doesn’t end at creating the game but seeing it to its completion; many games are well-thought out and crafted, but they also end in clever ways that don’t betray the entire concept of them to begin with. Even the Five of Spades uses a layer of strategy that could’ve easily be written as something far lazier such as the use of raw strength.

To reiterate, it’s impressive when authors can still come up with new ideas in previously explored subgenres, and even moreso when it’s done in an area where it isn’t required. In that regard, **Imawa no Kuno no Alice’s** card system should be considered as a stroke of genius. Upon sight, each card immediately conveys to the reader two vital pieces of information of what the implications of the game are. A higher number means a harder game, and the specific suite hints at what kind of game it’s going to be. A lot of titles that involve having different trials and events like **Gantz** and the aforementioned **Kamisama no Iutoori** either don’t offer the consistency or variety that there events have between them, nor arguably do they need to. Regardless, the suite provides that little knot that adds the sense of a greater systematic and nebulous theme to the wider picture while also grounding the games within some degree of reality without going too off the rails. It can even add a more psychological dimension to it as effectively demonstrated in the Four of Clubs side story. In addition, the difference in games allows characters to specialize in some games more than others, giving them uniquely individual flairs and specialties while at the same time giving them harsh weaknesses. Even simply revealing that the game is one of "Hearts" is enough to strike fear in both the characters and the reader. The overall point is that the card system is a brutally efficient idea that eloquently ties many of the elements of the story together while also providing an easy thrill and sense of understanding for the readers. Even the numbers on the card have a dual function as they also explain how many more days are added to a player’s visa.
The card system is only one example of how effective Asou Haro is at executing simple ideas to add to the narrative. The laser beams that come from the sky to eliminate players are fantastic; not only is the execution visually simple, but it also demonstrates an ability to reach the player no matter where they’re hiding, adding to the claustrophobic setting provided by the story. Not only that, but its visually simplistic design allows it to be drawn at a macro scale that immediately conveys to the reader what each laser implies without having to show what each individual one directly resulted in. It is a far more eloquent solution for **Imawa no Kuni no Alice’s** setting than the often used “brain bomb” trope.

Speaking of efficient, **Imawa no Kuno no Alice’s** art deserves extremely high praise. It’s not impressive in the same way such titles like **Vagabond** and *One Punch-Man** are; while there are some aesthetically pleasing moments, there aren’t many moments where the reader is completely blown away by the art. Rather, the art is impressive not in depth but in breadth. Bluntly speaking, art in manga at the end of the day is just another tool, and a tool is only as useful as the skill of its user. Takehiko Inoue, the author **Vagabond**, didn’t even know how to draw a foot when going into one of his first works, the ever-popular **Slam Dunk**. The reason why this is relevant for Asou Haro in particular is that his style is incredibly flexible. The reason why games can have venues like exploding water geysers, courtrooms, traditional festivals, zoos, and more is because the mangaka is able to draw literally all of them. It isn’t easy at all to draw animals like leopards and crocodiles, nor is it easy to draw cities, much less in a dilapidated state, but Haro is able to do all of them effectively. To put it in another way, the story of **Imawa no Kuno no Alice** is only made possible because Haro is able to draw it. However, the most important result of Haro’s high breadth in his art is not that he’s able to draw so many different individual objects, but rather the character design’s themselves. Many authors fall victim in making their characters look too similar, and it can often be hard to remember characters because their designs are too redundant. In **Imawa no Kuni no Alice**, almost every single character in the manga is drawn in a different and unique way, whether it be through posture, structure, facial expression, or clothing. No two characters have very similar designs, even minor characters that don’t appear for very long. For a manga that pumps out side characters like it’s nothing, this is an extremely impressive accomplishment in the scale of the story.

I’ve been mostly talking about the more superficial dimensions of **Imawa no Kuni no Alice**, so you might be wondering what there is to say about its more central, thematic ideas that drive the story forward. Unfortunately, this is where the story falters a little bit since the main character and the end goal of the story is a little cliché. The main character fulfills his role as main character should quite well, in that he becomes the blank canvas that becomes more detailed the more he interacts with the world around him. Arguably however, the story paints on him a little too much, and the colors often muddle and overlap with each other. While a main character should go through development, his ideology changes a little too frequently and reactively based on what just happened. Thankfully, the author beautifully executes side stories, creating a healthy amount of different characters to distract readers from the main one. Not only does this provide somewhat of a fresh state and perspective while undermining plot armor, but it also allows the world to build more and not revolve solely around the actions of the main character. While all of this does serve another purpose, for better or worse they also serve as a band-aid for how frivolously the narrative addresses the main character’s perspective.

That being said, the important thing is consistency, and despite how cliché some of the narrative can sound, it’s impressive that the central theme of “What does it mean to live” is effectively addressed throughout the entirety of **Imawa no Kuni no Alice**. While the theme itself isn’t exactly original nor can I personally admit it’s particularly that evocative, Haro is fairly effective on addressing the different types of ways people can answer this question while also making sure it stays as a central focus for the main character. However, perhaps the biggest saving grace for **Imawa no Kuni no Alice**’s less original themes is how creatively Haro implements them as plot points. One of the biggest mystery’s in the entire manga is the explanation of why the world they’re in exists in the first place. The reader understands that to answer that question also inevitably explains how the characters can escape, which is the implicit end goal for the wider story. However, the story hints many times that there might not actually be an escape to their world, which fundamentally changes how the central theme is asked. Why did we play the games? Are our opponents just mirrors of our future selves? Will we still have the will to live? The condition that there might not be anything left even after everything’s all said and done is a harrowing thought that by itself already distills a sense of dread and wonder that allows the atmosphere to prosper. But if added with the overarching question of the meaning of life, the once cliché theme is given a level of tangibility that requires it be addressed before the story reaches its conclusion rather than allowing it to exist as a more fundamental idea. As stated before, consistency is key, and Haro does an impressive job in still tying everything together without superficially adding too many elements. In comparison, titles like **Gantz** and **Kamisama no Iutoori** have comparatively sloppier executions with very little or no consistency in what they want their overarching theme to be, which is often why titles like those have unsatisfying endings that don’t serve as proper conclusions.

Upon reading **Imawa no Kuni no Alice** for the first time, it’s easy to brush it off as just another generic title based on its first few chapters. After all, the beginning doesn’t really hint to anything that other titles haven’t already offered. However, most people who have read this story will tell you that the journey is worth it if you keep sticking with it until the end. As time goes on and more stories are created, truly original content will only become rarer and rarer, and it’ll all become that much more worth it once we all find that title that grants us that new perspective. But **Imawa no Kuno no Alice** is a fantastic example of how perfecting old ideas can be as equally as satisfying as the real thing and shows that the solution to stagnation doesn’t always have to involve relying on that unlikely chance.

Imawa no Kuni no Alice has an interesting trajectory as it goes through its run. It starts out purely with the thrills of the deathgame. There's a ton of hype, tension and strategy, gore and nail-biting atmosphere, etc.

By the last 10 chapters though, the series is almost purely philosophical. The games, or rather the strategy behind them, are no longer the key focus or even in the forefront, it's purely a battle of ideals, at times the author (most likely) using the characters and their situations as ways to convey his thoughts on the past/present/future and societal issues as a whole.

I believe the ... series achieves the perfect blend of both somewhere in the middle to the beginning of the end of its run. I would say one of the arcs within that perfectly encapsulates the essence of the manga: the strategy, the tension, the memorable characters, and the philosophy behind it all. Before and after, the arcs can be hit or miss, but all are well written and interesting.


The main core of the series though is the complex games and characters involved in them. Both are stellar. There are tons of memorable, unique characters, since it's a deathgame there will be tons of throwaways to set up tension, but the minor and major characters all have personality, intrigue, backstories and moreover aren't just idiots.


The situations/games and the strategies therein were so diverse and fun to read, and the unique characters kept me for the ride. The complexity and quality of the games vary but the more simplistic, non-memorable ones (in terms of technical aspects like the setting/strategy/situation) are mostly towards the beginning, the great ones are in the middle and near the end. These latter games forego much plot armor, and the strategies some of these characters come up with are insane.

The best part is almost 99% of these strategies are logical and not just written with the characters knowing things they shouldn't or bad writing, a major plus for a deathgame manga.

Overall, 9/10. A stellar manga.

I started the manga because I didn't like the life-action adaptation but I could see the potential. I thought the manga would exploit that potential but I was wrong, every good scene of the manga got adapted to life-action. Although, I will say the manga is a superior version of the same plot.

The main problem with this manga is that it has cool scenes but it is full of plot conveniences to get to them.

Games are also weak as most of them are pretty straight forward; when a cast member enters a game they will win no matter what they do. There are some ... reasonable realizations that the cast members have to get to, but the plot does not try to explain the reasoning behind this realization. For example, there are two occasions in which the protagonist realizes the trick behind the game because he starts thinking as the 'game master', but they never explain how the game master would think.

Furthermore, players never exhaust all their options before resolving the puzzle. The most annoying example would be the witch hunt game, in which they have to burn corpses except nobody but the protagonist thought of burning the right one.

In conclusion, the writing is lazy and the excess use of flashbacks only remarks how mediocre the writing gets at developing their characters. And the ending sucks.