Arisu and Usagi face more deadly games on the streets of a parallel Tokyo as they enter the ‘Next Stage’.

Google ‘video games dramatized for TV and film’ and the search engine will throw up long lists, notable for how forgettable most of the attempts have been. Flip the question round and start looking for movies and series which explore what happens when ordinary characters find themselves ripped from their humdrum existences and thrown into a ‘game’ narrative – a set of deadly challenges in increasing levels of difficulty, controlled by faceless game-masters – and the results are often far more interesting.

The genre seems to have reached a peak in recent years – perhaps because the zeitgeist is one of existential helplessness – most strikingly with the Escape Room movies, the Korean Netflix mega hit, Squid Game, and currently, Alice in Borderland, now onto its second season.

There was much to enjoy in the first season of Alice. It distinguishes itself from its Korean rival by having a games arena more closely bedded in reality, using an eerily deserted Tokyo cityscape rather than trapping its contestants in constructed environments. On the down side, it lacks the social and generational breadth of Squid Game, centring exclusively on young attractive players, which got a bit wearisome when it reached ‘The Beach’ in season 1, relying too much on scantily clad, beautiful young people running around, screaming and getting shot rather than coherent character driven narrative. Although I suppose that might be enough for some people.

However, things picked up in the season finale as Arisu and his chums discovered the ‘control room’ for their deadly games, with the suggestion that there was a whole other layer of control beyond that.

Season 2 picks up at the ‘Next Stage’. The first half of the episode is a brilliantly executed, nail biting pursuit through Tokyo pursued by the cloaked King of Spades who is mowing people down without mercy, as Arisu and Usagi run for their lives. The second half slows down for some back story and exposition, although I was still left none the wiser as to what would distinguish the games in the ‘Next Stage’ from what we had seen in season 1. The episode hooks on the appearance of the King of Clubs, who, let’s just say, isn’t cloaked at all.

Verdict: A decent start for season 2, although I’m going to need the show to give me a stronger idea of where it’s going and how it will develop, if it is going to hold my attention. More of the same won’t be enough. 7/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com