Alice in Borderland Thoughts
May. 19th, 2024 12:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaEpisodes 2x05 & 2x06
+ It's interesting how fast nature took over. I'm guessing it corresponds with the deck of cards being whittled down and the closer to the end the more the Borderlands degrades/returns to nature. Returns to it's original state?
+ One thing I haven't liked is how split up everyone was this season. I really wanted them more as a group. Ann wandering off into the wild gave us some great shots but we didn't learn anything we couldn't have been told/shown in a random character flashback and thus allowed her to be a part of the season in a more concrete way. Did we learn anything important from her walkabout? They probably sent her off because she is so smart and talented she would have solved all the games. Arisu leaving to find Chishiya and Ann made sense but I wanted her to stay with Arisu and Usagi. etc.
+ It did bother me that Heiya was the first to run during her first game when there were a bunch of seasoned players. As soon as it said escape they should have been running.
+ Heiya is a badass. I ended up surprisingly attached to her. Not sure how believable I find her change into a badass from where she started but then I also have no clear sense of how much time has passed and I love it so whatever. I also love characters full of determination/grit and she had a lot of that.
+ I enjoyed the Aguni/Heiya/Arisu teamup to take down the King of Spades. Aguni using Arisu as bait cause he's good at that was hilarious. Loved Heiya saving Aguni.
+ I'm curious about the Queen of Spades interest in Arisu. She explains it away as him being her type but that seems far too simple. I wonder if he's of special interest to the face cards/game masters? Does she know he took down the King of Clubs?
+ I really liked Usagi's speech at the end of the Queen of Spades battle. It was such great character growth for her and much more meaningful (for the audience) to hear from her rather than Arisu.
+ I really liked the similarity between the King of Clubs and the Queen of Spades deaths. Them both accepting their deaths with open arms and peace.
+ The hot springs scenes were really nice to look at. I loved the elephants and the peace and beauty and then how it was shattered when they saw one of the dead bodies staring at them.
+ Kuzuryu choosing death by acid shower as the consequences of his game was just sadistic yikes. Epecially for that poor first guy to die who got dripped on a ton before getting all of it.
+ I find it interesting that Kuzuryu and Chishiya had such similiar backstories of being ideaists who wanted to help people and then were crushed under corruption.
+ I actually loved Kuzuryu's journey. He clearly chose to stay in Borderland as a citizen because he still had no hope but during the course of this game sequence he found himself believing in people again, in kindness, and that led to him choosing to save Chishiya and I'm happy for him. Even if it led to death by acid shower. Though that does feel appropriate enough considering it was the punishment he chose.
+ I hadn't been sure last season if Momoka had suicided and then the Gamemasters had simply took advantage of that or if it was done on purpose for the game so it's nice to get an answer there. I liked Momoka's explanation for why she chose to be the witch - not out of despair as it seemed but out of hope and the desire to chose her own path.
+ I liked the little glimpse we got of knock on effects - Arisu thought he was putting himself in danger to save Takuma during Distance. Takuma then went on to save Kuzuryu. I wish we'd seen more of that sort of thing.
+ Although since Kuzuryu is a citizen and King of Diamonds I assume he was never in physical danger from that game? Not actually sure. But I guess that fits because Takuma also wasn't in danger when Arisu went back to save him. None of it was about physically saving people anyway, it was about being selfless and kind and caring about others.
+ I'm going to say the biggest surprise of the show was the reveal that Chishiya was a pediatric surgeon. Never would have guessed that!
+ So what I'm getting is that everyone who ends up in Borderlands does so because they were deeply unhappy or unsatisfied in their own lives. Or at least that seems to be the common link. ...and then they battle to the death hopefully giving the survivors a new desire to live???
+ It's interesting how fast nature took over. I'm guessing it corresponds with the deck of cards being whittled down and the closer to the end the more the Borderlands degrades/returns to nature. Returns to it's original state?
+ One thing I haven't liked is how split up everyone was this season. I really wanted them more as a group. Ann wandering off into the wild gave us some great shots but we didn't learn anything we couldn't have been told/shown in a random character flashback and thus allowed her to be a part of the season in a more concrete way. Did we learn anything important from her walkabout? They probably sent her off because she is so smart and talented she would have solved all the games. Arisu leaving to find Chishiya and Ann made sense but I wanted her to stay with Arisu and Usagi. etc.
+ It did bother me that Heiya was the first to run during her first game when there were a bunch of seasoned players. As soon as it said escape they should have been running.
+ Heiya is a badass. I ended up surprisingly attached to her. Not sure how believable I find her change into a badass from where she started but then I also have no clear sense of how much time has passed and I love it so whatever. I also love characters full of determination/grit and she had a lot of that.
+ I enjoyed the Aguni/Heiya/Arisu teamup to take down the King of Spades. Aguni using Arisu as bait cause he's good at that was hilarious. Loved Heiya saving Aguni.
+ I'm curious about the Queen of Spades interest in Arisu. She explains it away as him being her type but that seems far too simple. I wonder if he's of special interest to the face cards/game masters? Does she know he took down the King of Clubs?
+ I really liked Usagi's speech at the end of the Queen of Spades battle. It was such great character growth for her and much more meaningful (for the audience) to hear from her rather than Arisu.
+ I really liked the similarity between the King of Clubs and the Queen of Spades deaths. Them both accepting their deaths with open arms and peace.
+ The hot springs scenes were really nice to look at. I loved the elephants and the peace and beauty and then how it was shattered when they saw one of the dead bodies staring at them.
+ Kuzuryu choosing death by acid shower as the consequences of his game was just sadistic yikes. Epecially for that poor first guy to die who got dripped on a ton before getting all of it.
+ I find it interesting that Kuzuryu and Chishiya had such similiar backstories of being ideaists who wanted to help people and then were crushed under corruption.
+ I actually loved Kuzuryu's journey. He clearly chose to stay in Borderland as a citizen because he still had no hope but during the course of this game sequence he found himself believing in people again, in kindness, and that led to him choosing to save Chishiya and I'm happy for him. Even if it led to death by acid shower. Though that does feel appropriate enough considering it was the punishment he chose.
+ I hadn't been sure last season if Momoka had suicided and then the Gamemasters had simply took advantage of that or if it was done on purpose for the game so it's nice to get an answer there. I liked Momoka's explanation for why she chose to be the witch - not out of despair as it seemed but out of hope and the desire to chose her own path.
+ I liked the little glimpse we got of knock on effects - Arisu thought he was putting himself in danger to save Takuma during Distance. Takuma then went on to save Kuzuryu. I wish we'd seen more of that sort of thing.
+ Although since Kuzuryu is a citizen and King of Diamonds I assume he was never in physical danger from that game? Not actually sure. But I guess that fits because Takuma also wasn't in danger when Arisu went back to save him. None of it was about physically saving people anyway, it was about being selfless and kind and caring about others.
+ I'm going to say the biggest surprise of the show was the reveal that Chishiya was a pediatric surgeon. Never would have guessed that!
+ So what I'm getting is that everyone who ends up in Borderlands does so because they were deeply unhappy or unsatisfied in their own lives. Or at least that seems to be the common link. ...and then they battle to the death hopefully giving the survivors a new desire to live???
