Alice In Borderland S2 Episode 8
Added 2025-04-09 21:31:44 +0000 UTCComments
Season 3 when? :D
eMko
2026-03-07 19:05:42 +0000 UTCS3 reaction when?
SaltyMango
2025-12-12 14:14:16 +0000 UTCThe whole 2 seasons were actually in 1 minute is crazy
C. J. Ramirez
2025-09-24 22:03:05 +0000 UTCthe simple (boring) explanation for everyone surviving so long is that this is a liveaction anime, so stuff like that gets dragged out. (if you're really lame you could also call that plot armor) the interesting and thematically coherent explanation is that everything we saw is less important to take literally and is more so a poetic expression of having, gaining, or regaining the will to live. The ones who truly do want to live for life's own sake have the will to return to reality, and are thus able to survive longer. This is purgatory, after all. The borderland between life and death. We shouldn't just expect the world to function like ours in any way. Arisu's entire M.O. was to get through the games to find out the purpose behind them. His character development is the very reason why Mira's psychiatric ward sequence worked on him at all, not any external stimuli. (The fact that Mira gaslights you like she does is only secondary, the real reason why it is a Hearts game is that you have to convince her that you have a strong enough will to live that you deserve to win, which is what Usagi does. By the very nature of the rules, there is no way to win this game without Mira's consent.) We never even confirm he drank the tea here (and we don't even see him touch it or go near the roses), so it had nothing to do with drugs, it's likely that in the show that was the pills and water she tried to give him in the illusion. (because Alice in Wonderland symbolism and all that) Yes, that does not confirm it, but when you look at the rest of the narrative and the absurdist message, I just really really don't think it makes sense to go for such a concrete and straightforward explanation. That's just another example of us as an audience being just as desperate for easy answers as Arisu is. Still trying to look for a trick or thinking that the face cards are one-dimensional liars is wrong. It's human, but it's wrong. We want there to be answers to why the world is as it is, we want Mira to just be a psychotic liar with drugs and VR tech, we want the game world to be more real than Mira's stories, even though none of these things are right. (It's definitely intentional wording that the choice offered was to accept permanent residence or refuse, instead of telling them you'd come back to life, for this same reason.) Upon rewatching I found it very clear that this is the case throughout the entire show, Mira's illusions just made it more obvious this episode. In the end, the only thing Mira ever lied about was the scenario. Every word out of her mouth or Arisu's father's or anyone else in the illusion was completely true. Arisu needed a way to justify that he was alive, while Chota and Karube were not, for him to go on. But as Kyuma, the Queen of Spades, Kuzuryu, Mira, Usagi, and more people say, there is no reason that is sufficient against all possible tragedies and existential crises. The bonds and the joy we can find while searching for that non-existant answer are what really matter. You don't need a justification to be alive. All of the face card leaders had stopped searching for different reasons, even Mira, and that's why their lives had grown stagnant and flawed enough to accept residency, despite all being sympathetic people. "Life is just a game we play together. You should try to enjoy it," (the original and honestly more fitting translation I had on Netflix) isn't ominous or untrustworthy, it's sad and sympathetic and the whole point and message of the show. That's why after Usagi's declaration of love moves Mira and finally makes her feel a spark of desire again, that her and Arisu actually give the game of croquet an honest try and really get invested in winning despite the fact that the Queen of Hearts is won by Arisu either way. This message about the purpose of being alive is also why it's so incredibly good that they had the balls to make a cohesive and straightforward ending that only reveals that the borderlands were purgatory, but never actually tells the audience the true function or purpose of the Borderlands, because we were just as gung-ho for answers as Arisu even though we shouldn't be and don't need to. The ones that matter are either answered or something we just as well could decide for ourselves. There was no reason for a literal trick, all Mira had to do was let Arisu be himself. Mira even says that Arisu must accept that the "answers" she gave him were ones he WANTED to hear. This constant obsessive quest for answers to life that helps nobody in the show or irl, is the real enemy. That's what causes us to despair. Refusing to accept that the world is inherently meaningless, and trying to fabricate our own meaning instead. Letting go of that is the only way to transcend. Being so convinced that there is a trick to the game or to Mira is reasonable, but that IS the trick. The fact that the vast majority of us wouldn't be able to be present and just complete a game of croquet. THAT'S how it's a Hearts game. and yeah, I still like the idea of the Joker card representing life being the hardest game of them all for the reasons Wes said in s2 ep6 and bc it suits the message of the show so much better to have the bar scene with Chota and Karube and to not fully explain the borderlands and the Joker the way the manga did instead. But, we're getting a season 3 now, so I suppose we'll get a version of the manga Joker. exurb1a's YouTube video on absurdism is short, humorous, and a fantastic explanation of everything this show is trying to say, i highly recommend it.
Carl-Emil Schjøtt Kramshøj
2025-05-09 00:19:14 +0000 UTCFor everyone who doesn't know. The manga had a sequel so they could be adapting that for season 3.
Infierno23
2025-04-11 02:06:17 +0000 UTCNot really a fan of continuing a show that has a complete story with a well written ending… People need to understand that something is good doesn’t always mean you need more of it… I guess if a continuation is coming from the author of a series because they suddenly had some brilliant new ideas, then fine. But if it’s from investors (Netflix) wanting to milk more, then I’ll keep my expectation very very low.
Yorutia
2025-04-11 02:06:01 +0000 UTCWhat’re you guys talking about ?? 😂 Kuina’s dad did show up at the hospital @1:16:09 you watched the whole moment of them looking at each other lol then complimented her acting 😭
ParkMinJeon
2025-04-10 09:00:01 +0000 UTCI personally think that was the real ending and they left the Joker card at the end for the audience to expect more or start theorizing about it and since it got good reactions they decided to make S3 . And im really excited because I don’t know what to expect at all !!! I mean, is the Joker card after all anything can happen !
Diana Casillas
2025-04-10 05:46:10 +0000 UTC
