Alice in Borderland, the hit sci-fi series based on Haro Asō’s manga, has proved to be an enormous success following its return to Netflix with a long-awaited third season.
The series tells the story of Ryōhei Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and Yuzuha Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) as they are transported to an alternate universe known as the Borderland, with the duo having to partake in life-or-death games.
After premiering in 2020 and having a follow-up in 2022, the series has been absent from the small screen for the past three years, but fans can now rejoice as the third season was added to Netflix on Thursday (25 September).
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The long wait has seemed to make fans even more eager, with the series topping Netflix’s worldwide TV chart across its first two days of release, beating competition such as Billionaires’ Bunker (via FlixPatrol).
It’s also performed well in the UK across the same period, with the series currently in the #4 spot behind James Norton’s historical drama House of Guinness, Mae Martin’s mystery thriller Wayward, and Zoe Saldaña’s spy series Lioness. That’s an increase in its place from Friday, where it was at #5.
Kumiko Tsuchiya//Netflix
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“When Usagi is abducted by the afterlife-obsessed Ryuji, Arisu is distraught. But when he hears from Banda that Usagi was taken back to Borderland (where Banda now lives), he makes it his mission to go back there and find her,” reads the logline of the new season (via Tudum).
“When he arrives, he’s faced with immediate dangers – fiery arrows, electric currents – and finds out that only one game card remains: the Joker. Can his fellow players help him make it to the finish line? Or will they all perish before Usagi and Arisu can make it home in one piece?”
Kumiko Tsuchiya//Netflix
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The third season hasn’t fared quite as well critically compared to its predecessors, with the approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes currently standing at 60% – markedly lower than the scores of 82% and 91% for the first two seasons.
Despite that, the series has been praised by viewers as it scored an impressive 7.8 out of 10 from IMDb, with one user writing: “If you’re looking for a 16-hour worth of time roller coaster that makes you stay awake for two days, Alice in Borderland is your answer.”
Alice in Borderland is streaming on Netflix.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.