END GAME!!! | Alice in Borderland 2x8 First Group Reaction!

[@ReelTimeYT]

Thank you guys for the awesome support on this series! Make sure to check out our Patreon for the uncut reaction to every episode of this show! www.patreon.com/ReelTimeYT/posts?filters[tag]=Alice%20in%20Borderland

[@lillychang4788]

Yall should watch RRR

[@arciecerezo3762]

People who died in the game are those who accepted their fate that they would die. Unlike Heiya her will to survive is strong she survive the gunshot several times. For tata and Arisus's friends they already gave up that will. Basically its a place / borderland if you wanna cross over or go back to the waking world. The Joker was part of the mangga a bit so they tried showing it still... There's another story like this a continuation where Usagi and Arisu are together.

[@angelr5694]

right. Its more about fighting to live. Wounds that they gained during the borderland Games what kind of the ones at the ended up having because of the disaster. It's like an in between world.

[@emailrandy]

You all need to stop with all the will to live thingy, its a false fact. U mean the other players that have kids and family to go back to dont have strong will to live? Please stop. The reason they still alive was bcos they were already saved in the real world. Just they cant wake up yet cos havent beat the borderland. Proof is if u pay attention theres a black extra that was killed twice by King of Spade and still revived.

[@CD-hq9hd]

But what happens to people in real life who decided to stay back in the game like that conman and murderer, are they in coma in real world and planning new games for next metoroid attack? 🤣🤣

[@Dizzyboot613]

@@CD-hq9hd I'm guessing they died too since they refused to come back to the "real world" or life

[@ndubuisiamadi]

@@CD-hq9hd You might actually be right about the coma. Since the games (borderland) is between life and death, they'll probably be in charge of face cards for the next set of people between life and death. I'm guessing the borderland is kinda like purgatory.

[@motatsumaki]

to me borderlands is where you go on the brink of death, do you choose to fight and live or do you ultimately choose to die. I thought it was a beautiful metaphor to the people who do clinically die for a period of time, where do they go during that time? do they remember ? what makes some of those people live while others die? maybe the will to survive? truly something we will never figure out until we experience it ourselves. I thought this was one of the best shows that ive watched , the plot blew me away honestly.

[@Artemis-v8i]

I have heard this is kinda true in real life.When old people, like 90, there are many instances where they die right after an important event for them. Like reaching their birthday or seeing their grandchildren graduate. A big part of their age is their willpower to live and when people are on the verge of death and have no reason to live anymore, they die.

[@motatsumaki]

@@Artemis-v8i yes!!! I have also realized that

[@iceman10129]

While I do love this theory, you can choose to live and fight and still lose a game and die. So ultimately its not what you are saying. Sadly its more of a fortitute, rather than a will to live.

[@bethparker1427]

Ann might remember the Borderlands because she didn't choose to go back, kuina brought her back and that's why she cried when she woke up

[@TheBearAspirin]

In "Alice in Wonderland", croquet is the game that Alice plays against the Queen of Hearts. Mira's various stories were kind of winking at the audience that had been coming up with similar theories all along. Fun fact: Riisa Naka, the actress that played Mira, had to recite those pages of dialogue in one take with no breaks while also maintaining specific facial expressions. Impressive.

[@z0edotexe84]

Wow, I want to look into her now as an aspiring voice actor. I already loved her character, but that’s next some next level shit

[@adriennewilliams7558]

where did you hear the part about her having to memorize all the dialogue? is there an interview somewhere?

[@johndavis6719]

Wow that's amazing

[@colby_247]

She is so good to be honest. Her acting is so good. She is literally like Mira coming out of the manga.

[@mattimeikalainen6963]

@@z0edotexe84 are you saying you are an inspiring voice actor? Or that she is?

[@P3peJose]

It was real, it was purgatory. The joker card at the end was the “game master.” He’s basically the grim reaper. The people who were hit by the comet all went to the borderlands. The joker gave them all a second chance at living because too many people died at once. Those who won the games went back and those who died, died in real life. Also it’s much more then intellectual and physical abilities. The main cast had physical and intellectual abilities that allows them to prosper in the games but in the end what comes down to it is your will to live. Almost all of them including Niragi had a strong reason on wanting to live. Arisu and Usagi being for eachother. Kuina being for her mom. The girl with the bow being for Aguni. The only person who didn’t have a strong reason was Ann which is why it took her awhile to come back because in the end when she was dying from her wounds, Kuina held her hand allowing her a good reason to wanting to live on.

[@CD-hq9hd]

But what happens to people in real life who decided to stay back in the game like that conman and murderer, are they in coma in real world and planning new games for next metoroid attack? 🤣🤣

[@P3peJose]

@@CD-hq9hd one of two things, they possibly die in the real world, cause it isn’t a coma they just die. Or they are used as face cards in the borderlands for when new people arrive

[@noxfior]

@@P3peJose actually i believe the theory of them being in a coma is spot on. My theory is that Sology survived some other death experience but they decided to remain there, so they were in a coma in the real world, suspended. When they died in the game, that's when their body must've died in the real world.

[@P3peJose]

@@noxfior yeah that’s what I mean for if they stay they may be used as game masters for the face cards games for when new people arrive so that means In real life they are in an endless coma until they die in their face card games cause I believe those borlderlands are just always there waiting for people who land in purgatory

[@alexinator-hh5fe]

Mira the gaslighting champion over here. She had three pretty believable stories based on tropes. "This is actually virtual reality, you're being manipulated by the rich and bet on, and the it's all in your head" tropes. Mira saw that Arisu was someone who was just drifting through life and finding himself undeserving of the help people give him because he feels like he's just wasting away. She wanted to see if he could overcome the doubts of his own heart. We are our own worst enemy at times. Especially when we begin to self doubt. Which is why she encouraged him once he passed the test. "Life is one big game. Sooner or later, we all get our game over. So try to enjoy yours before it's too late." And I have to give props to Riisa Naka. Mira didn't have too much screentime in the grand scheme of the show. But she really made the character feel so layered. Many props.

[@carlosromero9353]

Mira is one of the Best character.

[@AlexisLopez-pb8ms]

Mira was truly playing a hearts game brilliantly. She had me all messed up in this episode.

[@Omgr4Gaming]

Their hearts didn't all stop at the same time, those who were closer to the blast were in the borderland for longer, which explains why Arisu and co entered the borderland later than other players. The face card players were probably closest to the blast as they had been there longer than most players. All in the difference of literal seconds in reality

[@anonymouzx]

It's in the title. Arisu is Alice, and he was in the borderlands (between life and death). Those who survived in the borderlands came back to the real world. Them playing the games is like their real self/body trying to survive after the disaster. The borderlands is kinda like the purgatory.

[@Zombies_Are_Real]

The reaction to seeing Kuina's dad was still on point. Because while he wasn't missing like Usagi's dad, Kuina's dad kicked her out for being who she was. So him being there was a big deal and did deserve your excited reaction to seeing him!

[@aleahmurphy3964]

My understanding of the joker card is that it represents LIFE. Which is the hardest game you have to play. We all as people are taking chances on what we call life.

[@zm3375]

Joker is actually Grim Reaper he did show himself in the manga.

[@kam2773]

I think the joker card implies that they’re in the hardest game which is life Edit omg thanks for the likes the replies are so interesting 🥹

[@thysens]

Definitely a possible interpretation. But it is certainly, regardless of other possible answers, also a reference to the manga’s inclusion of the ‘Joker’ figure, a deity which seems to rule over the Borderlands and speaks to Arisu at the end. If a third season comes, that’s probably the answer for it.

[@pn2294]

@@thysens well this is technically the end of the manga so don’t expect a S3.

[@thysens]

@@pn2294 The manga has a sequel and spin-off that they could easily pull from. I think the inclusion of the Joker card is a window for that.

[@pn2294]

@@thysens do they need to?

[@muhammadfazrulrahman570]

@@thysens the sequel is too short for a 3rd season

[@francoliles189]

I mean, Alice in Wonderland was a girl who just passed out when reading a book. It was all about the will to survive, the will to want to live and to find a purpose to keep that drive in wanting to live your life. That's what the King of Clubs told Arisu to do. The Queen of Hearts wanted Arisu to enjoy his life more. And his friends in their final goodbye wanted Arisu to stop holding himself back and start living the life they know he can achieve.

[@Nini-kc5ss]

She had me believing all her bs ngl

[@oreki1996]

This is probably the most creative plot I've watched in a long time.. Also, a very satisfying ending.. which is always rare

[@ginafedder4870]

The manga ends where this season ended. the joker is used differently within it, he is the person that ferries them back to the real world. It was definitely an interpretation of what happens when you are in between life and death. it also makes sense how people were already in borderland before arisu and friends got there because they hit the brink of life and death before them (if the meteor explosion reached them a few seconds before arisu, they were in borderland way ahead of them like the hatter and aguni). I also saw someone mention that the laser that kills them in borderland is very reminiscent of the red heartbeat line on the monitor flatlining. I hope they leave the show as is. I love you guys' reactions and am super happy you covered the show! Looking forward to whatever you are covering next!

[@brookehoward7276]

The last two episodes had me on edge and I went through a waterfall of emotions 😭 So many people have said it, the players who died in the games accepted their deaths, where as the ones who survived were fighting to live like Heiya. Although she was badly hurt (she should’ve been dead), her will to survive is what ensured she did survive.

[@lynni_111]

That girl was alive because her will to live. If their will to live is low they die quicker. Like aguni, his will to live was very high. That’s why he never had the chance to kill himself or die to bullets

[@emailrandy]

You all need to stop with all the will to live thingy, its a false fact. U mean the other players that have kids and family to go back to dont have strong will to live? Please stop. The reason they still alive was bcos they were already saved in the real world. Just they cant wake up yet cos havent beat the borderland. Proof is if u pay attention theres a black extra that was killed twice by King of Spade and still revived.

[@lynni_111]

@@emailrandy if you read up on it, it says the players who survived only survived because they found their way back to life. The ones who didn’t did not manage it. I’m saying will to live because tatta didn’t really wanna survive which is why he died quicker just from having a broken hand, when the girl meant she death would be the last option she chose. Plus, they die quicker at the start of the games and die slower at the endings. All you have to do is search

[@emailrandy]

@@lynni_111 Its not that complicated. Aguni literally been trying to kill himself multiple times both season, and u saying his will to live are strong thats why he survived? u contradicting yourself. How do u explain that one Black African extra that keep reviving?

[@lynni_111]

@@emailrandy Tried to kill him self with the gun, turned out to be empty. Got shot multiple times in the chest, survived, fell in fire, survived. Got shot right by the end survived, got shot again and survived, fought a tiger and survived. It doesn’t take much to search up why these players at the end lived longer then the ones in the beginning

[@emailrandy]

@@lynni_111 nevermind. seems like u dont understand my point.

[@kittyseob42]

mira had me loosing my mind and didn’t know what to believe after that 😭

[@neobahamut6751]

I love the last episode. It's so deep. As the queen of heart said : "Life is a game." So the next level the Joker gives you is the real life! Like the last game of croquet, it's not about losing or wining the game, it's about playing till the end. It's about wanting to live. Also, everytime you are in clinical death, the Jocker send you in the Borderland. So we can have as much season as we want.

[@trevoralbert6803]

ut they did only show the one.

[@trevoralbert6803]

Big Joker/little joker is common in a deck.

[@shierantiburcio3598]

I really liked how the two guy reactors simultaneously tilted their heads at 40:53 🤣🤣

[@christophec6201]

There is no season 3. The game of the Joker is 'Life'. Mira herself said that life is a game that we are playing together and that we should enjoy it more.

[@keithhunt5328]

They confirmed season 3

[@SandSlash242]

The meteor crashed into a different part first and then destroyed shibuya, the people who died first entered months earlier, won the games, got residency and became citizens, aka Mira, Kyuma, and all the other game masters and spies. Mira was actually a psychiatrist when she was alive btw. Then the second game began. The minute of the cardiac arrest was borderland, aka the border between life and death. Limbo. People sustained the exact same injuries. Those that survived too. Those that chose to live woke up, those that chose to stay will get permanent visas in limbo, likely becoming the next face cards and game masters for any other disaster that happens. Joker represents life as the final game, or likely a nod to the manga joker, aka the entity that rules limbo and created borderland to give people a chance to survive and had the will to live. They can make season 3 into a prequel or use the light novels. Also the names of people resemble the names of characters in Alice in wonderland. Arisu = Alice, Usagi which means Rabbit in Japanese, Chishiya = Cheshire Cat, Kuina was the smoking blue caterpillar that transitions into a butterfly, Hatter was obvs Mad Hatter, Banda was the Bandersnatch, and there’s a lot more. Amazing series.

[@Mcruz0r]

Think of borderlands as Purgatory and a chance at another go at life. In the manga comic: Arisu, just like how he met up with his friends in the afterlife actually met with the Joker. The joker asks him "Do I look like a Demon? Or a God?" to which Arisu answers that he seems more like a ferryman for those lost souls just like in many different mythologies.

[@arminarlert1953]

Just like in the classic Alice in Wonderland, Mira made it seemed that it was all in his head or a dream in the classic cartoon where alice fell into the rabbit hole and woke up. The theme of both reality and fantasy intertwined in both stories. What a wonderful take and twist in Alice in Borderland.

[@AlexisLopez-pb8ms]

I like the fact that the series ended in a way that viewers have different interpretations. Leaves a lot to your own imagination.

[@ocat804]

In Japanese mithology, before reaching the afterlife, the souls of the deceased must cross the Sanzu River. The Borderland is not just in Arisu's head, it's depiction of the realm between life and death. Their soul experiencing an apparent death and manage to get back alive because they have strong will to live

[@1starrynight]

Karube is THE character that makes me tear up every time he appears. This episode wasn't the exception. Thanks for your Alice in Borderland videos!! It was so fun to watch you guys discuss and react. I hope you can watch Dark at some point!♣

[@veiga7032]

The answer was in the name of the series all along. Borderlando can be literally translated as "edge of the world", also being interpreted as "crevice" or "limbo".

[@miadabrat]

i cried real tears at the end, just happy the group finally got what they longed for & made it out alive. Like you guys i was also confused wnen heiya survived but her will to survive was her personality since we was introduced to her, i believed that played a part.

[@holy6704]

I can't believe it's over! It's thanks to AIB that I found your guys' channel 🥺💙

[@tuesdae666]

They all had NDEs (near death experiences) and went to a place between life and death (Limbo, Purgatory, different cultures have different names). The ones who survived were the ones with the overwhelming will to survive, just like how doctors often say 'I've done all I could, it's down to their willpower now.'

[@Chrissybrit43]

Been waiting for this one boys. The first couple of stories Mira told Arisu, I was pissed. If this was how it was supposed to end, trash. Zero imagination, right up there with “it was all a dream”. When he was a patient and Mira was his “Doctor” it was clear that was fake. The things she was saying to him for a start, a mental health professional would NEVER say to a patient, the issue was just trying to get Arisu to snap out of it. And that seemed to take forever. I thought “don’t tell me, everything he’s been through, we’ve been through watching him, the people he lost, was all for nothing” I was legitimately furious at Arisu and I have mental health issues. I knew the Queen was twisted, she’s always been portrayed that way, but it was solidified when she told Arisu that she herself, personally created the seven of hearts game (where Karube and Chota died) because of how very close they were. Now that’s evil. I read a theory that the Joker at the end symbolizes that life is how you play it. You never know what can happen, who you may lose but also who you could love, so don’t be a fool with the time you have, nothing is set in stone, life 0:04 can change, so like Karube said, “Live it, Live your life Arisu”. That Kuina chose for Ann, even though she was dead for her to go back home, stole about 3 years worth of tears from me and that when they “returned” to their bodies, Ann returned as she was having surgery just as she’d flatlined and coming back brought her back, because from the meteorite explosion, the ones that survived all had mini heart attacks, (everyone we knew from the game who had been in Shibuya Station at the same time on that day), and had gone into somewhat of a coma for one minute. Blew my mind that the entirety of the game was them being in a coma of sorts for 1 minute. Then being asked if they wanted to stay or go and as Mira said it “will say a lot about the person you are”. When they woke back up in their bodies, we found out that Arisu and the others in the game were basically fighting for their lives in the hospital beds. The Borderland is the place between life and death, where you’re close to dying but hanging on. Every time we saw them come close to giving up or dying in the game, they were almost dying in their hospital beds. When someone died in the game like Karube and Chota, that means they died in the hospital from their heart attack. Arisu and Usagi were so much closer and connected, literally, because of how close she was stood near them at the billboard in Shibuya Station in the first episode. His friends obviously, right by Arisu’s side, then further along, but not too far, was Usagi, who he’d yet to meet, but would bond with her in a long lasting way. I loved this finale. Some people didn’t. It would have been nice if they’d remembered each other but I can live with the “wait, don’t I know you from somewhere?” vibe.

[@sln4281]

Read an explanation by someone who read the manga that makes the most sense to me : Borderland is a place people go to when they’re between life and death, people who died in borderland died in real life. At the end of the last game they were asked whether they wanted to remain as a citizen of borderland or not, those who finished all the games and decide to stay in borderland become game masters (like Kyuma and the others who were referred to as citizens of the country) and those who don’t wake up and get their lives back. From what I understood those in borderland don’t get there at the same time meaning it’s not just those who were part of the Shibuya accident that end up in borderland it’s anybody that ends up in a life/death situation.

[@mselenoalose]

read a comment on another video saying that the lasers killing everyone when they died were a representation of their heart stopping, like a flatline- blew my mind

[@SweetPotato88-l4z]

There is another mangá called Alice on Border Road and they show some people remember what happened in the Borderlands after the meteor.

[@HD-ux5lg]

There is Manga also Alice in Border Land RETRY, that ARISU tried again the game after 8 years later.

[@SweetPotato88-l4z]

@@HD-ux5lg Yes, and when he's playing he remembers too.

[@mikemuyco9626]

the laser that comes down and one shot people is them flatlining in the real world

[@csk7769]

Arisu's entire M.O. was to get through the games to find out the purpose behind them, which is why Mira's psychiatric ward scene is so well written that I have to talk about it. His character development is the very reason why it worked on him at all. (which is why for the record it would've been very out of character for Arisu to stop her from talking. And besides, they can't kill her but they also can't finish the croquet game unless she's also playing, so it made perfect sense they didn't break her limbs or otherwise finish the game until the end. It's a Hearts game because you have to convince her to keep playing, so only those with the strongest will to live will reach the real world. The gaslighting and illusions are secondary to that.) We never even confirm he drank the tea in the show, it's likely that here that was the pills and water she tried to give him in the illusion. (because Alice in Wonderland symbolism and all that, also if it was poison he wouldn't be able to give up) 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. Whether because of a car accident, a death game, or a meteor strike, it doesn't matter, Arisu needed a way to justify to his survivor's guilt 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. 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," isn't ominous at all, it's sad and sympathetic and the whole point and message of the show. There's a reason 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. So with all of that I can't really understand any reaction other than sympathy to both Arisu and Mira in this episode. 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 they constantly tell us we shouldn't be and don't need to. And it's even made extremely clear that it wasn't for nothing, it did really happen and the results of the games not only decided who came back to life, but also had an impact on everyone's growth as a person. As well as the fact that some bonds really can be immutable, like romantic or parental love as seen with Arisu and Usagi, and Aguni and Akane respectively. (again, this show is literally a live-action anime. Is it realistic that Akane and Kuina survived? of course not. Is it more consistent with the genre, show, and past 15 episodes than even the manga the show is based on? absolutely. the only one slightly inconsistent or gratuitous with the show's tone is Ann surviving) Sure there are a few more details in the manga, but not enough to change my points. And besides, maybe they'll use those details for the Joker card in a future special if they really want to, since the manga ends here but there's a sequel that's only one volume long. It would make a lot more sense to end with this, but it's not impossible they film a little bit more. I just pray they don't start explaining more details about the Borderlands like the manga did because that would defeat the point of the story, especially when we just got the most perfect ending I've seen in a loooong time.

[@Itzme_Z]

45:51 LOL IF YOU GUYS DIDN’T PIECE IT TOGETHER THEY FORGOT A CARD THE JOKER CARD😂😂😂😈

[@Mynameisgregor]

Finishing any game in the borderland will result in the played card laying on the table in the game (the ones Hatter was collecting). I feel like the entire surviving of the borderland resulted in them being rewarded by the strongest card, AKA the joker.

[@dankewolfie2794]

The Joker, in the manga is an entity like the ferryman from greek mythology. He saw the random huge loss of life and wanted to give the players a chance to win life back. This is where the main manga ends if there is another season Netflix may have to write it. A thought I'm not crazy of.

[@gameoverability1876]

the joker is just another dealer he doesnt have any power over life and death he said it himself

[@dankewolfie2794]

@@gameoverability1876 and you believe him? And when he answered the question "are you a God or Devil" with " an intermediator"? Also if there is a 3rd season the Joker can be turned into anything the showrunners want, for entertainment. Or they could just leave it here and say the Joker card represents the most cruel, depraved twisted game of the all.... life

[@gameoverability1876]

@@dankewolfie2794 do you read asian folkore? hes just taking care of that place, the joker is not a god. he didnt not answer the question it was arisu who did, did u even read the manga? lol. its very clear from the joker question, arisu answer and the joker reaction that hes nothing else than someone who manages the borderland and follows orders.

[@aepigeons9375]

I think the meteor hitting the city with no warning could make sense; maybe the relevant authorities expected it to land in the ocean, only for it to break into way more pieces than expected at the last second. It'd also explain how people arrived in the Borderland at different times; the pieces wouldn't all hit at exactly the same time, and you'd also get people who weren't hurt in the initial blasts, but rather when damaged buildings collapsed after a few minutes. Those ones would be playing games designed by people from Arisu's cycle who chose to become citizens.

[@mariluc6230]

When I finished the series I had no one to talk to, I know everything that happened and I was waiting for reactions so I could live this incredible series again. Thank you guys for your reactions, I loved you so much and I was able to enjoy AIB again with you, I really enjoyed it too much!! I discovered your channel when you watched season 1 and have subscribed ever since. I love you guys

[@malakaijudah]

38:01 i love how everyone has their head at an angle

[@seforet7881]

According to the wiki, the Borderlands is a purgatory like place where people go when they experience a near-death situation or clinical death. Basically, it tests their will to live, and those who die in the games also die in real life. Once they finish the game, they can either go back to the real world or stay as a ¨citizen¨ (Mira, for example is a citizen)

[@leticiat.5994]

thanks for the hard work on putting up such a long video for us, it must be hard to edit 💗 I watched Alice in Borderland just to follow along with your reactions, amazing show! love u

[@leezhenlin7659]

Some of you missed kyuma lowkey telling arisu about what's gonna happen after you cleared the game.

[@renpathy]

I think those who chose to become residents become gamemasters themselves and each get a card. The next set of people entering the 'borderland' (i.e. those who are clinically dead but still have a chance to live) will have to face them again. In real life, the residents are still in a coma but they will not have the option to live in the real world again. They just continue to play their games forever. Their only escape is to die in the borderlands by losing a game, therefore dying in real life also. That's why a lot of the gamemasters seemed relieved to die when meeting their ends. Who knows how long they've been playing for and waiting for someone to clear all the games?

[@ot7biasedmashups]

The borderlands are pretty easy to understand. Basically when people die for a short period of time they go to the borderlands where they fight to survive or give up and die. The borderlands always look different and don't need to have games but they are centered around the cards. There's where I come to the Joker! He's the "game master" or like ferry man between Life and death. He gives everyone a second chance at life. I don't know if Netflix wants to do a s3 but the card at the end doesn't mean much if we go off the manga.

[@KanaiyaSK]

Okay so don't know if anyone explained.. but the world where all the games are held is basically limbo. After beating the games you get to choose if you want to continue living there (pass away) or come back to reality (continue living).

[@payton_unoriginal7919]

i definitely love the idea that the borderlands are like limbo between life and death. and despite being bleak, i could totally see the other ending illusion in the psychiatric hospital because the original alice in wonderland had her come up w the whole world in her own head. so, it wouldn’t be surprising if arisu also had that whole world imagined in his own head as well. great reaction as usual!

[@lovechimchim5375]

The way i took it was that the time they spent playing the games was the time between life and death , and the people who survived were the winers who had a strong will to survive and life , sorry my english is weak

[@entrcpy]

If purgatory is me playing a bunch of death games like this just let me go to the death side lol. In all seriousness, Kuina’s wrap up made me cry so much. I’m glad her dad came around, called her by her name, and cared about her well-being. For Al intents and purposes, I do believe the games are over. Thank you guys for doing this and taking us along for the ride.

[@kengo7273]

In Buddhism, it is said that you will choose one of two options on the verge of death: cross the river or turn back. The last reveal feels natural and reasonable for us, Japanese. This story is about will to live and purpose of life. They kept being asked and asking themselves throughout the series, especially in S2. The games, the meteorite and physical damage in that realm don't mean that much.

[@Entxq_]

Borderland IS real, but it's a place in everyone's head, as mentioned it's a place in between life and death. If you face a near death experience, you get sent to borderland so yes you're right the games are real. Time works differently in borderland similarly to how our consciousness perceives dreams/nightmares, a nightmare can seem like forever but in reality it took place in eg 5 min when you wake up from it. There is even a short sequel manga called Alice In Borderland Retry where arisu goes back to borderland for one game, and a spin off of arisu and usagi's child in borderland. Also borderland was a test to see how strong your will is to live, which is why no matter what severe injuries some of them faced, they still survived (eg Tatta didn't really want to fight to live and settled for what he helped with so he died). Either that or when in the games eg chota and karube died/only one survivor in the game aka arisu, there wasn't a choice which reflects what happened in the living world. If you were closer to the crash site but had a chance of surviving, you'd end up at borderland first while others a bit further away ended up there later, hence the time difference I explained earlier. Mira in the manga IS a psychiatrist but she got upset when her patients left/ forgot about her so that part was partially correct. Citizens of borderland are basically people in a coma awaiting their death in borderland so the two dudes who chose residency basically will die eventually. The joker at the end was a mysterious being in the manga, who popped up after arisu defeated mira, and he asked arisu if he looked like a god or a devil or sth, then an image of a ferryman transporting the dead popped into his mind, and concluded that joker was the intermediator, neither good nor bad, and they got brought back to the living world. But in the netflix version his card is to signify life is the final game itself as quoted by Mira

[@missblue1617]

I do believe that all of the games happened in one minut, mostly because we saw how the plants and nature in general was growing extremely fast (I think Ann or Mira said something like that) so in Borderland the time is pretty much relative

[@meowpotato7617]

I’m surprised they still thought chishiya would accept becoming a resident in the borderlands even after seeing the game with Kuzuryu and sacrificing himself to save usagi 😂 that was funny 😂 but good reaction i had fun watching you guys react to this show ❤

[@definetlynoone]

I think the joker card is not an indication of a new season but rather a game completion, remember each card they won in the game is placed in a table top, i think the joker card signifies that they completed the borderlands game which is completing all Cards game. Aka Surviving

[@camillecannon3813]

I know I'm late lol but here's my thoughts anyways, So basically I see the borderlands as like purgatory, a place that exists in-between life and death, everyone in the games were all in this purgatory and each game was like them fighting to live from the meteor. Everyone who survived in the end were the ones with the strongest will to live, and that's also why Niragi, Heiya, Aguni and some other characters who definitely should be dead, survived, because their will to live was stronger then someone like Tatta, or the other characters that died. I also think that everyone who did "die" in the game just went onto what ever comes after death, like heaven or hell or whatever you believe in. I think that the "citizens" there were just other people who had near death experiences and wound up in this 'purgatory' or the borderlands different times, but the reason so many people entered at once when the show takes place is because there were so many people who 'died' from the meteor. I also thinkl that then reason they were seeing so many dead people is because they were in-between life and death making the borders of the dead less strong, or something? idrk about that one lol its just my theory.

[@random-zz8ut]

The entire psych ward sequence was straight out of a horror movie...like i dont even think i was this anxious and terrified watching an ACTUAL horror movie! The atmosphere of the whole thing was so terrifying, eerie, ominous, uncomfortable, like holding your breath and never letting it go. SO FUCKING WELL EXECUTED!!! It really scared me and even had me questioning my own reality and sanity. The actress who plays Mira absolutely slayed that entire scene. Her aura is just so creepy and she knows damn well what she's doing!!

[@audreyharms5156]

This was such a joy to watch you guys react to. This is based off a Manga and basically they all are in purgatory (similar in the reality to heaven and hell) between the border of life and death. The games are them fighting for their lives. Which was why some characters kept living with insane injuries. The joker is the angel of death guiding them in purgatory and he created the games.

[@KillerBee300]

Since that joker is at the end, I think the meteor is an all new game now.

[@raysofrosie]

So the joker ending can mean 1 of two things, 1, it is seen in some cultures to represent the ferrier between life and death (in Greek mythology hes represented to have a canoe that you pay your last fare to in order to bring you to wherever your final resting place is) and/or represent those that have had a close call with death, or 2, that the games aren’t actually over. In a deck of cards there’s normally 1-2 joker cards in a deck and seeing as how we’ve completed all number and face cards EXCEPT the joker(s) could indicate that this is exactly what the card represents in the deck: the trickster, meaning this whole happy ending could be an entire façade and we’ll never know what really happened. It’s an ambiguous ending that’s up to interpretation and one I think was done really well. It’s also a theory that the creepy red laser was actually people flatlining as the rescuers attempted to save everyone. Everyone died at different times but as you pointed out, things like being shot or catching aflame led to slower more drawn out deaths (I.e aguni, niragi, and literally our entire squad at the end). If you didn’t die immediately then you had a chance to fight and survive due to how the trials were set up: to give everyone a chance to return to life as we know it. As for Ann, the reason she lived despite dying in the borderlands was because all of this was supposedly happening in about a minute when everyone’s heart stopped and Ann died within milliseconds of the games technically ending and being found in real life. Think about it, the rescuers would have immediately started CPR which would have kept her blood circulating until they could hit her with the defibrillator, which they did and resulted in her coming back to life as apposed to her coming back on her own like everyone else. So Kuina helped bring her soul back to her body by denying the offer for her and she was saved by the ambulance staff. Loved the reactions and love your guys’ channel 🤍

[@delliath]

With the reveal of the Joker at the end, I at first thought it was an indication that the world in the hospital doesn't exist and that the Joker is going to allow them to live "happy" lives before taking it away from them, but then I looked into what the Joker cards purpose is in a deck of cards and it's primarily used to replace damaged or lost cards, that's what I think is going to happen, somehow they will get put back into the game world with the Joker posing as various cards to allow more games to be created.

[@random-zz8ut]

27:37 idk if anyone noticed but he looks so much like when he played L in the 2015 Death Note drama in this scene!

[@KunciMerah4031]

At the end, I have so much theory about everything. Making the game much more clear for what and why's. Reading thru each comment in youtube and fb, making me realized so many things about this series. I love it when they created a series that makes you keep thinking about it even after the series ended. It could be as simple as original Alice in Wonderland fairytales. Or, the 'real' stories about Alice is not what we think it is. Its like making Alice story into a real life situation. Japanese mangaka are so creative with their reimagination of some stories and making it more relatable in real life. Thats what I like about these series. Its like we dreaming, in the dream we could have passed so many months and years, but in real life, we just sleeping around 7-8 hours. Some say, its like purgatory, that the character been thru trying to survive, and like Arisu brother said, he is in 'borderland' (between life and death).

[@cyrin7066]

I love the metaphor of this show basically alice in japanese is Arisu, so it is Arisu in borderland. The borderland is the purgatory or the middle of life and death.

[@MandyHiHello]

It's not so much that it was all in his head. They all died when the meteor hit, went to purgatory, and had to decide if they wanted to continue living or not (while they were being resuscitated). I mean, that's how I took it anyway. Loved watching you guys react to this show!

[@DulcisAbsentia]

AiB was just the best of this genre. I was constantly on the verge of my seat, the episode dynamics were nothing like expectations, the games exciting and the bonds created among the characters touching. I seriously love this serie a lot and I wish it more success than it’s actually receiving (should be n1 overall). Ps I’d like to recommend “THE GLORY” which is a kdrama, I’ve finished it and it’s seriously good!

[@janongarugay1205]

They were in borderland, life and death. The game was a metaphor of purgatory.

[@avatarxs9377]

it's not even about meteor, or even their heart being stopped at the same time, we can see queen of spades being found in completely different time and place. because they have no memories when they came back to life these people can come from different time, and that's also proven as some people say they arrived to borderland sooner and some earlier. Borderland is real place, some sort of purgatory, ruled by supernatural god-like being, called Joker (info from manga).

[@stephhqc]

i have been binge watching all of ur alice in borderland videos since yesterday. love the series and ur guys’ reaction :)!!

[@drecinema]

Kuina was disowned by her father in S1 so her seeing him at the hospital was her first time since she left all those years ago! He finally came around after she almost died.

[@DawnsWorld]

Well I looked it up and the joker card means beginning and endings, my interpretation is just that everything has come full circle 🤷🏽‍♀️ this is the end of the borderland/“the in between” journey and the beginning of waking up again. I think it means life is the beginning of their final “game”, since their Will was strong enough to wake up. I also believe the joker card can represent a change in fortune, and their fortunes were changed based on their will so yeah. I take it this way because it also reminds me of “the fool” card in tarot which can be new beginnings, faith, potential, opportunity, freedom and things around that realm, and it is card 0 like the joker card. 0 means unlimited potential, it is the beginning, they’ve gotten another change at life.

[@gracecoooo]

thank you so much for this season!⭐️

[@deibooks]

Not sure why the translations arent the same but Netflix Ph definitely had a better one because arisu’s brother even made a call back to the “borderlands” and not just border between life and death. Has they watched that with that translation, they would have not been so confused about where arisu and his gang ended up, what the borderland is.

[@cowboyboopdoop]

I read the manga a few years ago and I think basically so many people died from the meteor that a borderland was created to give an opportunity to return to life. the reason why people joined the borderland at different times is because their hearts stopped split seconds apart from one another. also im almost certain that the "joker" was the entity that created the borderlands because too many people would enter the afterlife at once and that's where the manga ends so the joker card could be some obscure tv show way of saying that idk.

[@ot7biasedmashups]

The queen of hearts game was somehow even more insane in the manga. Since Arisu got drugged we got a lot of crazy pages and I felt like my brain was about to MELT. I love how they made up some new fake stories too because even if you read the manga you still end up questioning if it might be true for the adaptation. Absolutely insane.

[@sharp598]

The game actually happened. It was a game of life and death all along. All of them almost died when the meteor hit shibuya and they were given another chance to live if they win all the games. Some believe that the joker card just represent the hardest game which is life itself just like what Mira told Arisu that life is like a game and that they should enjoy it more.

[@noxfior]

Remember that Mira said that life is a game too and to enjoy it - we know that living can be pretty hard too, especially when you have people with difficult backgrounds who now have to deal with being survivors to a disaster. From this pov, the Joker card can also just mean that they entered the hardest game, Life. It doesn't have to be bad, just a metaphor. Especially because the joker is often either a powerful or weak card in a game, it can symbolize moving through life with its ups and downs. Ofc, the way it was shot also opens up a possible next season if they get the green light, but in that case, they don't really have manga material to go on.

[@oneofthesapiens5560]

Here's all you need to know............They went into the Borderlands....where the games actually happened...and the Joker card at the end represents the organizer of the games in the Borderlands....The Joker being the powerful entity gave them a chance to win their lives back.......The time in the Borderlands runs different,so the citizens or the face card players were just people who were closest to the meteor impact and were affected a few seconds earlier thus the face card players entered months earlier in the Borderlands ...( A few months prior to Arisu and others).....those who chose to stay would become citizens of the Borderlands and would organise other games just like the face cards in previous episodes ........Joker card sets a probability of season 3 or it might not be...maybe the showmakers just wanted to refer to the comic from which it was inspired (Isao Shirabi aka King of Spade's backstory where Shirabi shot his military buddy Apache ,intended the same thing)........And yeah Ann made it back to the real world but she went into a coma...🥲

[@ot7forever12]

I was literally thinking at the end that people who didn't pay attention to their math class or aren't athletic have no chance in life lol!

[@sin7933]

in the manga the joker card means "the end of the games" its not a teaser for s3 since the manga also ends at this point in the story

[@Maru_LeeJaejun]

After the comet happened, everyone's heart stopped for one whole minute, then people send to the boarderland which is a boarder between life and death. In boarderland they need to fight for their own lives and play the games to survive. All the main characters are dedicated to fight for their lives, so it's not really surprising they're still alive and Mira as a queen of heart is the perfect one to be in last game, since she test the player's willingness to survive. And lastly, I think the bullet with a red line came from the sky is also represent the red line in the hospital.

[@adamday4283]

Anybody touch on the red light that kills them looks like a flat line when they die in the hospital.

[@safi78660]

The Joker card, in the manga, is a character who actually appears in the story. He’s a ferryman between the world of the living and the afterlife, who brings Arisu back to the real world at the end. So them showing the joker card could mean that the ferryman did his job and brought back all the survivors to the real world or it could also mean it's gonna be another game cos the manga has a sequel so we could get a season 3

[@yellowmesh7821]

I think the joker game is life itself, you either feel like you lost or won by the end, cause it's a wild card

[@jholmes553]

Borderland is the realm that borders life and death. It's a realm where people who are on the brink of death go to. When the meteor hit Shibuya, Tokyo, many people were sent to Borderland. Some arrive earlier than others because they were in the brink of death first when the meteor hit, perhaps due to their proximity to the impact point of the meteor (e.g. Saori arrived before Arisu's group that is why she was already knowledgeable about the game during the three of clubs game). This also explains why there are already citizens of Borderland before the "meteor victims" arrive. These citizens are people who reached the brink of life and death by one reason or another before the meteor. Maybe once they chose being a citizen in Borderland they forfeit their lives in the "real world". Or, maybe these people are still in the limbo - in comatose condition in the "real world" and only when they are defeated in Borderland will they perish in their vegetative state. I do love the ambiguity left by the show to let the audience reach their own conclusion. Mine is as I explained above which sort of matches with how the manga ended. As for the Joker card, it's a nod to the manga where Joker plays the role of the ruler of Borderland - a being like Charon or the Grim Reaper. Everyone who enters his realm will be tested using game mechanics such as visa system and the actual games the "players" has to win. That's his way of testing their will to live. And after all the face cards and the players choose life, they are essentially choosing to play the final game. The game that matters - life.

[@andreanabanaag4881]

The people who got hit by the meteor where the people who joins borderland.

[@11ibi]

I was so confused by Mira she really was playing games with what the truth was I personally like the ending that the show gave us I’d rather they end it with arisu and usagi just living out their lives. The games were a lot more intense this season I loved your reactions if they do a season 3 can’t wait to see where it goes and watch along those with you guys

[@deon5021]

iirc, in the manga, arisu briefly met the joker after beating the queen of hearts before going back to the real world

[@DoubleBlack2.0]

Borderland wasn’t all in their head. It’s the world between life and death. Purgatory, if you will. The games were symbolic of them fighting for their lives back in our world.

[@fettel1988]

Well like Dumbledore said. Of course it's all in your head Harry. But why does that mean it can't be real

[@jyrrin]

I've heard of the word before, but it wasn't until this episode I learned what a senpai was

[@LockeyThirteenYuuYA]

Mira's actress did great

[@fchho]

There was more in the manga, but you can interpret the joker card is a metaphor that their real life is another game they have to fight for, like everyone else. I think this is a good ending.

[@Kaikoura26]

Heres my take on the many 'ghosts' that emerged. Akane's mother, the hatter, Alice's boys, those are not hallucinations. Those were the dead souls. They are there at the crossing of life and death. If the living could be there, why not the dead? So Alice having the bar conversation with the homies, that took place in real time. Love it.

[@Kaikoura26]

Also, all the citizens have died in the past. They are souls stuck there, they sold their souls to play these games. Seems this sort of thing could be tied to tragic mass death events and the citizens are just there, choose to stay. And the serial killer with the tux friend, they will be playing their own games.

[@seraphic1117]

Probably the made-up stories mira told, we're Fan theories for AIB

[@zeeee3530]

Basically what happened is that a meteor struck Shibuya and all of the people who are there present was suppose to be dead or will die. Borderland is a concept of whether you die or live, a boundary of life and death, in short. From what I can tell, Borderland already exists but since the meteor crash caused too much casualty, hence the influx of people arrived in borderland. You can say that borderland is a place where people who are in coma, clinically dead, or in a near death experience go. They play games for their survival to live in the real life. It's more of like a second chance. If you die in the borderland, since your real body is already in a vegetable state, your heart will not beat again, hence causing a person to be officially dead. If you survived and somehow lived, your heart will start pumping, officially opening your eyes that can be considered miracle (coma patients waking up, for example). That's why it explained that all of the survivors of the Shibuya meteor crash had their hearts stopped beating for a minute or in short, clinically dead. After defeating Mira, those who didnt want to become a citizen of borderland, lived and opened their eyes. While those who wanted to stay in the borderland, are still currently in a coma or only a machine is making their heart beats. Ann was barely hanging on, that's why the external force by doctors made it so that she could come back and make her heart beat again. I am not sure why Aguni is still not waking up, might probably because he lost his consciousness after making the decision, I'm not really sure.

[@KWExploretheworld]

Love your reactions to the series! Season 3 is coming, really looking forward to that and your reactions.