NOTE:
♠[Fair warning that I am writing this in the perspective of someone who has read the manga way back and as such, has spoilers]♠

Alice in Borderland S02 picks up from where S01 left off - that is, right at the start of the Next Stage. It will immediately set things into action - "no time wasted!" and all, setting the tone for the rest of the episodes.

That's how S02 is characterized - with quick action scenes, adrenaline-filled games, and a literal and figurative chase for answers. However, the thrill of the games leave you catching your breath, and that's where the quiet, reflective moments come in to give you a chance to rest and mull over things. Included in the 2nd season are plentiful pockets of quiet where the characters either reflect on the essence of their existence, or have the chance to experience a normal few hours, for once. It's a much needed piece of calm in the chaos of the Borderlands, and S02 has done it well, even better than S01 if I must say so.

Like others, the series has its strengths and weaknesses, which I will enumerate and briefly discuss below:

STRENGTHS
1. Emotional beats
- This is one of S02's biggest strengths, in my opinion. I could FEEL the emotions of the characters as they went by their journey, and did a good job of packing enough weight for those moments to give a hard punch. Even the side characters (like the King of Spades) whose past was given a screentime only short of a minute, were able to deliver a few moments of emotional punch. I LIKE.

2. Timeline of events and Revisions in/play-out of the games or characters
- The second arc of the manga, the Face Card games arc, is harder to adapt because it consists of numerous side stories and individual games that tie up together. The series was able to compromise with the events in the source material, and craft a script wherein the timeline both makes sense and flows easily. For example, having Chishiya face off the King of Diamonds right before making him face save Usagi is a very good way of solidifying his words and development, making his decisions believable enough. Most of the revisions that the screenwriters made in the script have actually added more to the plot and flow than I initially thought it would, raising the stakes and the sense of urgency (for example, letting the girls get injured in EP07 right before Arisu and Usagi venture to defeat the Queen of Hearts) so kudos!

3. Connections between characters
- This is specifically for Arisu/Usagi, Kuina/An, Shirabi/Agni and Chishiya/Kuzuryu. The screenwriters were able to insert moments which show the (growing and deepening) connection between some characters. For example, that rabbit-hunting scene adds another layer to ArisUsagi's relationship where, for once, they were somehow normal. Another example is Chishiya and Kuzuryu - they were successful in showing just how much of a good foil they are to the other, and drives home the point of their conversations and ideals.

4. Newly-crafted games
- The new games created for this season (ehem, Queen of Spades) were done well, worthy of their difficulty level. It delivered the thrill, plus it helped in shaping the characters' motivations.



WEAKNESSES
1. Jack of Hearts game
- This is my absolute favorite game out of the games in the manga but unfortunately, the one in the LA fell short of my expectations. The decision to include one main character in that game proved to be necessary, but it also limited the ways through which the game's brutality could fully play out. The Jack of Hearts in the manga was brutal, showing just how ugly humans can get when their lives are at stake, as expected of a Hearts game. However, the game in the LA was too tame, and although it showed moments of human wickedness, they were too quick to give an impression. It felt like they dipped their toes in this game and didn't fully jump into exploring and deepening the actual game.

2. Some performances
- Some performances from the actors were too stiff or too underwhelming. Case on point: Kyuuma. Kyuuma's character was supposed to be the exception to the visage of the other Game Masters - the only sunshine amongst the other face card masters. However, he appeared cold and stiff in the LA. Not to mention that the delivery of some dialogue was not as fluid as I hoped it would be, hence leading to how some lines fell flat instead.

3. Fleshing-out of some characters
- Some of the characters have come out unscathed from development hell, others are not so lucky. A conversation or two would have done wonders in developing the characters, but just like what I said in the Jack of Hearts game, they just dipped their toes and walked away.

4. Writing of some of the dialogue
- Now we all know that the series is heavy on the existential theme, and some of the dialogue look better on paper than spoken aloud. My gripe about the dialogue is that in some instances, it is too cartoonish-sounding, it doesn't seem natural and actually sound a bit corny when spoken aloud.

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All in all, Alice in Borderland S02 has been great! Its biggest strengths are the emotional beats of the story and the music (most of the time it's the music driving the emotions in a scene). It also has its fair share of weaknesses that you may or may not regard as. Packed with more action and smoothed over by private lines, Season 02 is sure to keep you glued to your seats, watching until the very end. It has great rewatch value and you will find yourself clicking on the 1st episode again before you know it.