Alice in Borderland (TV series)

Alice in Borderland
Promotional release poster
Japanese今際の国のアリス
Genre
Based onAlice in Borderland
by Haro Aso
Written by
Directed byShinsuke Sato
Starring
Composers
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producerKaata Sakamoto
ProducerAkira Morii
CinematographyTaro Kawazu
Editors
  • Tsuyoshi Imai
  • Shoukichi Kaneda
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time41–80 minutes
Production companyRobot Communications Inc.
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseDecember 10, 2020 (2020-12-10) 
present

Alice in Borderland (Japanese: 今際の国のアリス, Hepburn: Imawa no Kuni no Arisu) is a Japanese science fiction thriller drama television series based on the manga of the same name by Haro Aso. The series is directed by Shinsuke Sato. It stars Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya as allies trapped in an empty, parallel version of Tokyo, forced to compete as players in dangerous, sadistic games. The type and difficulty of each game is represented by playing cards based on French suites and the games are used to extend their "visas" that, if expired, result in the player's execution by lasers shot from the sky.

The series' first season was announced in July 2019 and filmed from August to December 2019. Set locations included Shibuya districts and a green screen studio replica of Shibuya Crossing. The show's visual effects were produced in an international collaboration between Japan's Digital Frontier and teams from Singapore, the United States, and India. The musical score was composed by Yutaka Yamada, who had collaborated with Sato.

The first season premiered on the Netflix streaming service on December 10, 2020, and received positive reviews from critics, who praised the action sequences, direction, and acting. They compared the show to many entries in the survival genre, including the films Battle Royale (2000) and Cube (1997). The first season's strong performance and high viewership in many countries resulted in Netflix renewing the series two weeks after its premiere; the second season was released on December 22, 2022. On September 27, 2023, it was renewed for a third season, set to premiere in September 2025.