The Final Game | Alice in Borderland S2 Ep 8 Reaction 

Overall fantastic series!!

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.

People who decided to accept the permanent residence most likely just ended up in a coma, and the beam that hit them is probably the flat line on their heartbeat monitor when they die, which I think is a great explanation for that.

ENDING EXPLAINED FOR ANYONE'S WHO'S CONFUSED... as it showed the meteor hit, everyone who's heart stopped were sent to "borderland" which is the "border" between life and death. it had said arisu's heart stopped for a minute and in that minute he experienced everything we saw in the series. the games are basically them fighting to stay alive, and anyone who died in the games didn't make it out of their coma in real life and died.

The Joker itself is a tie-in/reference to the manga, he actually shows up in the manga as a shrouded figure who interviews Arisu right before they leave the Borderlands and it’s hinted that he is the ferryman, the intermediary who is responsible of bringing the dead to the after life.

I think what’s really brilliant about the tea scene is that this can really happen in the heads of people that block out intense trauma. Your brain will do anything to protect you from the truth and real memories, including lying to you. Mira was literally protecting them from the reality of the situation.

ABOUT THE ENDING: (In the manga) The Joker was revealed to be interpreted as God/Devil. Arisu met him after the match with the Queen of Hearts and it reveals how the Joker was indeed god. He developed the games in borderland to test who'll be given a second chance at life to survive the meteor crash. Those who didn't make it or didn't have the will power to continue get shot with lasers and sent to Heaven. Those who decide to stay in Borderland and want to become citizens (like the serial killer and conman who survived) will end up in Hell to atone for their sins. And those like Arisu who declined to stay and wish for a second chance at life survive the meteor crash and continue with their lives they had before, but without the knowledge of everyone they've met in Borderland. So no, the Joker isn't the final boss, he's the Wildcard, God himself. And like what Mira said before she died, “Life is like a game” and real life, you are always playing life or death, and the joker (God) will always come into play.

Mira honestly almost got me with the first and last explanations. Gatekeep, Gaslight, Girl Boss is her moto for sure.

I’m so sad chishiya and Kuina didn’t get to interact at all since the first episode:(

Its as you said. Borderland is essentially a purgatory, and the games were for them to compete for a 2nd chance at life, they were visitors to that world and thus needed visas to continue their purgatory. In that split second between what happened in reality and their possible death, the show is taking place. This is why any injuries they got in borderland was reflected in the real world, like Akane losing her leg in boarderland happened due to similar circumstances in reality during that split second. And any participants that are at least kings, queens, and jacks were previous players of previous game, this is why whenever Arisu asked anyone "if we win, do we get to go home"? They never gave him a straight answer because they didnt know themselves, because they choose to stay in that world during whenever the last go around was. This puts the show into perspective because while all that suffering did suck, everyone was essentially already dead and just didnt know it. Also in the manga Mira/ the red queen was a neuro scientist in reality, this explains why she knows exactly which buttons to press with arisu and enjoys the hearts games. And the joker card in the manga is sorta "god" of that world, because joker's are not actually used in a game. They show what it looks like in the manga but not in the show. But even with minor things that had to be cut this is still one of the best live action anime/ manga adaptations there is.

The last game was a heart game and as a viewer we were all playing too, we kept being deceived over what really happened.

This episode pretty much explains why Niragi lived through any and everything. His will to live.When I tell you I was SOBBING from when Arisu and Usagi was at that mental hospital until the very end😭 And it still blows my mind that everything that happened within the two seasons all happened within the time span of 1 whole minute. Mira den made all the bs she was saying sound believable and messed up my head bro💀 Point is…I still haven’t recovered💀

I heard somewhere that the people closer to the blast got to the borderlands first. Which is why there were already people that were playing the game. Also, gamemasters could be people from other natural disasters or near death experiences. That completed the games and chose permanent residency. So, they will be gamemasters for the future people that end up in the borderlands. Like, the people from the blast. Arisu and his friends were further away from the blast which is why they arrived later. Even if the blast got to them seconds later time works different in the borderland. Seconds are like weeks/months. Thats why some people said they have been at the borderland longer than others and didnt know why.

Notice the red laser everytime they fail, it symbolizes the red flat line we see when someone dies

Mira slowly became one of my favorites just off this episode alone

The whole purpose of the show is basically: Why do we fight to stay alive? Each game basically represents type of difficulty you'll face in life. Physical, mental, etc. Through all those type of pains, you realize you don't need a reason to live. You just live and fight through. You don't need a grandiose purpose. The ending in the manga explains this much better.

The philosophical theme that's central to this show, the theme that tied everything together, was the existential question "why do I want to live?" Arisu struggles with this question all throughout his sojourn in the Borderlands (and even before), and it's even summarized beautifully in the manga's final chapter where a street interviewer asks a similar question to various strangers. This thematic exploration was what grounded the growth of all the characters, and provided an overarching purpose to the story's narrative. What goals do I want to achieve in life (explored through Arisu, Chota and Karube)? What kind of person do I want to become (explored through Kuina, Last Boss, Niragi and Chisiya)? What kinds of relationships do I want to have with others (explored through Heiya and Agni)? What values and principles do I want to uphold (explored through Momoka, Kuzuryuu and Kyuma)? Just like Mira said, the answer to this question can be anything. Our choice isn't whether or not we want to live, but *how* we want to live. What do you want to do with your life? For what, or for whom, do you continue to live? This show provided us with a variety of possible perspectives and resolutions from each character. Arisu's entire journey was about him trying to come to his own conclusion. And in the end he finally did. In the game of life, are you playing to win, or just to enjoy yourself? It's up to you what the clear condition is. Then again, it's not like you ever really needed one.

I found this explanation like a week ago. But the borderland games was the one minute they spent while their heart stopped (as explained in the episode) But basically the stronger the characters will to live while in borderlands was them fighting to keep their life in the real world when their hearts had stopped. Hence why characters such as niragi and Aguni survived. And those who stayed in borderlands became new game masters and what not.

Some of the writing was questionable, but overall I thought season 2 was a big improvement over season 1, and I enjoyed a lot of the games. Action was quite good too. Chishiya my fave character by a mile.

Usagi's cure all smile at the end made up for the triple okidoke episode 🤣 this was some top tier writing & tv btw

“Smash her knee in” “tell her to get up” yeah someone else be the interrogator please

They were fighting for their lives in Borderland while literally fighting for their lives in the real world. The Queen of Hearts was the best final boss because she really tested his will to live. Incredible!

The red laser that shoots players from the sky is a symbol for the heartbeat flat-lining in the real world

Fun fact: - Kento Yamazaki (Arisu), Tao Tsuchiya (Usagi) and Dori Sakurada (Niragi) are actually best buddies in real life. In fact, they acted together in a 2015 film "Orange" which they are part of the main cast. - Nijiro Murakami (Chishiya) will be included in part 2 of Tokyo Revengers movie as Kazutora along with Hayato Isomura (Banda) as Ak-kun. - Tao Tsuchiya will get married this year (correct me if I'm wrong) with actor/singer Ryota Katayose and they are also expecting a child this year (correct me again if I'm wrong). It's been a one-of-a-hell rollercoaster ride of this series. Thank you so much guys for reacting to this show since S1.

Now we know why Niragi survived, in Bonderland people are not judged by their personality, appearance or actions, they are judged by their will, Niragi had a strong will and was true to himself even though he was a bad person. That he turned down the offer shows that he hated that place and wanted to get out of there like everyone else.

in many religions (i believe japanese is one of the ones that have this) the limbo is represented by a river and crossing to the other side of the river means death and the way you cross is through a boat and there is a person on the boat who decides if you cross or not that was basically the joker card

The knocking u heard in the bathroom ep 1 was their heart beats and the laser from the sky is the fault line from the heart moderator!!

Borderlands was basically the court of Death, those who survived the games had the strongest will to survive, Ann made it barely as Sheera said, because of Kuina reaching out for her hand. The citizens/face cards people are people who came close to death before the meteor and are currently in a coma. Those who accepted citizenship have gave up fighting for their life. Idk if they're making a season 3, in the anime/manga, Arisu met the "Joker", who is the gamemaster they've been looking for. Also I think the purpose of showing people surviving severe damages was to show that damages to your body in borderlands doesn't matter, it's your will to survive which is why Niragi and Arrow girl stayed alive despite they should've died from those wounds.

Director on YaboyRockLee gave a pretty convincing idea for the Joker card. Basically he said all it is was symbolysing that life is the final game and it's like if you survived all of that the problems of your day to day would be a joke in comparison.

21:07 i took it the same way as Roshi. Mira's multiple fake revelations are the show's clever idea to make fun or reference other stories that had similar plot twists (which are great too, but would make AIB predictable since they've been already used). I think the ending with the Joker card is just an artistic way to leave an open-ended interpretation. Much like in Inception where the ending scene was cut before it showed whether the totem stopped or not, leaving it up to the audience to conclude on their own whether they're still on a dream or the reality. But i believe it's as what Mira had said, life is a game they play and they should enjoy it. They had given a second chance, and the Joker game already commenced and is the hardest game of all. Living their life.

It also makes sense that none of the gamemasters were at the Shibuya crossing with the other players. It's because they were not sent to the borderlands from this incident but were there longer, probably stuck in a coma. Each gamemaster has already played the games and won and chose to become citizens of the borderlands. This is why Kyuma (King of Clubs) told Arisu "we are citizens of this country" when introducing himself. The sad thing is choosing to be a citizen is choosing to never return to real life, essentially choosing death. It also explains why the gamemasters look so relieved when they die, because death is the only freedom they have from playing the games.

this is why they survived getting 10 shots, because their will was stronger

If you think about it Arisu got in the game 3months later because the meteor impact got to him seconds later because he was in bathroom Time play diffrently in borderland because 1 min is many days in borderland Usagi was in open thats why she got there early than others.

Girl was using a whole genjutsu sequence just to be countered by talk no jutsu 😭

you guys are better than me 😂😂 i folded everytime mira said a lie

Ep 7: broke my heart Ep 8: broke my mind

19:14 I agree, it really does suck that they don’t have the memories of the relationships they formed in the borderlands. But that might be for the best honestly. They already have so much trauma from the disaster that having all of those traumatic memories from the shit that happened in the borderlands, the friends they literally saw die in front of them…it’s for the best. But what’s beautiful is that their souls still remember that connection. There are still cords between them. Just like when we meet someone in our lives and we SWEAR we’ve met them before, but we actually haven’t. We’re soulmates, feeling the connection that we’ve been building with them in previous lifetimes. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they randomly dream of it throughout their lives. I have very vivid and often lucid dreams and they’re usually traumatic AF, involving me fighting for my life and dying in all sorts of different scenarios, and seeing people around me massacred. I know some of them are more symbolic, my subconscious’ way of processing different types of trauma, but some were remembrances of lives passed. The dreamworld and the borderlands are connected 😂 both non-physical planes in which us humans find ourselves from time to time.

This episode I was hit with genjutsu after genjutsu nonstop lol 😂

Every time she came up with a lie I believed it lmao 😂😂🤔or was it the truth well never know

Remember when Arisu shouting as he was on his friend on the road in Shibuya as meteors coming? Well thats the same in ep 2 when Arisu shouted by the buildings putting people on alert and Usagi said his shouting saved her life.

the people that kept surviving the most ridiculous stuff, like niragi and aguni for example, they survived because their will to live was so strong so they pushed through it in the real world. people like tatta, chota and karube had accepted their deaths already, which is why they gave up on life and died completely

I think those who choose permanent residence are basically comatose. While the joker card (in the adaptation at least) represent game of real life.

For me the meaning of The Joker card is the game of life. Just like what Mira said "life is just like game (we played together), so enjoy it more".

I wonder if the two psycho geniuses that were in the Jack of Hearts just never woke up from their coma since they chose to stay

13:38 I spit out all the water 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Thank you so much for reacting to this wonderful series 💚💚 I literally laughed so hard watching you guys 😂 💚

I wish so bad that mira just walked out at the end and waved hi to the camera

“Life is just a game we play together, you should try to enjoy it.” Is something I wanna live by now.

I interpreted the joker as they are now playing the hardest game of all. The game of life. Mira said life is a game we all play together. The joker represents a wild card and can become any card in the deck. Insinuating that through out your travels in life you could experience any of the suit cards. Or I could be wrong and its just a spoiler for season 3. But I would be fine with the series if it ended right here as well.

In Alice on border road it is said some people remember what happened in borderlands. They theorized that this "limbo" shapes into something fitting the group of people who gets there and in this mangá they only had to get to another city but they were a messed up group that ended betraying themself.

The ending explained why some characters that had fatal injuries survived til the end. It's all about their WILL to live. Since they are in the border between life and death, they're fighting for their lives in the games just like their bodies irl at the hospital are fighting to survive. And it depends on each person, like two comatosed people yield different results. It makes sense for Heiya, as her backstory proved how much of a fighter she is, who will do anything to survive at any cost (crawled her way out with injured leg, made the doctor cut it in exchange of her virtue, called out the man who hanged himself because he chose the easy way out). She just refuses to give up and die easily. Same can be said to Aguni, Chishiya, Niragi who found their purpose in the end which means they are still fighting and holding on to live. Tatta died because he already accepted his sacrifice. I believe those who lost to the games die to their injuries and those who got shot by the laser died when their hearts already gave up and flatlined.

They all were in limbo trying to survive and cheat death. The character in the manga is called the Joker, pretty much death, who gave those that have the will to live and survive until the end and still want to keep living the choice. Life or limbo. They didn't reveal his character just because it made more sense for the show. It was alluded to throughout both seasons if you rewatch it. Why do you live? It's really bonkers. It was also why girly didn't die after a whole clip and crawled away through a vent even though her leg was fucked, that's how bad she wanted to survive. Likewise Ann came back. You could also theorize that it was because of Kuina holding her hand and taking her back even if she died and her pulse was gone. Arisu almost died when he gave up but Usagi saved him and he wanted to live again and make sure he made her live. Queen of spades Mira was a previous player too just like Kyuma and chose to stay to create more games. They were the first people to get hit by the meteor and were on the brink of death as well. They won their own games and became citizens because they saw their own way to live their life. Mira was truly touched at the end and just like Kyuma who had no regrets, accepted death with open arms. In the manga she keeps smiling as the laser shoots through her head because of Arisu's resolve to live, with Usagi. If she wasn't by his side he would have probably just died. Everything did happen, all of their hearts did stop for a minute, Ann's for longer than a minute. Aguni kept avoiding death because that's how much he was fighting it. No one remembers the games but they remember the feeling. They all came back different with their views on life. As anyone that almost died do. Arisu didn't sulk about his friends anymore since he stopped blaming himself. I'm guessing he remembered a bit more since he was the winner, but his view of life made him change as a person, especially because of Usagi. And they do end up together. It's really well done especially with all the Alice in wonderland references. Also they got that chance because Joker felt bad about so many people dying so he made the games but I'm glad they didn't make it obvious like a typical anime story and left it for the audience to question. Their injuries in real life reflected in the game in some way or the other. The joker card at the end could just be a nod to the character in the manga who orchestrated this, or to the fact that they're in the hardest game now, which is life itself. But as Mira said, enjoy it a little bit more. P.S. Everyone who died either gave up, couldn't fight their own injuries irl, or were killed by other players/ citizens who wanted their suffering to end or were just being twisted in order to avoid death themselves. In the manga they show how many people survived and its a weird miracle twist so I'm glad they chose to leave that part out and just focus on our main characters.

I never laughed so hard that I dribbled before?! i love y'all reactions TOO much, got me cracking UP! 😭

The whole experience was basically the fight for survival. Like you guys mentioned in that short period of time in the real world everyone that was impacted by the meteor were fighting for their lives. It also was a reflection of their will to overcome death itself & then to self reflect on themselves. The joker represents the wildcard. The final game for them now is the game of life with its unexpected twists and turns. Enjoy you guys reactions & especially enjoyed this one. Keep up the good work.

The borderlands being purgatory is very interesting I just think it’s sad that all those character relationships are now lost

Mira went to the school of Monokuma with all this effery 😂

Man, this was one of the best live action adaptations I've ever seen, hands down. And had so so much fun seeing you guys react to it us well haha.

Best ending ever, Mira had me believe everything she said 😂

13:35 NAAA the editing is on another level lmaooo 🤣

In the graphic novel, the joker is basically Charon, and because of how these people died without any furfulment, he offered them a way to survive by fighting for their lives if I remember correctly

In manga arisu actually get back to borderland one more time. But then again the author made it just to promote this show and his last work before retirement.

that last reset scene until the meteor hits is the same time stamp as the opening scene in the first episode, it lines up, every one is already there in the first ep

Great reaction as ALWAYS that was fun. We enjoyed your confusion at the end, we were almost the same. Its been an enjoyable pleasure watching it with you all from the beginning. Sad its over! One❤️Love🥰

Dropping a crazy inception ending now i don't even believe that this ending is the real ending

So Alice in wonderland, Alice is on a LSD trip and Alice in Borderland Arisu as a near death experience. I dig it

So no one is gonna talk bout how they lowkey put “GANTZ” at 4:23??? LMAO that was slick. And the “I don’t want in” by Roshi at 13:05 fucked me up LMAO. 😂

Mira was out here on some itachi level manipulation

That series has been a total madness from start to finish. I'm sad it is over but man, it was so much of a rollercoaster. Thank you so much for the reaction. See you later for a new series.

9:02 Sheera...we have some evil people who shouldn't be doctors right now lol

Excellent timing, signed on looking for this and I'm like Yeeeeeeaaah

This was one hell of a show loved it 😊

the reaction to the ending with the Joker is like the reaction with the ending of Inception with the spinning top

I really appreciate that Sheeran remembers that time goes faster there, some reactors failed to remember that...

I feel like the permanent residents are basically choosing to become Shinigami, testing those who are on the brink of death, not only during this one disaster, but always.

The way Akane live is because of her "will to live" because in the first place nothing in the borderland is real so her will to live outpowers the logic and as you can see her will to live is one of the top in the borderland just like how she sell herself to cut her legs to live

A point that I’ve heard to explain why the players entered the games at different times was that they flatlined or were hit by the meteor sooner or later than the other players. That explains why the girl from the first game was there longer and why the boys all went there at the same time. Also, just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your videos and they have been a highlight of my week! I am sad that it is over!

13:36 Roshi's Rage Quit lol 😂😂😂😂

yall posted right when i finished cooking dinner YAYYYYY

Great to see you guys reactions this series was lit season 1 and 2.

What a stressful series. Thank you for your service, Sheera, Roshi, and Lupa. 🧡

Fun Fact, Usagi is actually the white rabbit, her name means rabbit in English. Everyone actually has a character like in Alice in wonderland which I find so cool

4:46 That was so well timed, I laughed my ass off 😂😂

This is what I imagine it’s like fighting Itachi Genjutsu after Genjutsu 😂

I love your intro for this season ♥️

I read the entire manga before the first season was complete, so let me tell you what happened: The Borderlands is limbo which takes place within the collective subconscious. When people die from the same thing, they are transported to the Borderland, where they have to do multiple or a single game, and the games are based on how they died. In the manga, we meet a character known as Joker, who we figure out is actually the Grim Reaper who likes to find out if a person is worthy enough to be saved. The sequel, “Alice in Border Road”, is about 12 people who show up in the borderlands, each possessing a different face card. In this series, some people are aware of the Borderlands and know what’s going on.

"Life is a game, try to enjoy it!" - Mira about the final game, life

The Borderroad Series might be a good 1 off series show, they kinda explore also on Mira's study/work about going to the borderland/road temporarily. IF they are going to change some of the plot and make it good. It would be a great show for those who wants more of the same universe/series

Sheera was on point with that reference comparison to jojos, I literally finished both shows around the same time and realized they both ended with the same concept or reincarnation

its almost 2am where i live but i stayed up for this reaction lmaooooo lets get it

Y'all had me cryyyying with the reactions to them still being alive 😂😂 the girl literally had a half clip unloaded through her abdomen and spine and was alive 5 hours later 😂

Finally, am so excited for your reactions :D

The ending was amazing and mind blowing They were all fighting for life

I think the manga ending was a bit better. Out of context spoiler: The line "Am I God or the Devil" was hard as fuck tbh

19:46 is sending me “looks like you’ve drunk the tea”

Fireworks at the end is like Squid Game when Gi-hun, Sae-byeok, and Sang-woo got steak dinners. Like, "Congrats for surviving our death games, here's a T-bone!" 😭😭😭😭😭😭💀💀💀💀💀

They say that the joker card symbolizes the ferryman of hades. helping the ones who wanted to die into the afterlife but if you had declined the offer aka the ones who found more meaning in life and wanted to life wake up from the borderlands world/purgatory. I thought it was a nice ending. There is an Alice in borderlands :retry so idk if there will be a story picked up from that. It would be cool.

For those who want to know what happened, Borderland is limbo when you are between dead or alive you can fight to live or give up and die. The games are that, fighting for your life only then you can live. The joker is the charon who is in charge of guiding people to the underworld. ON the manga Arisu gets to meet him

This show is amazing..in the last scenes in the hospital I was like naah this ain’t it and when I saw the joker card… here we go

thats why shes a queen of heart she plays people hearts

I couldn't wait till you got to the part where everyone who was shot multiple times and was bleeding out for like 6 hours did not die and was not disappointed.

U guys should watch the glory it’s on netflix and it’s a kdrama about a woman who was bullied in high school and after 18 years she will get revenge for her bullies it’s a good show