(Credit: Netflix)

Netflix has a wide collection of shows that will entertain you for a long time, and then some shows will hijack your weekend. And if you want something that grabs your brain, smacks it against a wall, and makes you sit upright in your blanket burrito screaming, “What just happened?” then Alice in Borderland is your next binge.

If you are looking for a chill, feel-good weekend watch, this is not it. This Japanese thriller throws you right into the chaos from the very first episode. The show is a story of an obsessed gamer, Arisu (Kento Yamazaki), a gamer with zero direction, just vibing with his friends in Tokyo. Next, you know, he and his friends wake up in an abandoned Tokyo where survival means playing games. The catch? The games are designed to mess with your body, brain, and occasionally, your soul.

Each game is tied to a playing card. Hearts mess with emotions. Spades go full gladiator. Clubs demand teamwork. Diamonds play mind games. And when I say the tension is high, you will forget to blink. The stakes keep escalating, and so does your anxiety, in a good way.

But Alice in Borderland is not just about a cool set and chaos set for the sake of chaos. It has a heart. The character development of Arisu throughout the show is another wonderful thing about it. Though he starts as a kind of lost cause, watching him evolve is surprisingly emotional.

And then there is Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya). She is a loner, a fighter, and not here for anyone’s nonsense. Their bond is built on survival, not sappy romance, which honestly makes it feel more real. You root for them because they are not trying to be anything other than human.

The games are wild, but the emotional weight sneaks up on you. Characters you thought were just background suddenly make you feel things. Loyalty, guilt, grief, sacrifice, all layered in between explosions and brain-melting puzzles. The pacing never slows. The visuals slap. And the production quality is way better than it has any right to be for a Netflix series this intense.

By the time you reach Season 2, the world expands, the rules evolve, and everything hits harder. The writers could have taken the lazy route and coasted on action. But they dig deeper. You start questioning morality, memory, and what it actually means to “win.” Also, the Queen of Hearts game in the finale? That is the kind of emotional whiplash that makes you stare at a blank wall for ten minutes after.

The director of the show is Shinsuke Sato, who is famous for his other works like Kingdom and I am a Hero. Sato’s way of making a thriller game show with a perfect display of raw emotions and supercool graphics is commendable.

So far, the show has two seasons with 16 episodes. But good news for the fans is that Netflix has announced the release of the third season in September this year. So if you have not watched it yet, now is your sign to go binge this masterpiece this weekend.