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'Alice in Borderland': Does Netflix adaptation live up to the manga? Fans are 'totally hooked' to the J-drama

Like the manga, the live-action series sees three gamers who are looking for the ultimate gaming experience - and what they find is a lot more than they bargained for

Your newest Asian binge-watch from Netflix is based on a popular Japanese manga series, 'Alice in Borderland', created by Haro Aso. The live-action manga will reimagine Tokyo as three friends find themselves in an alternate universe where they have to play games to survive. Starring Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, and Nijiro Murakami, the Japanese drama has dropped all episodes of its first season on Netflix.

Like the original manga, the live-action Netflix series sees three gamers who are looking for the ultimate gaming experience - and what they find is a lot more than any of them could have bargained for. Arisu — a listless, jobless, and videogame-obsessed young man — suddenly finds himself in a strange, emptied-out version of Tokyo in which he and his friends must compete in dangerous games in order to survive. In this strange world, Arisu meets Usagi, a young woman who’s navigating the games alone. Together, they set out to unravel one mystery after another as they risk their lives and confront what it means to live.

As with most adaptations, expectations tend to be both high and low, and given that the trailer promised an exciting series, fans may have still wondered whether the newest series was worth the watch. Well, wait no further. If you haven't yet binged the first season, early viewers are giving it their thumbs up. A fan tweeted, "@netflix I'm totally hooked just by watching a few minutes of the pilot episode because it is so intense. It's Saw meets Death Parade with a protagonist bent on outsmarting the "Game Master". I'm intrigued #AliceinBorderlandnetflix #AliceInBorderland." Another wrote, "alice in borderland NICE AS FCK, now the question is when will they announced season 2 date ?"

But how does the series compare to the original manga. Twitter user Tin compiled a thread of their thoughts on the series and how it compared to the manga. They tweeted, "There's still the sense of teamwork and cooperation that the original game in the manga has. Let's see how this goes!!!," followed by, "They kept the "burning" aspect in the game in the manga. And damn. THE CGI!!!"

The user was also in complete awe of Keita Machida, who plays Arisu's friend, Karube, tweeting, "I can't explain what I'm feeling -- The Karube in the manga is the one I'm seeing here. Machida freaking Keita you nailed it!!!" The user added, "speaking of game masters, hopefully the series (lol hello season 2 pls!!!) will follow the original ending in the manga. PLEASE follow the original ending, don't change it."

All episodes of Season 1 of 'Alice in Borderland' are now streaming on Netflix.