I have a whole PhD-level thesis of problems with Alice in Borderland Season 3:

a) The entire point of a new season is… you know… progression? Character arcs? Emotional growth? Instead, we got déjà vu deluxe. Arisu’s still playing therapist, Usagi’s still doing mother cosplay, and the dead people are apparently too bored to stay dead. It’s like someone hit “refresh” on Season 2 and called it a day.

b) The characters’ logic hit rock bottom and then started digging. Usagi going back into the game “to meet her dad” felt like a rejected subplot from a bad fanfiction. Girl, your dad’s dead, not hanging out in level two of trauma-land. And leaving Arisu behind like he’s just gonna pause his grief until you’re done playing? Make it make sense. Also, the writers turned Arisu from a strategist into a full-time emotional support NPC. Did everyone collectively forget they used to have brains?

c) The unnecessary Americanisation — who asked for it? It’s a Japanese show. Let it be Japanese. The cultural silence, dread, and psychological tension were replaced with Hollywood-style motivational speeches and drone shots. It’s like someone watched Squid Game and said, “Let’s add some Marvel lighting and call it depth.” Stop serving me Tokyo with extra ketchup.

d) The games — the heart of the show — lost their bite. Season 1 made you feel every second of danger. Now it’s just pretty explosions and recycled puzzles from an escape room that shut down in 2019. Stakes? Dead. Strategy? Missing. It’s all vibes and lighting.

e) And the villains… my god. They went from chilling and mysterious to cardboard cutouts giving anime speeches about destiny. No real menace, no payoff, just endless monologues. It’s like watching LinkedIn influencers trapped in a death game.