Alice in Borderland, an action-packed J-drama, released its long-awaited third season on September 25. In season one, when a meteor strikes the bustling city of Tokyo, the main character, Arisu, finds himself transported to an alternate world—an empty version of Tokyo where he and other characters must fight for survival by clearing deadly games. This place is known as the “Borderland”: the space between life and death. Survival in the Borderland determines whether a character would live in the real world or not.

I had been excited for season three because of the cliffhangers that seasons one and two leave us on. Those two seasons are thrilling, with the perfect balance between action and emotion, and well-written characters like Chishiya and Kuina. That’s where the disappointment of season three begins.

There are many action-packed scenes in season three, which may be the problem. The new season doesn’t provide enough time to develop any attachment to the new characters, leaving no room for the emotional connection that made the first two seasons so strong. I had been hoping to see at least one original character return, but was disappointed to only get a five-minute scene featuring them at the end of the season. The original characters—Chishiya, Kuina, and Aguni—had been the highlight of the story.

For example, Chishiya’s clever mind always brings unexpected plot twists and leaves me anticipating what strategy he would come up with next. However, in this new season, there are no new characters who match Chishiya’s sharp intellect or manipulative strategies, which makes the season lack suspense. Furthermore, none of the new characters has any special traits like the old ones did. The original cast has remarkable qualities likeKuina’s strength and martial arts skills, Tatta’s courage and self-sacrifice, and Mira’s psychological control over the audience. Without the original characters and without new ones who have unique skills or depth, this season felt empty and a little boring.

In regard to the games, my opinions varied. Zombie Hunt is a thrilling game filled with betrayal and shocking plot twists. However, the closing game in the new season, Possible Futures, is notably underwhelming in comparison to the finales of seasons one and two. Possible Futures drags on for so long, and after a couple of rounds, it felt repetitive and uninteresting. The game of croquet that ended season two, however, is a much better season finale than Possible Futures. During the game of croquet, when Mira was “explaining” to Arisu what the Borderland was, there are plot twists after plot twists, leaving viewers at the edge of their seats, questioning everything from seasons one and two. Possible Futures, on the other hand, simply contains rooms that show different futures of the players above different doors. It felt like we were just watching players choose their doors.

In addition to Possible Futures, Runaway Train is also a repetitive game. Usagi’s team lacks strategists, forcing Usagi and her team to guess their way through the compartments, making the episode lack suspense and complexity. Previous seasons have characters with intricate problem-solving skills, but these new characters mainly get their way through the games by guessing or relying on their team. Earlier seasons feature ingenious strategies and teamwork; this one relies too much on luck.

To sum it up, Alice in Borderland’s third season is nowhere near the sensational level of its predecessors due to their bland new characters and dull games. A short moment at the end of the series includes a scene in America, showing a restaurant worker with a tag that said “Alice” on it. This potentially suggests an American rendition of Alice in Borderland. Perhaps the next new season can make up for season three’s underwhelming performance.