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Alice in Borderland 2-in-1 Omnibus #1
Alice in Borderland. Tom 1
Podczas nocnej eskapady osiemnastoletni Ryohei Arisu i dwóch jego najlepszych kumpli stają się świadkami serii dziwnych fajerwerków. Niespodziewanie jeden z wybuchów zupełnie ich ogłusza, a gdy dochodzą do siebie, odkrywają, że miasto zmieniło się nie do poznania. Szybko okazuje się, że opustoszała metropolia jest areną okrutnej gry, w której aby przeżyć, należy rozwiązywać coraz trudniejsze zagadki. Czy Arisu i jego przyjaciele zdołają przetrwać w tym zabójczym świecie?
332 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
389 people are currently reading
13048 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 959 reviews
January 11, 2023
the feminine urge to consume every media related to this show and its fictional universe
Want to read
December 28, 2022love the show with my entire heart so time to read the manga 3
April 15, 2022
Arisu is 18 years old and aimless, unhappy with his life and wishing he could just go away to another world… and then, one night, he and his two friends witness a massive fireworks display and wake up in the same city they used to live in but nobody else is there. Everything’s covered in dust and all the food is expired - it’s like they’ve been magically transported to the far future. Wandering the eerie city, they stumble across a brightly lit area with food and working toilets - and are trapped. They must play - and win - a seemingly simple game. If they win, they get to live. If they lose, they die a horrible death. Welcome to Borderland!
Alice in Borderland came out over a decade ago but I’m guessing it’s being reissued now in fancy new editions partly because of Haro Aso’s more recent hit manga, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, and partly because of the success of Squid Game, which this series is heavily reminiscent of even though it predates it by more than ten years and even the Netflix adaptation of this series came out the year before Squid Game. At any rate, this first book is really something!
The first fifty-ish pages are a bit of a slog mostly because the characters aren’t very interesting and we have to watch them putz around doing nothing until they make it to Borderland. Arisu (the “Alice” of the title - there’s no “L” in the Japanese alphabet so “Arisu” is the closest they can get to pronouncing “Alice”) is an unremarkable teenager, Chota is the annoying pervy mate and Karube is the strong silent type - all three are manga archetypes. It’s not a huge problem though because the strength of this manga is the story, not the characters.
It’s also not clear why Aso is making Lewis Carroll comparisons beyond having a punny title. A small rabbit appears in one panel when they first enter Borderland, the transition into Borderland is trippy, and one of the characters is called Usagi (“rabbit” in Japanese - ie. follow the white rabbit). Besides those small details, there’s really nothing else to connect this to the Wonderland books. Not that that really matters either - I wasn’t hoping to read a modern manga retelling of that story anyway, and there are other books to come so maybe it becomes clearer as the series progresses.
Where this book takes off is when the deadly games begin. Like Squid Game, benign and childish games are rendered extremely dark and bloody here. So the first game is the team having to read their fortunes at a shrine before the lanterns go out, and the second is a game of Tag - where the person who is “it” happens to be a serial killer wearing a horse mask and carrying a submachine gun! They must run around a large apartment complex, not getting killed, trying to find the one unlocked door before 30 minutes is up.
The games are really well-plotted, original, unpredictable and exciting. We find out details of what Borderland is at the same time as the characters - how the games are determined, how many others are involved, how the rewards work and what happens if you don’t participate - though, of course, this early on we don’t know who’s doing all of this or why. The Tag half of the book was my favourite - it was genuinely riveting and fun to watch, with different players attempting different strategies and Aso throwing in one twist after another right to the very end.
I had no idea Haro Aso was also a brilliant artist because he only writes Zom 100 so I thought he was just a writer but he writes and draws Alice in Borderland and he excels at both. He has a fantastic eye for action, knowing how to frame certain shots for best effect, like going to the character’s point of view when they’re hiding from the killer, or zooming out for set pieces so you can see characters doing daring things like jumping between floors. He really takes you there into the scene and makes you feel the tension. This creator is more and more impressive to me.
If you’re in the mood for a violently fun manga in the style of Squid Game, and/or you’re a fan of this creator, Alice in Borderland, Volume 1 is definitely worth checking out - a thrilling start to this promising series.
Alice in Borderland came out over a decade ago but I’m guessing it’s being reissued now in fancy new editions partly because of Haro Aso’s more recent hit manga, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, and partly because of the success of Squid Game, which this series is heavily reminiscent of even though it predates it by more than ten years and even the Netflix adaptation of this series came out the year before Squid Game. At any rate, this first book is really something!
The first fifty-ish pages are a bit of a slog mostly because the characters aren’t very interesting and we have to watch them putz around doing nothing until they make it to Borderland. Arisu (the “Alice” of the title - there’s no “L” in the Japanese alphabet so “Arisu” is the closest they can get to pronouncing “Alice”) is an unremarkable teenager, Chota is the annoying pervy mate and Karube is the strong silent type - all three are manga archetypes. It’s not a huge problem though because the strength of this manga is the story, not the characters.
It’s also not clear why Aso is making Lewis Carroll comparisons beyond having a punny title. A small rabbit appears in one panel when they first enter Borderland, the transition into Borderland is trippy, and one of the characters is called Usagi (“rabbit” in Japanese - ie. follow the white rabbit). Besides those small details, there’s really nothing else to connect this to the Wonderland books. Not that that really matters either - I wasn’t hoping to read a modern manga retelling of that story anyway, and there are other books to come so maybe it becomes clearer as the series progresses.
Where this book takes off is when the deadly games begin. Like Squid Game, benign and childish games are rendered extremely dark and bloody here. So the first game is the team having to read their fortunes at a shrine before the lanterns go out, and the second is a game of Tag - where the person who is “it” happens to be a serial killer wearing a horse mask and carrying a submachine gun! They must run around a large apartment complex, not getting killed, trying to find the one unlocked door before 30 minutes is up.
The games are really well-plotted, original, unpredictable and exciting. We find out details of what Borderland is at the same time as the characters - how the games are determined, how many others are involved, how the rewards work and what happens if you don’t participate - though, of course, this early on we don’t know who’s doing all of this or why. The Tag half of the book was my favourite - it was genuinely riveting and fun to watch, with different players attempting different strategies and Aso throwing in one twist after another right to the very end.
I had no idea Haro Aso was also a brilliant artist because he only writes Zom 100 so I thought he was just a writer but he writes and draws Alice in Borderland and he excels at both. He has a fantastic eye for action, knowing how to frame certain shots for best effect, like going to the character’s point of view when they’re hiding from the killer, or zooming out for set pieces so you can see characters doing daring things like jumping between floors. He really takes you there into the scene and makes you feel the tension. This creator is more and more impressive to me.
If you’re in the mood for a violently fun manga in the style of Squid Game, and/or you’re a fan of this creator, Alice in Borderland, Volume 1 is definitely worth checking out - a thrilling start to this promising series.
May 25, 2025
Just finished season 2 on Netflix. That ending makes me want to know more. Perfect timing to check out the manga too!
August 4, 2025
⭐️4.5
damn, what a ride.
damn, what a ride.
May 26, 2022
i just read the last panel of this manga, and my heart is still pounding.
last autumn, riding on the coattails of squid game, i watched the live netflix adaptation of alice in borderland on a whim - and was wholly riveted. when i saw that the english translation of the manga was available on netgalley, i immediately knew that i wanted to read it.
ryohei arisu is a listless high schooler in tokyo who "whimper[s] through life" without motivation or enjoyment or passion. the only bright spots in his life are his friendships with daikichi karube, a high school dropout who works at a bar and regularly gets into fistfights, and chota segawa, a classmate who is girl-obsessed and perpetually, excessively cheerful (or tearful). on the day that arisu wishes he could be anywhere but in his own life, where he is constantly compared - and found lesser - to his younger brother, the three friends witness strange fireworks in the sky. catching a glimpse of this strange phenomenon is all it takes to send arisu, karube, and chota careening into a world that resembles their own - but is eerily, dangerously, violently, different.
welcome to the borderland, where your lives are forfeit.
“In order to survive, we have to risk our lives in the games. A real catch-22.”
like with the show, i couldn't look away. alice in borderland, vol. 1 is a thrilling ride - a story of people trying to survive and make sense of horrific, senseless brutality and enigmatic, surreal circumstances. to live another day, arisu and his friends must be clever and quick and alive in a way they never were before the borderland.
i felt that arisu and his friends' ennui is better captured in the manga versus the tv show, because there's more space to flesh out the characters’ feelings prior to diving into the explosive alternate tokyo. the only part of the tv show that i preferred to this source material is chota's characterization - he's kind of a perv in the manga but more endearingly awkward and soft in the show?? LOL.
all of this to say: i can't wait to read the next installment, where we get to see more of usagi and the stakes will be ramped up ever higher!
many thanks to netgalley and viz media for this e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
last autumn, riding on the coattails of squid game, i watched the live netflix adaptation of alice in borderland on a whim - and was wholly riveted. when i saw that the english translation of the manga was available on netgalley, i immediately knew that i wanted to read it.
ryohei arisu is a listless high schooler in tokyo who "whimper[s] through life" without motivation or enjoyment or passion. the only bright spots in his life are his friendships with daikichi karube, a high school dropout who works at a bar and regularly gets into fistfights, and chota segawa, a classmate who is girl-obsessed and perpetually, excessively cheerful (or tearful). on the day that arisu wishes he could be anywhere but in his own life, where he is constantly compared - and found lesser - to his younger brother, the three friends witness strange fireworks in the sky. catching a glimpse of this strange phenomenon is all it takes to send arisu, karube, and chota careening into a world that resembles their own - but is eerily, dangerously, violently, different.
welcome to the borderland, where your lives are forfeit.
“In order to survive, we have to risk our lives in the games. A real catch-22.”
like with the show, i couldn't look away. alice in borderland, vol. 1 is a thrilling ride - a story of people trying to survive and make sense of horrific, senseless brutality and enigmatic, surreal circumstances. to live another day, arisu and his friends must be clever and quick and alive in a way they never were before the borderland.
i felt that arisu and his friends' ennui is better captured in the manga versus the tv show, because there's more space to flesh out the characters’ feelings prior to diving into the explosive alternate tokyo. the only part of the tv show that i preferred to this source material is chota's characterization - he's kind of a perv in the manga but more endearingly awkward and soft in the show?? LOL.
all of this to say: i can't wait to read the next installment, where we get to see more of usagi and the stakes will be ramped up ever higher!
many thanks to netgalley and viz media for this e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2024
If I were in a situation like this and had to solve an equation under life-threatening circumstances I would just die, I guess. Anyway, these first two volumes were quite awesome and I'm definitely going to continue in the series.
Read
December 11, 2023Written and drawn by Haro Aso (creator of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead), and translated spectacularly into English by Jonah Mayahara-Miller, Alice in Borderland is a shonen manga inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and reminiscent of Battle Royale and Squid Game. This is a manga about survival in a strange world, where our protagonists are forced to play “games” in order to go on living.
Our main protagonist, Arisu (whose name is a riff on “Alice”) is a hopeless high-schooler, exhausted by every aspect of life. He excels at nothing, is overshadowed by his brother, ignored by his family, hates school, performs poorly, and feels no excitement for the future. One night, he’s out in Tokyo with two friends, and shortly before sunrise the three of them witness a fireworks display. This somehow leads them to wake up in a strange version of our world.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-modern-s...
Our main protagonist, Arisu (whose name is a riff on “Alice”) is a hopeless high-schooler, exhausted by every aspect of life. He excels at nothing, is overshadowed by his brother, ignored by his family, hates school, performs poorly, and feels no excitement for the future. One night, he’s out in Tokyo with two friends, and shortly before sunrise the three of them witness a fireworks display. This somehow leads them to wake up in a strange version of our world.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-modern-s...
November 3, 2022
If you're interested in my thoughts be sure to check out my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gw_9...
April 14, 2022
A fairly exciting exploration of the deadly games and closed circle tropes made popular in recent years by Hunger Games and Squid Games with a heavy escape room vibe to boot. A group of high school buddies see some unusual fireworks late one night, black out, and awaken in the Borderland, a ruined and nearly deserted version of the Tokyo they know. To stay alive, they need to compete regularly with and against the other unwilling inhabitants in games with life or death consequences. Characterization isn't real deep -- we have the street smart guy, the tough guy, and the goofball -- but things keep moving fast enough that that's not a problem.
I unknowingly read two books by the same guy, Haro Aso, back to back this week. His Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Vol. 1 is also fast-paced, gory, and good but with a darkly humorous bent that contrasts nicely with the grim seriousness of this series. I'm going to keep on with both and keep my eye out for anything else he does. And apparently, when I'm ready, there's also a Netflix series based on "Alice" that I can check out.
I unknowingly read two books by the same guy, Haro Aso, back to back this week. His Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Vol. 1 is also fast-paced, gory, and good but with a darkly humorous bent that contrasts nicely with the grim seriousness of this series. I'm going to keep on with both and keep my eye out for anything else he does. And apparently, when I'm ready, there's also a Netflix series based on "Alice" that I can check out.
June 12, 2024
omg I’m obsessed
Want to read
August 23, 2025GUYS IM USUALLY NOT A MANGA GIRL BUT IM OBSESSED WITH THE SHOW
December 10, 2021
Really good volume! I stumble on this manga by pure chance. I didn’t even know it existed, but I heard about the TV show, without knowing it was an adaptation. So when I found it, I decide to have a go to see what it was worth and before watching the show. Now I think I will read it all before going to the TV, because it was really good. The story is way more intriguing than I though and look solidly build, of course a series like that is, for me at least, in good part about the why, so the ending, when it will come, could play a major role in my final appreciation. But as a first volume, it was entertaining, intriguing, with good action, good characters as well and the art is also quite nice. Worth reading!
March 18, 2023
Woah! This was my first ever manga read and I love it. I read it after watching season 1 and 2 of the show on Netflix which I adore. It’s so cool seeing the small differences and I love how the characters looked so similar in the show to the book. The story is great! It’s such a cool and scary concept and very well paced.
March 24, 2022
Very good! Looking forward to continuing.
June 24, 2022
Life sucks.
Not doing much with it, our main lead Ryohei wants to be in a different world. Maybe one filled with zombies. To give him something new. Give him purpose after being in his little brother's shadow for so long.
But him and his two friends get teleported to a new world of hell. At first it seems it's just them but soon they find they have to play "games" to survive. If they fail the games they are viciously murdered by the rules.
A bit of squid game, a bit of battle royal, a bit of gantz, we get a lot of fun elements and stories placed into one. The first half is solid enough hook but it is really thanks to the second arc with the horse faced man with two machine guns chasing down everyone in a apartment complex in a brutal game of cat and mouse that elevates this series for me.
If you love a little spice with survival, this one should not be missed. The opening can be slow, and some of the faces are a little wonky, but once it gets going it's well worth the adventure.
Not doing much with it, our main lead Ryohei wants to be in a different world. Maybe one filled with zombies. To give him something new. Give him purpose after being in his little brother's shadow for so long.
But him and his two friends get teleported to a new world of hell. At first it seems it's just them but soon they find they have to play "games" to survive. If they fail the games they are viciously murdered by the rules.
A bit of squid game, a bit of battle royal, a bit of gantz, we get a lot of fun elements and stories placed into one. The first half is solid enough hook but it is really thanks to the second arc with the horse faced man with two machine guns chasing down everyone in a apartment complex in a brutal game of cat and mouse that elevates this series for me.
If you love a little spice with survival, this one should not be missed. The opening can be slow, and some of the faces are a little wonky, but once it gets going it's well worth the adventure.
April 10, 2023
Primo approccio ai manga, finalmente sono riuscita a superare questo mio personale scoglio.
Storia avvincente, ritmo incalzante e non mancano le riflessioni su cosa significhi vivere e morire.
Non vedo l’ora di iniziare gli altri volumi.
Storia avvincente, ritmo incalzante e non mancano le riflessioni su cosa significhi vivere e morire.
Non vedo l’ora di iniziare gli altri volumi.
December 6, 2023
I loved the art style, the storyline, and the concept of this series. However, I will recommend the show over the manga volumes simply because of the constant objectification of every one of the female characters.
January 20, 2025
Pažiūrėjusi NUOSTABŲ SERIALĄ, APIE KURĮ NEGALIU UŽSIČIAUPT, nusprendžiau perskaityti komiksą, nuo kurio viskas prasidėjo. Esu sužavėta, tai mano pirmoji perskaityta manga ir tikiuosi, kad ne paskutinė. Ar skaitysiu kitas dalis? Nežinau... tiesą sakant, jaučiuosi per sena, man sunku žiūrint į juodai baltus paveiksliukus, ant kurių parašyta "BOOM", įsivaizduoti sprogimą ar kitą veiksmo sceną. Neturiu tiek fantazijos, bet nepaisant to, turėjau gerą laiką su šia nuostabia knyga. Tiems, kuriems patiko squid games ir the 8th show serialai — ko jūs laukiat?! Alice in borderland savo istorija yra geriausias iš jų visų.
November 3, 2025
Big fan of the tv adaptation so I thought I'd give the manga a go, this first volume really didn't disappoint !! I often feel impartial towards mangas/graphic novels but I fear this may become my new obsession... stay tuned my loyal followers...
September 8, 2022
incel writing
September 20, 2025
ADORO.
ADORO.
ADORO.
♠️♦️♣️♥️
ADORO.
ADORO.
♠️♦️♣️♥️
March 11, 2022
ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
what am i supposed to do now that i finished? Like sure watch the netflix show again but like how am i supposed to wait for vol 2 when i dont think it has a release date for the english translation :( :(
how fast do you think I can learn japanese🧐
for real though, this is a great manga. I saw the show first so I had an idea of what the story was and I was still racing through this like I had no idea what the outcome was going to be. If you like Battle Royale/Survivor stories, Squid Game etc I definitely recommend this
___
Lets all praise Barnes and Noble for having this on their shelves before its release date :)
what am i supposed to do now that i finished? Like sure watch the netflix show again but like how am i supposed to wait for vol 2 when i dont think it has a release date for the english translation :( :(
how fast do you think I can learn japanese🧐
for real though, this is a great manga. I saw the show first so I had an idea of what the story was and I was still racing through this like I had no idea what the outcome was going to be. If you like Battle Royale/Survivor stories, Squid Game etc I definitely recommend this
___
Lets all praise Barnes and Noble for having this on their shelves before its release date :)
December 23, 2021
Ya conocía la historia, por la serie, pero el manga me ha gustado mucho es muy bueno.
Sin duda, vale la pena leerlo.
Sin duda, vale la pena leerlo.
July 16, 2022
Picked this up since I saw it was adapted for live-action on Netflix. Pleasantly surprised! Eagerly anticipating the next volume to come in at my library.
February 26, 2022
Conocía la historia por la serie así que decidí leerme el manga original que la inspiró.
La verdad es que es una historia con mucha fuerza. Una distopía terrorífica y aunque este último año se han puesto de moda este tipo de tramas de pruebas y juegos mortales, la verdad es que no es nada original, Battle Royale es posiblemente el mejor ejemplo. Sin embargo está muy bien ambientada y en este tomo la segunda prueba es brutal y consiguió pegarme al libro.
Los protagonistas por ahora son muy caricaturéscos, sobre todo Chouta, pero creo que van a evolucionar a lo largo de la historia, por ahora los más interesantes son los secundarios.
Ya he visto que la adaptación a serie cambió bastantes cosas del original así que la lectura gana interés y promete traer sorpresas.
La verdad es que es una historia con mucha fuerza. Una distopía terrorífica y aunque este último año se han puesto de moda este tipo de tramas de pruebas y juegos mortales, la verdad es que no es nada original, Battle Royale es posiblemente el mejor ejemplo. Sin embargo está muy bien ambientada y en este tomo la segunda prueba es brutal y consiguió pegarme al libro.
Los protagonistas por ahora son muy caricaturéscos, sobre todo Chouta, pero creo que van a evolucionar a lo largo de la historia, por ahora los más interesantes son los secundarios.
Ya he visto que la adaptación a serie cambió bastantes cosas del original así que la lectura gana interés y promete traer sorpresas.
January 7, 2023
Przeczytałam w życiu jedną mangę ale Ti jest geniusz
April 2, 2023
Ho iniziato da poco la seconda stagione ed era il caso iniziare anche il manga. Differente dalla serie tv, ma diabolicamente geniale, qui sappiamo già qualche informazione di più su Borderland, e devo dire che mi piace come sono approfonditi i personaggi anche qui. Il gioco dell'acchiapparella è bellissimo, e poi vediamo già Usagi e Chishiya 🐰🐱
September 3, 2025
загадки прикольні, жарти псують настрій, але смішні, вопшем дуже весело, але покликання на алісу радше номінальні, і я просто сподіваюся, що зʼявиться якийсь сюжет, а не самі ігри, бо це прікол на кілька томів, а не на кількадесят
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