Psychological Thriller shows had always have a special place in my heart, even though this kind of genre is a bit hit or miss in the world of anime. Infairness…this OVA is definitely a legit psychological thriller.
Here’s my thoughts:
IMAWA NO KUNI NO ALICE
Type: OVA
Blinded by the incredibly bright explosion, the three find themselves transported to what is known as the Borderland. The only inhabitants of this world are participants of a deadly game where specific tasks must be accomplished if they wish to survive. As the three begin playing to determine how they can get back home, Ryouhei finds himself feeling alive for the very first time in his life.
My Thoughts:
Damn. I want more of this.
Its so good. Its so thrilling. For a very very short series, I had a really good time watching it from the start to end.
Imawa no Kuni no Alice OVA, also known as Alice in Borderland, is one of the best short OVA anime series I had watched. It made me want to check out its manga, though I do want more of this. I want this to be released as an anime. It freakin’ deserves it.
The story is pretty much a mix of BTOOM, No Game No life, Gantz, and Mirai Nikki. If you notice the animes I mentioned, all of it had a plot that made the characters go to another world/different place then go through a survival game. Imawa no Kuni no Alice OVA is the same. The characters in the OVA where suddenly transferred to another/different world after witnessing a huge blast in the sky. In there, they got caught up in a game where they need to participate to survive. It might not be unique when it comes to its storyline, I still can’t get enough of watching this OVA series.
What made me like this series was how interesting the problems the characters faced in every episode. It definitely catch my attention. It made the characters think outside the box so that they could survive. Lel. I meant only the main character think outside the box. Unfortunately, the characters kinda follow the typical archetypes of personalities in a psychological series. I do find this meh, but if done right, it makes the series good. Infairness, the characters weren’t that bad, they pretty much relevant until the very end. But I don’t feel any connection to them, only to the main character. Well, I have similar traits in personality as the main character so its understandable. But the other characters?? Meh. They were meh. So when the climax happened, I didn’t feel anything other than pity to the main character. If this was abit longer, the scene in the ending would impact me more than what I felt.
I’m not much of a fan of the pacing of this series. I find it too fast, but yeah, it can’t be helped. The series tried to insert many infos in 3 OVA episodes so that it would still be enjoyable and not lacking. Even though I think they did it well, its a bit faster than I expected.
The art and animation was better than I expected. I mean, this is only an OVA series, but the art is on par with the current art & animation of some animes today. Though I do see some inconsistencies, especially on the animation, its still passable.
Overall, this OVA anime series is an enjoyable mini-series. I wished it was longer. The story has huge potential and the characters were likeable if only they are developed. I definitely recommend this short to everyone who likes psychological thriller animes. You won’t be disappointed.
That is all.
Thanks for reading!!