Why Is the Show Called Alice in Borderland? Explained

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One of the things that we know about Alice In Borderland is that it resembles the classic Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, which is a 19th-century novel written by Lewis Carroll. Of course, the Alice In Wonderland novel tells the story of a young girl that fell through a rabbit hole and ended up in a fantasy world. Meanwhile, Alice In Borderland has a similar concept in the sense that Arisu and the other people end up in a world that’s different yet similar to the one they know. So, why is it called Alice In Borderland?

Alice In Borderland is entitled as such due to the fact that it was inspired by the Alice In Wonderland novel and had characters and storylines that draw inspiration from the classic book. In fact, the characters in Alice In Borderland were inspired by the characters in Alice In Wonderland.

The entire Alice In Borderland storyline, while unique on its own, actually draws inspiration from Alice In Wonderland, even though they both have different narratives. Nevertheless, there are similar themes that can be explored in both of these storylines, especially when it comes to their settings. In that regard, let’s look at the parallels between these two stories so that you can understand why Alice In Borderland has that title.

Why Is It Called Alice In Borderland?

There is no doubt that one of the most popular shows that you can watch on Netflix today is Alice In Borderland, which spans two seasons and is probably going to get a third season, depending on the status of its renewal and how much manga content it could still adapt. The storyline was adapted from manga author Haro Aso’s work and is almost a direct adaptation of his manga series, except for a few changes.

The story follows Arisu, who ends up getting transported into a different world that resembles Tokyo but is still different in the sense that there aren’t a lot of people left and that he and other people are forced to play a series of different games that would determine whether they live or die. In a sense, it follows a death game storyline where the characters are forced to try to do their best to make sure that they survive different games that have types and difficulties that depend on the card suit and the card number of the games.

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But while the storyline of Alice In Borderland is so intriguing, the one thing that you might be wondering about in relation to this series is its title. That’s because the title seems to be quite familiar but is still unique in its own right. So, why is it called Alice In Borderland?

The manga and the live-action series are called Alice In Borderland because of how there are a lot of things about the series that was inspired by the Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (or Alice In Wonderland) novel that was written by Lewis Carroll during the middle of the 19th century. In that regard, we can even say that this series is somewhat of a modern version of the classic Alice In Wonderland storyline, especially when you look at how there are a lot of different inspirations drawn from the classic novel.

The Alice In Borderland And Alice In Wonderland Connection

While both Alice In Borderland and Alice In Wonderland are very different from one another in terms of their narratives and themes, the thing is that they still have parallels. And that’s because, again, Alice In Borderland was inspired by Alice In Wonderland.

While Alice In Wonderland didn’t exactly mention what the true nature of Wonderland is, we can make the assumption that it takes place in a dream-like world that Alice created in her subconscious. Of course, that’s because Wonderland is a fantasy world where things that don’t normally happen in the real world tend to be quite normal. Meanwhile, in Alice In Borderland, the setting isn’t exactly a fantasy world but is still pretty similar in terms of its overall premise due to the fact that this world was created from the collective subconscious of people who are on the verge of death. Called the Borderlands, this world is the realm between life and death and is the place where people who are dying are allowed to fight for their lives so that they can return to the world of the living.

Meanwhile, Arisu, the leading character, is actually named after the way that the Japanese say the name Alice. The names and personalities of the other characters of Alice In Borderland were also derived from the other prominent characters of Alice In Wonderland. Here are some of the most notable examples:

  • Usagi is “rabbit” in Japan. The White Rabbit in Alice In Wonderland is one of Alice’s greatest allies.
  • Chishiya is a Japanese way of saying Cheshire, and that means that he was inspired by the Cheshire Cat, which is a devious and mysterious character in Alice In Wonderland.
  • Kuina is the White Queen in Alice In Borderland. The White Queen is another one of Alice’s best allies.
  • Hatter is the Mad Hatter. They are both crazy characters that seemingly have their own agenda.

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There are a lot of different characters in Alice In Borderland that were inspired by these figures in Alice In Wonderland, and the abovementioned are merely a few of the examples that we have at the top of our heads.

Of course, the entire experience that Arisu and his friends had in the Borderlands seemingly changed their lives in the real world despite the fact that they couldn’t even remember anything from their time in the Borderlands. This seems to mirror how Alice’s time in Wonderland changed the way she perceived the world the moment she returned to the real world.

In a way, Alice In Borderland is a storyline with its own unique premise that takes inspiration from Alice In Wonderland. This is why it is entitled as such, as it follows the story of Arisu (Alice) in a strange place called Borderland (Wonderland), where he meets new people that are similar to the people that Alice met in Wonderland.

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