Ep 1. Episode 1

In the first episode of Alice in Borderland, we meet the protagonist, Arisu (played by Kento Yamazaki), a slacker who seems to have no direction in his life. We see him living in a tiny apartment with his friends Chota (Keita Machida) and Karube (Yûki Morinaga), who are also aimless and unhappy with their lives. The three friends spend their days playing video games and dreaming of a better future.

One day, as they are wandering around Tokyo, they suddenly find themselves in a deserted city. They soon realize that they are not in Tokyo anymore, but in a mysterious alternate dimension called "Borderland". There, they encounter other people who are also lost souls like them and are forced to play dangerous games in order to survive. If they lose, they die.

The episode begins with the trio being chased by a group of men with guns. They manage to escape by jumping off a bridge and into the water. When they come up for air, they find themselves in a strange new world. The city around them is deserted, with no signs of human life. They soon realize they are not alone and they meet other individuals that have found themselves in this place.

Arisu, Chota, and Karube quickly discover that they need to play a game to survive and gain a "visa", which is the key to living in Borderland. The game presented to them involves a dangerous race where a red laser will continuously pursue them and they need to reach a specific location before the laser catches them. Failing to make it before the target time would result in a quick, gruesome death.

With their lives on the line, the three friends team up with a girl named Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) to compete in the game. They manage to beat the laser and win their visas, but not before discovering that the other players in the game are not their allies. They encounter a dangerous group, known as the Beach, who seem to be in control of the games and have their own agenda.

As the episode progresses, Arisu, Chota, Karube, and Usagi begin to learn more about Borderland and the various games they must play to survive. They also discover that there are different visas with different levels of access to resources and safety. The highest visa, the "King of Hearts", offers the most security and is controlled by a mysterious figure named the "Game Master".

Throughout the episode, we see the characters struggle with the reality of their situation and the choices they must make in order to survive. There are tense moments of action and suspense as they navigate the dangerous world of Borderland. Meanwhile, they try to understand the rules of the game, and uncover the mystery of their situation. By the end of the episode, they are left with more questions than answers, but they are determined to survive and uncover the truth about the world they've found themselves in.

Overall, the first episode of Alice in Borderland sets up an intriguing premise that draws the viewer in from the start. It's a suspenseful, action-packed episode that introduces the main characters and sets up the stakes for the rest of the series. With a creative concept, strong performances from the cast, and excellent production values, Alice in Borderland is a promising addition to the sci-fi action genre.