Alice In Borderland’s 2 Main Stars Played A Different Couple In Another Manga Adaptation 5 Years Earlier

The chemistry between Arisu and Usagi is one of the reasons why Alice in Borderland’s lead couple works so well. Played by Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya, the protagonists of Alice in Borderland serve as our point-of-view characters in this strange, unpredictable world. Although Netflix’s live-action adaptation made a few changes to Haro Aso’s manga, Yamazaki and Tsuchiya were able to capture the essence of Arisu and Usagi, respectively, from the source material. Interestingly, the Netflix show wasn’t their first time working together. Arisu and Usagi will now return in Alice in Borderland season 3.

I was surprised to learn that Alice in Borderland season 3 was happening, even though the show had been successful since season 1. With the end of season 2 having matched the end of the manga, the Netflix series will have to introduce an original story while likely incorporating elements from Alice in Borderland: Retry. I’m curious to see how Usagi and Arisu’s relationship will evolve now that they don’t remember what happened in the Borderland, which should give their actors a lot of fun possibilities regarding how to portray their dynamic in season 3.

Kento Yamazaki And Tao Tsuchiya Played The Lead Couple In Orange

Alice In Borderland Wasn’t Their First Time Playing A Manga Couple

The fact that Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya will now play a couple that doesn’t remember what they experienced the first time they fell in love with each other is even more interesting considering that they once starred in a time travel romance movie. 2015’s Orange, which is also based on a manga, tells the story of Naho Takamiya, played by Tsuchiya, who receives letters that claim to be from herself written several years in the future. The letters are meant to prevent Naho from making a huge mistake, one that involves Kakeru Naruse, played by Yamazaki.

The Orange live-action movie was released three years after Ichigo Takano’s manga was first published. The film, like many other live-action movies based on manga, came out around the same time as the anime adaptation. The Orange anime premiered in 2016 and ran for 13 episodes. The franchise also includes an anime movie that came out that same year. Orange was neither the first nor the last time Yamazaki and Tsuchiya worked together, as they also starred in the 2012 miniseries Miss Double Faced Teacher, the 2015 show Mare, and, of course, Alice in Borderland.

Arisu And Usagi’s Chemistry Is One Of The Best Things About Netflix’s Alice In Borderland

Alice In Borderland’s Main Couple Never Feels Dull

In a show with so many interesting characters, from antiheroes such as Chishiya to mysterious villains such as Mira, the protagonists of Alice in Borderland could have come off as bland and not as interesting to watch. However, thanks to the writing and the performances given by Tsuchiya and Yamazaki, neither Usagi nor Arisu ever seems to suffer from “protagonist syndrome.” Both characters are constantly put in situations where they don’t have the right answer and don’t know what to do next, such as when Usagi was considering staying in the Borderland forever.

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Their romantic relationship also works, even though romance isn’t the most important thing about the show. Usagi was the first person Arisu connected with after losing his best friends in the Seven of Hearts game, which made their relationship special from the start. Arisu and Usagi made each other stronger throughout the show, and while much of that comes from the source material, the chemistry between the lead actors contributed to Alice in Borderland’s main relationship working so well on screen.

How Arisu And Usagi’s Relationship Will Be Different In Alice In Borderland Season 3

Alice In Borderland Season 3 Should Be Very Different From The First Two

At the end of Alice in Borderland season 2, Arisu and Usagi started flirting with each other at the hospital. Both characters acknowledged that they felt like they knew each other from somewhere else, although neither of them could quite explain that feeling. Arisu, Usagi, and everyone else who woke up in the real world at the end all forgot what they had experienced in the Borderland. This means that Arisu and Usagi don’t know each other anymore and don’t remember falling in love. Still, their interaction at the hospital indicated that they would always find each other again.

This was confirmed in Alice in Borderland: Retry, which was a short sequel to the Alice in Borderland manga. In that story, Arisu and Usagi are married and having a baby, even though they never got their memories from the Borderland back. Instead, they fell in love the second time and began a relationship having no idea that they had once been together. Considering that Alice in Borderland season 3 is borrowing a few elements from Retry, including Arisu’s new look, we could see a similar story for his and Usagi’s relationship.

TV Show

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Alice in Borderland

Release Date

December 10, 2020

Network

Netflix

Directors

Shinsuke Sato

Writers

Yasuko Kuramitsu

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  Kento Yamazaki

  Ryohei Arisu

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  Tao Tsuchiya

  Yuzuha Usagi