'Alice in Borderland' Series: Japanese Pop Gnosticism from Manga to Video
The West is inspired by Western Esotericism, while the East assimilates Eastern Religions because of their exoticism and fluidity. Japanese popular culture has a lot of esoteric elements, mostly through anime and manga. Netflix's Alice in Borderland, adapted from Haro ao's manga "Imawa no Kuni no Alice", (2020), provides an example. After leaving a Tokyo metro station, three young men discover that they have entered a parallel universe where Tokyo is dark and deserted. The only light is from LED panels, which lead them into games that are full of paradoxes and puzzles. If they don't finish in the given time, their punishment will be death. Gamification is used to tell the story of the inner journey of the protagonist, and it mixes in with esoteric stories of Demiurge myths.
Japanese anime and manga are full of Western-esoteric elements of Abrahamic tradition such as the esotericism. As the West has assimilated Eastern religions mainly because of their exotic and fluid style.
Japanese manga and anime is characterized by vibrantly colored illustrations of lively characters and narratives that are often filled with fantastic themes. The two are both syncretic parasitic, as Gnosticism in Western esotericism history was.
Cyberpunks in alternative worlds and their violent, cathartic fights against each other are perfect for the Gnostic mythology tropes: the Demiurge and fallen souls. The savior, and divine feminine, also fit perfectly. This makes Japanese pop culture the ideal place to explore Gnostic mysticism, as both are heavily reliant on mythology, psychology and altered states. The Japanese Netflix live-action series Alice in Borderland (2021-) based on Haro Aso's manga, written from 2010-2016 (and then adapted as an animation in 2013), is another example of Eastern pop Gnosticism. The story revolves around three young men who have grown bored of their lives. Inadvertently they find themselves in a world where the Japanese capital looks like a postapocalyptic scene: the streets are deserted, and everyone has disappeared, while the animals are taking over. They are welcomed in this parallel world by invisible hosts, who communicate via mobile phone the rules of participating in deadly game - they must solve puzzles to avoid violent situations. The players must complete games that are represented by cards. Each suit and card number determines how difficult the game is. There are many references to Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass) in the show. From the characters falling down a rabbit-hole station, to the card suit symbols, the puzzles and paradoxes in games and the logic paradoxes that they create, to the host called "the Hatter" Alice in Borderlands is a computer game that echoes Eastern pop-gnosticism, based on the information architecture of the games. This hybrid game includes allusions to Saw, Escape Room as well as Cube's dazzling horror films.
The following are some examples of the use of Alice in Borderland is straight-forward: we are introduced to three characters at one of Tokyo's famous intersections: Shibuya. They include Arisu, a young college dropout and video game addict; Karube, a tough bartender (Keita Machilda); Chota, a geeky IT worker (Yuki Murinaga). The three deliberately disrupt the heavy traffic at the Shibuya intersection and are chased by the police. They then hide in the bathroom of Shibuya Station after descending the stairs. The power suddenly goes out. All the lights are out. Everything is silent. They find that everything is deserted. The people have gone, there is no traffic, and the cell phone power is out. Oddly, only analog equipment works, even old cars. They are the last people in Tokyo. Is it Tokyo or not? A parallel world?
The Borderlands is here. When night falls, however, the mystery becomes even more sinister. In the darkness, a message appears on an LED screen that glows. It leads them to their first game. When they reach the location indicated by glowing arrows they find out that there are other participants - unknown players, who don't know how to get there. Each player has a smartphone that transmits the rules. The screen displays a letter that indicates the difficulty and nature of the game as well as how much time is left. Hearts is the worst of them all, as it represents the betrayal of other people. Arisu, a compulsive gambling addict, would benefit greatly from intelligence and talent. If you (a) try to leave the game, or (c) fail to complete the game in the time allotted to you, you will be hit by a lightning bolt from the skies. The victory grants you a free visa for the Borderland City. After the expiration of the visa, players are forced to register for the next round or face a lightning bolt. The next crazy game will be a surprise to the viewers. Yuzuha, a young mountaineer (Tao Tsuchiya) who is super-athletic joins the group. The team would consist of Arisu, who is a puzzle solver with a high level of intelligence and Yuzuha, who has athletic abilities. Beat the games to gain more time for the exit at "The Beach", a place that is run by "The Hatter," an charismatic leader, who turned the resort into a religious cult, where everyone is constantly partying until the next fatal game. Hedonism, power, and religion The first Gnostic theme that you will encounter is in this first season: the protagonists rarely try to find out who is behind the scenes (aliens?) A secret experiment of some sort? Does the Borderlands represent a different version of Earth or just Tokyo? The search for the truth is not driven by fear. The all-too human imposes himself: Through power (Hatter, his militia, who control the beach), consoling religious (cults of hedonism, as an escapist delight), and through hedonism (thinking about only the present moment, because everyone could die at any time), the illusion is maintained. Thus, in Gnosticism the illusion is reinforced by power, religion, and hedonism.