Alice in Borderland, Vol. 1

Haro Asō is a Japanese manga artist. After his debut in 2005, he serialized Hyde & Closer from December 2007 to July 2009, and Alice in Borderland from November 2010 to March 2016. After retiring from illustrating, he did the story for Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead in October 2018 and Noyu Girl in August 2021.

Eighteen-year-old Ryohei Arisu is sick of his life. School sucks, his love life is a joke, and his future feels like impending doom. As he struggles to exist in a world that can’t be bothered with him, Ryohei feels like everything would be better if he were anywhere else. When a strange fireworks show transports him and his friends to a parallel world, Ryohei thinks all his wishes have come true. But this new world isn’t an empty paradise, it’s a vicious game. And the only way to survive is to play.

The first game starts with a bang, but Ryohei manages to beat the clock and save his friends. It’s a short-lived victory, however, as they discover that winning only earns them a few days’ grace period. If they want to get home, they’re going to have to start playing a lot harder.