#no wonder his specialty is hearts and arisus is diamonds

[sleepymjntyy]

chishiya having a heart in the live action makes me snicker.

[yui-kuromori]

One of the things I had to come to terms with, as a manga reader is that in order for me to fully enjoy the live action adaption of Alice in Borderland is for me to sepparate Manga Chishiya and Show Chishiya as two different characters.

Some things change during adaptions, that's inevitable, but AiB did such a remarkable job at keeping (and sometimes elevating) the core concepts of the source material, I fear I may have grown a bit spoiled.

Take Kuzuryuu for example. In the manga, Kuzuryuu was the dealer for the 4 of clubs (which Arisu and Usagi don't participate). He plays the part of the inured player who needs to stay in the bus, there he meets a kind woman who refuses to leave him behind and stays on the bus with him. In the show, he meets the 4 of clubs survivor, the guy Arisu saved, who in an effort to pass on Arisu's kindness, saves Kuzuryuu himself.

Even if these are altered scenarios, the core of it stays the same. Through the 4 of clubs, Kuzuryuu finds that kindness and altruism are possible even in the borderlands (something he believed to be impossible).

Chishiya on the other hand, has his core aspects changed.

One thing I have touched a lot on ever since season 1 came out was the decision they made to switch Arisu and Chishiya's specialties. Arisu is a hearts specialist who in the show becomes a diamonds player. Chishiya is a diamonds specialist who is changed into a hearts player.

This fundamentally changes both of their main arcs as well as the way they paralel each other. Chishiya suffering the most for it. In the manga, Chishiya is fully incapable of understanding hearts games. He doesn’t deal well with them to the point where he never actually solved the witch hunt. He was never part of the Jack of hearts in the first place.

Manga Chishiya was neglected from e very young age, to the point where he doesnt remember what it's like to properly emote or empathize with people. His own complicated relationship with his father causes him to view every relationship he has as transactions. He's cold, to the point of denying a dying man his last wish only because it was inconvenient for Chishiya to help him.

Show Chishiya used to be an empathetic person. He went into pediatrics. He cared for his patients. The medical industry had beaten it all out of him to the point he had been numbed to his own feelings. He's alone and scared to be alone.

Now, I don't particularly dislike this adaption of Chishiya. After the initial shock, I came to the conclusion that the show's writing team had been really smart about the way they went with his character.

Especially considering that Chishiya is a fan favorite, it makes sense that the show writers would want for him to remain desirable and lovable to the audience. Manga Chishiya as complex and fun as he is, is a really dislikable character. Choosing to give Chishiya that hearts speciality, that softer side, managed to keep him likable even as he acted like a anti-hero.

It's also my belief that this was a season 2 choice, as in season 1 he acts pretty similar to his manga self. Which is why you can see the disconnect in his characterizartion between both seasons.

So yeah, once I let go of the manga a little bit, I was able to fully appreciate the work they did for the character in the show. AiB is a wonderful adaption and it deserves a lot of love and praise.