Hi Kara Kuro Ni: From Light to Dark

Hikari Kuina is one of the strongest characters (both physically and mentally) in the Alice in Borderland universe. She is unapologetic, quick-witted, ridiculously charming, and above all, she's a fighter. The Netflix adaptation touches upon Kuina's backstory as a skilled martial artist, trans woman, and disappointment to her family, but I'm here to fully dive into her past. Hi Kara Kuro Ni: From Light to Dark narrates Kuina's transformational journey through adolescence before the Borderlands as she learns to trust what she feels rather than what she's been taught. She builds herself back up (with the help of a new friend) after being torn down by her family and peers for years, and begins to deconstruct the tenets of Shinkyokushin karate ingrained in her mind by her father in favor of a new philosophy- one that guides her to find peace in the empty darkness that emerges after the fire's burnt all it can in its reign of terror.

Hi Kara Kuro Ni: From Light to Dark explores the complexities and intersections of the trans experience, harmful social norms, Japanese culture (especially regarding sexual harassment), mental health, domestic abuse, substance abuse, and socioeconomic inequality in an endearing (insert description of my style) style that is built upon junkojunko's lived experience as an SW, transmasc, Japanese survivor of domestic violence with mental health and substance abuse issues.