This review will have spoilers of episode 1. If you wish to watch the series without spoilers, do not continue reading.
Watching seasonal anime is hard. Admittedly, I didn’t think I’d enjoy The Promised Neverland when I watched the beginning of the first episode and saw the art. But by the end of the first episode, I was sold. Every episode was suspenseful and left viewers on a cliffhanger, wondering what will happen next. Luckily for you, all episodes of the first season are available and fully subbed on many websites, so you won’t need to wait, unlike people in the past who had to while it was airing!
This beautifully crafted series only has 12 episodes, each being 20 minutes long.
This anime follows the story of Emma, Norman, and Ray – three children in an orphanage who grew up with their “Mother“, Isabella. Emma is a loud and athletic girl who loves playing with her friends, Norman is a quiet but smart guy who always helps others in need, and Ray is the quiet type who keeps to himself and reads on his own. At one point in their lives, they would be taken in by foster parents, like other orphans.
The beginning of the first episode was a normal day for the orphans, but later on in the episode, they discovered something that would change everything. One of the orphans, Connie, was leaving with her new foster parents. Emma noticed that Connie had forgotten to bring her favorite toy rabbit. She, along with Norman, ran after Connie to bring it to her. When they reached the main gate, they discovered that it was empty, with no sign of Connie. They looked around, confused as to where she might have gone. As they were searching. a carriage caught their eye. They looked inside and there, they found Connie. Dead.
Emma and Norman freaked out, not knowing what had happened. Suddenly, they heard voices – ones they had never heard in the orphanage before. They hid under the carriage and listened carefully. They found out that the voices belonged to demons. Emma and Norman realized that they weren’t in an orphanage, but instead, a farm that raised children to feed to demons. Emma and Norman ran away together, frightened by what they had learned. However, they forgot to bring the toy rabbit they had brought with them. This mistake led their “Mother” to realize that one of the children had found out the truth about the farm, making her spare no time to find out which one it was.
If someone asks for a show with a good plot, The Promised Neverland would be one of my top suggestions. The plot of this anime is very unique, different from any other show I’ve seen. It makes many unexpected twists and turns. It has good pacing most of the time. Many episodes will have you glued to your screen and anticipating subsequent events. Most of all, it doesn’t drag things out. The characters also make the plot much more interesting. Typically, when one thinks of eleven-year-old children, one will assume they aren’t the brightest. Emma, Norman, and Ray’s plans, on the other hand, are so intricate and complex that they
surprise the viewers with their ingenuity.
Frankly, the plot wasn’t perfect. Compared to the original manga, a few of the scenes were stretched out more than they should have been. The manga was amazing because of how well they used each page to show what was going on. For example, the manga portrayed the scene of Emma and Norman discovering Connie‘s corpse in only a few frames, while it took the anime 30 seconds to first show Emma finding the body, and then Norman realizing what had happened.
All of the main characters are very relatable. I could see myself in Ray. He’s someone who likes being alone, but when necessary, he does not hesitate to extend a helping hand to those in need. The only thing that needs improvement, in my opinion, is the characters’ motivations. Most people would not be like Emma who’s so determined to help everyone out, no matter the circumstances. Norman‘s motivation to help out Emma, to the point of even risking his life for her, doesn’t have clear reasoning behind it either.
The music in this anime is dynamic, with amazing harmonies and melodies. The OSTs are beautiful, with the power to cleanse your ears. The opening theme song is unique, and one of my all-time favorites. I will never get tired of it, no matter how many times I listen to it.
I can confidently say that The Promised Neverland is an amazing series, one that you would love even if you’re not into anime.
