Before you ask: no, this series has nothing to do with Peter Pan or anything J. M. Barrie-related. The closest comparison you can make is both stories heavily feature children, and that’s all. As for how it relates to any bible tales – I’ll talk about that when I get to it. There isn’t too much that ties in.
Every once in a while, there comes along an anime which gets everyone’s attention. Opinions may vary, but there’s no denying the incredible success it has. The manga sells like wildfire, YouTubers react to the whole series, and you even get live-action adaptions made in both Japan and other countries. There have been many mainstream animes like this in recent years: Death Note, Attack on Titan and Sword Art Online, to name a few. But then there was 2019. And everyone agreed the masterpiece of that year was The Promised Neverland. Initially released as a manga in Weekly Shounen Jump, the anime adaption became highly praised within the otaku community. It won two Crunchyroll Awards in 2020 and is widely considered one of the best animes of the 2010s. How did it earn that moniker? Let’s take a look.
Before we start, I should warn you: the first episode contains a major plot-twist. It’s one of the highlights of the series if you don’t know what’s coming. So if you’d rather not be spoiled, I’d recommend at least watching episode 1 before you continue. If you’ve already seen it – or you don’t care that much – I’ll carry on.
In the year 2045, three bright young kids: Emma, Norman and Ray, grow up in the Grace Field Orphanage – alongside 35 other siblings. For the children living there, Grace Field is a paradise. They have warm beds, delicious food, a loving caretaker who acts as their mother. And aside from the occasional schooling, they’re free to roam the big forest and fields and play to their hearts’ content. Putting it simply: their lives couldn’t be happier. However, nothing is as it seems. One night when one of the younger girls is adopted, Emma and Norman realise she left her toy bunny behind. They go to the gate to try and return it. Only to discover the horrifying truth. The outside world is full of demons! Giant, hideous, flesh-eating monsters. Worst still, their orphanage is no orphanage. It’s a farm! Kids who’re adopted get slaughtered and sold as human meat! And it’s their mother, Isabella, who’s selling them off. Desperate not to lose any more family, Emma and Norman join forces with Ray. Now they have to come up with a plan to escape with their siblings before the next shipment.
As you probably guessed, the big plot-twist is the revelation of the demons. What makes it so shocking is how utterly unexpected it is. Nothing ever hints at their existence. The opening credits don’t show them; the promotional trailers don’t reference them; not even the DVD/Blu-Ray case implies anything – unless you notice it says horror next to the rating. Another reason it works so well is how it drastically alters the episode’s tone. Beforehand, everything we see shows the kids living happy, joyous lives. It tricks us into a false sense of security, making us feel as they do. There are some hints that something more is going on – most noticeably the ID numbers on the kids’ necks. But until we see the first victim’s corpse, nothing prepares us for the horrors to come. The fact they kill off Conny – the sweetest most innocent girl – shows us they’re not messing around. The Promised Neverland is a dark fantasy.
Perhaps more impactful than the twist, though, is what it represents: a loss of innocence. These kids have spent their whole lives in a safe, warm environment where nothing can hurt them. They’re ignorant of the outside world, believing it’s a place where they can live out their hopes and dreams – a promised land if you will. However, nothing is ever so simple. As you get older, you realise how dangerously unforgiving life is if you’re not prepared for it. In the case of these children, their fantasies are slaughtered the moment they step outside. It’s even worse for Emma. After witnessing Conny’s death, her child-like spirit is broken. She tries denying what she saw; desperate to believe her siblings aren’t dead and her mom isn’t evil. But as reality sets in, she’s overwhelmed by grief – letting out a horrifying scream. From then on, she has to be the grown-up; forcing herself to smile and be brave for her siblings. Emma can never go back to those blissful days – no matter how much she wants to.
Do you know what’s impressive? Everything I’ve brought up so far only takes place in the first episode. The rest of the series is just as mindblowing. There are cliffhangers, red herrings, moments of pure joy or hopelessness, and a whole abundance of information. The more that’s revealed, the more you want to rewatch the series to pick up on everything it foreshadows. The episodes know how to keep their audience engaged. Especially with their characters.
Firstly there’s Emma, an amply optimistic girl who’s the most physically-skilled of the kids. Before discovering the truth, she was the life and soul at Grace Field; caring for the little ones and playing in a lively manner. She loves her family and can’t bear the thought of anyone dying. Additionally, she’s a fast learner and adapts quickly to situations. She even comes up with ideas to rival her friends’ intellect. What I love most about Emma, though, is her diversity. She’s mature for her age but still has vulnerable moments. She tries to stay positive but will occasionally cry. And although she gets along with most people, she can show aggression or hatred towards them. Emma is a multilayered individual – which is what I admire in a female lead.
You also have Ray, the strategist of the group who tends to think more rationally. Although he has a somewhat distant nature, it’s evident he’s been friends with Emma and Norman for years. He’s on board with helping them escape, but he tends to clash with some of their ideas. Particularly, Emma’s insistence on saving everyone. He knows the more kids who try to run, the harder it’ll be. Plus, they have to consider how they’ll all survive once they’re free. It’s not that he’s selfish. He’s just considerate of his best friends – they mean the world to him. I could elaborate more on Ray’s character, but that would be going into spoiler territory. Instead, I’ll say we never learn his full story until the very end.
Then you have Norman, who’s arguably the smartest of the three. He comes up with most of the escape plans and knows what to do if things go wrong. He even outwits Emma and Ray sometimes. Furthermore, he’s the middle ground between them. He loves his siblings as much as Emma, but he understands Ray’s point about there being too many. Regardless, he often takes Emma’s side. Partly because she’s morally correct, and partly because he has feeling for her. It’s her determination that keeps him going most of the time.
In summary, Emma, Ray and Norman are very close, very intellectual characters. You could argue they seem too smart for 11-year-olds. But it’s established early on why that is. Plus, their loyalty and friendship are what makes them so believable. Together, they’re a formidable threat to their enemy. And who is their enemy? The one they thought cared about them for years – the mother of Grace Field: Isabella.
What makes Isabella so intimidating is she appears so trustworthy. On the surface, she’s a soft-spoken, affectionate young lady, who loves all the Grace Field kids as if they were her own. But behind her warm smile lies something sinister: a cunning, manipulative woman who cares only about profit. Everything she does is to ensure her kids grow up healthy and happy, with rich and developed brains. That way they’ll be tastier for her masters. She may claim to love her children. But when it comes time for shipping, they’re nothing but products.
This kind of emotional detachment brings something to mind. Think about how we run our farms today. We do our best to make sure all animals are treated humanely; giving them free-range, plenty of food and a life without suffering. Yet we still cage and slaughter them. And all because we’re the dominant species and like the taste of their meat. Is this honestly much different from Isabella? Could there be a social commentary here about animal cruelty? I digress.
It doesn’t take Isabella long to realise somebody knows the secret. So she implants new measures to keep things under control. These include hiring an assistant (Sister Krone) and revealing to the kids (indirectly) they have trackers. Her actions cause Emma and the others to rethink their plans and ask questions. What’s the best time to escape? How do they deal with the extra security? Should they tell the other kids what’s happening? Would they believe them? What if one of them is a spy? How do they work out who it is? It becomes like a mental game of chess, with both sides vying to outwit their opponent. On top of that are some of the characters’ more drastic actions. I won’t reveal anything here, but it’s honestly shocking to see just how far they’re willing to go to succeed – even if it’s inhuman.
Now, at this point, you may be wondering about the other Grace Field kids. Unfortunately, they don’t feature very much. Not that we don’t see them all the time. It’s just they don’t have any influence on the main plot. They’re mostly just there to remind us how grand the scale of escape is. There are, however, two notable exceptions.
Partway through the series, Emma and her friends recruit Don and Gilda (two ten-year-olds) into their plans. Don is a headstrong boy, who’s somewhat impulsive. And Gilda is a sensitive girl, who helps with the little ones. What’s significant about their involvement is how it changes the others’ mentality. You see, initially, Emma, Ray and Norman don’t reveal the whole truth to them. Instead, they claim their siblings were sold through human trafficking. They know Don and Gilda have emotional weaknesses. So they stay quiet about the demons. However, the two find out they’ve been lied to – which leads to friction within the group. It’s groundbreaking because it shows how Emma and the others had little faith in their siblings. They need to start seeing them as allies rather than burdens.
Another game-changing character is Sister Krone. Before anything else, I have to address the elephant in the room. There are going to be people who find this character offensive. Why? Because of her design. She’s a dark-skinned, big-lipped woman, who’s always wearing an apron. Plus, she cares for mostly white-skinned children. Does that sound familiar? If not, I’ll tell you: she’s reminiscent of the now-racist mammy stereotype. What makes it worse is how she’s portrayed. Aside from being borderline crazy, she pulls countless disturbing faces, is shown to be monstrously violent – though never towards anyone – and occasionally invites children into her room. She is not the sort of person you’d want working in an orphanage.
Controversy aside, though, Krone brings an essential dynamic to the series: her ego. It’s quickly established she has a tense relationship with Isabella. She hates her belittling and wants to replace her as the mother of Grace Field. Krone will do anything for the position, even if it means allying herself with the kids. Emma and the others don’t trust her, of course. But they know she’s a valuable source of information. At the same time, Krone believes they could provide the evidence she needs to bring Isabella down. All three parties have powerful yet understanding motives. And it’s a testament to this series how well it manages them.
However, The Promised Neverland isn’t just written well. It’s also visually stunning. I don’t usually mention the animation in my reviews. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t give CloverWorks credit. They take every opportunity they can to showcase their abilities. Not everything comes out perfect; there are some lacklustre character designs and meme-worthy faces. However, for the most part, they know how to present things both creatively and symbolically. Let me give you some examples.
First of all, there’s the layout. Usually, everything is presented in the traditional format: 2D characters in a 2D environment. However, once in a while, the background switches to 3D, giving us more depth and scale to the scene. They’re also not afraid to experiment with the camera. Sometimes it swings back and forth, like a pendulum. Other times it rotates 360 degrees. And sometimes it gives us POV shots or follows along with the characters. Each time it’s meant to draw attention to someone’s feelings and build tension.
The camera also works in symbolic ways. Remember what I said about foreshadowing? The earliest example of this is in episode 1. The opening shot shows a young Emma looking through some bars, saying she’s “never been outside” – it’s the first indication she’s actually inside a cage. Another example is episode 6: several shots are made to look like somebody is spying on the kids – which it’s later revealed there is. It’s even debatable if the series has religious symbolism. All the kids wear pure white clothing, except for when they’re adopted – the black outfit they dawn could symbolise death. And when it comes to the actual escape plan, the parallels with the Book of Exodus are uncanny. There’s so much to take from these episodes if you know where to look.
In conclusion, The Promised Neverland is a suspenseful, well-crafted series, that keeps its audience on edge. With its three-dimensional characters, creative animation, and a plot that knows when to give or hold back information, it’s easy to see why it rose to prominence. I don’t say this a lot, but I would honestly recommend this series to anyone who’s old enough to watch it. Even if you’re not a big fan of anime, chances are you’ll be drawn in by the story and characters. How do I know? Because I did a test before writing this review. I showed the first episode to my dad and step-mom – two people who were notorious for disliking anime. And what happened? They were so captivated by what they saw, they insisted on watching the rest of the series with me. If that doesn’t prove how grand The Promised Neverland is, I don’t know what will.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this review. Be sure to check out the series for yourself. And I hope you’ll look forward to the second season. Stay tuned.
(Image courtesy of: Hello! Never met a Somali who watches anything other than mainstream anime, are any of you avid Anime fans? : XSomalian (reddit.com))
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