Dhruv Sharma
‘Yakusoku No Neverland’ also referred to as ‘The Promised Neverland’ is probably the most hauntingly brilliant anime that has come out in the past decade. The horror genre has never really been a strong suit for most anime and a lot of them try to get away by just portraying a whole lot of gore and violence. All of that is surely disturbing to watch but it’s not the kind of horror that will make you want to sleep with your lights on for a whole week. ‘The Promised Neverland’ takes an entirely different “psychological” approach towards the genre and presents a story that chills you to the bone. Instead of relying on sudden scares, the anime takes a more subtle approach towards the horror genre and slowly builds up tension over the span of 12 episodes.
From the first episode itself, even when the anime is not even trying too hard to establish itself as horror, you can sense that something is not quite right about the ideal orphanage set up that is being portrayed in it. There seems to be this unnerving anxiousness in the air that slowly prepares you for what lies ahead. Being a survivor thriller, for most, the anime is going to be more like a Pandora’s box full of unexpected terrifying surprises. So my advice to anyone who has never seen it before would be to dive right into it with no expectations. The little you know about it while watching it, the better will be your experience.
‘Yakusoku No Neverland’ creates an atmosphere that is full of uncertainty through its main characters. Speaking of characters, they are complex and 3-dimensional in every possible way. While the pacing of the story does suffer because of its brief 12-episode runtime, it’s surprising how the anime still manages to do really well with its character development. I don’t really want to spoil anything for the ones who may not have seen it yet, but I have to say that even the antagonists of the anime are really impressive and since ‘Death Note‘, I haven’t loved the villains of any show so much. There are many side characters as well to the story, but these are just kids who want you to look at them and feel all bad about their conditions.
Overall, let’s just say that if ‘Yakusoku No Neverland’ manages to keep up with the standard that it has set in the coming years, it might just become one of the best shows of the decade. As of now, it has acquired a position somewhere on top with the other better half of anime shows that came out in 2019. Hopefully, it will remain the same and will haunt us even more with another season anytime soon. Anyone who is still having second thoughts about it, just shut your brain and watch it because it’s not the kind of anime that you would want to miss out on.
The Promised Neverland Season 2 Release Date: When will it premiere?
‘The Promised Neverland’ season 1 premiered on January 10, 2019 and with a total of 12 episodes, came to an end on March 29, 2019. After its rousing success from the first season, there is no reason why the creators of the anime would hold themselves back from coming out with a new one. And that’s why soon after the first season was over, an official announcement regarding the second season was made. While the final dates have not been announced yet, it has been confirmed that ‘The Promised Neverland’ season 2 will premiere sometime in October 2020.
The Promised Neverland English Dub:
You can stream ‘The Promised Neverland’ on Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu with its original Japanese audio and English subtitles.
The Promised Neverland Plot:
Far away from the main city, there exists an orphanage that is surrounded by dense forests and has a grand gated entrance. In the year 2045, Emma is one of the 38 orphans who reside in the Grace Field House with a motherly figure referred to as “Mama”. These kids get everything from proper clean clothes to fresh food and from games to a lot of love from their “Mama” whose real name is Isabella. The orphans can do pretty much anything and everything with their time except for venturing out too far away from the grounds of the home.
But all good things come to an end and every once in a while, one of the orphans is adopted by a family outside. All the kids say their goodbyes and hope for a better life outside the house. But one day when Emma notices that one of the adopted children has left her favorite stuffed toy behind, she decides to follow her to the gates of the home along with Norman. This is when they discover the secrets that this orphanage holds and also, they realize that their “Mama” is not as motherly as she seems to be. A cruel fate awaits them and they must now race against time to survive the wrath of the evil “Mama” and her satanic intentions.
The Promised Neverland Characters:
Emma
Emma is the main protagonist of the show who is one of the orphans at the Grace Field House. She is very playful and extroverted, often proving that no one else in the house is more reliable than her. That’s the reason why she is surrounded by her friends all the time, especially Norman and Luke. Apart from being extremely social, she is also one of the smartest kids at the house and is the first one to find the secrets that have been buried deep in the confinements of their orphanage.
Every single morning at the orphanage, she is the first one to get out of bed and as soon as she does this, she playfully walks around and fills the sleepy atmosphere of the dorm with her liveliness. She is very kind to all of her fellow orphan siblings and treats each and every one of them as equals. Her friends Norman and Ray contrast her personality as they are both physically weak and introverted. But even then, she holds them in very high regard and would do literally anything for them.
Norman
Norman is frail look kid who is also a resident at the Grace Field House along. He is known for his prodigal mathematical abilities that not only surpass his peers but the adults in the House as well. He is extraordinarily smart and also manages to score a perfect 300 in all the tests conducted by the Grace Field House. When he finds out the truth about the house, he joins forces with Emma and Ray and devises an escape plan using his thinking abilities.
He has short messy white hair and narrow tilted blue eyes. He is quite petite compared to his peers but often exhibits a leader like-aura. He is a very complex person and no one is ever able to understand his deep analytical abilities. When he decides to run away from the house with Emma and Ray, he puts a lot of pressure on himself to successfully execute the plan. Apart from being really smart, Norman is also very kind to his friends and often hides his emotions to protect his loved ones.
Ray
Ray is another protagonist of the show who is also a kid at the orphanage. He is a very introverted character and unlike most of the other kids at the Grace Field House, he prefers spending his time buried inside a book. Even then, he does not mind interacting with the kids around him and also really cares for all of them, especially for Emma and Norman. Like Emma and Norman, he is also one of the smartest kids at the House but his biggest flaw is that he very easily loses his temper when someone around him does something stupid.
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