The Promised Neverland S1 Anime Review: Perfect Amount of Creepy and Thrilling
The Promised Neverland is a 2019 anime (currently on Netflix) about a group of children living in a seemingly utopian orphanage, but soon discovering that something much darker and more sinister is going on. The genre is a mix of thriller, adventure, suspense, and horror, but the extent of the “horror” isn’t bad (for people who might be squeamish). There aren’t any gory scenes or jump scares, so the focus of the story is more on the thriller aspect! From the very first episode, Finding Neverland sucked me in to the intrigue and the creepiness of the story, which I consider a major win. I also feel like the story as a whole is well-crafted. Themes that are introduced in the beginning definitely become important later on.
I had a really enjoyable time with this show, probably more so than I expected when I decided to watch it. One thing an anime can do really well is make an addicting adventure story out of a deranged and horror premise. While The Promised Neverland is a bit more toned down in terms of the gore and monsters that appear on the screen, it plays up the creepiness of the characters whenever it can. For instance, Sister Krone is a character that is introduced a few episodes in, and from the outset, this show really plays ups the creep factor in her animation by contorting her face into wild grins. The pacing of this anime is also really good and keeps the storyline unpredictable and interesting. Essentially, this anime is an escape thriller, where the children are strategizing ways to outwit the adults and run away to whatever “freedom” might be. And on that journey, you will learn more about the backstory of the world as well as the backstory of the villains, who are definitely complex and interesting. It’s also exciting because there’s still so much we don’t know about this world, which I’m sure the manga and future seasons of this anime will explore (S2 coming out in January of 2021!)
In conclusion…
I really recommend this anime! While watching, I was super into the storyline and had a really fun time with all of the plot twists and characters.