The Promised Neverland: Season 1
⚠️ This is review contains spoilers
- Animation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Soundtrack: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yakusoku no Neverland
I started this anime with very high expectations. It came recommended, both in video reviews and in the form of a high score on MyAnimeList.
I knew nothing of it (having read nothing from the manga) so I was jumping in clean.
What first took me a bit back was the art style. Not my cup of tea. It does have some nicely drawn moments but generally… well it’s unique. It’s not the animation studio’s fault, the manga art is like this. I would even say the animation studio did a good job with the several action scenes. But worry not, eventually you start focusing on the story and the art is secondary.
I thought this was truly a horror/gore anime. It’s nothing but. Surely it’s not for everybody. The psychological torture and anxiety the characters go through make me sick. Which is a sign that the story is well done. I have not seen a story like this in the past.
What would have I liked to see?
I disliked a lot the major cliffhangers in almost every episode. They felt unnecessary because, in the end, they were not that “major”. As soon as you started the next episode you went “Oh, that’s all?”. So I would have avoided that. Cheap tricks.
I would’ve wanted to see more visual horror. I don’t know if the manga depicts it more, that’s to be confirmed. I feel sometimes the scenes would cut where you would’ve liked to see more. It’s always hard to decide if you want the viewer to imagine it, or show it explicitly.
Where do we go from here?
My next step is getting into the manga. I was glad to discover it’s an ended series of 20 volumes. It has been translated into Spanish and a box set is available, so I will probably get that later this year (I have so much manga on my shelf that awaits to be read).
I mention the manga because it turns out the second season of the anime skips arcs on the manga and, apparently, goes directly to the end. I don’t want that. I’d like to not miss the story and then finish the anime.
Recommended?
Yes. I did not give it a very high score because I came with high expectations that were not met. The longer I think about it, the higher score I’d give it. My opinion is evolving for the better as I write this review.
The anime is short and very digestible. Go for it.
