Winter 2019 Anime: The Promised Neverland

Winter 2019 Anime Index

Synopsis

It is always a great day in Grace Field House! Grace Field House is an orphanage with 38 children living there like a very huge family along with a caretaker they call “Mama”. Before the age of 12, each of them will get adopted and so, no one is overlooked. Everyday, the children spend their time with rigorous tests but allowed to play outside the house afterwards with a restriction of not to cross over the fence in the woods or getting close to the gates. It seems everyday is a great day until one day, two of the oldest kids in the house, Emma and Norman, discover a gruesome reality and a glimpse of the true meaning behind their existence that lies beyond the gates after they tried to return a bunny doll left by Connie, a girl who got adopted that day.

All white clothes, ID numbers on necks, tests that are held everyday, and a gate they should never get near, everything started to make sense as the truth start to reveal itself. Now, they must work together to overturn their predetermined fate.

Comments

Keinda D. Adilia (The Indonesian Anime Times)

From the first time this anime was announced back in 2018, I already feel hyped for this to air in 2019. The original manga gained quite a reputation as one of the best Shonen Jump manga currently ongoing in the magazine. Added with the success of CloverWorks’ recent adaptation of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai which built a reputation for the newly rebranded A-1 Pictures Kouenji studio, the hype and expectations were really high before the time of the airing. Now, I am very glad that the hype paid off very well as this anime exceeded all of my expectations.

Adapting the very first chapter of the manga, the first episode of The Promised Neverland manages to recapture the manga very well and arguably makes it a lot better than the manga in terms of setting the foundations for character development. Within 24 minutes of the first episode’s running time, they are able to establish the major traits for its major characters. From loving and caring personality of Emma to the more calculating personality of Norman, those will surely become very interesting traits for the upcoming cat and mouse game. Followed by the great start in the first episode, the second and the third do not shy themselves to develop the aftershock without removing any of their major traits, and introducing new characters, including new antagonist and new threat of a traitor among the children.

Visually speaking, the animation of this anime is looking good, especially in the direction of the camera work and scenes which at one point makes the claustrophobic feel becomes stronger and fuels the horror needed to convey a terrifying scene. The smart and brave decision to use CG for certain scenes really need to be praised as it really helps with the direction of the scene.

In the end, The Promised Neverland is a must watch anime for this Winter 2019 season for its good directing and story writing. The thrill of waiting for the next episode would be worth it for this anime.

Facts and Figures

Screenshots and Trailer

The Indonesian Anime Times