The Promised Neverland Episode 1
Studio: CloverWorks
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Streaming: Crunchyroll, VRV
I went into The Promised Neverland (Yakusoku no Neverland) blind, only knowing that it is a hit manga series. I didn’t even know it existed until I took a look at the Winter 2019 lineup. After giving the first episode a watch, I can confidently say that this episode has one of the best cliffhangers to hook viewers in recent memory.
The episode takes place at Grace Field House, where a group of orphans live, learn, and play. They love their “mother,” the caretaker of the orphanage. The kids act as a family, as close as siblings could ever be. By the age of 12, the orphans will be adopted and live on happily ever after. During the day they take tough tests but get to play outside later and have a generally good time. The only rule is that they can’t leave the orphanage until they are adopted.
The children have wonderful designs that match their personalities. Emma is a tomboy and athletically gifted, and has a more traditionally masculine haircut. Ray is pretty moody and has long black hair covering up an eye (You know the aesthetic). Norman is strategic and academically gifted. He has grey hair that gives him a wise appearance. The episode introduces quite a few children, but the story seems like it will focus on these three as the main protagonists.
The majority of this episode is a simple game of tag that establishes the strengths of the different characters pretty well. It leans on unneeded dialogue a bit too much, and at times holds the viewer’s hand. Most of what is said in this episode can easily be inferred by the characters’ actions. The game of tag itself isn’t particularly interesting, but it does lead to a sequence of events that foreshadow the end of the episode well.
This episode is actually full of said foreshadowing. The viewer is constantly nagged by the feeling that something is wrong, but it is hard to get a good grasp on what it is. Even with all of the hints, like the ominous gates, the tattooed numbers on the children’s’ necks, it is hard to figure out what exactly what is waiting for the children.
By the end of the episode, everything is horrifically clear. The hook is executed well, and the effects on the characters are believable and authentic. While we don’t know much about them yet, their reactions fit their personalities, and their next moves can be easily deduced by the reader. The fate of one of the characters was kind of predictable, but I still enjoyed watching everything go wrong.
The animation here is fine, with a few choppy sequences damaging otherwise enjoyable experiences. The music is the highlight of the episode, with a wonderful OP and ED, as well as a score that goes from peaceful to ominous quickly.
The Promised Neverland could prove to a strong horror series, which is nice to see since it is easily the medium’s weakest genre. It would have been nice for the series to open up with an extended episode to build more tension, but the final moments still have a heavy impact. I’m looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here.
The Promised Neverland Episode 1
A promising start to a horror series full of mystery.
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Story
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Characters
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Production