Today's Special is Promised Neverland

    Studio: CloverWorks  |  12 episodes  |  Watch on: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation, Hidive  

Anime Review: Promised Neverland

    Horror is defined as “an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by something frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting; a shuddering fear”. Personally, we can’t think of a better word to describe Promised Neverland. Which is why we’re recommending it as 2019’s must-see Horror Anime – perfect for this spooky Month.

    Not only does it have one of the best-told stories out of this year’s anime crop, it’s also guaranteed to have you sitting on the edge of your seat. (We know we were)

    It starts off innocently enough when we’re introduced to Emma, a girl living in an orphanage with 37 other children, and their caretaker Isabella whom/who they lovingly refer to as “Mother”. All of the children are under the age of 12, and Emma along with her two best friends Norman and Ray are the three oldest, each being 11-years-old. At first glance all the children seem to be happy; they’re well-fed, they have comfortable beds and clothing, they have access to a library, they get to play endless games outdoors, and they all treat each other as loving family members. It seems idyllic. Perfect. So perfect that even though most of the kids look forward to the day they get to be adopted, Emma wishes she can stay there forever.

    Soon enough though little cracks start to show, and the unease one feels when things seem a little off begins creeping in. Like what do those numbers tattooed on their necks mean? Why are the kids being routinely tested? Why are the testing computers these next-level Sci-fi machines when everything else at the house seems rustic and outdated? Why do the children only remain at the house until they’re 12? What are the gate and fences supposed to be protecting them from? Why don’t they ever receive letters from those that were adopted? And why is “Mother” so good at games? Something sinister seems to be lurking beneath the surface.

    This comes to a head when we learn that one of the orphans, a 6-year-old girl named Conny, is going to be adopted. On the night of her departure, after all the final farewells, Isabella escorts Conny to the gate to await her new family. Meanwhile back at the house, Emma discovers that Conny has left behind her favourite plush toy bunny. Ray tells Emma that the lights are still on at the gate, and that if she hurries she can probably deliver it back to Conny before it’s too late. Even though they’re not allowed to leave the house at night Emma and Norman, decide to risk it. When they get to the gate there’s no one around, only a truck. Having never seen the truck before they both assume that the truck must belong to Conny’s new family, and so decide to place the bunny in the truck for her to find later.

  
    That’s when they witness the most gut-wrenching scene, and quickly discover the cruelest of truths. This isn’t an orphanage… it’s a farm, and the children are the livestock.

    Isabella’s true intentions are the ultimate betrayal – Imagine finding out that the person you thought loved and cared for you the most in the world was in actuality only raising you for the slaughter. To be killed and then auctioned off to the highest bidder as a specialty dish for consumption - talk about gruesome. 

    When people think of Horror they typically think of blood and gore, or stories filled with monsters, and while some of those things do appear they’re not at the core of why this series is so brilliantly terrifying. The true genius shines through in all the moments of misdirection, it’s a constant spiral of doubt, fear, and projection that will leave your head spinning. It toys with key aspects of trust, and vulnerability; leaving you to feel the same helplessness as these children.

    This thrilling tale gives us serious Hansel & Gretel vibes. Not much is creepier than children having to fight against adult captors that want to eat them. How do you defeat a system that was created with the express purpose of keeping you at a disadvantage and that will ultimately kill you? Not only do they have access to minimal resources, what they do have has all been vetted by their captors first. They can’t acquire anything without their captor’s knowledge, making you doubt the credibility of all of the intel they gather. How can we know that what they know is the truth? Who can they trust and in turn you as the viewer? This psychological thriller goes through the motions of lulling its viewer into a false sense of security and then proceeds to rip the curtains wide open leaving everyone feeling very raw.

    The dinner bell is about to ring and our protagonists are the main course. This just became a race against the clock, and it’s up to our wily trio to find a way out of this chilling nightmare. They estimate that they have one month, before the next “shipment” is sent out. That’s not much time to make their harrowing escape. They’ll need to work together if they’re to stand a chance, and follow three simple rules.

Rule #1 – Don’t act out of the ordinary or draw suspicion to yourself
Rule #2 – No one can be trusted not even your friends.
Rule #3 – Be vigilant, because Mother’s always watching.

If they can succeed in that, then they might have a chance at finding out what’s beyond those fences.


    Promised Neverland is too good of a series to miss out on, so give yourself a treat this Halloween and make sure to watch it!
- Or we'll tell mother...




~ Stay Obsessed