The Promised Neverland Episode 1 Review: 121045

When I first noticed Promised Neverland on the Winter 2019 list, I was immediately intrigued. I went looking for more information, but each forum I visited said the same thing – ‘the less you know, the better’. So I heeded the advice of my fellow otaku, and went into the series blind, and boy, I am glad I did. Promised Neverland grips you from the first episode and doesn’t let go.

Plot

Eleven-year-olds Emma, Ray, and Norman live with thirty-five other children in an orphanage. The place, while isolated from the outside world, is like a safe haven for the children. They spend their days playing in the woods and having fun growing up together. But not is all as it seems in the orphanage, and once the truth is known, there is no turning back.

Episode Highlights

Family: The first ten minutes of the episode was a wonderful look into the everyday life of the children. I adored the segment of Emma waking everyone up and getting the younger ones ready. The warmth of these first scenes were even more effective in their contrast to the final one, making the big reveal even more shocking.

Mother Dearest: The final shot of the children’s ‘mother’ sent actual chills down my spine. She appears to be the most terrifying monster of all, able to smile kindly and interact with the children without a care.

Themes & Trivia

Unbreakable Bonds: When Norman and Emma discuss escaping, Emma steadfastly refuses to escape without the other children. I can imagine that throughout the rest of the series, the theme of family ties will be a prominent focus.

Some Foreshadowing?: Building onto the previous point, after a game of tag, Norman tells Emma her biggest weakness is that she is too kind. Will her, forsaking her chance to escape in favor of a more daring one with everyone, be her undoing?

ID Tattoos: Even without lingering camera shots over the children’s tattoos, the audience quickly grasps that they spell bad news. It’ll be interesting to see if in future episodes if the tattoos reflect any deeper meaning, such as a way to contact their birth parents, on top of the obvious identification and dehumanization.

Episode Title: If you noticed the closeups of the calendar, you’ll see that the episode title is actually a date, so 121045 reflects the date of 10 October 2045.

Comments

This episode was brilliant! From the opening shots I was immediately drawn into Emma’s world. As I mentioned above, I felt the warmth and love of the family that had been created in the orphanage. Everyone looks after each other and values one another’s skills… or lack thereof. Although, I’m a bit worried about how I’ll go about remembering all thirty-eight kids. But if the anime series does it right, they’ll probably only focus on a handful, including Emma, Ray, and Norman.

Speaking of those three, I was particularly impressed by how their characters were shown. I find that in anime or manga series, child characters are either very silly or ridiculously mature. There isn’t much leeway on each side of spectrum. But I found Emma, Ray, and Norman had a perfect blend of childishness and other characteristics. For example, while Emma ‘acted like a five-year-old’; she’s shown to be thoughtful and caring of those around her. These three also balanced one another out perfectly, and I can’t wait to see how their dynamic evolves through the series.

Finally, on a perhaps smaller note, I really enjoyed the opening and ending sequences. I felt the songs suited the series, and just added an extra layer to an already intriguing show.

Time for a Game of Tag

The Promised Neverland has been confirmed for 12 episodes. I can’t imagine how they will squeeze in a daring escape plan and a happy ending in that time. But, as mentioned above, I haven’t read the manga. So who is to say that this series will even have the happy ending I desperately hope for? For now, I can only wait another week for the next episode.

While you wait with me, make sure to check out the MANGA.TOKYO team’s other episodic reviews for Winter 2019! You can find the full list of them over here.