Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: The Promised Neverland
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Cardcaptor Takato
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Ashen Phoenix
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As someone unfamiliar with the manga, I went into this totally blind and came out utterly hooked. Ep. 1 was mesmerizing, from the deliberate and dynamic camera work, to the creative symbolistic imagery, and especially the characterization of the central trio coupled with the enthralling sound design.
I cannot wait to see more, and am desperately holding off on binging the manga. |
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kotomikun
Posts: 1205 |
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As well-crafted as this show apparently is, I'm feeling more and more like this is going to be a really difficult one for me to actually like. Launching right into a high-stakes cat-and-imprisoned-mouse situation that probably won't end for several episodes, if not the whole season, makes for an awkward way to start a series. I already know (without having read the manga or plot spoilers) not to get attached to anyone other than Emma, Norman, and Ray, who all have plot armor for the time being, and that any other child who starts getting character development is probably next on the adoption-block. The symbolism in the key art does not bode well for anyone besides the main three.
Too much tension has somewhat the same effect as too little, because of how story structure works. I'm reluctant to throw out the word "predictable" because that itself is predictable, but it doesn't look like anything interesting is likely to happen until they get around to escaping the orphanage. And if the following statement is true...
...then I don't even have that part to look forward to. And if something interesting does happen at that stage, that may not be until next season. Maybe I'm just too impatient for this kind of thing. |
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MasterGhost
 Posts: 125 |
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My biggest gripe with the show is that it came out 10 years too late. A dystopian setting featuring a hero with a cynical view of "the outside world" isn't what I would consider original or awe-inspiring, when there are already dozens of similar productions (be it anime, movies or TV dramas) outside there. Some of the story beats and twists in the first two episodes are already reminiscent of shows like Shinsekai Yori or Higurashi.
This show, with its fantastic production values, would have been "anime of the decade" candidate in 2009, but alas it had to come out now, and that's why I don't feel that it is as great a show as many people are perceiving. |
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TexZero
Posts: 585 |
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I don't feel these two things quite comparable outside of both the shows being exceptionally formuliac. Black Clover had a very dry opening with little for anyone outside of the shounen crowd to enjoy. I can understand that much like you it's not for me. What i can't understand is how badly this show dropped the ball from episode 1 to episode 2. What was a decent Cat and Mouse thriller went down the almost trite and formuliac approach of laying everyones intentions bare and putting one of their best characters in their antagonist Mama under the bus as being so incapable as to having to resort to more help. This is why i said it went the by the numbers approach and unless theres some amazing twist in 2-3 episodes i'll likely be dropping this because it's just dry. Pretty animation with no meat does not for me make an enjoyable show. |
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青白
Posts: 184 |
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I don't think horror is the show's main aim. The music creates a sense of hope and signals that this series is going to be an epic battle of strategy and tactics between the kids and the adults, and I would watch the HELL out of that. But that being said, the imminent sense of danger is always going to be there, and the horror comes from our imagination of what would happen to these kids if they are found out and captured. That level of horror is sufficient for this series. I would also say that the music so far has been the BIGGEST hook for me. |
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Merida
 Posts: 1945 |
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I agree with some of the comments that it didn't seem like the most original premise, but the way it's being executed and - most of all - our main trio, still got me instantly hooked. I love how the three are very much equals, there's no petty rivalry or power-imbalance, they are just very good friends/siblings and the girl is actually the most shounen hero-like of them all for a change.
That's a very refreshing dynamic and i'm really looking forward to what comes next! |
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Jinbei
Posts: 55 |
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Well... it might've looked like that, but Isabella also got a new baby on top of over 35 kids, so it would make total sense that she would need one more pair of hands eventually. As for calling sister Krone, well it also serves a purpose to hinder whatever plans and plots some of the kids could be brewing(remember, that mama still isn't 100% sure WHO went to the gate.. she just has a hunch) and keeping things secret not just from herself but also from another equally(?) capable woman should become immensely difficult. With 2 caretakers in Gracefield House, the other can devote herself to snooping and following and spying... And while it may or may not be a full spoiler, Mama/Isabella isn't the top dog that rules all and everything, even within her "own" orphanage. She has little to say in some matters, as we saw in the first episode. She has to follow the orders given by the demons. But i read the manga and know what's happening, so i try to keep myself from revealing things... |
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Shaddy_Pl
 Posts: 38 |
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Story is not bad at that point, animation too. But that CGI in episode one (when they walk near the truck) was terrible. It's look like FPS drop really low in that scene.
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tailor31415
Posts: 36 |
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I really want to like this series but the huge plot holes make it difficult for me to suspend my disbelief... I've already been attacked by fans of the manga on reddit for saying this but it makes zero sense for the children to have been taught about the very technology keeping them trapped in the orphanage (tracking devices, cameras, etc.). Yeah, I get their brains need to be developed to taste good (er whatever
 ) but there is such a thing as selective education.
Also this series is making me remember just how immature and annoying 12 year olds can be, lol |
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Cardcaptor Takato
Posts: 4914 |
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I just watched episode two last night and I like how they quickly brought Ray into the group and how Emma is using her own psychological tactis against Mom to cover their tracks. For me I'm just enjoying seeing how they're planning their escape and trying to outwit the adults. The cat and mouse aspect is the main thing I would say might not be entirely original but a story can still be entertaining even if not 100% original if it's executed well which so far I feel like Promised Neverland is doing.
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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The main point of this series isn't the horror element, it's the cat-and-mouse tension of brilliant minds trying to keep one step ahead of each other in life or death gambits. The series I'd compare it to most is Death Note. The killing notebook and death gods are mostly set up for Light vs. Everyone trying to catch him.
The brilliance (or cop out, depending on your POV) of making the inhuman monsters the ultimate enemy in The Promised Neverland is that it allows the story room to humanize all its characters more than Death Note ever did, IMHO. I personally like the characters in TPN more than I liked Light or his cronies in Death Note. |
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S0crates
 Posts: 227 Location: Banned - Noticed our poor ethics |
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Eeeek.
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Niello
Posts: 302 |
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It's a shame that the sourness leftover from reading the current chapters of the manga is interfering with my enjoyment of this, when the first arc is actually quite great. Though I do feel that the adaption is moving a little bit too fast.
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steelmirror
 Posts: 342 |
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I'm another person who is encountering this story for the first time as it airs, being completely unfamiliar with the source manga. So far I'm really impressed. The pacing has been great, they struck a perfect note to give the ep 1 reveal memorable impact. The directing in that scene (and throughout the opening eps) was also noticeably great; I'm one of those people that doesn't tend to notice editing or directing in shows unless they are really great or really intrusive, and I've really appreciated them in Neverland so far.
In ep 2, the characters need to immediately move on to the match of wits with Mama and their first tentative plans to escape, which doesn't leave any time for us as the audience to acclimatize to the new status quo and cultivates that essential sense of uncertainty and impending doom that horror stories thrive upon. The conversation with Ray is another strong scene to end the ep, a step forward for the trio that the show immediately and wisely undercuts with another setback, the appearance of the new adult. Somebody compared the show to Shinsekai Yori, which is something that occurred to me, as well. For me that's a pretty strong comparison to make. I'm hoping Neverland keeps up this level of quality, so far it's my favorite this season. |
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