The Promised Neverland: An Exceptional Anime

The+logo+for+The+Promised+Neverland.+Photo+courtosy+of+WikiMedia+Commons.

WikiMedia Commons

The logo for The Promised Neverland. Photo courtosy of WikiMedia Commons.

The Promised Neverland is a multi-series anime animated by CloverWorks, who is also animating Wonder Egg Priority and Horimiya; and directed by Mamoru Kanbe, who also directed A Place Further Than The Universe and Elfen Lied. Based just on the studio and the credits of the director, this anime looks very promising, but what is The Promised Neverland really about?
The series takes place in a seemingly utopian setting in the beginning of the anime and then quickly transitions to a very dystopian setting. The main characters are Emma, Ray, and Norman. They are all school aged children that live at the house in Grace Field; a plain that is surrounded by walls. Until, one day, they find something shocking. What they find prompts the rest of the series.
The buttery smooth animation and the amazing world building makes viewers want more even after the series ends on episode 11 season two. The characters all have depth and the main characters continually change throughout the series, becoming more mature while also displaying childish wonderment.
While the first season of the anime was fantastic, the second season could have used some work. The antagonists in the second season are faceless characters that sit atop the world, the main characters rarely see them in person except at the very end of the second season. Additionally, during the second season a large event happened to one of the main characters, the anime skipped details of the event that could have been important parts of the series and made the story even more in depth. I think that this could have been avoided by making the second season of the anime a two-cour (having 24 episodes in the second season instead of the 11 episodes, while also taking twice as long to produce). The second season was also contested because of large differences from the manga (source material) that angered some watchers after large events and plot points were smoothed over and sometimes omitted.
Additionally, one of the main antagonists comes in at the end of the second season to interject for a couple of minutes and he has no real character development or impact on the story other than to serve as a way to connect the protagonists more. The storyline of The Promised Neverland is somewhat basic in the sense that it is another dystopian shonen but the execution and the characters make it a new experience.
To sum it up, The Promised Neverland is a dystopian shonen anime animated by Clover Works. The excellent animation makes it a treat for the eyes and the amazing plot leaves viewers wanting more. Although, the shortcuts in the second season might have some viewers reading the manga afterwards. All of these things combined is what makes The Promised Neverland truly exceptional.