(translation: Yakusoku no Nebārando)
I never thought that I would be hooked on an anime about three eleven-year olds. Yet The Promised Neverland has done just that.
Based in an orphanage, Emma, Ray and Norman are the eldest children in the home. They are responsible for helping Mother with the other orphaned children. Every child in the orphanage has a very strong and loving relationship with these three, creating strong family ties between them.
The children can do pretty much what they like except leave the boundaries of the orphanage which includes a massive outside space with its own forest. What lies beyond the boundaries is a mystery and the only way out is a gated tunnel. This is the tunnel that the orphans leave through when they are adopted.
Every time a child is adopted no letters are sent to the orphanage, which the eldest three find strange since they had such a strong family bond with the children who were adopted. The adoption of Conny starts to raise questions among the orphans. In a rush, Conny accidently leaves her beloved teddy behind when she is taken to her new family. Concerned, Emma and Norman race to the tunnel to give it to her. Finding the tunnel unlocked, the two decide to venture through the tunnel to find Conny, but find something very different. Something that they shouldn’t have discovered.
This anime is amazing! As a thriller it keeps you on your toes and wanting more each time an episode ends, which is why I ended up watching six episodes in a row. It would have been more but there were only six available! The suspense, drama, plot twists and cliff-hangers are all very well played out and often overlap but without becoming confusing. I highly recommend this anime – however, despite it being about children, it is definitely not suitable for children to watch.
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror, Mystery Manga rated OT, Older Teen Anime rated – TBA (I think it will be at least a 15)
Published: 2019-03-18