The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland held a great sense of control in how its story was delivered. Cards were played close to the chest, as the audience viewed events along with the characters. A sense of unease was instilled in the viewer as new characters were introduced, the series’ world unfolded, and hints of dialogue prickled our ears. We questioned all alliances and the tension was palpable, a mindset framed right from the first episode. A set up reminiscent of Madeline coddled us, until the final world-breaking truth was revealed. From then, expectations were subverted, heart rates rose and anxiety was rift. It was impossible not to be drawn into the fast pacing and punchy story.The Promised Neverland Season 1 Download.

Part of the intrigue of The Promised Neverland was how it framed its story within each episode to allow for the week break. There’s a fine balance of waiting periods from ‘meh it’ll show you when it shows’ to ‘the wait is far too excruciating’’. Additionally, you can’t have viewers hyped for a full week and then deliver a subpar episode. Or worse yet, a recap (lookin’ at you, Goblin Slayer). The Promised Neverland uses the wait to its full advantage. Waits were tantalizing, as the cliffhanger end of each episode hooked viewers in and refused to let go.

I found the art and animation in The Promised Neverland to be excellent. There wasn’t one episode where the quality dropped or was significantly improved. They maintained a constant smooth animation style throughout the twelve episodes. One specific aspect of animation that I found the series did well was the lighting and shadows. Scenes shot during the night or with low light weren’t muddied or a swirl of gray. It was interesting to see the way the characters’ white clothes changed during different ‘types’ of low-light situations, from the colors used during the night to gray sky days. The palettes were realistic and reflected a real attention to detail.