Anime: Yakusoku no Neverland

Yakusoku no Neverland, while not being an outstanding thriller anime, definitely satiated some of my thirst for it. It doesn't bring forth a revolution in terms of storytelling, or new tropes, but it's just good entertainment.

The strongest suit for this anime is definitely its direction and sound effects. An anime that focuses on building tension is a rarity with sound and animation when most are focused on pure action spectacle or talk no jutsu.

The story is probably the weakest facet of the anime. The premise is kind of a really old one in the book being an escape from a dystopian human farm. The line between good and evil is too clear for my liking. Also, the pacing for this anime is slower than I would like, and I think this anime would fare better if it was made into a 2-3 hour film. This anime also doesn't bring any new refreshing thriller tropes to the table, so there isn't that really good, memorable twist that brings you catharsis in this anime that is the hallmark for good thriller shows.

The characters are ok. The highlight of this anime is definitely the villain, Isabella. Although I don't like how she's this cookie cutter two-faced villain that we don't get an in-depth look into. I felt that she's just put there so we can say "look there's the bad guy, hate her." I think detailing more of her descent from a rebel to a part of a system is a huge missed opportunity for this series. Krone is probably my favorite character in this anime in that she is a more deeply developed character with an interesting back story. Emma and Ray are well-written characters, but they're not really memorable.

There isn't much value in this anime in that there's no moral ambiguity or food for thought in this show that's fully explored. Like I've said before, this anime doesn't bring anything new to the table. Also, the setting for this story isn't explored further given how short it is. This is what I hate about contemporary Japanese anime environment in that they don't give shows the running time for full development.

So yeah this is a good anime to watch if you're just passing your time. If you really want a GOOD thriller anime watch Death Note or Monster instead.

1) JUVENILE RESOLUTION

The Promised Neverland was a complete let down. Although the kids managed to escape, it was done in a very juvenile way that makes you wonder if they needed to be smart in order to do something so simple. Just set something on fire as a distraction and swing across the chasm. That doesn’t sound like it required an IQ of 200 in order to work out, much less 12 episodes of careful planning. In fact most of it happened out of screen in the last 2 episodes.

2) NO ACTUAL PLOT PROGRESSION

There was no actual plot progression 90% of the time. What was the point of almost everything that happened in this entire show? What about the secret messages in the books? What about sister Krone’s pen? What about Emma’s leg breaking? None of that mattered. You could literally jump from episode 1 to episode 11 and you would have missed close to nothing. I mean, they might be relevant in a later arc, but they were not presented as if there will be another arc where they are needed. They made it seem like they matter in this arc.

3) FAKE SUSPENSE

In practice from episode 2 all the way to episode 10 you were getting nothing more than fake suspense filler. Because if you can skip it it’s filler, and if there is suspense that doesn’t amount to anything, it’s fake. Ow, what’s gonna happen now that they discovered the Mors codes? What’s Krone going to do? What does this creepy revelation about the pen could mean? Nothing. They are nothing more than cliffhangers for making you anticipate the next episode, even if they don’t amount to something, and for making you waste your time in overthinking theories that ultimately mean nothing. Again, they might matter in a later arc, but a cliffhanger is meant to have a pay off in the immediate next episode and not after 4 arcs.

4) PLOT ARMOR

Everything that seemed to be a threat, ended up being a joke because of the ridiculous amount of plot armor.

-The kids were given unneeded knowledge and training regarding machinery and human civilization. If they were given nothing but Sudoku to solve all those years, it would be enough to be smart, and they wouldn’t have the knowledge to escape. If they were told they were born to become nutrition for the demons, they wouldn’t want to escape since that is what they would think is the meaning of life.

-Norman was send out to be eaten, but he wasn’t eaten because plot.

-Emma breaking her leg made it seem like it would be impossible to escape, but no they just time skip a few months later when she is fine again.

-The demons were never a threat, and there was very little actual danger. I mean how hard was it really to escape if a bunch of 5 year olds managed to elude an army of demons with zero casualties and zero injuries?

-And yes, there were injuries but they were self-inflicted and were part of a juvenile diversion. They weren’t caused by the demons chasing after them and the kids didn’t need an IQ of 200 in order to think of that.

5) FAKE COMPLEXITY

There were spies and traitors who would report to the demons if the kids were planning to escape. It seems to be making things a lot more multilayered at first and how that would require more mind games and backstabbing, until you realize none of that amounts to something.

-Krone told the demons about the escape and not only they did nothing about it, they also killed her for telling the truth.

-Isabella knew about the escape and did not report it.

-Ray was a spy but he ended up working for the kids all along.

-Even freaking Phil was presented as if he was a spy and he ended up not being one.

6) WEAK CHARACTERIZATION

The characterization is easily the weakest part of the whole show.

-Nothing makes the kids stand out from characters of other shows. They don’t have a distinctive look to stand out (unless the retarded faces some of them have somehow counts), their clothes are plain, their backdrop is non-existent, and their character development is also non-existent.

-The evil women were far more fleshed out for having a backdrop and a crazy backstabbing personality, but even there it’s pretty weaksause. Krone hardly lasted enough episodes to leave an impact, and Isabella was literally given a backdrop 10 minutes before the finale that somehow caused her to change personality.

-In general, whatever change seems to be made in terms of characterization is instant and has no follow-up, just like the cliffhangers. The moment you are given a flashback that fleshes out a character, said character is removed from the show. That is not development, it’s last moment twists for knee-jerk reactions.

7) WEAK CINEMATICS

Lots of cinematics are working against the integrity of the atmosphere, as well as the (already weak) characterization.

-The kids are talking out-loud when they constantly say they might be overheard by a spy. They should have been whispering. That clashes with their otherwise high intelligence.

-There is very little internal monologue and narration, thus you end up listening to characters say things they shouldn’t because they already know about them.

-The music often spoils a twist for letting you know there is something going to happen in the next 30 seconds.

-Characters are often doing an action that takes a lot of time, with nothing of interest going on to excuse it. Isabella walking (slowly) to Krone, and Ray shaking (slowly) Isabella are two easy to spot examples. It’s obvious padding because the writer didn’t have enough material for a properly paced 12 episode series.

-At the same time most knee-jerk actions happen way too fast. There is no way for the kids to have run away from under the car in a few seconds after the demon looked under it. He would have seen them as there was nowhere else to hide in such a short notice. There is also no way for Norman to have run up the wall that easily, or to have scanned the whole perimeter in a couple of minutes. Lots of scenes defy logic, just to make the situation thrilling through super fast and improbable physiscs.

I mean, you can still like the show for the thrills, but feels aside there are way too many technical problems both in writing and directing, that prevent the anime from being considered the best anime of all times (much less a classic or a masterpiece).