“The Promised Neverland” is a horror anime that currently has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The first season of the anime was released in 2019 and the second season was just fully released. The first episode of the second season was released to the public for free through Funimation on Jan. 7, 2021. The season was being updated on Funimation, with the most recent episodes requiring a Funimation subscription to view. New episodes were released on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Manga is the Japanese equivalent to a graphic novel or comic. Manga is drawn in black and white, and anime is the animated adaptation of the manga. After four years and 181 chapters, The Promised Neverland manga ended on June 15, 2020. 

(Spoilers for the Promised Neverland Season One Below)

In Season One, the main characters, Emma, Ray and Norman, discover that the orphanage they live in is really a farm that breeds them like cattle to be eaten by demons. The main characters come up with a plan to escape Grace Field, the orphanage, and ultimately succeed. Although they succeeded in escaping with some of the children at the end of season one, they lost Norman around halfway through the season and couldn’t bring the youngest children with them. 

(Spoilers for the Promised Neverland Season Two Below)

Season two jumps in right where the first season left off with the children who escaped Grace Field running away from a demon who was chasing them. Less than halfway through the first episode of the second season, there is a beautiful scene that shows the emotion the characters are feeling after all the trauma they have experienced. The scene perfectly depicts how the characters feel and the show doesn’t brush over the fact that the characters are grieving their past lives and left-behind loved ones.

Most animes make minor to large changes from how events unfolded in the manga. “The Promised Neverland” Season One changed things, however, the changes have become more noticeable in Season Two. “The Promised Neverland” Season Two did not introduce “Mister,” a character who was supposed to show up in Episode Three according to the manga timeline. Not introducing Mister when the manga specified is not an issue with the anime. It would be great to have the show introduce Mister and do so in a way that makes sense, and could potentially be better than how the manga did it in a potential later season. 

Another difference is the way Episode Four rushed through and changed the order of events, or even skipped arcs, which made the storyline finish quicker than it should’ve according to the manga. 

The end of the fifth episode reintroduced Norman, who was seemingly not dead like the audience suspected. Episode Six picks up after the cliffhanger with an emotional reunion between the three main characters. Watching all three of them reunite and engage in their normal banter is touching part of the episode. They reintroduced Norman excellently as they had him be a savior which was the way he left the show in season one. 

Fans of the anime and manga don’t seem to dislike how Norman was brought back, but rather that after he is back, he quickly recaps what he was doing in front of all the children. The recurring theme of speeding up and skipping parts of the manga is what is off-putting to fans. 

The last few episodes lead to the finale, which was fun to watch. The horror anime turned into a mystery show through the second season. The second season still had horror elements, but added on the suspense of characters solving a mystery. The finale wrapped up the anime but also left a lot to be desired. The main children went to the part of the world without demons, the world people now live in, but Ray, Emma, and Norman stayed behind. It will be interesting to see if a later season follows their adventure of staying in the demon world. 

(Season One and Two Spoilers End)

Overall, the season was great. It had captivating emotional scenes and interesting mysteries. It was a fun show to watch.

The differences between the manga and anime aren’t too much to handle if they are disassociated from each other, like “Fullmetal Alchemist.” The “Fullmetal Alchemist” anime is one of my personal favorites, but some don’t like it because of how far it strayed from the manga. The manga and anime versions are both good yet incomparable; the same can be said for “The Promised Neverland.” Every manga will have plot holes that an anime will fill and vice versa. 

The animation is similar to  “Attack on Titan” and “My Hero Academia.” The voice actors also perfectly suit the characters, especially since finding amazing adult voice actors to play children is hard. 

The second season ended after eleven episodes and a midpoint recap episode. It is unclear whether there will be later seasons of “The Promised Neverland.” Season two, technically, went over all the manga parts, not including the ones they skipped. Later seasons may not be needed because most of the manga arcs are done. A third season also might not be happening because of the negative opinions on it from those who read the manga. The second season of “The Promised Neverland” is immensely enjoyable, and is a perfect anime for anyone looking for a good thriller and mystery.