ANIME RECOMMENDATION - The Promised Neverland & Glimpse into Season One (no big spoilers)
If you're into suspense/mystery/horror animes, The Promised Neverland is one I just got into that I really liked. Or if you found this and you've already seen it, check out my next blog where I go over Season One in depth + share my thoughts. Anyway, I liked this anime because it's a really good deep dive into how people react in stressful situations. There's strong themes of imprisonment, kinda reminds me of a cattle on a farm. It shows the desperation humans will go to to survive in general.
The show opens in the dining hall of Grayfield Manor, a home for orphans, with all 38 kids present. The first orphans you meet are the 3 main characters: Norman, Ray, and Emma, who are super intelligent 12 year olds. In the show you'll meet the main antagonist, Isabella, the leader of the camp who portrays a veneer of kindness, but has a steely determination to do whatever it is to stay alive, even at the expense of others'. The show focuses a lot on intelligence tests, and Isabella is BIG on announcing scores after all the tests. One might hope that this is to encourage higher scores to increase adoption, but the show takes some grueling turns for the worst.
The manor is surrounded by walls with only one gate, which is restricted to the orphans. After the first orphan, Connie, gets "adopted," the 3 main characters start to wonder more about how exactly you leave the gate. And their curiosity eventually brings them to the restricted gate. This is where the show introduces the underlying horror that is lying within the manor.
I hope I was able to give some nice glimpses into this suspenseful anime. Here is the link to watch it on Netflix, and also Crunchyroll! Stay tuned for my next blog, I'll share my thoughts on the show, so be sure to check that out. Leave a comment if you thought this was helpful!
-John