Kamryn Schnieder ~ Copy Editor
Originally, I wanted to save the more spooky, scary, or Halloween-y shows until closer to October, but then I realized that there are so many to choose from that it would not make much of a difference. So, this week I am talking about a newer show titled “The Promised Neverland.” I want to disclaim before I go much further that due to the nature of the show, it is going to be impossible to avoid spoilers, so if you do not want minor or major spoilers, you have been warned.
Diving right in, the show opens the first episode with an orphanage raising several children. These children are tested every day and are raised with competitive, though childish games. Personally, I was already on edge by the fact there was only one maid and not a single child above like the age of 12 there. We are soon introduced to the main three characters, the wild and energetic Emma, the cool and logical Ray, and the Kind and Selfless Norman. They are the oldest children at the house, as after the children reach roughly the age of 12 or 13 and do well enough on their test, they are allowed to leave and see the world.
The house seems to have the usual rules: obey the mother, eat your vegetables, value education, and go to bed when told; however, when one of the younger children, Conny, loses her stuffed animal, the terrible truth of this promised neverland is revealed. As they find her stuffed rabbits, they also find monstrous humanoid creatures and trucks filled with the corpses and parts of other children. It turns out that the world has been taken over by these monsters that eat humans, and the smarter a child is, the tastier their brain will be. In return for protection from these monsters, humans have set up child farms.
Upon learning this, the three children start to hatch a plan to get themselves, and all the other children, out of the barricades land. And that is all in the first episode or two. As the show goes on there are other hardships, such as increased staff and even a traitor within their midst. The season ends in a hail mary I will not spoil too intensely in here, but it is definitely both satisfying as an ending while perfectly leading into the next season.
The first season finished in March of 2019 and the second season has been pushed back from this fall to the Spring of 2021. The opening song, titled “Touch Off,” is sung by the accredited, popular, and talented band “Uverworld.” Check out Promised Neverland on Crunchyrolls.com for a spooky and horrifying time that will thrill you perfectly for the spooky season.
