12 Days of Anime 2019 – The Promised Neverland’s Big Reveal

Christmas is almost upon us, and that can mean only one thing… No, not mince pies, presents, or ugly sweaters (though those are all good things). That’s right, it’s the return of the 12 Days of Anime series! The next 12 posts are all dedicated to the anime-related highlights of my years, of 2019. I had so much fun writing them – I hope you have just as much fun reading them!

It’s not often that an anime’s first episode grabs you by the shoulders and refuses to let you go. In my experience, a show usually takes three to five episodes to really get into its groove, which is why I won’t even consider dropping an anime until I’m five episodes in. But when a show does manage to establish its story (its tone, its conflict, etc.) and its characters (their personalities and relationships with each other) all within its opening episode, it truly is a thing of beauty! It makes me feel as if I’m onto something really special. Erased, Made in Abyss, Attack on Titan, Haibane Renmei, and Samurai Champloo are some excellent examples of anime with first episodes like this. 

Winter 2019’s The Promised Neverland also falls into this category. Major spoilers ahead for episode one…

The Promised Neverland’s first episode was one of the strongest that I’ve seen in years. It spent almost the entire episode introducing us to the kids of Grace Field House. Sure, they were all orphans, but, aside from that, they lived peaceful, idyllic lives. They spent their days learning together, preparing and eating beautiful, home-cooked meals together, and playing together in the lush, rolling hills and sprawling forests surrounding Grace Field House. And when one of their group would be “adopted”, rather than feel bitter towards or envious of that chosen child, they’d celebrate together and promise to remain life-long friends in spite of their upcoming separation. It was all very heartwarming, which made the big reveal all the more shocking… 

Alright, let me talk about that scene and some of the things that made it work so well… First of all, that shift in tone… Oof… If the preceding scenes were like luxuriating in a soothing, warm bubble bath, the scene where we learned what had happened to Connie and to all of the other kids who were “adopted” was like having a bucket of ice water dumped over your head. It was abrupt, jarring, and oh-so-very shocking… 

Even if, like me, you suspected that something was amiss going into this scene (the oppressive darkness and off-putting sound of a dripping pipe really set my nerves on edge), you could never, not in a million years, have guessed just how bad things actually were. That is, until you saw Emma and Norman’s faces as they caught their first glimpse of Connie’s lifeless body. It was clever, yet cruel, of The Promised Neverland to hold off on that reveal for a few moments more, leaving the camera to linger on the two children’s’ faces. Seeing their horrified expressions really let your imagination run wild with all of the terrifying possibilities! 

And then came the demons… Everything about them, from the way they looked, to the way they sounded, was horrifying! Their ashen colour skin and their faces, made up of exposed bone, gave the impression that they truly were the harbingers of death. Not to mention that the sound of their leader’s three eyeballs swivelling independently of one another in their sockets as it sought out Emma and Norman made me want to hurl! 

Finally, the reveal that Isabella, the kids’ “Mama”, was in on it the whole time was absolutely devastating! I couldn’t help but share in Emma and Norman’s despair as they realised that they’d been betrayed by the one and only parental figure in their lives, the one and only person they thought they could trust with their care, safety, and wellbeing. 

While The Promised Neverland peaked super early, watching it still felt like such an awesome experience, mostly because of that amazing first episode. I can honestly say that it was one of the few times in my life when I actually enjoyed getting the rug pulled out from under me! Before you go, let me know – what did you think of this scene? Did it come as a shock to you? If so, what about it shocked you the most?