The Promised Neverland

Episode 3

There are three shots in the third episode of The Promised Neverland that are so perfectly composed that I could practically write an entire review on them alone. They occur in the penultimate scene of the episode, when Emma, Norman and Ray have met in the storage room to discuss the possibility that there is a traitor among the children:

The first shot frames Emma amongst the cramped and cluttered shelves of the storage room, emphasizing her smallness in the claustrophobic environment as the awfulness of such a possibility dawns on her. The second shot positions Norman across from Emma as he begins to confirm what she's already thinking, and the use of rack focus draws Emma into Norman's sphere while highlighting the barrier that makes these children so different from one another: Emma was the last one to consider that one of their own would betray them, though Norman had already figured it out – he's just hesitant to say something that would so cut so deep into Emma's defenses. The final shot pulls back to layer Ray into the conversation; ever the pragmatist, he finishes the thought that Norman won't say and Emma simply can't. Immediately, the focus racks back to Emma's horrified expression, and the circle is complete. While “181045” stumbles a bit compared to its predecessors, the show's direction remains impeccable.

I knew going in that this episode wouldn't quite live up to the heights of its predecessors. Now that Emma, Norman, and Ray have committed to their escape plan, the arc has entered a phase where much of the action is more cerebral in nature. Outside of a wonderfully tense game of “tag” between Sister Krone and the kids, most of the plot this week is focused on our heroes puzzling their way through the many obstacles in their path. Mama has adopted a new child who's far too young to tackle a prison break with two dozen other kids; Sister Krone has arrived to throw wrench after wrench into our hero's maneuvers; Emma is tasked with discovering the location of the tracking devices being used to keep tabs on everyone's movement; and now there's a potential traitor hiding among the children.

In the manga, this conflict is enhanced by exploiting the shifting pace of various internal monologues, as well as the artwork's expressionistic style and paneling. The anime has opted for a much more subdued approach, where the shot composition is more measured and consistent and gone is any trace of internal monologue. If characters need to express their thoughts, they do it out loud now. Sister Krone literally sings out her gleeful malice, dancing around with a broken little baby doll as she plots her takeover of Grace Field and the downfall of Mama (whose real name is Isabelle, for future reference). Later, when Emma finally discovers the tracker implanted in the baby Carol's ear, she announces her discovery with Gilda in earshot, and later scenes go out of their way to suggest that the timid girl in the glasses isn't as trustworthy as she might seem. Stuff like this might frustrate those who would question how wise it is for kids to be uttering their plans aloud when they're literally planning a life-or-death escape from a nightmare house of flesh-eating horrors.

Personally, I don't mind the soliloquizing. Maybe it's because I'm such a theater geek, but there have been many times where I've actually found it less naturalistic when an anime stops dead in their tracks to indulge some lengthy voice-over pontification. That kind of approach might make more literal sense for a manga, but with the way episodes like this take advantage of the story's confined setting and dramatic lighting, the whole affair already feels like a stage play. If such adaptive choices improve the flow of the dialogue and the drama, then I'm all for them.

However, there are a couple of choices this episode makes that aren't so easy for me to support. For one, the show has thus far omitted some small but crucial exchanges between the kids that help explain how they can know so much about the world they live in and the obstacles in their path. In the anime, Ray immediately starts surmising how there's no way for them to actually be living in the year 2015, because it would be impossible to have such long-term batteries to produce the kinds of tracking devices that Mama and the demons are using to corral the kids. Given what we know of the the protagonists' intellect and academic resources, it is possible for us to make some inferences about how the kids could have picked up on this information, but it's an awkward leap to make.

Then there's the issue of Sister Krone, who has shown up to serve as Mama's "assistant" and make the kids' lives complete hell—she also happens to be the cast's only significant woman of color. Anime has a checkered history when it comes to representing non-Japanese POC, and The Promised Neverland's treatment of Sister Krone doesn't do enough to break the mold. As a new character, Krone isn't half bad; she's theatrical, imposing, and physically intimidating, making for a perfect foil to Mama Isabelle. Unfortunately, her character design and mannerisms also draw from anime's tendency to fall back on racial caricatures and stereotyping. Truth be told, the anime is noticeably less severe in how it distorts Krone's exaggerated features, but it still sucks that a work as excellent as The Promised Neverland would have such an obnoxious speedbump for enjoying its artistry.

Aside from that misstep, The Promised Neverland is still going strong in its third week. As far as its cinematography, storyboarding, and direction are concerned, it's already working at a masterful level. There are dozens of shots, sequences, and other small moments that I would gush about for another thousand words if I could. This part of the manga threatens to get a little too up in its own head at times, but I won't be worried so long as the anime continues to make confident choices to bring out the best this story has to offer.

Rating: A-

The Promised Neverland is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, and Funimation.

James is an English teacher who has loved anime his entire life, and he spends way too much time on Twitter and his blog.