The Promised Neverland: Season 2 – Review/ Summary (with Spoilers)

The Promised Neverland: Season 2 is a proverbial sophomore slump compared to season 1 as it presents no credible threats or reasons to get invested.

Title Card - The Promised Neverland Season 2

The Promised Neverland: Season 2 is a proverbial sophomore slump compared to season 1 as it presents no credible threats or reasons to get invested.


Network Funimation
Creator(s) Kaiu Shirai
Aired 1/8/2021 – 3/26/2021
Episodes 11
Genre(s) Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult, Animation, Non-English

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Season Summary

With escaping Grace Field, the next goal is securing a safe place to lay their heads and developing a way to rescue all the kids at Gracefield and the others at various other farms. However, even with the help of people like Mr. Minerva, amongst others, getting to the human world and not starting a war which their ancestors sacrifice was supposed to solve, that would be the issue.

Review

Highlights

A Taste Of How Demons Live

Demons were often mysterious figures in season 1. They existed in the distance, behind computers, rarely, if ever, interacting with children, unless they were to eat them. So to see common demons, starved for human meat, living lives that seemed borderline normal, it was a short-lived treat. Sweet in getting the perspective, yet short-lived since The Promised Neverland didn’t do much in the way of exploring how demons were beyond the limited perspective of our characters. Even when you include Sonju and Mujika.

A Brief History Of The Demon World

Sonju standing with blade in hand.

Between learning about the war that was ended by the human compromise/ sacrifice, to gaining some idea of the effort to end demon dependency on human meat, sprinkled throughout were bits and pieces of demon history. Never enough to feel like you got a full idea of what has happened up until now. But just enough to push you towards reading the manga, in hopes it has all the missing details.

Low Points

A Weak & Feeble Threat

Peter Ratri introducing himself

Whether it is Peter, Isabelle, the grandma, or the demons, no one presents themselves as credible and consistent threats. Also, unlike season 1, you rarely, if ever, are put in a place where you are scared for the kids. Rather, they always seem capable, ahead of the curve, and considering Norman’s ability to inflict an utter genocide on them, it leaves you to feel they are far too overpowered in this situation. Almost to the point of wanting to root for the demons.

On The Fence

Constant Feelings Of Disappointment

Emma waving goodbye
Emma waving goodbye

After the emotional wreck that the first season left us, like many, we were excited for the second season and what it could present. Especially with us now venturing out into the demon world and getting to see beyond the limited information of the farm. However, more often than not, the show didn’t really take advantage of all it could. We didn’t get to see much of the demon world, according to those who read the mange, a whole section of the story was omitted, and at times The Promised Neverland‘s second season came off as a contractual obligation than a labor of love. Thus making it something you watched with hopes it would hit its stride eventually, but that time never came.

Overall

Rating: Mixed (Stick Around)

The Promised Neverland in its second season feels like a disappointment. One that had multiple moments where it could have been better, delved into this topic or storyline more, but instead just nodded to it and left you feeling that only the manga would have what is missing. Thus leaving you constantly hoping for something more while getting less and less to justify you sticking around – beyond finishing what you started.

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