TL;DR: If Chicken Run the movie ever became animated and instead of chickens you have humans and instead of farmers you have demons then this would be the ultimate anime adaptation your sadist soul had been looking for all this time.
[Story: 8/10 , Characters: 7/10, Art: 8/10, Sound: 8/10, Enjoyment: 9/10]
What is Yakusoku no Neverland you may ask? Why it's merely a slice of life about cutesy looking orphan kids... but it's actually a literal slice of life anime. Confused? Shook? Mate, you ain't even feeling woke yet. Going into this anime completely blind of the plot really sets you up for a fun series filled with endless cliff-hangers & heart attacks. If you look at the cover art, it's literally kids being served on a fine dining plate with posh cutleries. If that doesn't give you any hint on what kind of show this could be, then sit down, time to educate you on this phenomenal show of Winter 2019 brought to us by Studio Cloverworks.
Normally it takes about three episodes to get someone hooked on a show. The way this anime ends the first episode immediately has you hooked; similar to how SnK had you hooked. You are initially introduced to these Einstein level kids with super brain power, nursed and brought up by Mama (Loving Motherly Caretaker), innocently playing tag in this orphan house. Whenever the kids become of age, they are sent off to "Neverland" because they are old enough to be adopted. Doesn't that sound sweet to you? Wrong. Turns out this orphan house is a Brain Farm, where they are harvesting kids till their brain becomes prime meal for anteater looking demons living in the outside world. Ready to turn vegan yet? Fortunately for our genius kids, they discover this truth and now the game of tag begins between them and their conniving evil Mama. Will the kids be able to escape this ranch or will they become fodder for the demons? Are you hooked yet? If not, read on.
"You always feel lonely every time you get sick. I didn’t want you to feel sad. " ~ Emma
The major characters of this show really stands out from one another. They are all geniuses but differ in their respective personality. The major characters are Norman, the mastermind that knows how to coexist, Emma, the happy go lucky girl that just wants everyone to be happy and lastly Ray, the edgiest selfish boy you will ever meet. Juxtaposing all three of their personality you have Mama on the opposite spectrum, who just smirks at the kids trying to be all sneaky while foiling each of their plots. It's very reminiscent of when we were kids and trying to pull a fast one over our parents but it always failed because they were always ten steps ahead of us. However, unlike us, these kids seemingly possess 200 level IQ. It's exhilarating to watch them play 5D chess with each other. Besides them, you have side characters like Don and Gilda who are your token overtly emotional whipping boys who abides by the plan till they screw up. It's interesting to note, design wise, the kids and the toddlers seems to have similar looks phenotype wise. It could be that they are probably from a similar gene pool; after all it is a farm. Lastly, the stand out character of this show, is this little boy named, Phil. Keep your eyes on Phil because I don't trust that kid one bit. He always pops up in the most strangest scenarios. There is another Mama but that's a surprise for only show watchers to experience.
"The person you see before you is the strongest card you have" ~ Ray
Aside from the exhilarating plot and dynamic characters, the art and animation of this show did justice to the Manga. Studio Cloverworks maybe a small studio but seeing what an awesome job they have done animating and giving life to this show is truly breathtaking. The panels are vibrant, the animation is smooth and the director really knows how to play around with lighting to evoke dread and despair in every scene in the show. Not too much to complain. There are some CG moments but mostly blended CG not too noticeable to the viewers. Moreover, the OST is just amazing. Both the OP and ED songs are just outright bangers. Definitely worth a listen as a standalone. Lastly, special shoutout to the amazing seiyuus working on this show, particularly, Maaya Uchida (Norman), Sumire Morohoshi (Emma) and Mariya Ise (Ray). They just heightened the personality of these kids to the next level and fans of HxH 2011 and FMAB would recognize the familiar voice.
"I want to do the things that'll make Emma happy...because I love her. I won't let her die." ~ Norman
Overall, I am so glad this was a sleeper OP hit to start of 2019. After shows like Made in Abyss and SnK leaving the empty feeling of seeing cutesy looking characters in grievous danger, the inner sadism in most of us will feel satisfied watching this awesome show. The plot is unpredictable, the characters are multi-dimensional and both the animation & OST do justice to accentuate this show to a greater level. I would definitely recommend watching this anime and I'm happy to hear this anime is getting a second season. Good luck not reading the manga and waiting for the sequel. Anyways, give it a watch and tell me later how you found this anime!
P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!
P.P.S. In Japan, Tag is known as "onigokko," and the person we refer to as "it" is called the "oni" in Japanese which of course, is a demon.
