The anime adaptation of the promised neverland manga launched its first season in 2019 to critical acclaim. the show finally offered answers to anime fans who wondered why manga readers were so obsessed with the series.
But, for fans won over by anime, is the promised neverland manga worth reading? Yes. here’s why.
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what is the country never promised about?
The Promised Neverland (or Yakusoku no Nebarando) manga, written by the enigmatic mangaka Kaiu Shirai and drawn by Posuka Demizu, launched in 2016 and consists of twenty volumes. cloverworks adapted it into an anime in 2019.
The Promised Neverland story follows a group of children in an orphanage known as Grace Field House.
All the children are presided over and cared for by an enigmatic but kind figure, Isabella, whom the children refer to as Mama. Every day, the children complete tests, eat together, and play outside.
our three protagonists are emma, norman and ray. They are the oldest and smartest kids in the orphanage, and as our story begins, they soon learn the truth about what Grace Field House is and what the future holds for them. this leads to a desperate plan to escape the house and his fate.
why you should read the land never promised
As of October 2020, the series is finished, with a total of twenty volumes. the fact that the manga is already finished is his first reason to dive into the series.
1. the promised neverland manga is finished
many anime fans end up turning to manga source material for this very reason: they can’t stand the wait and need to know what’s going to happen next in their new favorite series.
since the promised neverland is a labyrinthine series that combines so many genres (horror, dystopia, fantasy, mystery, suspense, suspense) and since its twists never stop, how could anyone be satisfied to wait for the next season? when the manga is waiting for them?
As of this writing, anyone desperate to see how the story not only continues, but concludes can do so by purchasing and reading the original manga series.
Compared to many shounen manga series, twenty volumes is quite reasonable and generous.
with a manga this size, you know padding or loss of direction won’t be a problem. the promised neverland morphs and changes as it goes, switching between genres in exciting and unexpected ways.
Twenty volumes aren’t too much of a pain for your wallet, either. It may take a while, but you should be able to buy and read most of the series before the next season drops.
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However, there are some manga whose anime adaptations are far superior. in that case, it may be preferable to wait for the series because you know you’re getting the best version of a story.
This is not the case for the promised neverland manga.
This series is not just a way to continue the story beyond where the anime has gone; it’s also a manga that is much better than the anime adaptation in almost every aspect.
2. the promised neverland manga is better
There are fans of this series who initially rejected the manga and chose to wait for the anime. many of those fans later regretted their decision and wished they had read the manga first (or even skipped the anime altogether).
That’s not to say the anime is bad, but, as is the case with many debates between manga and anime (tokyo ghoul comes to mind), there are so many elements that the promised neverland manga does better.
The first of these is the art direction. In trying to balance a faithful redesign of the manga art with dynamic and engaging animation, something got lost in translation.
the promised neverland anime suffers from weird character design (especially on their faces) and the animation feels very flat.
Because comics and manga are a visual medium, they have to be “directed” in the same way as animated shows, and the “direction” of manga, in this case, is far superior.
the manga has a much more forceful rhythm than the anime, with less empty spaces and moments of nothing. no panel is ever wasted and shot composition is always imaginative, often experimental.
Take the horror element of the series, for example. There are gruesome close-ups, jump scares, revelations, and sudden changes in perspective that Demizu wields with the deft hand of a seasoned horror director in manga, but completely fails in the promised Neverland anime. it’s a shame.
Going back to character design, there is a level of detail in the manga that is not seen in the anime. the world and characters are drawn with a bit more love and attention, while the anime feels blocky in comparison.
And while the anime’s color is often a mark in its favor, here it almost detracts from the series’ gloomy and ominous atmosphere.
There aren’t many manga series that outshine their anime adaptations so much, but the promised never land is certainly one of them. sometimes this eclipsing may be due to better art, pacing, or writing. here, it’s a mix of all three and more.
what this ultimately leads to is better horror. the promised neverland manga is much scarier than its anime adaptation.
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This is mainly due to some really detailed and wonderfully imaginative monsters and environmental designs. The demons of the promised neverland are some of the most imaginative monster designs in recent times.
not to mention the intensely varied and emotional expressions of the characters. half the time, you feel the horror because they do. in anime, this impact is often lost.
Her design in the anime, by comparison, looks a bit flat thanks to a lack of detail, some weird shapes and spacing issues, and the introduction of color.
The black and white nature of manga has always helped when it comes to horror, and this series is no exception.
(by the way, this visual divide between anime and manga is completely reversed when watching attack on titan, a being that is much better to watch than read).
obviously seeing emma, norman, the demons, and grace field house rendered in color is a delight, but the color change seems to light up the world too much.
The promised neverland is dark in more ways than one, and having the world bathed in color removes some of the tension, mystery, darkness, and fantasy elements of the manga.
adds a cartoonish element. At times, it almost feels like the anime tones down the impact of the manga, like it’s made for a younger audience.
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3. the promised neverland manga is best for newcomers
I’ve already touched on the issue of fans wishing they’d started with the manga instead of watching the anime.
Obviously, if you’re in a place or financial situation where anime is your only viable option, it’s by no means a bad show. but the plain truth is that the manga is far superior. the only thing missing is music.
However, if you’re one of these newcomers and you’re wondering: should you watch or read The Promised Neverland? The answer is: read it. you can continue the anime when you’re done, if you want.
But if you read the manga first, you’re giving yourself the best version of the promised neverland, and that’s a wonderful thing.
in conclusion
Here’s a rundown of why you should read The Promised Neverland, whether it’s because you’re sick of waiting for the next season or because you want the best version of the series.
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- the manga has already concluded, so you can read the whole story in one sitting
- twenty volumes is a reasonable and acceptable length for a shounen manga series
- the direction and choreography of the manga is far superior to the flatter, bland direction of the anime
- the art has much more richness and detail. the manga feels alive and vibrant, despite the lack of color
- the black and white nature of the manga keeps the tone of horror and suspense much more intact than the anime, even with the addition of detail from voice and music (although that operation is cool)