It’s been a while since I did an Episode review.
And the last time I did one, it was again for the tenth episode of an anime.
This time its about The Promised Neverland. I’ve been actually thinking of making such a post about this anime last week, but I decided to wait for the events of today’s episode instead.
But honestly, this anime has been so thrilling I could have written an episode review for every single episode because all of them had something shocking, and all of them left me desperately wanting to know what will happen next.
Norman leaves
Episode 10 sees Norman leave Grace Field with mom because, ofcourse, he is about to get adopted by a new family and that’s all there is to it.
But before he leaves, he explains to Ray and Emma how hopeless the situation for the escape is.
Norman attempting to escape himself would not help matters for the rest of the children, so he decides it’s better that he sacrifices himself.
The only thing he puts into his suitcase is a pair of cups with a wire. A flashback showed this is what he and Emma used to talk with at the time when he was sick and no one was allowed to enter his room.
Such a cute, lovely flashback, but also so sad in the context it is being used in. We even get a younger version of Ray, the mastermind behind the entire cup concept. He was a bookworm since the start, I see.
Back to the present and Emma just refuses to give up, having one last try at somehow making Norman escape. But Norman has already made up his mind.
This is a face of someone who has accepted that he is about to get brutally killed.
And yet I somehow still don’t think it has actually happened. Surely not. Remember the rule – if they don’t show the body, it hasn’t happened.
We haven’t seen the body just yet. And this is Norman we are talking about. I’m not sure how he could possibly save himself from the situation he was in, but I still have this feeling that he somehow found a way.
Despair and sadness
As expected of children that have lost their long-lasting best friend, Emma and Ray are having a hard time getting over what has just happened.
Gilda and Don try to arrange a “meeting” about the future escape plans, but Ray seems to have lost all of his hope and drive.
The most emotional part of the episode for me was when he said he is “really tired”. This is a child that has been aware of the dark secrets since his very start. He was never supposed to know. And yet he had to watch so many children leave the place while knowing the fate that is awaiting them.
And then seeing someone like Norman leave for the same fate, despite the fact that he has been secretly trying for years to prevent that from happening… This was too much, even for someone like Ray.
Determination
But would it really be like Ray and Emma that they simply give up this way?
Clearly not, as they still seem to have plans.
Ray was seen reading loads of books. Nothing new from him. But remember the earlier episodes when they found some hidden hints in the books?
I have a feeling Ray must have discovered something new related to that. And Emma surely did not just sit depressed without trying to come up with new solutions and ways out.
And there is still Phil. Norman gave more hints that he is about to play a huge role in turning the situation around.
I still have no idea how could it possibly happen, but as the night before Ray’s shipment goes by, I’m dying to find out.
Why can’t Cloverworks just release a lot of episodes at once, just like Kadokawa did multiple times for Boogiepop?
Let me know your thoughts on episode 10 of The Promised Neverland* in the comments below! Do you still believe an escape is possible?
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The Promised Neverland manga on Bookdepository.
Find The Promised Neverland merchandise and manga on Amazon.
March 15, 2019
This episode is brilliant! Simply brilliant! It got layers to it: underneath the rollercoaster ride of emotions there are some smaller bits of info that give additional insights about characters and what is going on.
When I first watched it I was feeling very sad and depressed about what was going on. All hope was lost and it really seemed that Emma and Ray are done for due to the fact that Norman is no longer with them. But as soon as I saw the final seconds – it hit me: their depression was a ruse.
Because of course it was:
1) It was already established how strongly Emma believed in the idea of escaping in the previous episodes.
2) In this very episode Norman directly states to Emma to never give up, like passing her the torch. And we know that she will hold his last words close to her heart, considering the strength of their connection.
3) We even get a scene with the kids when they were little. While it might seem that this is a nostalgic peace about paper cups and Norman connection with Emma, it also shows that you can’t stop Emma. She simply refuses to back down and manages to reach her goal despite all odds.
I realized that I was initially looking at Emma and Ray depression from Mother’s perspective. She thought about them as of the most important kids (both in terms of most tasty food and the minds behind the escape plan). So if she was sure that they are moping in the pit of depression and give up – then everything is fine.
But during the second watching of the episode I started looking for clues and other things came into focus: other kids (the twins, the ever present Phil, Don and Gilda) were doing something strange: some weird choice of toys and activities, serious and determined faces, etc. It seems that they were up to something. Like it is some sort of training, just not in the way of game of tag as it was before. I just refuse to believe that Don and Gilda just gave up on the spot and started playing with others just for the fun of it, so maybe they were furthering the plan somehow, while Mother was focused on Emma and Ray being miserable?
It was easy to skip the first time around as the sadness of the main characters was definitely in my face the whole time. But this seems to be the beauty of this trick.
Additional thoughts on Isabella:
It seemed to me that when Mother went to â€console’ Emma, she was actually talking to herself. She wanted to project her worldview and shout to herself, that the choice she made all those years ago is still the right one. She was just saying all of this out loud to once again calm herself and keep her worldview intact. It was also like an extension of her answer to Norman about happiness (because his question shook her). That basically her path is the only path to happiness that is possible within the existing system. Hard stuff.
March 15, 2019
Oh wow how do I even reply to such a well thought out comment, thank you very much for this!
You put into perspective why they are doing this sadness tactic. If the main “brains” of the escape are gone or lost motivation to escape, mom probably expects that Don and Gilda gave up too. And ofcourse Phil, I really believe he will be crucial, just think about it, mom has absolutely no reason to believe he will help the escape…
Ofcourse Emma and Ray didn’t just give up. It would be way too out of character. Ray has been devoted to doing this escape since his very start, no way he is just gonna back off at the final stages. But even if the ‘sadness tactic’ was a real thing, then how come Ray asked Emma about giving up? It wouldnt happen if this was part of the plan. But I can see that it could unintentionally work in their favour.
The Promised Neverland is really so good at making you doubt what is actually happening. You may see something one way, but then you ask yourself if there is actually much more to it and there usually is and it makes perfect sense why. This is one of the main specialities of this anime in my opinion.
Also great observation on that Emma and Isabella dialogue. Norman’s question was the rare time we saw a glimpse of her true feelings.