The Promised Neverland | Different Ideas of Storytelling

I remember when I first started watching The Promised Neverland, I couldn’t get enough of it. The suspense had me at the edge of my seat every episode, just to feel a sense of defeat when the ED came on giving me the signal that now I have to wait another week! AH! I decided against this feeling and decided to read the manga instead. Somehow I caught up and I’m still at the edge of my seat week by week like most of you because I love this adaption. I thought it would be cool to talk about the main difference between the manga and the anime.

To give you a bit of backstory, I have done this many times. I once lived by this principle that I can only take in a story by one medium. If I read the manga, then I will just see through it to the end that way. The same would go with the anime. I believe that changed once I caught up to the Detective Conan anime a few years back. I needed more! So I caught up on the manga in one night(I know, I’m crazy). I thought this would be a one-off but I then did the same thing with My Hero Academia but like Promised Neverland, I would do both. Why? Because it was so damn good. It also helped with skipping fillers.

What is so cool about Promised Neverland and what is the main difference between the manga and the anime. The manga uses inner monologue almost all of the time. You get more insight into what these characters are thinking. The anime director has chosen to use inner monologues as little as possible and try to paint the picture with their actions or just fill you in as the story progresses. There were the occasional clock and pendulum motif to add to the importance of the time and the battle the kids currently have with it. They both tell the same story but found different ways for the person consuming the media to enjoy it.

A good example of my previous point is when Norman confronts Ray about being the traitor. The moment was interesting because in the manga you get to watch Norman wrap his head around all this new information and come to the realization that they can win, escape. In the manga, you can kind of understand this just by watching Ray walk down the hall while Norman is in deep thought. They both react differently at the same time after. At that moment, I can see why the director made that choice and it delivers a different kind of experience.

Ultimately, The Promised Neverland anime is built to bring all the suspense that is built in the manga and then some. If you are only reading the manga, I do recommend checking out the anime. Some people would argue that come crucial moments could’ve been handled better but it’s all about how you FIRST experience those moments. When you first see the scene where Emma and Norman learn of what’s really going on, you can’t really look at it done differently and be objective. It’s nearly impossible.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this approach. Whether you would rather have inner monologue give you all the information you are missing or just figure it out as you go. Leave them in the comments below!