Let’s start with a few things first: This is a review from a person WHO DID NOT READ THE MANGA and who waited for the official season 2 from Netflix. Since I have no prior knowledge of the story past the beloved first season, I have nothing to compare to nor have high expectations for. And YES, I am aware that this is supposedly a poor adaptation of a fantastic manga story, thus the low rating given by, unsurprisingly, many disappointed fans of the manga. However, I decided to give this review as an attempt at giving a more balanced impression of the show. We
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all need variety even from a MAL review section, right?
Now, if you are curious on why I haven’t read the manga yet, then I’d simply tell you that my job includes reading a lot of texts and thus, I have slowly grown a preference for anime lately, purely for a more immersive experience. I would watch the anime first then read the manga second, if I am in the mood (and the time, lol). This review will contain very few minor spoilers.
With all that said, let me begin.
MUSIC = ⅘. The OP was just fine, but the ED? Great. Enough said. The OP "Mahou (魔法)" by Myuk is on my main playlist in Spotify right now. But nothing beats Obata Takahiro’s main theme for this series...just hauntingly perfect and wonderful.
ART = ⅘: The art and the character design are still good. Similar to the first season. The demon people in the town were just pretty much ordinary in design, and not as scary. The design for the stray monsters outside Grace Field, however, are particularly well-done. It’s a shame we don’t get to see the faces of the demon people directly.
CHARACTERS = 3.5/5: No doubt Emma remains the heart of the story, and frankly, the heroine. Her strength and natural goodwill is too good to be true, but heck, I was still there rooting for her. Unfortunately, major characters like Ray and Norman were reduced to supporting characters. Compared to the strong first season, Ray is now reduced to a lesser role and is mostly Emma’s sidekick and the obligatory person to cheer her up. Norman took a long time to appear; I was excited by the initial change in character and values, but the excitement did not last long. The new characters, humans and demons, are a welcome addition since they’re not two-dimensional and just made the kids better people. It’s a pity that they didn’t show Mama Isabella that much since I find her an interesting flawed character. The main antagonist has his motivations for his actions, but he is not memorable either. I admit that there are other characters that needed more screen time, but I gave this 3.5 since the strong familial bonds that the kids share for each other--the core of this story--just made my heart all gooey.
PLOT = 2.5/5: I got disappointed. The plot particularly was a huge let down after the first few episodes. There were moments of exciting revelations about their world’s history (great world-building btw!) and demon myths, but if I am going to be honest, this show did not have the perfect pace, suspense and intrigue that the first season generously and proudly showered us with. I understand that the next arc would be entirely different since they left the farm, so a shift from the story is expected. However, I think my major disappointment was not the shift, but rather how later parts got predictable and too easy. Plot armor was everywhere. Many scenes were cut and we are left to imagine how they happened, like how they ended up in a demon town and in an isolated tower. And of course, the dreaded time-skips are there. They rushed it for sure.
But once I figured out that this is not a continuation about fooling “Mama” with all the carefully coordinated and secret mind-chess moves, I was able to enjoy what I was watching, believe it or not. As someone who did not read the original, I think that the second season is all about the kids’ own bonds and drive to survive and keep everyone together despite their struggle in an unknown world. Although it seemed too easy and miraculous many times, I found myself rooting for them, hoping every child side-character in their family is safe. **Next sentence is a bit of a spoiler, so please skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want one!** I have a theory that the creators of the second season did not intend the kids (especially the tiny ones) to get hurt, eaten, or killed on screen at all, which is frankly a relief in a way (cos they are practically babies and that would be just too cruel), but at the same time a downer if you are expecting a survival slash suspense story. With this change in mind, I can finally give the story a ⅗.
ENJOYMENT 3.5/5: I found some parts cliche and conflicts resolved too easily. The mystery is there and revealed properly, but it was just not as jaw-dropping and intense as the first season. The ending was alright, but I wished they expanded more on the journey after “that person” had made her decision. Why just a time-skip?! They could flesh out the story, maybe in another season or a few more episodes. We didn’t get that though. But you know what? Despite its flaws, I actually did enjoy the show. Why? Because, as corny as it sounds, I actually got invested in these children. I liked watching them train, interact with each other, grow emotionally and survive on their own. They got the ending that they deserve, albeit too easy and predictable.
I am actually planning on reading the manga in the near future and if I do, I might rewatch this just to see the differences. So, anyway, if you have watched the first season but haven’t read the manga, then go ahead and watch this. Just keep in mind that if you are here for the mind-blowing plots in the first show, then consider your expectations crushed. But if you set that aside and focus on the kids--their relationship, their growth, and teamwork--and hope for a proper conclusion for them and the series, then it’s worth checking it out.
Sep 23, 2021
Yakusoku no Neverland 2nd Season
(Anime)
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Let’s start with a few things first: This is a review from a person WHO DID NOT READ THE MANGA and who waited for the official season 2 from Netflix. Since I have no prior knowledge of the story past the beloved first season, I have nothing to compare to nor have high expectations for. And YES, I am aware that this is supposedly a poor adaptation of a fantastic manga story, thus the low rating given by, unsurprisingly, many disappointed fans of the manga. However, I decided to give this review as an attempt at giving a more balanced impression of the show. We
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Jun 16, 2015
Philosophia
(Manga)
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In a world where everything can get repetitive, there would be just one random day when you will meet someone very odd and obscure who will surprisingly and astoundingly change your life and thinking as a person. Basically, this is the premise of Amano Shuninta’s “Philosophia.”
Having previously read Shuninta-sensei’s sexy titles namely “Sweet Guilty Love Bites” and “Watashi no Sekai wo Kousei suru Chiri no You na Nani ka,” I was settled to give this manga a try with a preconceived notion of delicious playfulness as content. However, reading “Philosophia” has caught me off-guard. I should have known better with such a sober-sounding title! “Philosophia” ... 
Apr 14, 2015
Collectors
(Manga)
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If you’re tired of the usual yuri set in high school with moe characters and melodrama, then you have to read Nishi Uko-sensei’s “Collectors”. Since it’s josei and of the slice-of-life genre, it has this very realistic approach in both story and delivery. So far, I found this highly different from the yuri standard fare out there, and so it’s definitely a refreshing read!
“Collectors” is about the simple and bookish Nitou Shinobu who collects books, and her fashionable and pretty girlfriend, Kanzaki Takako, who collects clothes. The manga introduces them as a couple already, so it just depicts their relationship, interactions and how they live ... |
