The Promised Neverland Director Discusses Anime's Most Important Villain Choices

The Promised Neverland is a breath of fresh air in the anime world. A series that has an ever expanding cloud of dread, the franchise focuses closer on mystery and thought provoking situations as the children of the orphanage attempt to escape from a monstrous scenario. We had the chance to chat with the director of the anime franchise, Mamoru Kanbe, about the choices that were made differently for the iconic villains, and den mothers, of the orphanage in Isabella and Krone with the anime versus the manga at the recent convention, Anime Expo 2019:

Mamoru Kanbe: "Throughout the series, a lot of you might have noticed we have a lot of monologues going on. However, there are so many characters with monologues… we decided to take it out as a whole. And since Isabella is the villain, I thought if we don't know what she's thinking it would be more eerie and she'd be more powerful.

From the original manga, you would see this is the song Isabella hummed to Ray when she was pregnant with him. We felt it would be appropriate to have as the main theme featured throughout the series. When I discussed with the music producer what melody to use, the main answer was melancholy and something easily hummed.

We wanted Krone to be more of an open book and humorous. However, she doesn't have anyone she can talk to. Therefore we included the doll she could share her emotional and inner side with. If you really go back to the first episode with Honey was taken away, she had her bunny taken away. Krone became an adult and had her doll with her which kept her sane."

Isabella and Krone may not be monsters themselves, but they come across as almost more terrifying than the beasts waiting to eat the children of the Promised Neverland, as their friendly demeanors hide sinister personalities.

What do you think of this breakdown of both Isabella and Krone from the Promised Neverland? Are you excited for the upcoming second season of the anime? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and deadly orphanages hiding secret monsters!

Originally created by Kaiu Shirai with illustrations provided by Posuka Demizu, The Promised Neverland joined Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 2016. It's been a key series ever since its debut, leading to selling over 4.2 million copies in such a short time. The Promised Neverland is licensed by VIZ Media for an English language release and is described as such:

"Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as "Mom," all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes and the perfect environment to learn—what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing."