‘The Promised Neverland’ Anime Reveals Official Character Designs, Staff

Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu’s The Promised Neverland has been one of the more exciting Weekly Shonen Jump titles released in the last few years, and now it’s getting a brand new anime series next year.

The series dropped its first official visual for the series debuting many of its character designs along with a confirmation of the staff behind the series as well.

The Promised Neverland is currently slated for a January 2019 release, and will cover until the end of the “Escape” arc of the original manga (around Chapter 37). Mamoru Kanobe will be directing The Promised Neverland anime for CloverWorks. Toshiya Ohno will be handling the series composition, Kazuaki Shimada will be the character designer for the series, and Takahiro Obata will compose the music for the series.

The voice cast is being kept mostly underwraps for the majority of the large cast of characters, but the main trio of voices have been confirmed. Sumire Morohoshi will be portraying the lead Emma, Mariya Ise will portray Ray, and Maaya Uchida will be the voice of Norman.

If you are not familiar with The Promised Neverland, then you should know the manga is a very popular one in Japan. Originally created by Kaiu Shirai with illustrations provided by Posuka Demizu, Shueisha has prioritizedThe Promised Neverland since its August 2016 debut in Weekly Shonen Jump. The title shipped its eighth volume as of this year, and it has sold more than 4.2 million copies in-print since it was first published.

The series 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.”

The original manga series is going strong as the editor for the series recently revealed that The Promised Neverland has reached a major shift, stating that “the manga entered a new arc, and the serialization and story reached its turnaround point. From now on, as the story races at full speed to the end, I would be happy if you continue to watch over these kids as they learn the truth of the world and meet their destinies.”