The Promised Neverland was one of the biggest anime hits of the Winter 2019 anime season, and Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu’s manga series has been an even bigger hit in the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump. It’s no surprise that the anime did as well as it has given how well the manga has been received, but how did the anime adaptation come to be in the first place? It turns out that producer Kenta Suzuki knew that it would make for a hit anime.
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Speaking about the series’ anime adaptation during a special panel at Anime Expo 2019, producer Kenta Suzuki knew it was going to be an interesting and exciting series from the jump.
Suzuki mentioned when he first saw the series in Weekly Shonen Jump, “Ever since the first [chapter], I felt this was going to be a big hit. It’s going to be so interesting and exciting for everyone.” But what really sparked Suzuki into making the manga series an anime was the end of the Escape arc, “So, in the manga…they do escape. When I read that part, I felt inspired, and I really wanted to make this into an animation, and have fans see it as well.”
Elaborating further, Suzuki stressed that the anime’s production was very much a collaborative effort, “In order to have this become an animated series, I need a lot of people to help me out. The people at Shonen Jump and my boss at Aniplex.” Suzuki had an eye for the series’ original manga, and the anime adaptation truly delivered.
The end of the Escape arc happens toward the end of the first season of the anime, and Suzuki saw his original inspiration come to life. The fans really enjoyed the end of the first season, and are currently waiting on baited breath for the premiere of the second. So, Suzuki saw that this was going to be a bit hit of an anime series, and The Promised Neverland is really looking like it so far!
Licensed by Aniplex of America, The Promised Neverland is now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, and HIDIVE. Mamoru Kanbe directs the anime for CloverWorks, and Toshiya Ohno handles the series composition, Kazuaki Shimada serves as character designer for the series, and Takahiro Obata composes the music.
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.”
