REVIEW:‌ ‌’The‌ ‌Promised‌ ‌Neverland,’‌ ‌Season‌ ‌2‌ ‌Episode‌ ‌3

The‌ ‌Promised‌ ‌Neverland‌ ‌‌Season‌ ‌2‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌highly‌ ‌anticipated‌ ‌return‌ ‌for‌ ‌fans‌ ‌of‌ ‌both‌ ‌the‌ ‌manga‌ ‌ -which‌ ‌has‌ ‌ended‌ ‌serialization-‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌first‌ ‌season‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌anime.‌ ‌Season‌ ‌1‌ ‌of‌ ‌‌The‌ ‌Promised‌ ‌Neverland‌‌ ‌aired‌ ‌in‌ ‌Winter‌ ‌2019‌ ‌to‌ ‌critical‌ ‌acclaim.‌ ‌Season‌ ‌2‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌direct‌ ‌continuation‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌previous‌ ‌story,‌ ‌tracking‌ ‌Emma‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌children‌ ‌of‌ ‌Grace‌ ‌Field‌ ‌as‌ ‌they‌ ‌fend‌ ‌off‌ ‌the‌ ‌demons‌ ‌that‌ ‌inhabit‌ ‌their‌ ‌steadily‌ ‌growing‌ ‌world.‌ ‌Last episode ‌dropped‌ ‌up‌ ‌viewers‌ ‌right‌ ‌back‌ ‌into‌ ‌the‌ ‌action‌ ‌of‌ ‌their‌ ‌recent‌ ‌escape‌ ‌from‌ ‌Grace‌ ‌Field.‌ ‌Now‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌real‌ ‌world‌ ‌-and‌ ‌without‌ ‌the‌ ‌protection‌ ‌of‌ ‌their‌ ‌forever‌ ‌lost‌ ‌home-‌ ‌the‌ ‌children‌ ‌have‌ ‌to‌ ‌find‌ ‌their‌ ‌way‌ ‌back‌ ‌to‌ ‌humanity…‌ ‌or‌ ‌else.‌ ‌The Promised‌ ‌Neverland‌ Episode 3 starts off with Emma, Ray, and Mujira in the underground caves.

The children of Grace Field are still calling those dark, earthen tunnels home, at least for now. There’s this sense that soon, they’ll have to go back aboveground and back into the thick of danger. For now… the kids get to be safe and sound and a family. Once again, Emma reaches out and shares a part of herself. This time, it’s a picture of her family: those left behind at Grace Field. It’s a tender moment, the kind that only Emma can provide. It’s a moment of complete, unabashed emotion, and it works.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of The Promised Neverland Episode 3 is Mujina and Emma’s newfound friendship. When demons have been shown, they’re vicious, slavering beasts. They’re also depicted as cunning, clever, horrific entities bent on harvesting children as meat. No matter what, they’re consistently depicted as being completely inhumane, down their very core.

Yet Mujina has a certain human quality to her. She’s about Emma’s height, and while she looks “older” than Emma, there’s a sense that she could be the teenage equivalent of human adolescence. Emma even notes that just like humans, demons have different appearances. Mujina only furthers that by remarking that she’s glad to be friends and that humans aren’t food. She and Emma are truly one and the same, even if they look different. I really hope they can remain friends.

The next day, the kids head back aboveground, eyes set on heading to the pen’s destination. With the coast clear, the kids start their trek back into the hauntingly beautiful world. While everyone’s excited… it’s also a really bittersweet moment. Mujina and Sonju have become a part of the Grace Field family. They’ve radically changed how the children think of demons.  But Ray quickly reminds the younger kids that they have to leave. They’re on a mission of their own. Plus, Mujina and Sonju have things to do. Still, it’s just so lovely to see how quickly the kids bonded with the demons. It really proves that there are so many ways for people to connect, regardless of creed or situation.

The kids walk all through the day into well into the night. Finally, they arrive at B06-32, the location the pen revealed to them. Only… their location isn’t there. There’s nothing but rock and barren landscape. The only thing of interest is the beautiful, starry night. Quickly, it becomes apparent that something has happened. The younger children become distraught, and feel lied to and betrayed. Ray is wise enough to look to the pen for guidance. Emma follows up with the smart realization that they’ll probably find the answer by using the books and the knowledge stored inside the pen. Thankfully, the answer comes quick: an underground tunnel. Without hesitation, the kids open it and climb down to their new home away from home.

The scene is incredibly tense. All of the music drops out, leaving ambient sound. This is such a great choice, especially since tension dominates the children’s lives. Just like when they escaped, the kids are heading into the unknown. It’s only suitable that there’s a sense of dread as they head into this shelter. After all, who knows what might wait in its dark halls?

Thankfully, what awaits them is a fully furnished shelter with kitchens, baths, beds, and loads of food. It really does seem like a slice of heaven, especially after all the Grace Field kids have been through. Yet there’s still a strange sense of unease, even as things lookup.

There’s still a lot of mystery left in The Promised Neverland Season 2, even in The Promised Neverland Episode 3. While viewers’ time with Mujina and Sonju has come to an end, it’s not a sad one. In fact, this episode is brimming with hope. That hope is so wonderful to witness, especially after seeing the kids fight so hard to just keep existing. Additionally, Promised Neverland Episode 3 is definitely much slower than the previous two episodes, but that’s not bad. Actually, it’s nice to see the kids catch their breath and just… be. It’s part of why I think fans such as myself keep coming back to the series.  Plus,  The Promised Neverland Episode 3 is also a solid transition episode. It successfully closes their time with the demons and sets up the next arc of the story quite well.

Overall, The Promised Neverland Episode 3 is good stuff and has made it easy to get excited for new episodes week to week. If you liked Promised Neverland Season 1, be sure not to sleep on this second season. There’s a lot here, and we’re only three episodes in!

The Promised Neverland Season 2 is streaming now on Funimation.