REVIEW:‌ ‘The‌ ‌Promised‌ ‌Neverland‌,’ ‌Season‌ ‌2‌ ‌Episode‌ ‌11

Last time on The Promised Neverland, the show kicked off the first half of the two-part finale with Emma’s return to the farms. There, she and her fellow Grace Field siblings encountered Peter Ratri, as well as their mother, Isabella. However, instead of being against them, Isabella and her cadre of murder moms were on the side of humanity. Now, we’ll see if Emma’s drive is enough to get her and her family to her promised neverland in Promised Neverland Episode 11.

Promised Neverland Episode 11 picks up right where episode 10 left off, with Emma finally coming face to face with Peter Ratri. She comes armed not with weapons, but with hope for humanity. Yet Peter is resistant and doesn’t believe in a world where demons don’t hold sway. Yet as always, Emma believes in the simple fact that they can find freedom on the other side.

Promised Neverland Episode 11 is the part finale, part backstory. The former was a given, but the latter was… unexpected. Peter Ratri is an interesting character… if Promised Neverland Episode 11 wasn’t the finale. If this episode was halfway through the season, the heck yeah, I’d be here for more background on him. I’d even want to see him in action. 

But this late in the game, every single second counts. I found myself wholly uninterested in Peter Ratri and anything dealing with him. Instead, I just wanted to get back to the main story and see where things were going to end. Thankfully, things pick up and we’re dropped back into the falling action of the final arc of the show.

Just like episode 8, there’s a lot here that should make me feel something. Yet I still felt hollow through most of this episode. I credit that to the massive amount of content that’s not here. Cutting the plot did more than shortening the material necessary for this second season. It took away any emotional build-up that might have made this finale bombastic. Even when some eleventh-hour plot kicks in, I still felt nothing.

Instead, I just kind of wanted Promised Neverland Episode 11 to be… over. I feel a strange sense of bittersweet sorrow at this finale. On one hand, The Promised Neverland is one of my favorite franchises. I love the manga and love the art style and diversity that’s baked into the world. Yet, on the other hand, this second season was rough, with too many lows and not nearly enough highs to match. Because of the massive amount of content missing, the plot feels both rushed and empty, creating a weird sequel season that just… lacks any impact.

I’m not sure what else there is to say about Promised Neverland Episode 11. It’s not bad, but it’s not good. There’s a lot packed into its 24-minute run. The emotional moments are emotional… or rather, they should be. There’s just not enough to really satisfy anyone. And while there’s definitely a resolution, I closed my browser and didn’t really think much of it other than, “It’s over.” 

Then I went on with my day. 

I couldn’t help but think of The Promised Neverland Season 1 a lot during this finale episode. There was so much emotion packed into every single episode. When the kids were happy, you felt elated. When they were enraged, you felt similar anger. When they wept, you could feel their pain. And when they were being threatened by Isabella, Krone, and the demons, you felt true tension. That’s all gone in Promised Neverland Episode 11 and the entire back half of season 2. In fact, Promised Neverland Episode 11 is just kind of an empty episode that’s well animated, but… kind of just there. It’s an unsatisfying bookend to a grueling second season. Worse yet, it’s just kind of boring, despite the score and animation giving me hints that I should feel something. 

There’s actually a lot of really touching moments in the Promised Neverland Episode 11. It’s beautiful seeing the story come full circle. There are also some really neat bits of plot and world-building that get dropped in this episode. I’d argue there’s enough to consider a spin-off manga. Credit where credit is due: The Promised Neverland is wicked fascinating. I’m constantly intrigued by every single element of Emma’s world. That’s why it’s such a shame that this season went the way it did.

In the end, The Promised Neverland Season 2 is one of the weakest shows from the Winter 2021 season. It continually dropped the ball. Rather than create an original, anime-only story that was just as satisfying as the manga, it cut a lot of corners. Naturally, this led to a great deal of upset from fans of the franchise. I imagine this show will be considered one of the lowest of Winter 2021, and potentially, the entire year.

I’m… glad, I suppose, to be closing the proverbial cover on this series. I hate that it’s come down to me feeling so negative about The Promised Neverland Season 2, but here we are. As far as I know, there’s no more content coming out, at least anime-wise. This is… all she wrote. I’m okay letting The Promised Neverland anime go.

The Promised Neverland Season 2 is streaming now on Funimation.