!!CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA AND THE ANIME!!

First of all, I would like to say that 'The Promised Neverland' is one of the first anime I’ve watched and one of my favorites, so it occupies a really important place in my mind and heart. I was so excited for the second season to be released that I developed high expectations—only for them to be completely crushed after watching it and realizing that literally half of the story was cut out.

STORY

The story was so rushed, and the pacing was so unsatisfactory, it hurt just watching it (especially after reading the manga and knowing what was really missing). The fact that it skipped an ENTIRE narrative arc (the Goldy Pond arc) was completely unnecessary—and for what? Just to end it in two seasons?

It’s so frustrating because they left out so many eventful scenes that had so much potential and gave more meaningful context to the plot. The Goldy Pond arc was the best part of the manga (in my opinion), with the introduction of such interesting characters who weren’t just there for the sake of the plot—they also had their own complexities and unique traits.

All of it barely represented the original masterpiece and completely ruined the original story. It’s a shame that, because of it, a lot of fans lost interest in the series. It breaks my heart a little bit.

CHARACTERS

By eliminating the Goldy Pond arc, so many good characters were just thrown out to speed everything up. As a result, many parts ended up being coincidences or felt off without those characters in place.

(Justice for Yugo^^ He’s my favorite, and I hated discovering what they had done with him this season.)

At the same time, a lot of character development was missing. In the manga, much of it occurred thanks to the people the protagonists met. Since those encounters were not animated, it felt like nothing had really changed or impacted them deeply. They didn’t even try to show that the characters had grown at all—they seemed exactly the same as in season one.

For example, Norman’s maturity in the manga was very noticeable; he appeared far more grown-up than before. Even Emma and Ray changed throughout the story. The differences aren’t always obvious, but if you compare a drawing from the early chapters to one from later on, you can clearly see the progression.

The protagonists, especially Emma, seemed much stronger in the manga than in the anime. I'm not just talking about physical strength, also mentally and spiritually. That’s mostly because they faced more hardships and underwent major events that changed their perspectives—events that were left out of this season.

STYLE

The only thing that stayed consistent was the art style. I can’t really complain about it—it’s the same as in season one and is almost flawless and satisfying to watch, in my opinion.

In conclusion, all I can say is that this anime had such a strong start and looked so promising, but in the end, it was ultimately wasted due to how uneven everything became. I really hope more people will get into the manga and enjoy it for its great story, rather than drop out after watching this season—because it’s truly worth it. I will always consider this story one of my favorites, but I’ll stick strictly to the manga series.