Add this dark drama to the pile of anime that have been delayed because of COVID-19.
On Thursday, April 23rd, reports surfaced that revealed the second season of The Promised Neverland, originally set to premiere in October 2020, has been delayed to January 2021. Additionally, the re-broadcast of the first season has been delayed from July 2020 to October. The worldwide virus pandemic was the reason cited for the delay.
Originally a manga series written by Kaiu Shirai and illustrated by Posuka Demizu which launched in August 2016 in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, The Promised Neverland has been a darling with fans and critics alike for years. This has led to it taking home multiple nominations and awards over the last four years including Best Shonen at the 63rd Shogakukan Manga Award in 2018. Meanwhile, the anime adaptation took home the award for “Best Fantasy” at the Crunchyroll Awards in 2020.
The first anime season for The Promised Neverland aired in January 2019 during the Noitamina animation block. With animation produced by studio Cloverworks, direction from Mamoru Kanbe, and Toshiya Ono handling series composition, The Promised Neverland was eventually named as one of the top anime series of the 2010s by multiple websites including Polygon, Crunchyroll, and IGN.
Besides the anime adaptation, a live-action movie is currently scheduled to be released in Japan in December 2020.
Viz Media publishes the manga in English and describes the story as:
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.
Source: Comic Natalie
