The Promised Neverland is one of the most unique series Shounen Jump has seen in years, but it has finally reached its conclusion. The adventures of Emma and her ever-growing band of pals has ended, some say a little too soon. The Promised Neverland still had plenty of questions left to answer and the entirety of the human world to explore, but it raced towards the finish line. Why is that? Are fans happy with the ending? Well, as with most things, they're of two minds about it.
Some feel it was a perfect way to wrap up the story while others felt it left a lot to be desired. So, to help people understand, let's go over some of the reasoning behind both sides. Heads up, obviously there will be spoilers, so for fans still anxiously waiting for Season 2, be careful while reading this.
10 IT'S PERFECT: They Achieved What They Set Out To Do
Let's start things off on a happier note, considering all the awful stuff that happened to Emma, Ray, Norman, and the rest of the Grace Field kids throughout the series. And, there's nothing happier than these kids managing to achieve their goals!
From the beginning, Emma's main goal/drive in life was to make sure the Grace Field kids were safe, escape from the Demon World, and keep everyone alive. And, for the most part, they did it. They all made it to the human world, all the kids are safe, there were only a few deaths, and Emma even remade the promise so no future kids would be treated as livestock ever again.
9 IT FELL SHORT: Emma Wasn't There To Enjoy It...
Emma did achieve her goal, but at what cost? Turns out the new "Promise" Emma made wasn't exactly as lucky as she made it seem to the rest of the group because it cost her all the memories of the family she's been trying to protect this entire time. Some would say that this actually makes the ending better as it feels more "real."
Emma is finally suffering actual consequences for trying to get everything to work out exactly the way she wants, an aspect of her that still confuses readers to this day. However, the entire theme of The Promised Neverland is about unshakable determination and resolve, so this lopsided Promise doesn't quite fit.
8 IT'S PERFECT: ...But Emma Did Get To See Her Family Again
From another person's point of view, it can be said that the ending of Promised Neverland still did encapsulate that "unshakable resolve" perfectly since the Grace Field crew never gave up in their search for Emma and it eventually paid off. Sure, she might not remember them, but she gets to be with them again and make all new memories, so she still gets her way.
Emma, Ray, and Norman were always the best at figuring out how to make the absolute best out of a tragic situation, and this ending still feels like they did just that. Do fans wish a few more questions were answered? Sure. But the story did the best it could.
7 IT FELL SHORT: Many Warnings About The Human World Never Paid Off
Remember how many characters warned Emma about the human world? About how this world they were searching for might not be as great of a place as it seems? The Ratri Clan especially seemed to prefer this Demon contract to how the world was before. But, once the Grace Field kids got there, nothing bad really happened?
Ray and Norman simply got to use a whole slew of resources to find Emma as soon as they arrived, and they were all taken care of worry-free. For all that allusion to the "dark side" of the human world, fans sure didn't get to see much of it.
6 IT'S PERFECT: The Demon World Got Its Own Happy Ending
Once the demons were revealed, it wasn't exactly clear how the resolution would work out with them. Initially, these nightmarish creatures who fed on humans only deserved unhappiness. But, as the story went on, readers saw that there was more to their history, how their own biology worked against them, and that they deserved their own happiness too, even after all they've done to humankind.
So, seeing Mujika's storyline work out and knowing that the Demons found a new peaceful way to live was an unexpected plus for Neverland's ending.
5 IT FELL SHORT: The Happy Ending Ruined The Promise
The same way that Norman being alive sort of ruined the emotional impact of his farewell, Emma reuniting with her family in the end kind of takes the wind out of the disparity of the Promise scene. The One (also known as "Him" or the God of The Demon World) picked the very thing Emma cared about most when remaking the Promise, her very family itself, and the memories she held of them.
It was meant to emotionally hurt the readers and show that Emma would sacrifice anything and everything for her family. So, the fact that she still mostly got her way and got to be with her family again, even if she can't remember them, does still take away from the emotional impact that scene had.
4 IT'S PERFECT: The Ghosts That Led Ray To Emma
Usually, the idea of using "ghosts" as a plot device in a Shounen series (or really any series) is looked down upon. Whether it's giving a bit of advice, "symbolically" lifting the hero up when they are knocked down, or appearing to encourage them to push it just that one foot further, ghosts are seen as a cheap plot device.
It always feels like the author is suddenly injecting something supernatural into the story and mostly comes off as forced or lazy. However, the ghost of Conny just ever so slightly pulling on Ray to point him towards Emma in the final chapter is simply perfect.
3 IT FELL SHORT: The Series Was Set To Run For 3 More Years
While the ending felt sufficient in many ways, it was also quite obvious it was rushed. They resolved the issue of Emma being dropped at some random spot in the human world in one chapter and condensed the search for her to just a couple of pages. It's clear that while The Promised Neverland ran consistently for over two years, it was rushed towards its conclusion.
The series was still an unexpected success, especially with the anime adaptation, so it deserved more. Yet, it's clear as day that there was meant to be a whole story arc that takes place in the human world that readers will never see now.
2 IT'S PERFECT: The End Of Mama's Story
Mama isn't a villain, no matter how many evil things she's done. She was obviously not a "good person" either, but fans can safely say that this caretaker did what she had to in order to survive. The story of Mama is tragic, horrifying, and sad, but it's also what makes her one of the most understandable and relatable characters in the series. Plus, the anime really nailed some of the more tense episodes with her.
That said, the lady still committed some atrocious acts, and even she knows that her story didn't necessarily deserve a happy ending.
1 IT FELL SHORT: What Happened With Peter & Phil
Remember how Zazzie's identity was supposed to be this big mystery? What about the Lambda kids' disease, that was supposed to be such a difficult thing to cure? There were still so many mysteries about the Demon World, about Mujika and her blood, and even about the way the world used to be. However, nothing falls short more than the lack of a conclusion for Andrew and Phil.
Fans thought for years and years that Phil was going to be this heel-turn villain or something so when Andrew, a representative of the Ratri Clan, came to talk to him, fans were sure this was going to be a bombshell. Instead, it was sort of just dropped and never mentioned again.