This article contains major spoilers for Star Wars: Andor and Season 1, Episode 1, "121045," of The Promised Neverland.
Without a doubt, the "Narkina 5" prison arc in Star Wars: Andor was one of the best-written arcs in the Star Wars universe. Thousands of fans gave the arc's episode finale a 9.6 rating on IMBD. Audiences loved how the series threw Cassian into the hopeless situation of being in a nightmare of a prison like Narkina 5 was -- and then the twist was revealed, which brought further masterful depth into the arc all the way to the end. For fans who want to re-live the suspense of Narkina 5, a Shonen Jump series titled The Promised Neverland provides a similar experience.
The Promised Neverland is a mysterious sci-fi horror title written by manga author Kaiu Shirai and published in Shonen Jump. Similar themes are present in the series, such as being trapped in a prison situation and used as part of an industrial production process until death, as Cassian and fan-favorite Kino Loy were. Here’s why fans of Andor’s "Narkina 5" prison arc would also enjoy The Promised Neverland.
The Promised Neverland Is Set in a Strange Totalitarianism Environment
The Promised Neverland is about 38 orphans who all seemingly live happily together at Grace Field House, which includes the actual large house as well as a green grass field and a forest that stretches all the way to the massive walls surrounding it. The orphans are well taken care of by a loving and considerate woman simply referred to as "Mama." They are fed well, loved by their Mama and have the freedom to do what they want with their free time within the walls. The orphans enjoy every day playing tag or hide-and-seek together, and before they reach the age of 12, they are adopted by interested parents and sent off to enjoy the rest of what life has to offer. This is a little similar to being sent to prison in Narkina 5 -- just do what you're told, stay on program and do your best at working for The Empire, and eventually, your sentence will end and you'll be free.
A Shocking Revelation: Freedom Is Not Exactly Freedom
As the orphans say their farewells to one of their siblings leaving for her adopted parents, their curiosity leads to a horrifying truth -- while they do all eventually leaving Grace Field House, they won't do so alive. This revelation leads the orphans to question where exactly they are and what the Grace Field House is for. They start to question some of the most unrealized strangest mysteries that have been part of their lives from an early age, such as why they only have plain white clothes, the true purpose of their everyday tests and test scores and why they have numbers tattooed on their necks.
There's Only One Way Out – Escape Grace Field House
Like in Star Wars: Andor's Narkina 5, the orphans of Grace Field House realize that there's only truly one way out if they want to live, and that's to escape. They start to warily prepare for their prison break as events unfold one after another, challenging every part of their plans. This makes for an intense and highly suspenseful prison break experience. The entire first season of The Promised Neverland revolves around escaping the Grace Field House, and this is exactly why fans of Star Wars: Andor's "Narkina 5" prison arc will love it. As one of the few prison-based anime produced, it's unique in the way it depicts a mysterious, totalitarian hell full of suspense, thrills and desperation.
The Promised Neverland, produced by studio CloverWorks, runs for two seasons in length for a total of 23 episodes. The second season of the series does not follow the events of the manga's storyline, and it's therefore recommended that fans of the series read the manga after watching the first season. The Promised Neverland also has a live-action film for those who prefer live-action media.
The Promised Neverland Season 1 can be streamed on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Disney+ and Hulu.