Why The Promised Neverland is So Horrifying

what does it mean to be scary for some stories it's the ability to shock and send your viewers racing in adrenaline the jumpscare this is without a doubt one of the most common and recognizable elements of horror especially in modern day cinema yet perhaps more effective to be scary is to be unsettling it is the tension of watching a spider crawl out of reach across your ceiling it's the sinking of one's stomach when staring down the edge of a cliff or it's the paralysis when a squirrel walks in front of your path on the way to the corner store no no one else has score phobia just me unlike a jump scare a phobia does not send me flying out of my seat whereas the jump scare might be the intense thrust down the world's tallest roller coaster a phobia is the dreadful anxiety as you inch your way towards the roller coaster's peak this fear draws much less of a visible reaction and yet it's the type of fear that sometimes sits with us the strongest it's the type that registers in one's brain and tells them they're in danger that something is wrong to keep alert and that is the exact type of fear that the promise neverland excels at the promise neverland is a show that i've used repeatedly as a tool with which to introduce people to their very first anime in its short 12 episode season it's able to establish its simple concept and flawlessly execute without issue and that all begins in just its first few minutes in the beginning of episode 1 we watch as the house of orphans wake up to the early sunrise and all run off to breakfast the world is bright the kids are playful chasing each other around and all in all the tone is just really happy and fun but the directorial approach to this anime is all about creating strong juxtapositions and in that vein the slam punctuation of this opening scene is the close-up shots of each child eating their breakfast as an ominous chord plays throughout the background the camera focuses on numbers branded across the children's neck and immediately it's clear that all observations of happiness are surface level while a much more grim reality toils away underneath add to that an extra scene of the children in a pitch black room testing their intelligence acumen and you've got a solid foundation for your dark dystopian setting from the get-go this show focuses on establishing a slight sense of unease with the dramatic irony of its characters insisting that this is all happy normal life while we know all too well that they're trapped in some vague semi-concentration camp but with enough energetic upbeat music and connie's unforgettably cute smile it's not long before you're lulled back into comfort but comfort is short-lived in the promised neverland universe when day fades to night and we watch as connie departs from the orphanage one of my favorite aspects of the show is how it utilizes color specifically in reference to the atmosphere of the house when the sun is down almost always the orphanage is bathed in warm oranges and reds in the first episode you don't think much of it but as episodes pass and we spend more and more time with it i find the emotions the color of oak to become stronger and stronger orange and red are the colors of warmth whereas a blue in green can symbolize harshness and other dystopian settings like the matrix or children of men warm colors can be used to represent the idea of home it's an invitation to a place that's accepting in little women it's the color that represents the good old days when the characters were children but colors are not singular and meaning and to go back to that idea of juxtapositions this is exemplified in the promised neverland's approach warmth is right in the sense that the orphanage is home but reds and orange can also be the color of an intense heat it's the sensation of fire pressing against the back of your neck utilizing the color red to its extreme and it's no longer welcoming but instead jarring and harsh imagine trying to live in a film development room the promise neverland lives in a facade its choice of color much like its setting is one that is pleasant on the surface and yet the more you dig the more you find this unending dread the ever-present heat of each scene is one of being watched a spying eye that looks on our main cast as they give every ounce of their lives trying to devise a plan to escape this is further reinforced in camera movement whenever i think about this anime i think about this one sequence in episode 4. it's a pov shot as a nondescript character walks through the hallway towards the library i'm not usually a huge fan of these types of shots they feel gimmicky and break a lot of immersion and yet here i find it's used to be the best it ever could be it captures that idea of an ever-present eye following the kids and spying on their every move and perfect suspense which is exactly the tone needed for a dramatic scene like the one it leads to where for the first time the main three are bringing other kids into the reality of their situation for our three children it's a risky move one that the characters even acknowledge could lead to their capture by isabella so establishing the atmosphere that this conversation might not be secret is precisely what's needed to keep with the intensity of the action this technique continues to get used throughout the show like in the scene here where norman emma and rey all attempt to decipher william minerva's morse code in the library the camera is constantly placed in the shadows hidden behind a wall or a bookshelf and it lends itself to such an uncomfortable eeriness someone is watching it could be isabella it could be sister crone it could even be another kid and as long as that possibility remains on the table you never feel safe any plan feels like it could be ruined any moment the entire sharad could be broken and the kids sent off to their death a large part of the reason i've fallen so deeply in love with the promised neverland is because it's a story written so intelligently with characters that come up with genuinely unique and creative plans it's a setting with just enough room for allegory and metaphorical interpretation but really what i've come to love about the promise neverland is how masterfully each element of its anime plays into the overall picture on top of brilliant writing it uses color camera movement character design and music all to weave this tapestry of atmospheric anxiety the promise neverland isn't a story that makes me jump out of my seat in fear but when i watch norman return back to the house after seeing the other side of the wall his defeated exhaustion is palpable and the blank look in his eyes when he reveals the cliff to emma and rey is undeniable in the sense of anguish it brings it's a harrowing scene that perfectly segues into the show's melancholic ed as a crushing blow is delivered to the hopes and dreams of both the characters and audience by some definitions the promise neverland is far from a horror but its ability to make me tense with anxiety really feeling the depths of despair and inevitable doom is a fear that is impossible to forget thank you for watching if you enjoyed this video give it a like down below and share it with your friends if you're interested in my writing check out my original webcomic embers about a young wizard creating their first magical golem i want to give a massive shout out to straight idea and all the other incredible patrons over at patreon.com ktoyt please if you can head on over there and give just a single dollar to get access to our exclusive patron discord you could also get t-shirts over at catomarch.com or follow us on twitter at zero and hoodie links to all these will be in the description my name is citysong this is kato and i'll see you next time

Channel: Kato

Views: 326,314

Keywords: Kato, Anime, Analysis, Zero, and, Hoodie, The Promised Neverland, The Promised Neverland Finale, The Promised Neverland Season 2, Season 2 Episode 1, Best horror anime, Best shonen anime

Id: 7p2b59sV0Oo

Length: 7min 9sec (429 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 07 2021