Welp, this librarian found her nightmare fuel for 2019.
Imagine being an orphan, surrounded with love and cared for by a wonderful motherly figure. You're given an education, delicious meals, playing with fellow orphans while waiting to be adopted into a loving home. Now take all that and add the realization that everything that you thought you knew about the orphanage was a cover for something much more sinister than you could've possibly imagined. That's what eleven-year-old Emma, Norman, and Ray must endure in The Promised Neverland. When I first read the manga in late 2018, I was in total shock. I was absolutely not expecting this story at all. First, each kid has a number tattooed on their neck. Everyone wears white, except for their caretaker and "Mother," Isabella who wears an outfit similar to a Victorian housekeeper. The children take daily exams, and are pretty much able to do what they want. Pretty much the ideal life. Except they cannot venture away from the compound or the gate that separates them from the outside world. However, when one of the kids, six-year-old Conny, gets adopted, she forgets her treasured stuffed bunny. Emma and Norman venure to where Conny was taken to give it back to her, only to discover Conny dead and the truth about the orphanage: The kids are being raised as food for demons, and their "mother" is a willing participant in this horrible act. Now Emma, Norman, and their friend Ray, must try to save the rest of the kids and escape the orphanage, or they will meet the same fate as Conny. Total nightmare fuel. I really was hooked into this story. Seeing these kids trying to outwit the woman who's basically running a farm with the kids as livestock, while trying to save every child from an disturbing fate. Emma, the de-facto leader and one of the smartest kids in the group, really is a positive character to follow. She doesn't back down and is willing to do whatever it takes to survive. It's a lot for an eleven-year-old to handle. The action and story was wonderfully paced, both in the manga and anime, which recently premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami on April 13, 2019, and is currently streaming on Crunchyroll. My one grievance with The Promised Neverland is the character of Sister Krone. It's not her storyline that bothers me. She wants to become a "mother" to the kids and replace Isabella. She's a very sympathetic character, and does try to protect them in her own way. My problem was with her design. She looks, and I'm trying to be really nice here, like a demonized Aunt Jemima with exaggerated stereotypical features shown at times. That, as an African-American woman, made me uncomfortable and on a lot of occasions, very pissed off. Even watching the anime did not help quell the discomfort. Racism, intentional or not, is still a problem and there are other anime that display Black people in a positive, humanly way. This sadly was not the case in the anime. Overall, aside from Sister Krone, The Promised Neverland is a fascinating story that I highly recommend reading the manga and watching the anime. I give The Promised Neverland 4 out of 5. Just never design a character like Sister Krone again. That would've made the experience much better.
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Just to let you all know, Gerard Way is one of my heroes.
His band, My Chemical Romance saved my life literally and metaphorically. When MCR disbanded, I was really depressed, but took solace in their reasons why. Sometimes you just know when to stop, and know that you did everything you wanted to do. In the midst of MCR's popularity, Way and Gerard Ba wrote The Umbrella Academy. A series about the most dysfunctional family of superheroes ever. I found myself relating to Vanya (Number Seven) in so many ways. Treated like an outsider, like I was, in the words of their adoptive father "not special enough." only to find out my true potential later on. Now that Netflix released a live-action adaptation of The Umbrella Academy, I was worried that it was not going to work. I mean, they butchered Death Note (yes, I'm a hater). Thankfully, my worries were for naught as I really enjoyed the series. It had me laughing, relating to the characters (especially Vanya, played by Ellen Page), and loving the banter between the hitmen, Cha-Cha and Hazel (played by music icon Mary J. Blige and Cameron Britton respectively). As for the soundtrack, I felt that each song totally fit its respective scene and the mood to the show. I mean, the first fight sequence was set to They Might Be Giants, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," which was just priceless! Now, would I recommend this teens? Maybe. There are suggestive themes, but they're not overly graphic. There's Klaus's drug use that may be too sensitive, even if portrayed as comical. But overall, I really enjoyed it, and so happy to see Gerard Way front and center again. I give The Umbrella Academy 4.5/5, and am looking forward to the now-confirmed second season. |
Who am I?The Library Lady is a Young Adult Librarian and reviewer. She's also a music, anime, and film nerd. Archives
January 2024
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