For the series as a whole, I think it tries a bit too hard to have its "moments" to reach a mainstream audience, but otherwise is genuinely smart and with a simple premise that works excellently for a horror.
People have been comparing the series to Death Note, and that is useful for what I want to point out. In Death Note, the obvious driving point of the story is a battle of wits between Light vs L. These two characters are both geniuses, by any regard, but demonstrably different types of geniuses. I think this carries on to The Promised Neverland, but in a less direct, and more open manner. And from here on, I'm just gonna drop the comparison to Death Note, because it's irrelevant to my observation.
A trio of characters is a staple to any work with kids in it, and I would say in this series, the most interesting demonstration of intelligence is not between the kids and adults, but the kids themselves. In particular, Emma, Norman, and Ray are shown to be prolific in their own areas, right from the first episode. Norman is the natural genius, but heavily empathetic. Ray is more intellectually focused, greater than Norman at being a tactician, but secretive, harsh, and quick to change his mind. Emma, our main character, is not noticeably intelligent, but highly optimistic and with a high capacity to learn.
Whenever you see these three characters interacting, it's a clear representation of exactly what kind of intelligence they possess, since they need to use their strengths to survive. Norman's strength comes from having a calming presence, which is deceptive to his genius level of thinking, so when he interacts with Emma or Ray, they trust his decisions but aren't exactly sure if they're figuring out things as fast as him. Ray's strength is purely strategic, not hiding the fact that he's smart, but is capable of solving any problem due to thinking of everything like a tactician, so he is very particular in what information he says to Norman and Emma, and difficult to trust since he makes it apparent he's thinking ahead.
And, what made me realize this show is kinda brilliant at demonstrating how all kinds of people are smart in their own ways, we finally have Emma. Emma is a people-person, who loves everybody no matter what, but lacks any skepticism about a person unless it's made painfully obvious. In fact, she wouldn't have ever thought to distrust Isabella had she not witnessed firsthand that she was doing horrible things, due to considering her a good person. This makes it seem like Emma is the clear weak link in the trio since their mission requires intelligence, but the great thing is, she's not. Her protective nature lets her ask questions that neither Ray nor Norman think of, especially when it comes to character. And preferring the physical, she often finds out more by exploring. She also will ask questions about a person's character, and her extreme distrust of anyone with malicious intent to people she cares about make her trustworthy and essential to the escape plan. These small things add up to her being as capable as any genius.
↧