No matter how bad the second season was, the series is phenomenal.
The Promised Neverland (Yakusoku no Neverland) is a dark fantasy and science fiction anime that tells us a story of a seemingly cheerful and nice orphanage. The children living there seem to have no concerns: they're well fed, entertained, cared for, they don't see each other just like fellow orphans, they are as close as a true family is.
The kids also have a mother figure, Isabella, who looks after them and is always there when the little ones need her help. However, if everything stayed this positive all the time, the viewers wouldn't have this much interest in the story. The Promised Neverland gets dark very fast, and this is when the fun begins.
Emma and Norman are two of the main trio that we're going to follow. They accidentally learn the truth about their orphanage, and that is the fact that kids never actually get adopted when they leave the house, they're sold and fed to hideous monsters. Now Emma and Norman have to combine their skills and effort with Ray, a kid also living with them, to plan their escape and save other children along the way.
The first season of the anime explores the said escape plan, and it does it magnificently. The ratings of the show are skyrocketing, the reviews praise the intricate plot and fascinating characters. But then comes season 2, and everything changes.
The fans were extremely upset with the way the story kept unfolding. Anime adaptation went into a different from the manga direction, and nobody seemed to like that. Fans' outrage was so strong that it was impossible to ignore it.
The fact that the series used to be extremely promising only added to the frustration and disappointment of the audience. But does it mean that you shouldn't start watching The Promised Neverland if everything that awaits you in the end is a major displeasure?
We strongly believe that it doesn't.
Yes, the second season of the series is really bad. It is especially noticeable after the masterpiece that the first season was, because this comparison hurts the sequel even more. Nevertheless, the beginning of The Promised Neverland is so compellingly impressive, that it would be a crime to deprive you of this experience. The story of the anime, the suspense that every episode is filled with, the characters and their conclusions, stunning artstyle ー all of that is worth it.
Moreover, the first season ended on a very satisfactory point, so it doesn't actually matter if you ever watch the sequel. The conflict that was introduced in the season was resolved, it's not a cliffhanger type of ending. Of course, it leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the world, but these are the types of things you can google after you've finished the series or find in the manga if you're scared of being disappointed by the second season.