The Promised Neverland is a dark fantasy anime series that was first released in 2019. The dark fantasy genre is a special genre that includes popular anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer, especially in recent years. The Promised Neverland is a TV adaptation of a record-breaking manga series of the same name. Sharing the same sales volume with popular series such as Death Note and Fruit Basket, the manga is written by Kaiu Shirai. There is a familiar name on the anime’s studio side, CloverWorks, although it is a new studio. CloverWorks, which reminded its name with Horimiya in 2021, is also the creator of many popular animes like Bunny Girl Senpai and Wonder Egg Priority. The Promised Neverland 2nd season was originally aired on Fuji TV between January 8, 2021 – March 26, 2021. The anime, which is also streamed on Hulu TV and Funimation, enjoys worldwide popularity. Fans are now excited for the third season, so what do we know about the series and season three so far?
What was the plotline of the 2nd season and what can be the next?
If you have not yet completed the second season of The Promised Neverland, let us state that this part of our article contains some spoilers, albeit slight. But assuming you come to find out the third season details, you’ve already watched the second season of The Promised Neverland.
As you may remember, the first season took place in an orphanage called “Grace Field House”, and we were witnessing the lives of young children, especially Emma, Norman, and Ray, who realized the truth. What was this truth? “Grace Field House” was actually a farm, and the children here were the dinner for the creatures called demons. Children grow up carefree and stress-free; their brains also develop with education and whet the demons’ appetite. When it came to harvest, they were sent to eat, supposedly because a family had adopted it. Our gorgeous trio also made crafty plans and tried to escape, and the farm’s mother, Isabella, was also not idle. Emma and around her were getting rid of the walls surrounding the farm. So far, it was what happened in the first season, and fans eagerly waited for a second season.
Two years later, The Promised Neverland premiered with its second season on January 8, 2021. We were behind the walls in the second season of The Promised Neverland. Since the mysterious outside world is not as magical as it used to be, the second season of the anime has also been subjected to harsh criticism. Emma and her friends are trying to survive, running away from the demons after her, and making plans to save the friends and all the other farm children they left behind while looking for a place to live. So things were tough. The anime had to lose the mystery element compared to the first season, but there was not much it could do about it. Questions such as what happened to humans and why demons ate humans were answered in season two. At the end of the second season, we faced a happy ending, and the door is almost not left open for a third season. The second season of the anime quickly passed many significant chapters in the manga, so we strongly recommend reading the manga.
There is not much to say about the drawings. They preserved the quality of the first season and the tones of green again. The opening and closing pieces are not bad either, but “Touch Off”, which is the opening piece of the first season, was missed.
Will there be a third season of The Promised Neverland?
As of June 13, 2022, at the time of writing, The Promised Neverland has not yet been renewed for a third season. CloverWorks, Shueisha, or any related company with the anime did not make a statement about a new season. The Promised Neverland is one of the most popular anime worldwide recently, but whatever happened, things didn’t go so well in season two, and some fans want a reboot of the second season instead of a third one. We watched a season that deviated from the manga in many ways. So does the anime hold the possibility of a third season? Although there is no official statement, it is possible to speculate on this issue under some main factors.
Manga status of the anime
The manga series of The Promised Neverland written by Kaiu Shirai and illustrated by Posuka Demizu was published by Shueisha between August 1, 2016, – June 15, 2020. The manga, which was no longer ongoing, had an early final. It is possible to follow the manga, which has reached 20 volumes in total, also in English. American manga publisher Viz Media has published all available volumes of the manga in English.
Coming back to the anime side, the anime’s first season had a script faithful to the manga. The first five volumes of the manga were adapted in the first season of the anime. In the second season of the anime, many details up to the 14th volume were included, but it had almost original content, and 140 chapters worth being content was skipped. Although it had a happier ending compared to the manga, it was far from the manga. It is hard to say that enough source material is available for a third season because it has been tied to a good or bad final. Fans seem to have to wait for a reboot more than a new season.
Disc sales and the popularity
The more popular an anime is, the more profit it will generate and the higher the probability of a new season. Previously, disc sales were good data to see the financial situation, but in recent years, with the increase of exclusive distributors and online streaming services, it has lost its value. Still, we take a look at BluRay and DVD sales for comparison and to see its popularity in Japan. Generally, an anime’s disc sales are expected to be over 4,000 for a new season, but The Promised Neverland only sold 324 units in the second season. It did not have a high number of disc sales in the first season, but still, disc sales dropped to a quarter.
However, as we said, disc sales are not as strong as they used to be to see popularity. Anime has a strong social media popularity and Google search volume. According to the Myanimelist, anime is among the top 50 most popular anime. There seems to be no problem in terms of popularity for a possible third season. In addition, the live-action movie released on December 18, 2020, and the game on the smartphone platforms on April 22, 2021, provide extra financial income for the series.
When is the third season of the anime?
As a result of our evaluation above, a third season of The Promised Neverland series is very unlikely. However, another possibility is to see a reboot. An anime movie may also appear in later times. However, if you watched the second season of the series, you are more or less aware that there will not be a third season that can be connected. The anime is thought to have such a second season, as the manga no longer continues and does not need an advertisement. At this stage, the best possibility is a reboot series, and this isn’t showing up anytime soon. Maybe it’s possible to see a reboot with a new production around 2023 – 2024. However, this issue is currently only the expectation of fans and is not based on official news. We will be with you with updates.