Is The Promised Neverland’s Season 2 Diverting From The Manga?

The second season of The Promised Neverland is diverting from the manga and going original. However, the quality of the series might not necessarily suffer.

The first two episodes of The Promised Neverland’s season 2 remained faithful to the source material, exciting the fans for the animation of the proceeding manga arcs.

However, with the onset of the 4th episode, the anime completely broke out from the manga and took its own route.

Fans have not taken this divergence very well, as they fear the erasure of important arcs and characters. While many have been raging about the anime’s apparent disservice to the manga, quite a few still have faith in the show’s potential.

1. Is The Promised Neverland’s Season 2 Diverting From the Manga?

The Promised Neverland’s Season 2 is diverting from the manga and going original. Currently, Yuugo’s character has been erased, and the chances of the Goldy Pond arc suffering the same fate are high.

However, the mangaka is said to be directly involved in the process, making sure that the quality does not suffer much.

The first two episodes of the anime followed the manga religiously, as we saw the children coming across Mujika and Sonju and learning more about the demonic world.

However, it was here that it started branching off from the source. While Sonju explained the Promise, he did not specify information about the Seven Gates, which was clearly mentioned in the manga.

The audience overlooked this small specification; however, the recent happenings have completely taken them by surprise. And not a pleasant one.

Episode 4 of The Promised Neverland completely erased one of the fandom’s most beloved characters – Yuugo.

As Emma and the other kids reached the underground shelter build by Minerva, they were met with eerie silence rather than the presence of Mister Yuugo.

Like the children, Mister Yuugo was an escapee from a farm called Glory Bell. While he and his friends were trying to get to the human world, they ended up being trapped in a place called “Goldy Pond” that was run by high-class demons.

All of the escapees were poached by them, with only Yuugo escaping and returning to the shelter.

The wall with all the names and “HELP” written on it at the end of the previous episode was actually supposed to say “POACHERS,” scribbled by a traumatized Yuugo, referring to his friends’ death at Goldy Pond.

While Yuugo’s erasure has clearly irked the audience, but there are still some that retain hope.

This is because the mangaka of The Promised Neverland, Kaiu Shirai, is said to be directly involved in the anime. Many fans believe that he might try to rectify the manga’s rushed ending by plotting an original story for the anime.

The mangaka’s involvement has assured the audience that the series’s quality might not drop despite diverting and could instead improve.

2. What Changes Can Be Expected in the anime?

Whether the series improves or not, there are certainly going to be many changes in The Promised Neverland’s anime.

From what we can see so far, Mister Yuugo’s erasure has quite a lot of implications.

This cynical man that once threatened to shoot a bullet through Emma’s head in the manga has already become a steady pillar of support for the young children and a source of entertainment for the readers.

Not only does his deletion imply the loss of a wonderful character, but every event connecting to him is also bound to suffer the same fate.

For example, looking at the change in the word Yuugo scribbled from “Poachers” to “Help,” The Goldy Pond arc,  along with pivotal characters such as Lucas, are in danger of being eliminated from the anime.

Minerva’s early recorded phone call only cements this idea.

Furthermore, what many actually fear is that the show might actually kill off Norman and bring William Minerva to life.

This development is something that might happen in the anime but is definitely not something the fans would want to see. Thankfully, the chances of a main character being written off are low.

No matter what happens, with the mangaka being involved, all we can do is “trust the process.”

3. About The Promised Neverland

Created by Kaiu Shirai, this series debuted in a Weekly Shonen Jump manga in 2016. Licensed by VIZ Media for an English Language release, this series has gained immense popularity, selling 4.2 million copies in a concise period.

The story revolves around the horrific truths of an orphanage discovered by three bright kids: Emma, Norman, and Ray.