In a shocking twist of events, Emma and Ray reunite with Norman—but how is he still alive? What happened when he was shipped off? All that and more revelations in this week’s episode.
They say that two’s company and three’s a crowd. It is perhaps true in normal circumstances, but in the Promised Neverland, nothing is ever normal. Such is the case for Norman’s shocking return from the presumable dead. But what really happened to Norman and how is he still alive?
In Episode 6, Norman spills the tea surrounding the day he was shipped off. Instead of succumbing to the horrific fate of most farm kids, Mother Isabella handed him over instead to Lambda 7214—an experimenting site to mass breed the highest quality of children (sick, right?). However, placing him in another farm won’t squash his genius and talent. With the help of William Minerva, Norman, together with some other kids, escaped and destroyed Lambda.
Norman also reveals to the Grace Field gang a drug he produced that degenerates demons, who, if you are not in the know, depend on eating humans to maintain their form and intelligence. Through his anti-demon drug, Norman declares mass extinction on their sworn enemies and a reclamation of the human world. But not everyone’s onboard with his plan.
So, there is a lot to take in this episode despite not having a lot of the traditional action per se. Norman’s account of his time at Lambda, though hair-raising, could have benefitted from visualizations. In the manga, it was much more dramatic reading and seeing what this experimentation site looked like.
The Grace Field family reunion felt a little rushed too. Norman literally said “hi” and went on his way to his hideout with the Lambda kids. And it is also in that scene wherein we see that Norman is not the same Norman after all. This is one of the more polarizing arcs in the manga, and part of this reviewer is glad to see “dark Norman” (for lack of better term). But let’s hope that the anime gives enough backstory for this side of Norman as well as the other kids from Lambda.
Speaking of which, it was funny to see Norman’s comrades because they are all bigger than him. They definitely have a big role in the series and based on this episode, they also have different ideals as evidenced by Emma’s inner turmoil throughout this episode.
Sure, they want to eradicate the world of demons, but they also want to pave a future they won’t regret living in. What about their demon allies, Mujika and Sonju? Do they kill them too? It was nice to see this kind of maturity from Emma and even Ray and Norman. Back in the farm, they were in a controlled environment and practically clueless about their morals. These moral dilemmas just show how much they care for their family, human or demon.
Overall, this was a good episode to pick up from the shock of the previous one. From a manga reader’s POV, the anime is condensing a lot of arcs this season (and it seems we have to address that every week). The anxiety is understandable, but let’s also not ruin the hype for those who just tune in every week. Besides, the thrills are still there—why not stick around until the end?
Have you watched this episode? What do you think of this side of Norman? Do you agree with Emma’s sentiments? Leave a comment down below and let’s discuss!
(P.S. Make sure you don’t skip the opening this ep!)
Official Anime Website: The Promised Neverland
Official Anime Twitter: @yakuneba_staff
