Just as Norman declares war on the demons, Emma and Ray arrive with Mujika in tow. Is it too late for the two sides of this war?
Norman was doing a good thing. There is no question that the demon race has done nothing but inflict suffering on him, his Grace Field family, and the rest of humanity, especially its young population. So, why does Norman look like the enemy, dagger in hand, about to deliver the killing blow to an elderly demon and his child?
In Episode 9, Emma and Ray arrive just in time with Mujika and Sonju in tow to witness what looks like the start of a war: the degenerating drug that Norman and his Lambda cohorts dispersed in the town has started to take effect, causing the demons to mutate and devour each other. It’s a bloody scene, indeed, and it gets quite graphic (and the animation looks a bit wonky too).
Emma then tries to win back Norman to their side—the side that puts family first. The side that makes sure everyone’s running side-by-side with each other. The side where no one has to kill. And as the tears fall, so does the arms that Norman have taken up. Meanwhile, Mujika—the so-called “Evil-Blooded Girl”—begins to save and restore the demons through her miracle blood.
There are two revelations in this week’s episode: 1) Norman has a savior complex (and he’s just a kid) and 2) for all its good intentions, Mujika making the demons drink her blood is a bit unsettling. But let’s talk about the former.
So, Norman admits that he acted out of haste due to the Lambda illness eating away at his life. Adding to that, he also felt the need to be this mighty savior for his Grace Field family because he got shipped off (*prepares tissues*). But Emma calls him out on that saying, “You’re an arrogant coward.” OOF—but it’s true.
The show doesn’t waste any time in resolving this humans-versus-demons-dilemma and it’s probably because we are down to only two episodes. At best, it keeps the ball rolling as we are going to see in just a bit. But at worst, it sacrifices the world-building and the tension and thrills. So far, there’s not a lot that happened adventure-wise, and this is where the age-old argument of “the manga is better” comes into play. Admittedly, the manga is better when it comes to the adventure aspect of the anime. But the show may have the edge when it comes to surprises.
Besides Mujika and Sonju, Emma and crew also meet Vylk, another miracle-blooded demon, amid the chaos. He gives them a piece for the Promised Pen from a human he encountered hundreds of years ago. And what did the pen reveal? Blueprints for the farm headquarters aka Peter Ratri’s hideout.
And speaking of keeping the ball rolling, next week we’re already going back to Grace Field House! At this point (and many other points weeks before), this reviewer doesn’t really know how things will go down. But now that Norman and the Lambda crew are back on the right track (hopefully), and together with Emma, Ray and the rest of the Grace Field fam, it’s time to save this Neverland.
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Official Anime Website: The Promised Neverland
Official Anime Twitter: @yakuneba_staff
