Okay so this is a rather complicated piece to talk about. "The Promised Neverland" (from this point will be discussed as TPN) is a fantastic piece of work that manages to be many things, but it's no great shock to me that the fanbase can be so divisive with many fans giving it low scores and some contrasting them to give them higher ones. Keep in mind this review will have some very minor spoilers.

I believe that reason that TPN is so divisive because it transitions to many different vibes and genres before it's completed. TPN starts off as a thriller/horror manga with dark fantasy themes and slowly transitions to high fantasy as the series progresses. For that reason, it comes to no great shock to me that many fans were disappointed with the series' evolution.

Not only that, but I think that the themes can at times starkly contrast with the tone of the story, and while in my opinion that's a huge benefit, it's can contribute to the fan's being upset at the direction it sometimes goes.

However despite all of this, TPN manages to pull off the genres and what it's intended purpose is very well. To me, I never had a doubt in my mind that I was reading what the author intended and it was executed well. That said, it's still a hard story to recommend because while the beginning will appeal to horror lovers, I can't say it will continue to do so as it progresses.

The character's are lovely and consistent, but don't always evolve in interesting ways (with some exceptions). The story can at times be a bit silly or convenient. While the tone is fairly consistent, the genre between arcs technically isn't. Also while the story was always entertaining and emotional, there was only a couple of moments that exceeded my expectations with pure excellence.

So why do I think it's a 9/10?

Because to me it nailed the most important things for the story. My favorite characters were the exceptions that were well developed or given great moments (Loved Yuugo, Emma, and Ray). The world is one of the best in fantasy (yes Fantasy, not horror). I think it had a bittersweet and emotionally satisfying ending. While it's several genres, it manages to transition well between them. And above all, it just made me feel a certain way I couldn't quite describe and even if the series failed to always be a 10/10 I was always interested in what would happen next and wondered what would happen to the characters.

But would I recommend it? ...maybe

The funny thing is this manga is difficult to recommend. The tone contrasts it's themes and it has more than one genre. While I thought it was excellent, I understand why some fans would be disappointed. A lot of the things it manages to do well in the beginning, it stops doing for the sake of new ideas and I think it's sometimes quite silly. However, if you're willing to have an open mind about where the story and characters will go, I think you can derive tons of enjoyment from this story especially if you're a fan of both fantasy, and horror. If you don't mind the series becoming taking these kinds of turns, I would give it my highest recommendation.

So if you decide to give it a read, I hope you love it like I did! It's quite the ride.