Episode 1

121045 is the first episode of The Promised Neverland anime, released on 10 January 2019. 121045 is an adaptation of Chapter 1 of the manga of the same name.

Synopsis
Emma and Norman discover that the orphanage they grew up in is actually a farm where children are raised to be eaten by monstrous beings, in cooperation with their caretaker Isabella.

Plot
In an orphanage known as Grace Field House, 38 children spend their days playing games, studying, and taking part in tests until they are eventually adopted. One night, after six-year-old Conny is taken out for adoption by the House's mother, Isabella, two of the smartest children in House, Emma, and Norman, go to catch up with Conny to deliver a stuffed toy that she forgot. Passing the still-open gate, they discover Conny dead inside a truck and are forced to hide as Isabella trades Conny as "meat" for rich demons. Realizing that the House is actually a farm raising humans as food for the demons, Emma and Norman rush back and become determined to escape with the other children. Meanwhile, Isabella discovers the stuffed toy Emma had left beside the truck when they fled.

Research Elements

 * The title of the episode, "121045", when arranged in DDMMYY format translates to 12 October 2045, which is the date the events of this episode is set in. This date is also Conny' shipment date.
 * When Isabella was bringing Conny to the gates, Conny questioned Isabella when she heard her humming a song. The song is foreshadowing two things:
 * The song is from Isabella's childhood friend Leslie, which was further explored in Episode 12.
 * The same exact song was hummed by Ray in Episode 10, when he was reading in the cafeteria. This foreshadowed how Isabella and Ray are mother and son, which was revealed in Episode 12 also.
 * An addition to the points stated above: The background music that played when Norman was comforting a traumatized Emma is similar to Isabella and Ray's song, it is one of the Original Soundtrack of the anime called Isabella's Lullaby.
 * The scene with Isabella staring blankly at the stuffed bunny in her hand was only shown in a small, insignificant panel in the manga, it was however heavily emphasized in the anime, to the point where it is presented as a jump scare, coupled with the sudden change of music in the background.

Anime and Manga Differences

 * The manga is more comical and comedic as compared to the anime, which is more serious and down-to-earth. Such examples are the goofy and over the top expressions showcased by the manga characters, which is toned down to look more realistic in the anime.
 * The flashback scene of young Emma, Norman, and Ray standing at the gate of the wall was shown at the start of the episode. In the manga, it was shown in the middle of chapter 1.
 * A short fence that stood a small distance away from the large wall of Grace Field is never shown or mentioned in the manga.
 * An additional scene of Emma, Norman, Ray, Don, Gilda, Conny and Phil interacting next to the short fence was added.
 * There are more interactions between Don and Conny in this episode as compared to chapter 1 of the manga. Though the two did interact more in the extra pages of a few of the manga volumes.
 * The scene with Norman lockpicking in chapter 1 was not shown in this episode. It was, however, shown in episode 2 instead.
 * The setting where Norman was comforting a traumatized Emma after discovering Conny's corpse is different in the anime. In the manga, Norman consoled Emma when they were at the field outside the house. In the anime, the setting was changed to the bedrooms inside the house, where Norman consoled Emma next a bed.
 * Additional dialogue between Norman and Emma in this scene were added. Such was the part where Emma talked about a game of tag.

Trivia

 * This episode had pre-screenings on streaming services ahead of broadcast on January 9, 2019.
 * The episode premiered in several countries like Singapore way before its date of airing (January 10, 2019) during anime conventions as a way to promote the show.