The Promised Neverland “Introduction Arc” (Chapters 1 through 9) Manga Review

Major Spoilers are included in this manga review. Please read with caution.

Welcome to my first manga review! On June 12, 2020, I started The Promised Neverland—the manga series, not the anime—and finished the “Introduction Arc”. I will be hitting the anime once I read the first couple arcs first. After reading the first nine chapters though, I will be coming back for emotional seconds.

The Promised Neverland quickly hooked me on its plot, setting, and characters.

The story began in an orphanage called Grace Field. We meet a twelve-year-old girl named Emma, who guides the reader—using exposition—through the orphanage and her typical day there doing chores, taking tests, and playing games—like tag. There are also over forty kids at this orphanage, all taken care of by a woman known as “Mama”. However, once Emma and another kid named Norman learn the twisted dark truth about the orphanage, they make a hasty plan to escape with their friend Ray. I will not disclose the “twisted dark truth”. If you want to know that little spoiler, read or watch the series.

Let me say this before I say anything else about the series. The writing is amazing. The author—Kaiu Shirai—was able to blend multiple genres—dystopian science fiction, horror, suspense, comedy, action, and mystery—brilliantly through the perspective of young children. The mystery aspect was crafted very well too, gradually revealing more and more of the story as the chapters went on.

The artwork—by Posuka Demizu—was illustrated great too. The kids look like children. The setting was drawn intricately—a mixture of rusty and beauty, which helped establish the horror tone for the series. The facial expressions were drawn and utilized to drive the story. In one panel, you would see the character behave “fake”, and then the next panel we’d see how they were really feeling. The artwork mixed well with the writing of the story and characters.

Overall, I enjoyed the “Introduction Arc” and how scary it was. It made me feel terrified for Emma, Ray, Norman, and the rest of their siblings at the orphanage. After writing this manga review, I will be diving into the “Jailbreak Arc” next. Reading so many Webtoons had reawakened my natural interest in manga again. Let’s keep it reading, everyone.