The Promised Neverland “Search for Minerva Arc” (Chapters 53 through 74) Manga Review
Major Spoilers are included in this manga review. Please read with caution.
If you want to read my manga reviews on the previous arcs, the links are listed below:
1. “Introduction Arc” review is here.
2. “Jailbreak Arc” review is here.
3. “Promised Forest Arc” review is here.
Synopsis: 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 read this arc on June 16, 2020 and finished on June 17. The “Search for Minerva Arc”—the fourth story arc—picked up with Emma, Ray, and the rest of the children meeting an Adult stranger in an underground bunker. Apparently, he had been living there alone for the past 13 years. He also had no intention of sharing, but Emma and Ray were able to outsmart him, forcing him to help out with their mission to reach Goldy Pond, where William Minerva might be located.
This new character refused to give his name, so the kids dubbed him “Mister”. Mister also refused to learn any of the children’s names, using harsh nicknames—like “Antenna Girl” for Emma—instead. Mister reminded me a lot of Obito Uchiha—a kid with an impossible dream, but then tragedy left him bitter and alone. Emma—being her—vowed to save Mister too alongside everyone else.
The “Search for Minerva Arc” had a heavier focus on Emma’s time away from Ray and Mister, exploring a new environment and another set of human characters at the Goldy Pond, in addition to testing her character’s optimism. This series consistently put the characters through the ringer in every passing chapter, proving how powerful everyone’s resolve to survive truly was.
Overall, I love The Promised Neverland and Emma’s “never giving up on anyone” mentality. There was an unexpected payoff at the end of this arc that had me wanting more—making me want to see if the characters I’ve invested in from the start will indeed survive to chapter 181. Let’s keep it reading onward to the “Goldy Pond Battle Arc”.