Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 16, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2020

Volumes: 20.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 15. 17.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

While attempting to locate the Seven Walls, Emma and Ray find themselves trapped in a mysterious world. Can they escape this labyrinth and make the promise that will finally bring about peace? Meanwhile, Norman has his own plans...

 

Review:

 

While Emma and Ray are thrown into a reality-bending timescape, Norman has a new mission in the real world. Emma and Ray are being put to the test to figure out the ultimate puzzle, in order for Emma to make a new promise. It's unclear what she's willing to sacrifice to make it, though.

Gilda and Don are given a new mission by Norman as the volume starts. It's clear that Norman believes Mujika is a threat, so it's not surprising he sends them out to find her. They seem to read through at least some of his tricks, though. We meet Ayshe here, a girl sent out to help them. She doesn't speak, and they're not sure if she even understands them.

Ayshe might be one of my favorite characters so far. She adds a new complexity and complication to the story, in a way that I was kind of hoping would happen. She really intrigues me, and I'm really excited to see what happens next with her.

As this series draws closer to the conclusion, it's definitely getting more intense and complicated. I'm loving it, but I'm also increasingly worried about the ending.

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 15, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2020

Volumes: 19.

Spoilers?: Yes, light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 14. 16.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

As Norman and his group prepare their plan to eradicate all of the demons, Emma searches for her own path. Can she find a way to create a new promise that achieves peace without resorting to violence?

 

Review:

 

The confrontation with Norman happens. He has information to share with Emma and Ray, just as they have their own worries to share. It's so hard to see Norman as this unmoving adult, when you know he's just doing what he believes is the right thing, but also when Emma has such bigger peaceful goals in mind.

We're given some new, surprising information in this volume. And then Emma and Ray are off on a timed mission, where it looks like they're starting a test for real answers. Norman has put them on a timer for it, but also the monsters have caught on and aren't going to let these human be for too much longer.

I'm intrigued to see where Ray and Emma are off to, and what's going to happen there. But this is also really hard to take. I'm afraid of where this series is going to go, cause I really don't want a bad ending for these three.

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 14, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 18+

Spoilers?: Yes.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 13. 15.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

Review:

Finally, the reunion happens. I knew it was coming soon (that was kind of spoiled for me already), and yet I didn't quite expect this.

This answers some of the questions regarding Minerva, but it also leads to so many potential problems.

The beginning moments are very sappy, because it's so good to see them together again, and their parting was so heartbreaking so many volumes ago. But then it's very bittersweet, because this should be absolutely a good thing, and yet there's a turn of events that changes some things. I understand where each side is coming from, and it's not surprising at all where Emma stands. We're also not fully sure what Norman's plans are, and I don't trust that.

This was a very big volume. It was sweet and potentially awful, and I'm not sure which direction is more prominent just yet.

Still an absolute must-follow series. I highly recommend it and I can't wait to see what happens next.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 13, Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 12. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

Emma and the other children have been driven out of their safe shelter back into the dangerous demon world. Can they summon the courage to fight against this new imminent threat?!

Review:

Now that their home base has been invaded, the kids have to find somewhere new to stay. They have a back-up, temporary location picked out, and they recover there, hoping for the best for the two who stayed behind.

Aside from the two older kids, Emma and Ray act relatively in charge of the group, and it makes sense that there would be some conflict among the kids, and that some of the kids would disagree with their decision and want to do something else. I appreciate that this is addressed here, and some of the middle-aged kids decide to do something about it, even though it doesn't go very well.

We finally meet some new characters in the second half of this volume. We're discovering what other humans might be out there, who Emma has been trying to reach, but also what they're doing against the monsters. This might be an interesting plot change next, and I'm curious where it's going.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 12, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2019

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 11. 13.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

Review:

The plot is moving along rather quickly. We finish one battle, and then the group moves onto another step forward.

They're living rather nicely in the underground hide-out, waiting on a phone call, while continuing to research, and even going out on undercover missions to get more answers. Emma gets an interesting piece of the puzzle in this volume.

But then everything gets thrown through a curve, as they're discovered.

This might be leading to a real sad ending for some, but it also causes a big problem for the rest of them. They were safe there—where else could they go? They've been getting along really well and they know how to handle themselves in the world, too, but that doesn't mean it's not incredibly dangerous and there's too many of them to be out there in the open for long.

I think the releases of this series have slowed down? I'm not okay with this, and might actually be forced to resort to buying the single chapters, as I'm pretty sure they're available that way online. It's already hard to avoid spoilers when I go on twitter, I don't need to fall even more behind.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 11, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2019

Volumes: 15+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 10. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

Review:

The surprise reunion takes Leuvis off guard, which is what they needed right then. Though it comes with a serious worry at one point, they continue their fight because they know this is their only real chance. Second chances don't really come when you're fighting a monster.

I'm quite impressed with how the goldy pond arc wraps up. It came with a few surprises I didn't expect, some real worries for a moment there that I won't spoil. Now it seems like the kids have to backtrack given their new information, plus there's the whole Norman thing Emma and Ray don't know about, plus I'm not sure how they're going to find out about it.

This series throws in so many surprises, and doesn't let any plot really stagnate, which I appreciate and admire. I'm unsure what's going to happen next, but I'm excited for it. This is definitely one of the best series out right now.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 10, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2019

Volumes: 15+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 9. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

The battle for survival at Goldy Pond continues as Emma and the other children face off against even more devilish foes. They’ll have to work together and execute the perfect plan, but will it be enough against the most powerful demon they’ve ever met?

Review:

The kids planned very thoroughly, but something always goes wrong anyway. The demons are tough opponents, especially against children, and it's a very dangerous game they're playing.

Emma does well with stalling the main demon, but that's largely because he finds all of this amusing and wants a real challenge, so he wants to see what they have planned. Emma doesn't know what's going on out in the woods, she doesn't know how their plans are working out, and only has to wait and hope they show up when they're supposed to. All leading to a surprise cliffhanger.

I just want to read the next one and see where it goes next.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 9, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2019

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

The search for the mysterious Minerva has led Emma to a secret room within Goldy Pond. Heeding Minerva’s clues, Emma and the other children have successfully escaped Grace Field House and survived the dangerous terrain of the outside world. But when Emma opens the door to the truth, will Minerva’s secrets be everything she’s been hoping for?

Review:

I'm really glad that I decided to continue with this series. It was not hugely on my radar when it was first announced, but I truly love the story and characters, and I so badly want to know what happens next every time. Plus, I just recently discovered the fandom for this series, and I am so glad. (#NorEmma, yes.)

Emma and Lucas get to venture behind the locked door, and discover what was left for them next. Mr. Minerva left a trail of clues for them, and he traced his steps very carefully. We discover a whole conspiracy behind the farms/orphanages, and what Mr. Minerva was dealing with as he attempted to leave them clues and safe passage.

As they process and figure out how to deal with this new knowledge, they still have to deal with the rich-monster playground they're currently in. These kids are really too smart for their own good. They're against tough enemies, but they know what they're doing, and they're really good at predicting what's going to happen next.

I'm really curious to see what Emma does, in particular, during this battle. We're still not sure what Ray and the man are doing at this point. And then there's this huge plot twist/reveal in the middle of this volume, and while I suspected, it was still a surprise and it hit me so hard, and I am just so happy about it I can't even. So I won't spoil it. But! So good!

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 8, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2019

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it's too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems...

Review:

It's easy to get pulled into the crazy plot lines and cliffhangers in this series, but then I have to remind myself that they don't usually last very long. This series doesn't drag out anything unnecessarily. It's still intense and dangerous, and bad things could happen, but it doesn't take several volumes for one plot line, which I appreciate.

So Emma, Ray and the man have ventured out to reach the next point. After the man sets them up, he clearly has bad intentions for them. He's not on their side. So it's up to Emma and Ray to prove to him that they're going to succeed at this, that they're not easy to kill. Emma has enough hope that this is going to work out for all of them. It's infectious, and is likely what is keeping them going.

I won't spoil how that goes, but reaching Goldy Pond is a bigger plot twist than I expected. I didn't imagine this, at all, and am wondering what William Minerva has planned for them next. It could be anything, at this point.

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 7, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: Yes.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

Review:

The kids make it to the shelter, and they meet an adult there, but he's also an escapee, and he doesn't want to share the shelter with them. Despite them all being so young, and there being so many in such a small place, the group of kids know how to take care of themselves, and how to live on as little as they can. And they're rather good at out-smarting an adult, even under pressure.

The shelter gives them some new information, but it seems to be giving more questions than answers. It's a safe place to live in, but for how long? So Emma and Ray make a deal with the man, to venture outside and see if they can get to somewhere else, to see if they can find William Minerva, who is still a mystery.

This series throws so many twists out. I'm often surprised, and worried, but so far they've overcome most of it. I can't wait to see where this goes next.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 6, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2018

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

The children have finally escaped Grace Field House, but their struggle is only just beginning. The outside world is filled with natural danger at every turn. And there are also demon hunters fast on their tail. When a mysterious girl suddenly offers help, are the children about to find themselves falling into a trap?

Review:

 Given the cliffhanger of the last volume, it was unsure where they would end up. But things start looking up, kind of, for a period. It's really hard to tell with this series, though. There's so many twists and surprises, and I do quite love it.

The kids meet two supposed pacifist creatures, who live underground and help guide them through. This seems good, but there's always that iffy, wary feeling. And the reasoning behind it isn't surprising, but still a bit disturbing.

Either way, they're helpful for the kids. These kids are honestly too smart, and too brave. They will do anything they can to survive, which makes sense, and they think of every possible thing they can.

That ending, though, could mean a lot of things.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 5, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2018

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

As Grace Field House goes up in flames, Emma and the other children make their run for freedom. With Mom refusing to give up and an army of demons at her call, this escape from captivity won’t be easy. Just what will Emma have to sacrifice to pull it off…?

Review:

The kids are now on the run, and so they have to catch Ray up on what they've been doing this whole time. Emma put on a very good show, and even had Ray convinced. They definitely got one over on Mom, but they know they have more to learn along the way—they don't really know what they're going to face after this.

They're quite brilliant kids, and they've thought of everything for getting out of the compound, at least.

We get a little insight into Mom's history, which I appreciated. It shows a bit of humanity in her; while she is working for the demons, and she's lost all hope for anything else, she is only doing what she has to, to survive. She is only human.

As the kids start on their venture outside, they have to face some surprising creatures. It's really a wonder what has become of the world now, but they've had some hints they didn't realize from the books in the compound. But even aside from that, the demons are on their tail.

I'm so entranced in this series. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 4, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2018

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: Hints.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late.

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

With Norman scheduled to be shipped out, the children try their best to save him. Emma and Ray come up with a new plan, but then Norman makes a surprising decision.

Review:

This series is brutal.

After that last cliffhanger, things don't get better. Emma and Ray are determined to do what they can, but... Norman thinks it's all too risky. He wants everyone else to be safe more than himself. It's honestly crushing.

I acknowledge that the last shot we have of Norman could mean something different than what the scenes before and after indicate, particularly seeing Mother walk back to the house with his hat. I admit to a tiny sliver of hope for that. But I have doubts, because I don't want to get my hopes up. Because the reality otherwise is just so awful.

Afterward, we know that Emma and Ray's time is coming to a close very quickly. Their birthdays are approaching, and Ray's is first. The whole thing with Norman puts them in a depression, and Mother takes advantage of that.

I will admit that, with the twist at the end, I didn't see it working out like that. There were quite a few twists thrown in, in a very short time. I'm both excited to see what happens next, and dreading parts of it. This series is honestly awful, it's cruel and disturbing, and I am utterly impressed and entranced with it.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!