The Promised Neverland is a story of 3 orphans, Emma, Norman, and Ray, living at Grace Field House Orphanage with many other orphans. Eventually, they would be adopted by a lucky family and their lives would be off to a new adventure. When Conny, another orphan, forgets her stuffed toy on the day she’s adopted, Emma and Norman set off to quickly deliver the toy to Conny only to be met with her lifeless body at the gates to the outside world. After learning what the true fate of the orphans when they’re adopted, Emma, Norman, and Ray begin their plot to escape from Grace Field House.

This is the first manga series written by Shirai Kaiu (白井カイウ) and is their third work overall published in Weekly Shonen Jump since 2015. Originally written under the name “Neverland”, it was renamed in order to avoid copyright issues. The Promised Neverland is a compelling and suspenseful series about survival in a world completely alien to humans. The orphans at Grace Field House are required to take a test regularly to keep track of their scores. Unknown to the orphans, these scores are used for something more important to the test givers. The scores and the age of the orphans determine their “ripeness” for monsters that lurk outside of the walls of Grace Field House. The monsters don’t have a name but the humans call these creatures “demons”.

These demons are capable of taking in characteristics of whatever it is they ingest like growing horns after eating a bull or walking on two legs like humans. Demons, however, were not always capable of planning and creating systems like the orphanages. These feats were only possible after eating humans and gaining sentience afterward, which allowed them to think and organize. Realizing that the source of their sentience came from humans, the demons orchestrated a plan to develop humans in secure areas until the time came for these humans to be devoured. The result of this plan created farms under the disguise of orphanages that would continue to develop children to the fullest without outside interference.  

The Promised Neverland gives off an air of mystery and puts you on the edge of your seat. You won’t always know who can be trusted or how can Emma, Norman, or Ray can get out of some difficult situations. The first season of the anime ran from January 11th, 2019 until March 19 of the same year, finishing the Grace Field House arc of the story. Season 2 has been announced and is being planned for a 2020 release! After 3 years, the manga is finally approaching the end of its final arc! After 150 chapters, the decisive battle for the freedom of humans has begun and soon readers will find out what their future will become. At this point, it’s hard to see whether the demons or humans will be victorious in the end!

Here’s a fun fact you may not have picked up on: Did you know the red flower in the series, known as a Vida, is based on a real flower called the lycoris radiata or the red spider lily. This flower is associated with death in Asian cultures and is actually used a lot in other anime and manga! If you’ve watched other shows like Tokyo Ghoul, Kimetsu no Yaiba, or Inuyasha, then you’ve probably seen these flowers too! There’s an interesting theme that all of these shows have in common. I wonder what that is? 🤔

Thanks to the anime debut earlier in the year, The Promised Neverland’s popularity has grown a lot internationally! Unfortunately, the world isn’t caught up on some of the neat products that Japan has released for the series. There’s even a collaboration cafe happening right now with exclusive merchandise! Lucky for you, ZenPlus can help you out! 

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