The Promised Neverland: The first manga I’ve read

One thing I always wanted to do, but I just kept on ignoring, leaving it hanging on my to-do list; is reading a Manga. I always knew that Mangas have their own charm, besides knowing the next event of the story before the release of the anime episode. Being able to look closely at the details of multiple scenes, going back and forth between the pages; is not something that you would do when watching an anime, pausing or scrolling back is too much effort (well at least for me it is).

I was so hyped and excited to watch the TPN anime. The trailer was so intense, with so many questions to ask. I couldn’t resist and wait for the airing of the first episode. I even checked some pages of its manga, but It wasn’t enough to make me read it, I eventually waited for the anime. The same thing happened when I finished watching the tenth episode, but this time, I couldn’t stop myself from checking the manga, I couldn't wait another week, especially, when I knew there were just 12 episodes in the first season. It was time… to GO EVEN FURTHER BEYOND! It was time to start reading the manga. At first, I wasn’t focusing on the drawings or the fact that there were no colors, no sound effects, and no live animations; the only thing I cared about was knowing what would happen next, an answer to the mysterious questions that the anime created in my head. But even though, I was so focused on the events, I felt something very different than watching the anime. I unwittingly fell in love with the reading part of the manga, no noises in my ears, and no pressure to keep up with the subtitles while watching, I was focused entirely on the story. As someone who is still learning English, you don’t get to understand everything at that rate, unlike the manga where I can search for the word that I want on my phone and go back instantly to the panel or page I’m reading, I can even leave a note on the page to go back to it later.

Sometimes you don’t feel the need for something until you first try it. Everyone has his own unique preferences. You just need to find the right ways and methods that suit you. Try a lot of things, do not stick to one path.

My opinion on the ending of The Promised Neverland (SPOILER ALERT):

The ending left me ambivalent. I felt like it was similar to the Game of Thrones ending, not satisfying compared to the weight of the story. I wish the promise was reversed, instead of having Emma the one who lost her memories, why not make her the only one who knows the truth and the others appear in the human world in an orphanage with compromised memories?

Suggestion for the last scene:

Emma walks into the hallway and her friends come out of their rooms (Good morning Emma! …). Emma sees a silhouette of a person similar to Isabella running in the hallway. She tries to catch her, but she ends up in front of a balcony at the end of the hallway. She opens the door, the sun’s rays shine on her face, her eyes closed when she hears loud noises, once she opens her eyes, she sees people walking down the street -all humans- joy on her face, she can’t believe it, she finally made it home. The scene ends with Phil calling Emma (Emma! Let’s go!). Take each other hands and walk away from the balcony.

Overall, a beautiful story and a unique plot, even though, I wish it was more complicated than that. More like Christopher Nolan’s endings, with an implicit message for the readers, that leaves us astonished, and clueless about what happened, and what was the promise.

Thank you for reading! ❤

Edit: After watching the second season, I believe reading the manga was one of the best decisions I have ever made.