The Promised Neverland - The Best "JUMP Start" Manga.

This is the definitive manga of JUMP Start.
And I do not say this just because I like it, I say it because it is what "feeds" me as a reviewer and I do not want to look bad to dictate anything but "Yakusoku no Neverland" (original name) is the manga that gave me that level of hype since I begin reading the shonen gender.

The new series of Kaiu Shirai (story) and Posuka Demizu (art) premiered on August 1 in issue 35 of Shueisha's Shounen Jump magazine.
The first chapter had 54 pages with a colorful opening page. Shirai and Demizu had previously worked together in a one-shot called "Popy no Negai" in February. To further increase the hype, the manga "Yakosoku no Neverland" is already among the standard Jump lineup of the American Jump - which is not very common, since the new series usually only appear there with the first chapter. I sincerely hope that Viz Media will make the physical version of this series, I will buy it for sure !!

The story begins with a narration telling how the days at the orphanage were happy, which already leads to understand that the narrator's time is the future and he recounts memories. Then it becomes clear that we actually have a (female) narrator. That's right, we have a protagonist this time, her name is Emma.

As the synopsis shows, this tells the story of Emma and her friends living a very good life in the orphanage in which they grew up. Although the rules are strict, the caretaker of the children is kind and has the image of a "mother" for all who live there. But why are they forbidden to leave the place ...?
-> Answer: That has more where it is said.

Half of the 1st chapter shows 3 important points to understand the "sweet" and "cute" scenario in the history: How the orphanage works with it's 38 children and is entirely controlled by a single woman they call Mama (as the mom = mother of the orphans); As everyone is happy and well treated as true brothers; As the protagonist stands out in means to others. Then the darker points of the orphanage begin to appear.

First we see that each one has an identification number tattooed on the neck and this is handled naturally. Then all the children go through a kind of daily test where they have to answer 60 difficult questions of calculation and mathematical logic in 10 seconds, and with this test we find out that Emma, Ray and Norman are the smartest interns.

After the tests, everyone is free to play, but the sequence has the function of showing the reader that at the end of the orphanage grounds there is an immense gate and a kind of wall that surrounds all. They have knowledge of the "outside world" through some books in the library, and many dream of what to do when they leave the place. It is that in this part also we found that the main trio have 11 years old and that the age limit to stay in the orphanage is until the 12 years old. But that ends up being no rule.

In short, this first chapter was spectacular! With beginning, middle and end well defined and very well developed, the desire to continue reading is very great and the expectation is up there for the next chapters. I do not think anyone expected a plot like this happening in this scenario (as sometimes seen as a superpower scenario), and the passage from the quieter parts of the chapter to the heavier ones really came as a surprise and may have scare many readers.

My view of art is this: the draftsman is very good at creating the darkest part of the story. The monsters were very detailed and really scared to look at them. And if there were the best page drawn in the year, the scene where the little girl's body is found would be a strong candidate to win.

In the beginning part of the chapter the art became simpler and was not so spectacular, even because it did not go to detail, unlike the end. I really hope the story goes to that more serious tone, but since it's shonen, not seinen, then it should stay in the middle. Although the attitudes of children seem strange at times because of their age, this is understandable because of the tests that are submitted every day. So it was a beautiful surprise.

The only problem I see in the series is that it drags the story too much in order to be too slow and currently in chapter 19, the story is still about getting out of the orphanage.