The Promised Neverland - 1st Arc Review
Chapters 1 - 37

The first chapter of The Promised Neverland is one of my favourite opening chapters of any manga, it's so intriguing and fascinating and scary, it really has anything you could ever want. So I insist that you at least read that chapter before reading this review because I'm going to spoil the twist and the end of the chapter which is much much better if you see it for yourself.

Anyway, this is a really unique manga considering it's in Shonen Jump, it's not a battle manga at all, more psychological thriller, where a group of kids living in an orphanage find out they are actually living on a farm, to be fed to these strong monsters. The premise is really strong and thought provoking, of course the commentary on farming as a whole is interesting (maybe would be an interesting double feature with Silver Spoon) and really visceral, you can really feel the odds are stacked against Emma, Norman and Rey, our main characters.

It's also one that illicits a lot of sympathy from every character, even Mama (the lady who runs the orphanage) and Sister Krone (her assistant) feel very real. Despite Demizu's real eye for terrifying drawings of these characters, Shirai makes it very clear that these people are just part of the system, they are just making the most of the horrible circumstances they are in.

Chapter to chapter this is such an enjoyable read, it's vert well paced, with the build up of tension over multiple chapters becoming almost unbearable at points, and the twists are frequently jaw dropping and practically force you to read another couple of chapters before going to bed.

The tightness of this opening arc, just being about Emma, Norman and Rey wanting to get out of the home is a real benefit, there aren't too many options and they are always one step away from danger. It brings out a lot of moral dilemmas to deal with and really brings out a lot from these characters.

In conclusion I think this is a fantastic arc and a really exciting new manga, there are some fears that opening up the story, as this next arc implicitly has to do, could remove some of the razor sharpness of this arc but for now this is something really great.