A review by stormywolf
The Promised Neverland, Vol. 5 by Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu

dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 I first heard about this story through praise of its anime adaptation. One of my favorite Ani-Tubers, Geoff Thew (aka Mother's Basement) has been gushing about its story, characters, and tension for years. And then they made a second season and absolutely slaughtered any good will they'd built up from the first. So, I decided to take him up on his suggestion and dive into the manga to see just what I'd been missing out on.

I decided to stop at the same place Season 1 of the anime stopped, just at the end of the Jailbreak arc (the second arc of the manga), which took me through the better part of 5 volumes, or 37 chapters. I figured that was the best way to get a good taste of the story and characters (ha), without leaving off on too big of a cliffhanger (like each volume tended to do).

Read my full review at The Wolf's Den

Overall, I really enjoyed this peek outside my comfort zone. I'd definitely recommend anyone check it (or its [first season of] anime) out if you're interested in high-tension horror/thriller, suspenseful twists, or intelligent characters using logic and reasoning against equally impressive opponents. There honestly isn't as much horrific imagery (gore or body horror) as I was expecting, but there are some deaths, as well as a lot of imagined (child) corpses, so it's not that tame either. Dread, lots and lots of dread. Still, if you're looking for something spooky for this season, but the typical ghosts and ghouls aren't piquing your interest, give this series a look. 

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