A collection of short stories by the creators of The Promised Neverland.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Kaiu Shirai/ Posuka Demizu
Translation/Adaptation: Satsuki Yamashita
What They Say
From the creators of The Promised Neverland comes a collection of their best short stories, including a special one-shot with the key elements that would later go into their biggest hit and an epilogue that shows what the main characters are up to after the end of the manga series.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The four main stories of Beyond the Promised Neverland would be better described BEFORE The Promised Neverland. For various reasons which writer Shirai-sensei explains in the Behind-the-Scenes notes, these standalone stories were storyboarded before the release of The Promised Neverland. As Shirai-sensei states in the foreword, “the stories could be called ‘the road to The Promised Neverland.'”
The first is “Poppy’s Wish,” a sci-fi version of Pinocchio with an AI toaster who wants to become human and a shut-in inventor as his creator. Overall, it’s lighthearted and cute, mainly because of Poppy’s bright, innocent personality. However, just as in The Promised Neverland, his perspective on the world gets thrown on its head when he discovers the true reason his creator avoids other humans.
“Spirit Photographer Saburo Kono” has a completely different tone. If you need suggestions for a Halloween reading list, I’d recommend this one. In this tale, a boy lives next to a haunted apartment, whose latest tenant is plenty creepy himself. Ultimately, the story has an uplifting, if bittersweet, ending, but until you get there, Demizu-sensei does an excellent job spooking readers with her scary illustrations and unnerving expressions.
The third story, “We Were Born,” is the most similar in content to The Promised Neverland. The setting’s a corrupt, war-ravaged Earth, not another world, but it has the super-optimistic orphan whose seemingly beneficent caretaker has a dark agenda. There’s also a ton of violence. Despite that, it, like The Promised Neverland, has a happy ending.
The fourth story “DC3” is about the lone-wolf daughter of an AI manufacturer and her latest android bodyguard. The twist in this story is less startling than the previous three, but if you like action, it has it in spades. Whether it’s a rescue from a mob or hand-to-hand combat between military-type androids, Demizu-sensei’s illustrations really suck you in.
At the end of the book are two short manga. The bonus manga “Takashi and Poppy” is a crossover where Poppy and his inventor travel back in time and share toast with characters from the other three stories of the collection. Then there is the book’s one The Promised Neverland side-story, “Dreams Come True.”
According to the notes, “[‘Dreams Come True’] is a special manga that was displayed at The Promised Neverland Exhibit” (presumably in Japan). It picks up where the series ends, shortly after Emma’s reunion with her family. Though Emma recalls nothing of their previous life together, they are creating new memories together. For those who want to see the orphans’ happily ever after, this delivers. Even Ray, the most cynical and stoic of the bunch, has a moment of blissful awe.
Extras include illustrations and sample drawings printed on the inside covers, foreword, story notes, and a few footnotes placed in gutters.
In Summary
The cover and title of Beyond the Promised Neverland might lead you to believe this is a collection of The Promised Neverland side-stories, but only one out of the six short stories has anything to do with the series. The other standalone works range from sci-fi to supernatural to dystopian future. However, they all feature child (or childlike) characters drawn in Demizu-sensei’s signature style, and Shirai-sensei incorporates some unexpected twists into each plot.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: November 8th, 2022
MSRP: $9.99
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
