Title: The Promised Neverland Vol. 11
Author: Kaiu Shirai (Story), Posuka Demizu (Art)
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Genre: Horror, Drama
Publication Date: August 6, 2019
The Story
Volume eleven of The Promised Neverland concluded the battle between the children and Leuvis at Goldy Pond. While I do appreciate the outcome, I have to confess that I was severely disappointed with the method used to end the battle. The ideology of how to defeat Leuvis seems like it was taken straight out of Fullmetal Alchemist. I actually rolled my eyes at the explanation of the grand plan to bring him down. Still, the battle is over but there were some dramatic moments in there that lead everyone back to the shelter where Don, Gilda, and the others waited.
At the shelter, the plan is to go back to Grace Field to free Phil and the others; however, after revealing the information of the pen to everyone, it seems like we have a side objective before doing just that. It looks like our new arc will be the “Search for the Seven Walls” with a pretty lofty goal in mind. They give themselves a two-year timer to complete this goal… mainly because it may be too late for some of the kids at Grace Field beyond that point. All of this seems easier said than done and that’s only if they have no opposition during this plan of theirs. Judging from the conclusion of the volume, there will be plenty of opposition to be had!
I like how The Promised Neverland didn’t waste any time transitioning from one story arc to the next. Typically, you would find some filler fluff once a major story arc ends but not here. It’s simply on to the next one and things have already gotten underway! The volume was a bit slower-paced compared to the action we received last volume but that was to be expected. Still, we now know where we are going in the story next and it’s really interesting! I’m excited to see if the gang can pull it off!
Characters
We got next to no development for 99% of our cast which was disappointing. I would have thought with the transition between arcs that we would have gotten some more information on some of the kids that came from Goldy Pond.
We did; however, get one major piece of development! We can finally stop calling the mystery dude the mystery dude… or Mister… or that guy… or Seinin Boy A.. or whatever nickname you decided to give him. We finally know his name! His name is….. go read it for yourself! (I know… that was mean!). I will say; however, that his name is just a name. Unless it holds some significance later, I don’t see what was so special about withholding that information. The only thing I can think of is that it was a reward for gaining his trust. If that was the intent, then I guess the mystery served its purpose. If not, then that seemed like some throwaway plot point that could have been used as a deeper story element.
Final Thoughts
Even with a slower volume, I still enjoyed it overall despite my qualms with the method they used to kill Leuvis. It just didn’t seem all that original. Of course, it’s probably because I’ve read Fullmetal Alchemist that I think that. Those who haven’t read that series (and shame on you if you haven’t… that series is a masterpiece), will probably like the idea of what they did in order to stop him. I guess the method is subjective on an individual basis.
Even though I’m excited about the new arc, the plan seems a little too ambitious. They even mentioned that William Minerva himself never carried out what they are planning to do. I mean, the only way to make progress in history is for someone to do something that is perceived to be impossible but with the way the world has been constructed and built for the reader, what they are proposing seems way too much of an overachievement… almost to the point where it doesn’t seem impossible but more or less unbelievable. Still, the beauty of creating a story is that you can break the bonds of reality and craft things that seem impossible to us but are very possible to the characters and the world they inhabit… so let’s see how they decide to handle this.
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