Kaiu Shirai x Posuka Demizu: Beyond The Promised Neverland

by Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (Illustrator)

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.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Horror, Collections, Young Adult

200 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2021

About the author

Pseudonym of the Manga writer creator of Promised Neverland.

Reviews

[Balerion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked all the short stories ! I wish the actual Promised Neverland short story was longer than what it was, but it was still really sweet. The main manga may have its ups and downs but I still love the characters and it was nice to see Emma, Norman, and Ray one last time.

[Martin Iguaran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuando me regalaron este volumen (sí, me lo regalaron, y lo más gracioso es que no fue un regalo de un padre o un amigo: fue del vendedor de mi tienda de cómics y manga favorita! Resulta que soy uno de sus mejores clientes y quería obsequiarme algo por las Fiestas) pensé que se trataba de historias individuales situadas en el universo de The Promised Neverland. No es así: son cuatro historias separadas, junto con un epílogo de la serie original. Los géneros van de la ciencia ficción, al terror sobrenatural, al drama. Algunas historias son mejores que otras ("Saburo Kono, fotógrafo sobrenatural" es la mejor en mi opinión) pero en general se disfrutan. El epílogo de la serie original es divertido y muy breve, pero es lindo reencontrarse con personajes queridos y ver que finalmente tienen la alegría que se merecen!

[Midiam Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 estrellas

La portada y el título me hicieron creer que esta es una colección de historias paralelas de "The Promised Neverland", pero solo una de las seis historias tiene algo que ver con la serie, lo cual sinceramente me decepcionó un poco.
Las otras obras independientes van desde la ciencia ficción hasta lo sobrenatural y el futuro distópico. Sin embargo, todos ellos cuentan con personajes infantiles dibujados en el estilo característico de Demizu. Nunca me cansaré de decir que su trabajo me parece increíble, porque es perfecto tanto para escenas adorables y entrañables como para hacer otras más extrañas y aterradoras. En mi opinión, el arte es muy distintivo y tiene un estilo único e inconfundible, así que creo que eso lo hace aún más atractivo. De igual manera, Shirai no se queda atrás, siempre incorpora algunos giros inesperados en cada trama.

Al final, decidí calificar por separado cada historia:

Poppy’s Wish ☆☆☆.5
Spirit Photographer Saburo Kono ☆☆☆☆
We Were Born ☆☆☆
DC3 ☆☆☆
Takashi and Poppy ☆☆☆
Dreams Come True ☆☆☆☆☆

A la última le di la calificación más alta ya que es en esta en la que tenemos un vistazo de mi precioso Golden Trio. Extrañaba tanto leer sobre Emma, Ray y Norman.
El final de "The Promised Neverland" sigue siendo agridulce para mí, pues recuerdo con nostalgia cuando eran tan pequeños y solo vestían ropa blanca, y su estilo de vida como si fuera la década de 1950.

Esta historia es la más corta de las seis y comienza donde termina la serie, poco después de la reunión de Emma con su familia. Fue un sentimiento agridulce. Por una parte, estaba contenta de que al fin estuvieran todos juntos, pero por otra me puse triste ya que Emma no los recuerda a ellos y absolutamente nada de lo que vivieron. Hubo en especial una parte en la que conocemos los pensamientos de ella y en la que no puede evitar ponerme sentimental:

"Todos son amables y lindos conmigo, y este viaje fue muy divertido, pero... A veces es un poco triste. No me gusta sentir tanta lástima por mí misma. ¡Basta! ¿Qué me pasa? ¿Cómo puedo sentirme tan sola cuando todos me aman tanto? "

Afortunadamente, esos momentos de tristeza no duraron mucho y al final obtuvimos un felices para siempre para estos niños. Incluso tuvimos la bonita y grandiosa oportunidad de ver a Ray, el más cínico y estoico del grupo, tener un momento super wholesome.

[Nephelibata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questi one-shot sono stati una sorpresa dopo l'altra. Seppur brevi, sono di un'intensità disarmante. Ho trovato un filo comune tra tutti loro, che sicuramente richiama il tema principale presente anche in The Promised Neverland: la speranza come fiducia non solo in sé stessi ma anche nel prossimo, nel mondo, nel destino, in qualcosa di buono che esiste e resta nonostante tutto il guasto che c'è attorno. Tematiche che a prima vista potrebbero sembrare semplici o banali, qui sono rivisitate in forma autentica e genuina, e arrivano dritto al cuore. La mia short story preferita resta la prima, forse perché tra tutte, pur essendo la più semplice, è quella che mi è arrivata di più. E forse perché ha parlato dritto al cuore della hikikomori che c'è in me.
Il bonus finale su TPN poi è stato un regalo più che gradito; avendo finito da poco la serie, ritrovare i bambini di Gracefield ancora una volta, finalmente liberi, è stato come ricevere un abbraccio da un vecchio amico.

[Artemissia G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Qui ne connait pas The Promised Neverland de ces deux auteurs ? Dans mon cas, je continue ma lecture de cette série (j’ai déjà lu les 10 premiers tomes sur les 20 et je vous en reparle bientôt). En attendant, je n’ai pu m’empêcher de sauter sur ce recueil. Déjà, parce que j’adore la couverture colorée ainsi que la police du titre toute dorée… ça en dit long !

Au programme, nous avons droit à quatre nouvelles plus une en bonus et même un extra !

Je vais vous donner mon avis sur chaque nouvelle, mais sachez que dans l’ensemble, elles sont toutes excellentes !

- Le Souhait de Poppy
Poppy est une AI dans un grille-pain inventée par Takashi, un petit génie, qui vit reclus chez lui, car il a peur des gens. Le rêve de Poppy c’est de devenir humain. Takashi va exaucer son souhait, mais rien ne va se passer comme Poppy l’espérait.

Je ne vous dis pas pourquoi, parce que ça fait partie du plaisir de la découverte, mais j’ai adoré cette petite historiette qui reprend un peu le récit de Pinocchio. Et ai-je le droit de dire que la coupe de cheveux de Poppy ressemble à celle d’Astro Boy ?

Le plus (et c’est valable pour toutes les histoires) ce sont les « Petites anecdotes de Production » de l’auteur, Kaiu Shirai qui nous dévoile la manière dont sont nés ses scénarios. Une vraie mine d’or pour les curieux !


- Saburô Kôno, le photographe des esprits
C’est sans aucun doute mon histoire préférée de ce recueil ! Certainement parce que je suis devenue très sensible aux histoires de fantômes (et de mort).

Dans celle-ci, donc, un jeune garçon va voir débarquer un nouveau voisin qui a pris un appartement soi-disant hanté. Là encore, je ne vais pas trop m’étendre sur le sujet pour ne pas vous dévoiler les moments forts. Mais il y en a. Si au début, on angoisse un peu pour le jeune héros avec ce photographe qui fait quand même peur, le dénouement est très beau. Dans mon cas, j’ai même versé une petite larmichette (je vous le disais, je suis très sensible).

- We were born
Bon clairement, celle-là à un arrière-goût de The Promised Neverland et pour cause (Kaiu Shirai explique avoir écrit le scénario à la même époque — je vous le redis, les anecdotes doivent être lues, car elles sont de vraies mines d’informations sur sa manière de créer).

Le récit est dur, voire même glauque. J’ai eu beaucoup d’empathie pour la jeune héroïne.

- Dc3
Sans doute l’histoire qui m’a le moins passionnée même si elle reste de bonne facture. Je lui ai trouvé des airs de DBZ avec le savent fou qui crée des cyborgs.

Ce récit est plus léger je trouve, plus dynamique aussi et avec un peu d’humour. Ça se lit bien.

- Le bonus avec Poppy et Takashi
J’ai ADORÉ l’idée. Poppy et Takashi décident de remonter dans le temps grâce à une machine inventée par notre savant qui, grâce à Poppy, s’est décidé à se faire cent amis ! Tenez, Takashi souffre de la même peur sociale qu’une certaine Komi (sauf que là où il vit le concernant, on comprend mieux pourquoi). Cette histoire de cent amis m’intrigue du coup.

Nos deux héros vont donc rencontrer tous les protagonistes des différentes histoires courtes, et ce pour notre plus grand bonheur.

Enfin, il y a un extra hommage à The Promised Neverland. Étant en pleine lecture de ce manga je ne l’ai pas encore lu pour ne pas me spoiler.

En bref, ce petit recueil d’histoires courtes fut une lecture fort agréable que j’ai beaucoup appréciée ! J’ai passé un bon moment avec tous ces personnages hauts en couleur !

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️

Diese Kurzgeschichtensammlung der Promised-Neverland-Macherinnen, gespickt mit Kommentaren zu jeder Geschichte, war schön, um nach dem Finalband von PN mit der Reihe abzuschließen. Manga-Kurzgeschichten sind für mich meistens keine 5 Sterne, was aber nicht heißt, dass ich keine Freude daran hatte.

Wir bekommen hier 5 Geschichten, die spürbar von der PN-Autorin geschrieben wurden und immer mal wieder PN-Anspielungen in den Details entdecken lassen. Besonders Geschichte Nr. 3 erinnerte mich an Promised Neverland. Trotz der Kürze schaffen die Geschichten es, eine gewisse Tiefe zu transportieren. Am meisten gefielen mir da Nr. 2 und 3. Nr. 5 verbindet alle vier vorherigen Geschichten miteinander, eine lustigere Story, in der alle wichtigen Charaktere wieder vorkommen.
Geschichte Nr. 6 ist ein PN-Sequel. Der Abschluss der „Short Stories“ und auch von Promised Neverland, ein kurzer Moment, um Lebewohl zu sagen. Zu viel erwarten darf man von der Geschichte nicht, aber sie ist sehr süß.

Es werden Mystery, SciFi, Dystopie und Slice of Life bedient.
Themen: Hikikomori, Ausgrenzung, Einsamkeit, Mobbing, Freundschaft, Suizid, Tod, LEBEN.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed that only a portion of the book was about the characters in “The Promised Neverland”.

The other stories are very well-drawn and thought out. I just wasn’t ready to go on to another world after finishing the other 20 volumes of “The Promised Neverland” series. Also, there are plenty of cartoons with toasters…

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so so so so so so so so good!! I’m greedy and I want more! Every single story was so good and cute and touching. I love how they all came together in the end. And seeing all the og characters again made me so happy 🥺

[Leah B.C.R.F.V · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short stories were all very well written and engaging. The epilogue to The Promised Neverland broke my heart and also made me smile. Overall, very much enjoyed!

[Brigid Kapuvari · Rating 5 out of 5]

from this manga, i learned 3 things:
1) that i ain't shit. i love shirai's writing and will continue to support him in the future.
i stayed away from this book for the longest time because i hate reading manga that advertises one thing, yet the actual context consists of another. you would think, as a result of the cover, that this manga contains more of the promised neverland, but in actuality, it is majorly short stories devised by the same author. i'm simply not a fan of this marketing tactic.
still, i was gifted this manga from one of my best friends for christmas, so biting the bullet - i decided that it would be my entertainment on the train ride home. and... i was riveted. absolutely, completely, and unyieldingly.
i already knew that i was doomed for emotional assault by the time i hit the ending of "we were born," which alludes to the reason why the promised neverland was created: to show how all of us get to decide what it means to live. i just had to put the book down for a moment and compose myself before i started bawling on the train.

2) there were questions that i didn't know i needed the answers to; things that i still wanted to see.
the promised neverland is, by no means, the perfect manga - but i was always content with the ending. regardless, the final story of this manga presented me with answers to little things that i didn't know i wanted so desperately; for instance, what ray's genuine interests are. watching everyone finally pursue the things they mentioned wanting at the very beginning of the story. i literally recorded a video of me sobbing on my phone because i was so friggin' happy. like, i genuinely didn't understand the concept of "happy crying" until i read the promised neverland - and lo and behold, here i am once again, crying like a lil' bitch because all my precious babies achieved their dreams.

and 3) i need to reread the promised neverland.
i almost forgot how much i love the promised neverland. my disappointment with season 2 was so insurmountable, which i think prompted me to distance myself from it. but at the end of the day, the promised neverland (season 1) solidified my love for anime. it was the first manga i ever read and bought to completion. and you know what? i really owe it to this series - and to myself - to experience it all over again. i want to remember it more vividly, analyze it more thoroughly, and love it even more profoundly.
so i never forget again. <3

[Eyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, at the end of Promised Neverland, the artist and the author mentioned they'd be excited to work together again and I'm glad we got to see some more short stories. They were so varied and I'd definitely be interested in seeing another series from these two, though I think Demizu is working with someone else at the moment??
Only one of these stories was for Promised Neverland if you don't know, the rest are interesting and fun, worth checking out :D

[Dactylaura · Rating 4 out of 5]

j’ai beaucoup aimé ces petites histoires même si elles restent assez simples, les idées sont plutôt originales et c’est un plaisir de retrouver le trait de Posuka Demizu. puis je dois avouer que j’ai adoré lire l’épilogue de The Promised Neverland. j’étais restée un peu sur ma faim avec la conclusion donc tout bonus est bon à prendre hihi 🥰

[Ignacio Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puntaje real: 3/5.
Lo que rescato es la última historia, ver de nuevo a esos personajes, y finalmente que sean felices estando juntos.
Los demás me parecieron entretenidos desde el punto de vista de conocer más de lo que hace el autor, y como conectó sus historias breves, pero no me aportaron más allá de eso.

[SaraKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a collection of short stories and only the last one has our Promised Neverland characters in it. It is a nice little epilogue that sees our characters super happy and enjoying life. The other stories are good as well. This is obviously a talented author with lots of good things to share. :)

[Mya Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this in 2024, but then we moved and I packed it away and forgot about it until recently. I re-read the whole thing and most of the stories brought tears to my eyes, they were all very touching and lovely. I was also very excited to see my favourite characters finally get the happiness they deserve at the end, I only wish I could remember how Emma lost her memory.

[Ashley Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay little collection of short stories created by the author. However, I wish there would have been a little more about the actual children from The Promised Neverland.

[Emilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, my favourite Duo created another enchanting manga, which I couldn't lay aside. I don't have much to say, I would just recommend this manga to anyone, whether they are a fan of "The Promised Neverland", or not. It is a short read with the authors characteristical aesthetic and it is definitely worth reading!

[Fidia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ada gula, ada semut. Ada Kaiu Shirai dan Posuka Demizu, maka ada aku yang nyempil berbinar-binar antusias. Rasanya sulit bersabar, jadilah beli yang terbitan Viz Media. Pengalaman membaca 20 volume komik “The Promised Neverland” (TPN) sejujurnya bikin aku kaget. Ekspetasiku pertama kali melihat TPN itu semacam “paling bakal menemukan cerita fantasi yang mengajak kita berimajinasi karena -/+ teringat karya J. M. Barrie, di mana Peter Pan dkk. berada”. Tapi, TPN membawa ceritanya ke suasana yang lebih gelap. Anak-anak TPN berada di dalam panti yang sebenarnya bukan membesarkan mereka untuk hidup bahagia dan terlimpahi kasih sayang. Mereka satu persatu akan dijadikan santapan iblis alias mereka adalah “manusia ternak”. Kalau dipikir-pikir, membaca TPN sambil membandingkannya dengan Peter Pan menarik juga. Mungkin, lain kali. Agak abu-abu untuk detail Peter Pan 😂

Topik yang dibawa kelam, lalu ditambah dengan penulis yang (kupikir) tertarik pada nilai-nilai universal kemanusiaan. Misalnya, kita diajak merenungi apakah baik dan buruk harus terpilih salah satu, apakah mereka tidak berdampingan? Apakah arti eksistensi kita, apa arti dari berdampak? (itu sempat menjadi masalah kompleks dalam pikiran tokoh utama: Emma). Apa arti sebuah nyawa? Bagaimana karma bermain-main dalam takdir seseorang? Apa yang berharga dan tak pernah tergantikan milik manusia? dan seterusnya. Lucunya, Elex Media melabeli TPN dengan 12+ untuk 2 volume awal. Tiba-tiba berubah jadi 17+ di volume selanjutnya hingga akhir. Kecurigaan tentang ketertarikan mangaka pada nilai-nilai tsb. semakin diperkuat dengan membaca “Beyond The Promised Neverland” (BTPN). Untuk BTPN ini, Viz Media melabelinya dengan Teen Plus atau pembaca di atas remaja hingga dewasa.

Menariknya lagi, setiap judul cerita tamat, kita akan diuraikan beberapa fakta unik di balik pembuatan cerita tersebut. Entah berupa sekian proses dalam penerbitan, menggambar, fakta unik, hingga harapan mangaka. Aku meraskan adanya idealisme mangaka yang dalam setiap judulnya seperti dipikirkan baik-baik dan memiliki “suara” (juga si penulis yang berkali-kali memuji ilustrator. Tapi, aku pun merasa “pas” dengan gayanya. artttt book mana arttt book~). Inilah mengapa, aku rasanya haus. Kapan mereka ada karya lagi? 
 
Untuk satu persatu judulnya: 
 
𝟏. 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐲’𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 
 
Judul ini menceritakan tentang Poppy, sebuah pemanggang roti canggih yang telah dilengkapi kecerdasan buatan. Ia dapat merasa dan berpikir. Suatu hari, Poppy ingin menjadi manusia. Untuk itu, Takashi, ilmuwan yang cenderung anti sosial, membuat Poppy menjadi humanoid. Konflik terjadi ketika Takashi menjelaskan robot akan sulit hidup berdampingan dengan manusia. Dari sini, kita akan mengulik mengapa Takashi sangat enggan bersinggungan dengan orang lain. Melalui penjelasan Takashi tentang masyarakat di sekitarnya, aku melihat simbol dari keserakahan, penjunjungan tata krama (tapi jadi tak logis), kesinisan pada perbedaan, dan cerminan seseorang yang berusaha mengimbangi apa yang terbentuk di sekelilingnya.  
 
Tambahan: Takashi mengingatkanku dengan ketakutan tipe 5 enenagram dan pendorongnya. Rasanya nambah asupan kalau-kalau nanti ketemu lagi dengan Yoonjae di Almond hehe (karena niat baca dua kali). 
 
𝟐. 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐨 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐨 
 
Kali ini, kita bersudut pandang Sota Koganei, seorang anak laki-laki di apartemen nomor 602 yang kerap mengurung diri di kamarnya hanya dengan bermain gim. Tetangga baru sebelah apartemennya, Saburo Kono, ialah seorang fotografer. Biasanya, setiap tetangga yang mengisi nomor 603 akan pindah kurang dari tiga hari dengan alasan digentayangi makhluk halus. Justri itulah, Saburo Kono punya misi tersendiri yang menyeret Sota. Masih sama hangatnya dengan cerita pertama, kali ini kita diajak untuk bertahan di antara gejolak hidup yang mengancam. Serta, yakin, setiap uluran tangan kita dapat memengaruhi orang lain, membuatnya lebih bertahan.

𝟑. 𝐖𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 
 
Latar pada judul ini dipenuhi kekerasan dan kericuhan. Tawuran antar geng terjadi di mana-mana. Kriminalitas pun meningkat. Dalam kondisi demikian, kita bertemu dengan Leo yang justru diselamatkan oleh Rita tanpa pikir panjang. Ia sama sekali tidak khawatir padahal ia membawa seorang anggota geng yang sekarat akibat keributan besar. Pertemuan mereka menjadi persinggungan yang manis. Ketika Leo sibuk menerka-nerka alasan ia terlahir, Rita sebaliknya menjadi sosok polos yang berpikir hidup untuk menyelamatkan orang lain. Seperti judulnya, cerita ini akan membahas “Setelah kita lahir, lalu apa?” terlebih dengan kenyataan menyakitkan yang mengguncang Rita. Prinsip hidupnya menjadi sesuatu yang terasa buntu nan menakutkan.  
 
𝟒. 𝐃𝐂𝟑 
 
Cerita ini mengambil latar masa depan ketika robot telah begitu canggih untuk mendampingi kebutuhan manusia. Saho, seorang anak ilmuwan yang dikabarkan secara tak sengaja menjadi pemicu penemuan robot-robot tersebut. Karena itu, Ia menjadi incaran banyak pihak yang membahayakan keselamatannya. DC3 pun dikirim khusus oleh ayahnya dengan tugas melindungi nyawa Saho. Aduh suka banget DC3~ Pengorbanan yang dilakukan DC3 tidak sesederhana yang dipikirkan Saho sebagai “kepatuhan perintah”. Ada aspek sederhana yang disinggung: pengorbanan sebagai kekuatan dan kebutuhan kita untuk hidup bersama. 
 
𝟓. 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚: 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐲 
 
Usai cerita pertama, kita kembali menemui Takashi dan Poppy. Kali ini, mereka melakukan perjalanan lintas waktu ke berbagai tempat. Manisnya, kita akan bertemu dengan tokoh-tokoh yang muncul di judul-judul sebelumnya (terharu melihat kelanjutan hidup mereka~). Untuk ini, mereka menekankan apa yang ada di balik perbedaan kita, kehangatan yang perlu kita sadari.

𝟔. 𝐓𝐏𝐍 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 
 
Bagian yang ditunggu-tunggu. Emma dkk. membuat daftar keinginan dari setiap anak sejak masih berada di panti. Dalam sehari, mereka berusaha memenuhinya satu persatu. Untuk yang menyimak kisah mereka di TPN, proses mereka akhirnya bisa merengkuh kebahagiaan tentu amat diharapkan. Mereka pantas untuk tersenyum, tertawa, bebas, hingga hidup normal seperti manusia apa adanya. Buatku, mengetahui masa depan mereka membuatku lega. Kunjungan kita pada Emma dkk. memang singkat, tapi kita bakal diingatkan kembali dengan nilai kebersamaan (yang sebenarnya menjadi pendorong terdahsyat para anak panti di TPN). Tambahan, aku semakin terenyuh ketika mengetahui judul ini sengaja diterbitkan lebih cepat karena merebaknya pandemi. Sepertinya, cerita ini menjadi penguat bagi kita yang saat itu terkurung dan terpisah.

[Othy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like "The Promised Neverland", these stories combine horrifyingly depressing worlds with overwhelming optimism. I have no idea how the author does it, but they all work so well. Each of them could be the beginning of their own series. The gem of the collection is, of course, the epilogue of TPN, which is magnificent.

[S.Q. Eries · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

The Review

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.

For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This is a collection of 4 non-related short stories, a small bonus story written later connecting them, and then a short epilogue for The Promised Neverland. The short stories were written before The Promised Neverland whose purpose was to test the synergy between author and artist (Kaiu Shirai was looking for an artist for his stories at the time). The epilogue story was meant for an exhibition during the pandemic. The stories are very much like The Promised Neverland in that they are sci fi, featuring young protagonists, and have hopeful endings.

The first story is a retelling of Pinocchio - except one in the future where perhaps Pinocchio might not actually want to be a boy.

The second story is a supernatural one featuring a young boy and his relationship to the ghost next door.

The third story is perhaps the most reminiscent of The Promised Neverland and features an orphan exposed to a cruel fate and the gangster who might just rescue her.

The fourth story is about a girl hounded by everyone for being the daughter of the man who created true artificial intelligence robots. Just who is her new protector?

The first bonus story takes all the characters from the first four stories and ties them together as the protagonists from the first story travel to the other story locations and meet the characters.

The last story in the book is a side story/epilogue to The Promised Neverland and involves the greatest wishes of the children now that they are free.

The art and stories are over five years old in several cases but were re-written or re-illustrated for this volume. Most had never been published before.

All the stories are solid, have great beginnings and endings, and showcase both the author and the illustrator. There were no duds. They are all also very much in the spirit of The Promised Neverland series. For that reason, if you liked the series, you'll likely enjoy these short, stand alone stories. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Santiago Bueno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un tomo bastante bonito. Los autores no decepcionan con esta colección de historias cortas. Todas fueron disfrutables, si bien hay algunas que me gustaron mas que otras. El arte también estuvo muy bien, como de costumbre. Con respecto a cada historia individualmente:
-El deseo de Poppy: Fue una historia bastante bonita con un bello mensaje. El desarollo de la historia estuvo bastante bien, aunque no me terminaron de cerrar algunos detalles. Lo que si, mas adelante en el tomo hay un extra de la historia que eleva la historia original, en mi opinión. Logra reforzar el mensaje de la obra de una manera muy divertida con ciertas referencias a las otras historias del tomo.
- El fotógrafo paranormal: Esta fue mi favorita. El concepto me pareció muy interesante y me gustó mucho como jugó con mis expectativas mientras se desarrollaba la historia. Con un mensaje bastante inspirador al final que me pareció muy bien explayado.
-We were born: Quizas la historia que menos me gustó de la recopilación. Tiene un mensaje similar al de la historia anterior, pero que no me pareció tan bien desarrollado. Igualmente fue entretenida.
- DC3: un poco predecible pero muy divertida. Simplemente se ejecutó tan bien la historia que no importa que los giros sean muy fáciles de predecir. Llena de acción y con un mundo del que te me gustaría saber mas.
-The Promised Neverland: Dreams come true: finalmente el epílogo de TPN. Fue muy lindo de volver a ver a estos personajes. Ver un poco que sucede después del final de la serie fue interesante, pero no me pareció que hiciera falta en este tomo. Entiendo porque lo pusieron, te lo dicen explícitamente antes de empezar con la historia, pero si no estuviese tampoco lo extrañaría. Fue bonito pero poco mas. Y el extra de la primera historia, que está justo antes de esto, cierra el tomo de una manera que me agradó mucho.
Igualmente es un tomo que recomendaría mucho. Sobretodo si disfrutaron de The Promised Neverland.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stories from the creators of The Promised Neverland. One is about a recluse who creates an android toaster who wants a real body. Then a story about a boy who lives next to a haunted condo that no one stays in long until a weird photographer comes. Then one about an orphan girl who is being adopted but she learns it is just being bought for parts. Then a story about the most wanted girl in the world who tinkered with her robotics father's computer and accidentally broke the code for sentient robots; everyone wants her but she's determined to not need a body guard, no matter how many her father sends with her. Then the recluse and android from the first story go universe hopping and meet some of the characters in the other stories. And finally, the survivors from Promised Neverland use the money Norman made to check off things on their wishlists.

I liked the story about the girl trying to avoid needing a body guard and obviously watching the kids from Promised Neverland do all sorts of fun stuff was great. The others were just meh to me. I would not hand this collection to many. There's nudity in the first story and suicide in the 2nd. I wish I could cut out certain stories for the teens at my school. The collection as a whole is a 2.5.

Notes on content:
Language: About 20 minor swears.
Sexual content: The recluse hauls out an anatomically mostly accurate female body for the android that is naked.
Violence: There are battles in several of the story lines with a bit of blood. One of the stories involves plans for organ harvesting. One of the stories involves someone planning suicide and someone else tries to rescue them but die in the process and come back as a vengeful ghost.
Ethnic diversity: A variety of possible ethnicities based on illustrations, none stated.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Suicidal thoughts in one story because of bullying. Guilt from causing a death.

[Amel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dans ce recueil, 5 nouvelles y sont regroupées.

1ère nouvelle - avis - 4/5

J'ai bien aimé le fait qu'un humain et une intelligence artificielle habite ensemble et créent un liens d'amitié même si il ne sont pas les mêmes. C'était assez touchant. 💓

2ème nouvelle - avis - 5/5

J'ai vraiment adoré cette histoire, elle est courte mais intense. En plus de cela elle défend des sujets très important comme le suicide. Un photographe qui vient en aide aux esprits coincé sur terre, j'ai vraiment aimé. 🫶🏻

3ème nouvelle - 4,5/5

Dans cette nouvelle l'esprit et l'ambiance de "The promised neverland " était vraiment au rendez-vous. Une petite fille qui est trompée par les intentions de son sauveur...
Si vous avez lu TPN, vous savez ce qui se passera potentiellement. 🫣

4ème nouvelle - 3,5/5

C'est la nouvelle que j'ai le moins aimé, c'était sympa mais l'univers des robots, ce n'est pas quelque chose qui m'attire en général. ⚡️

5ème nouvelle - ❤️/5
⚠️ Pour lire cette nouvelle il faut avoir lu l'intégralité de la série "The promised neverland" car ça spoile directement la fin de la saga.⚠️

Retrouver mes personnages préférés dans un second épilogue était fantastique. Dès le début, les larmes étaient là, car ils me manquent il peut chaque jour. C'était parfait.🥹

- Amel - 🦋

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, first, if you're interested in this because you think it's all set in the world of The Promised Neverland, you should know that it isn't. There is a really sweet story at the end that let's us know what happened to the characters that will make fans of the series happy, but the rest of the stories are one-shots done by the author and the illustrator, and I quite enjoyed them. Although the stories aren't related to each other, they do all kinda meet up in a bonus story, which was fun. We meet an A.I. toaster who longs to be human and the shut-in scientist who created him; a young boy living next-door to a haunted apartment who helps a spirit photographer trying to get a picture of the ghost; the daughter of a famous inventor of robots who is constantly who gets a new bodyguard whether she wants one or not; plus the bonus story featuring the A.I. and the scientist taking a time travel adventure, and the TPN story, which I'll note doesn't contain any spoilers if you haven't read the series (I haven't yet). A good read, whether you're looking for more works by the author/illustrator team, or just looking for some fun stories with gorgeous art.

#KaiuShiraixPosukaDemizuBeyondThePromisedNeverland #NetGalley

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read a manga short story collection before so I wasn't sure what to expect. This book contains six short one shots involving such topics as the supernatural, suicide and a lot of robots.
The stories were really cute and I did enjoy them. Most of them could have done with being fleshed out and a couple would make fantastic series. The penultimate 'story' is a strange mashup of the previous four which felt like everything was just crush together it was more a bit of fun rather than an actual story.
I was a massive fan of 'The Promised Neverland' and that is why I bought this book so it was a shame that the follow up was a bit of a let down. The story follows the kids doing everything on a list of things they wanted to do in the real world. It's a really sweet idea but as the story is so short and there are so many kids it just skipped from one to the other. The whole thing with the plane was really strange but I guess if you need to go to lots of places in one day you need fast transport.
I loved that Norman's wish was that he, Emma and Ray stay together forever. I'm totally there w=for that throuple. Haha.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

short story collection from the duo behind Promised Neverland, none of the stories directly involve the Promised Neverland universe besides a final snippet, which is quite short — I kind of wish there'd been a bit more of that (also those kids are never going to get any bigger, are they).

otherwise these short stories were all fine, nothing that particularly hit. definitely a lot of similar theming, you can tell they're from the same author. I think if I had to pick a favorite it'd probably be the spirit photography short. wracking my memory I'd say the short that involved the future infinite war (gangs??? and orphans?) was pretty weak, though not the worst concept — the execution was honestly somewhat confusing.

on another note, having another mouth where your belly button is is actually a low key horrifying concept. I do not wish to see it.

bye

[Elizabeth Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story compilation by the creators of The Promised Neverland! There is only one story set in that world, however, so newcomers will certainly be able to just jump in. Each one is very different from another so everyone should be able to find one they can relate to. You can certainly see the same author in each one though, as issues of life are brought up and those who bring us hope. I know the ghost one is going to stick with me for quite awhile and not just because it is around Halloween. For those unsure if they want to start the Promised Neverland series this is a great introduction to the types of themes involved. A short read but a great one!

[Amy Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of the book was the short stories and it was really cute. I would have loved to read a much longer, more in depth version of the short stories and had the continuation of TPN been longer I would have probably gotten emotional. The continuation was very short compared to the rest of the stories and I would have loved to see much more developement in Emma and the rest of the characters. I think that the concept of them fullfilling their dreams in the human world, including Emma's even though she couldnt remember, was a very very heartfelt concept and I just am extremely sad it was so short.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adoro le storie del sensei Shirai e della mangaka Demizu. Questi brevi racconti, che sono collegati anche tra di loro, mi hanno fatto riassaporare il piacere della lettura di The promised Neverland. Vorrei veramente che pubblicassero una nuova opera perché lavorano benissimo insieme e sanno creare dei piccoli gioielli. Infine, l'ultimo racconto con protagonisti gli eroi di Tpn mi ha un po' spezzato il cuore. Sono stata felicissima di poterli rivedere e avere loro notizie. È bellissimo che finalmente possano esaudire i loro desideri, e anche se Emma non ha più i suoi ricordi, l'amore della loro famiglia riesce a riportare il suo animo al suo originario luogo.