The Promised Neverland Fanbook: Vol. 0 Mystic Code - (1)

Welcome to the entrance.

The Fanbook is a forbidden door. It may break your dreams. 

However, Kaiu Shirai’s brain is exposed to the maximum, and it includes the background stories, unpublished information of the characters and events- as many as possible.

Well then, to the deep layers of TPN...please proceed~!

(Kaiu Shirai, 12-4-2020)

Translator's note:

-This is the translated official TPN fanbook, Secret Bible The Promised Neverland 0: Mystic code. You can buy the book here.

-The content was in the form of a commentary between TPN author Kaiu Shirai and the editor in charge, Suguru Sugita. This isn't a literal translation but an overview.  The sentences in the present tense ("Shirai says…") are paraphrased statements from the fanbook.

-My language skill is still pretty basic but I tried my best to convey what I understood. If you want to know specific details or want to point out any mistakes, you can ask me on my Twitter (@ShamsTahsin) or curiouscat! 

-I've added some relevant details and images from sources other than the fanbook. I'd suggest buying The Promised Neverland Artbook World. It gives a better idea about the contents discussed here and Posuka's take on Shirai's story. 

Thanks for reading!  

(pages 1-60) 

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5.  Chapter 6+7

Chapter-1

The Farm Escape

~: Before Serialization:~

300 Pages Brought in!

Audio

It’s been six and a half years since Shirai brought in 300 pages of his manga to the WSJ Editorial Department. It was during the winter of 2013. Sugita was asked over the phone by Shirai. When Sugita answered in the affirmative, Shirai came with a huge bag of manuscript: “I drew this. I’ve brought 300 pages, but 1 chapter is enough, please give it a read.”

At that time, Sugita read about 6 chapters and informed him he's going to reply after reading more. He completed reading only in a few hours and commented it was enjoyable.

According to Shirai, Sugita said, “Let’s complete it in 12 volumes. A size around that of Death Note manga is enough, no longer than that.” Shirai was surprised to hear something like this before the manga even debuted. Sugita says he found it rough but interesting, and thought it could be serialized. He expected the readers to be surprised to see such manga in Jump; and the reactions, thankfully, met the expectation.

The prototype manuscript covered the basic structure of the escape arc up to the point where Emma escaped from the farm and Sonju/Mujika came out. Emma headed towards the West. The script included Krone’s appearance, Emma’s leg break, and setting the House on fire at the time of escape. Everything had a speedy development. The difference was that Ray died there.

Shirai's Bring-in Manuscript: The Way We Survive in This World

Abandoning Drawing, starting the journey as an author

Sugita asked Shirai if he wanted to draw the manga by himself. Shirai denied instantly. Shirai's art was quite good, but when asked to make a final manuscript, his art looked like draft sketches. Sugita jokingly says he hasn’t seen Shirai draw seriously even now. Shirai responds it’s not possible anymore.  He once thought about which one between drawing or story-writing he could carry on for over 5 years. Shirai had trouble using chopsticks or sticks for a long time, so he thought he was out of luck with drawing. He then decided to focus on being a story-writer and abandoned drawing at that point.

Not many artists would agree to draw for an inexperienced rookie author. Sugita wondered if he should continue with Shirai’s style. But he felt that a story with such an amount of fantasy/horror elements required a good artist who could draw both the children and the creatures properly.

The drawing ability required for the work was extremely high. There weren’t many artists in Jump who drew suspense manga. Furthermore, those who can draw tend to make their script themselves, so it’s difficult to find someone who’d simply agree to draw for someone else.

The Inside Story from a serial conference

In the first serialization meeting, Sugita brought the first three chapters to ask for an artist. However, it was turned down by their group leader, and couldn't make it to the meeting. Not being convinced by the turndown, Sugita asked a senior editor who he personally knew to write a review.

Shirai thinks the script back then was quite poor. The demons were the usual Red Oni/Blue Oni. Receiving remarks such as “It’s just the normal demon, they look like old men!” made him change them to distinct creatures.

It was essential to create a feeling of discomfort. Back then, series such as Terra Formers and Attack on Titans were in trend. The creatures there had an unforgettable and amazing design. The senior editor’s suggestion was to make creatures with designs that were new and fresh. The demon only appeared in the first chapter for a while, so it was necessary to create a never before seen ‘enemy’.

When Sugita asked Posuka, she gave about 10-15 patterns for the Demons. To Shirai, one that left an impression had a shape similar to the intestine. It had a translucent body and appeared as an amoeba-like creature. Many of these designs could be used in the future. There was a design with vertical eyes, which was easily recognizable.

(T/N: a sneak peek to Shirai's earlier depiction of demons and Conny's death from quarterly S magazine. The bottom panel from the left page shows a dead and bloody Conny.) Credits to @eerippo for providing the scans!

Welcoming Demizu sensei

It took them two years to find an artist for TPN (T/N: Shirai wrote the storyboards for We Were Born, Spirit Photographer Kono Saburo, and DC3 around this time). ~10 different manga artists agreed and gave sample character designs, but were turned down for various reasons. It was also important to find an artist with whom Shirai would feel comfortable working with. When Sugita asked Shirai to name a few artists and mangaka whose works he liked, Posuka was mentioned. They both liked her arts, and when she was contacted, she agreed. Shirai initially wanted a mere reply, she replied and even agreed to draw both a one-shot and the series. Shirai says she seemed ‘like a god.’

Posuka won Jump’s rookie award at a young age (about 10 years ago). She was working at monthly CoroCoro magazine and returned to Jump after a long time with Shirai sensei’s manuscript. To test their compatibility, a test One-Shot titled Poppy’s wish was released on Jump+, which was very well received by the editorial department and the readers. With full satisfaction, Shirai could draw a storyboard for serialization.

Sugita was worried about receiving a strong negative reaction because it had a female protagonist, and it was a suspense manga with no sign of a battle anytime soon (not like ‘Jump’ at all). At least, he assumed the protagonist would be requested to be changed to a boy. Sugita was unsure about the reception by male readers. However, a 12-13 y/o girl is more likely to be seen as a child. Shirai is glad Posuka could draw a ‘neutral looking girl’ because otherwise, he’d have to change the protagonist to a boy. Now, he feels glad it wasn’t necessary.

After Poppy’s wish came out, Sugita received a suggestion from an editor to consider ending the series after farm escape. Shirai personally thinks it wouldn’t have been a foreground decision. There was a possibility of it working out, but he needed to think about the story’s future, so it required a balance. Sugita says he could have considered ending it if Shirai couldn’t develop further. However, it could be left with afterthoughts such as “what will happen after coming out from a farm into a demon’s society?”

To begin with, it’s difficult to speculate the reception before the series actually came out.

~: Commentary (ch. 1-37):~

Demizu sensei says the length of the demon’s fingers depend on their diet- Shirai

Heaven and Hell in the first and the second half

For the first chapter, attention was paid to slow down the pace and to turn a happy world into a hell.

The chapter was based on the prototype, but the prototype had less eye-catching scenes and the story moved in a straightforward manner. Sugita’s suggestion-wise, character descriptions narrated by Gilda were added. Shirai added a new quote “The whole time, we are all alive to be eaten?” to transmit the nature of the work to the readers.

Shirai's storyboard

Sugita suggested Shirai to read a popular book on screenwriting titled “Save the Cat law: a script that really sells”(2010) which helped Shirai to realize TPN's story is similar to Die Hard. Shirai watched Die Hard and Frozen for structuring the first chapter. Frozen helped him to depict Emma’s innocence in movements and to express the characters in pictures.

Regarding changing the expression of Conny’s death

In the initial version, the scene of Conny’s death was more bloody and she was lying inside the truck without Vida stabbed on her. Shirai adjusted it for the Jump readers. Vida was added to emphasize on the fantasy elements of it instead of horror and to mislead readers with the feeling of a bizarre murder. Vida’s concept was inspired by the plant-like piercing weapon from Princess Mononoke. The religious/ ceremonial aspect of it was also added afterward.

Demizu sensei’s drawing power

The jar motif was added to mimic the processing of fish and fresh flowers and to make it look different. Posuka said it was a good motif and Shirai was reassured. Posuka’s art style also made it less uncomfortable for readers.

TPN test rooms look like the latest technologies, however, they're similar to the audiovisual rooms during the Cold War era. There were buttons on the desk. They looked scary and creepy when I saw them as a kid. Demizu sensei made many patterns for the desks.- Shirai

Source: Artbook World

Why the beginning of the story is in October 2045

The story starting from October 2045 wasn’t a part of the prototype. Shirai first decided which month feels more like Ray’s birthday (because that'd also be the time of escape), and back-calculated from it. Autumn (October) is an uncomfortable season with a feeling of approaching cold. Shirai wanted the escape to take place in the Winter. The year 2045 was decided by adding the last digits of 2014 and 2015. The serialized version’s script was written from 2013 to 2014, and “4” and “5” represent ‘The latest and going beyond’. (it also helps to establish a future timeline setting and add Science Fiction elements).

The intention behind the Western setting

Shirai thought the story would have felt darker if it was set in Japan. Additionally, the machines from the Edo era won't exist in Modern Japan. The latest machines and retro atmosphere can coexist in a European setting, so it blends the required essence of old times and the future. 

Chapters 1 and 2 were created as a set for easy understanding 

Chapter 2 is almost the same as the prototype. Shirai prepared another version that was completely different, but then returned to the initial version. Chapters 1 and 2 were considered as a set so readers of all ages would easily understand.

There were various rough designs for the intro color page, such as burnt Conny, Conny set as the roasted chicken for Christmas, Conny with bluish skin, etc. Those were discarded because they could be somewhat trauma-inducing. Posuka puts in a tremendous amount of work, as she often draws a few drafts with full color. 

Change from the prototype

Chapter 3 shows that Mom is an enemy, and demons aim for the brain. Originally, the latter information was supposed to be revealed in chapter 6. But they decided to clarify the reason behind educating the farm children as soon as possible.

Disagreement about the placement of the panel of Isabella appearing in front of Emma

The finalized chapter 3 is quite different from the prototype. The mentioned panel is an addition to the finalized version. Shirai and Sugita were having disagreements about the placement of this panel. Shirai wanted it on the left page, Sugita on the right. It’s a basic rule to place a jump scare scene on the right page of a manga, so that it’d be seen immediately when the page is turned. However, the amount of pages required before reaching this point couldn’t be shortened, and this panel fell on the left side. So Sugita asked Shirai to keep it on the left side and add a panel margin on the top to lessen the degree of distraction during reading the previous page.

Being able to draw this panel properly was a condition taken into consideration when looking for an artist for TPN. This scene brings back the thrill and horror essence of the first chapter. Sugita likes the cooldown moment when Ray rings the bell and the children come out.

This is also the chapter when Isabella’s number is revealed, it was a cliffhanger well received by the readers.

The ID number gives off the feeling of being controlled. It was added in the serialized version. In a Western drama series titled Alias, there were android-like spy children with barcodes on their necks. It’s like a common rule in Science fiction, right? I thought about where to put it, such as the neck, the shoulders, or the arms. But I then thought the neck would stand out the most and it’d be chilling. -Shirai.

Chapter 4 is when everyone's mindset is shown

Emma, Ray, and Norman’s drives behind their actions are revealed in this chapter. Emma follows her ideal, her family is above herself. Ray is a realist and smart kid who knows the unrealistic aspects of Emma’s thoughts ahead of time and presents its limitations. Shirai thinks he’s perhaps the character easiest for readers to understand.  Norman likes Emma, so he takes her side in spite of knowing everything. 

Sugita likes the scene where Norman says “You can’t leave us alone, can you?” It shows the relationship between Ray and Norman. Shirai points out Norman’s different attitude in front of Ray and Emma, he doesn’t hide his true nature in front of Ray. (Quoting Sugita: "In front of Emma, he’s the loyal Hachiko who’d listen to everything. Yet, in front of Ray, he suddenly becomes like a little devil girl")

Sugita likes Ray’s reply “There’s no way I can leave you alone.” Shirai remarks it’s because Ray is a good person.

Who invented “Because I like her?”

As the story further went on and Shirai was inquired about the necessity of Norman's romantic love in a meeting, he replied that Sugita suggested doing it; but Sugita couldn’t remember.

“Norman likes Emma”-this configuration came from Sugita’s own advice. When Shirai explained Norman’s behavior for chapter 4’s storyboard, Sugita said, “I don’t want to hear a reason, if he likes her, that’s enough.” Shirai figured that it was an easy explanation, and if he liked her, it’d make him appear as an emotionally rich human being.

Shirai states, whether it's romantic love or not is something readers can read as they want, but Shirai himself has already decided what it is (T/N: Shirai already confirmed back in 2018 that it's romantic.) (Source [35:59] (Shirai's written description narrated by Kendo Kobayashi): "I won't make them the hero and the heroine. Unrelated to that, I hope Norman's love will come true"; 恋 is exclusively used for romantic love.) 

The smart boy Norman slightly envies people like Emma who would say unreasonable things and stick to what really is right. Sugita says it gives off the feeling of his respect for her. At the same time, it also gives off the feeling of his love for her like normally loving a girl. 

Shirai suggests it’s best to pick up both of these feelings. Although he has the answer in his mind, Shirai says everyone is free to imagine what they want.

Setup that influenced the future of the work

The flow of the story shown in chapter 4 wasn't there in the prototype.  However, Shirai had to show Emma’s kindness/naivete around here. He had some time in hand, so he wrote it with care. It was essential to clarify to the readers that there’s a society of demons outside the farm, and even so, they have to escape.

Chapter 4 was drawn after the serialization meeting. Regardless of how it was done, writing chapter 5 without chapter 4 was very difficult. It took half a year for Shirai to finalize chapter 4, that’s why only around 5 chapters were drawn completely before the serialization began. This was an important story setup time. Because of it, the main three characters’ drive behind their actions as well as the future characters could exist.

Quarrel about the time of Krone’s appearance?

Usually, Shirai and Sugita’s tastes and desired direction of the story align. However, they quarreled about the timing of Krone’s appearance. Sugita wanted to see more of Isabella's intimidation before Krone made her debut, but Shirai was determined to reveal her here without bringing her too much into focus. He thinks she’s a trickster-like existence who cuts off the state of equilibrium. Calculating Isabella and Ray’s front and behind activities were too difficult. (Quoting Shirai, “Back then, my habit was saying “Santa san, please give me more IQ”) Krone was like a savior.

Krone san had another design. A design where she seems to speak Japanese in a terrible way, such as “somehow-desu~” “somehow boy~” (laughs) -Shirai [The design here is drawn by Posuka]

“What to explain”-an eternal challenge while writing TPN

Even though the writer knows what she’s thinking, readers would want to know “Why mom isn’t checking on everyone?” An eternal struggle was choosing the time for explanation. Some things were decided but it wasn’t the right time to explain. Sometimes, some important exchanges are cut off due to limitation of page numbers. 

Shirai says that, if everything was explained, it'd require a lot of sentences. But that doesn’t make a manga interesting. From the beginning, there were policies not to explain something that’s not fun to explain, and not to boast with the reveal of foreshadows.

For chapter 7, Sugita san asked me for a face of Krone that could be used as a LINE sticker. I passed the request to Demizu sensei. I had to think of a face that could be used for the story, but would also be impressive and memorable. -Shirai

How to read [][][][], Story behind the birth of the letters

Shirai, Sugita, and Posuka call the demon god “marumaru sama” (beep-beep-sama, roughly).

Once, the pronunciation of [][][][]’s name was decided. Sugita asked how to call his name for the dialogues in the anime. Shirai thought for a few hours and decided on the pronunciation, but it wasn’t used.

Shirai thinks it’s good as an unreadable sound. Initially, it was supposed to be a sound human can’t pronounce, (but we saw Krone saying it easily).

The written form of the name was decided by Sugita. He combined “S’ and “D” (for "Shirai" and "Demizu") from ancient letters and turned them over, then added a line above to determine top and bottom. Sugita made it quickly, and he thinks if readers want to decipher it, they'd be able to.

Etymology of ‘Gupna’ and ‘Tifari’

Shirai wanted to create a unique culture for demons, so he wanted the demon related words to sound unfamiliar. In college Phonology lessons, what made him feel most uncomfortable were the sounds of Dakuten and Handakuten. When used a lot, the words sound like that. Sugita highlights Shirai's talent at making katakana names ("Leglavalima" for example.) 

Audio

The spread with demons is cool, isn’t it? Demons with various designs lined up here. Demizu sensei was very quick to make the designs. In less than a day, she gave me 10 kinds of demon draft sketches. On top of that, they’re all really cool. (Shirai)

Demon conference added as a cliffhanger before volume 2

Chapter 7 pulls the story to volume 2, so the aim was to make the demons appear once more in a cool double spread. As Eiichiro Oda (One piece)’s apprentice, Sugita’s advice to Shirai was to create strong cliffhangers at the end of volumes. Shirai is pleased when he hears comments like “I can’t stop reading.” The story developments were hugely influenced by the timings of the color page and volume cliffhangers.

The game of tag added in the Serialized version

The tag scene wasn't present in the prototype. The big difference between the serialized version and TPN prototype was that the prototype story showed an attempt to escape with only three people instead of escaping with everyone, so it was written without bothering about ways to escape with young children.

Shirai comments a story about escaping with everyone wouldn’t have fit into the 300 pages he brought in. However, he was advised that, as a Jump protagonist, it's ideal for her not to leave her friends or siblings behind.

The tag scene was quite random, but Shirai has learned after four years of serialization that it’s better to be random. Sugita said “The enemy is demon, so the kids are ‘playing demons’, won’t it be great to put a tag scene here for once?” And Shirai thought “That’s it!”

[Note: Tag in Japanese is called 鬼ごっこ which literally translates to ‘playing demons’. Tag is called Oni- a demon.  Afterward in different arcs, they were ‘playing tag against the demons’ both literally and figuratively. It's also a chapter title after Emma's team infiltrated GF House and Emma started "the game of tag."] 

The scary “Found you!"

Krone became really popular among the readers, Shirai credits Posuka's arts, especially in this chapter. Around this time Shirai made a discovery: if the texts are on top of the pictures then no matter how scary the pictures are, the attention goes to the texts first and the panels don't look scary. So it's better to shift the texts slightly to a side. He lightly suggests the same to the aspiring manga artists. 

Norman and Ray aiming to succeed

It may break your dreams, but the “神”  kanji on the left was referring to " 神経系” (nervous system). I was thinking about picking up this scene later, but i didn’t find an appropriate place and realized that it wasn’t very interesting to pick up again, but readers made various predictions if “神” was supposed to imply “神様” (god). -Shirai

[T/N: If you check the official English translation, they mistakenly read it as “god”, as well. Because it was an incomplete word where only the first kanji was shown, and the kanji reads "God" by itself] 

The concept for ch. 9 was making Norman and Ray look cool. At first, Shirai couldn't decide on who to focus on in the second half of the chapter. Sugita suggested focusing on Norman and Ray, as there were plenty of scenes focusing on Krone already. Sugita likes them so he remembers feeling happy to see it. 

While drawing the storyboard, I used to fold A4 papers in half and drew 2 manga pages on each until chapter 9. From chapter 10 onwards, I started doing it by folding a paper 4 times and drawing 8 manga pages on one sheet of paper. I used to draw on a larger page till chapter 9, but then I realized-I don’t have that much time! If you didn’t know it, you’ll be surprised to know that Shirai’s storyboard arts are unexpectedly small. (laughs)-Shirai

On the page of Norman looking down, Shirai put a side note that said “domination”. Sugita compared that scene to Lion King, and the revealing moment of Norman’s unsettling and scary side that wouldn't hesitate to kill Krone with a fork. Initially, he didn’t smile in this chapter. But in the finalized version he did. It was different from the misleading direction that Shirai had initially aimed for but he figured the readers would absolutely love Norman like this and the story would become more interesting.

Seriously drawing Gilda as an Insider

The plot progression with traitor/insider was where readers were more interested in the development of the story. It’s something Shirai wanted to write even before serialization.  Shirai liked the film series Infernal Affairs and was inspired, but at that time he hadn’t decided on how the search for the insider would take place. Taking the reference from Game of Thrones, he decided to lure out the insider and used the event flow of lying about the rope’s placement.  

Initially, Ray was supposed to be revealed as an insider immediately, but that could kill the suspense. Thus Gilda and Don were used to bait, especially Gilda in the lone wake-up scene. Shirai brings up Oyakusoku's reference here and says he loved the use of Gilda’s scene there.

Interestingly, Posuka wasn’t informed about the true insider when this chapter was drawn. She drew Gilda here being convinced that Gilda really was an insider. 

Ray’s speech “Don’t give them hope that doesn’t exist” was added after the scene was pointed out by Posuka. Posuka basically doesn’t comment regarding Shirai’s storyboard, but here, she said “I don’t know why lying would be cruel”- a statement that surprised Shirai. Because Posuka was able to see from a child reader's perspective. A child wouldn’t understand why “the lie is too cruel”, thus it was elaborated. Shirai was glad he added the extra sentence.

Top row: Shirai's storyboard first draft. The speech is “If they aren’t the spies….and if you try it on them….”

Middle row: Second version of the draft with changes. The speech is “If they aren’t the spies...this lie is too cruel.”

Bottom row: Finalized manga version. The speech is “If they aren’t the spies...the lie is too cruel. Don’t give them hope that doesn’t exist!”

Sugita was worried about the series (pacing) around chapters 6 to 9 (although chapter 8 was relatively fast-paced) because it was time to make the series convincing (enough to continue serializing). However, chapter 10 onwards was sharp and smooth.

The Cliffhanger for chapter 12

Ch, 12’s cliffhanger is one of Sugita’s favorites in the series. This surprised everyone, because the twist was supposed to be that the spy is Don not Gilda, while in reality, it was a double twist and the spy was Ray.

It was essential to reveal Ray immediately after moving the suspicion from Gilda to Don, because if the chapter ended before the traitor revelation, readers would have had one week to think about it and might have started suspecting Ray. But this way, the surprise worked best.

Suggestion to make “Become my spy!” bigger

Sugita likes Norman being an evil imp here and saying “become my spy!” In the storyboard, this panel was much smaller. Sugita requested Shirai to make it large enough so it'd be the first thing to catch the readers' attention, because Norman looked cool. 

Ray being the one to set up the escape was already decided in the prototype story that Shirai brought in at first. 

A discarded scene showing how Ray took the Bunny from Conny

How to confide the insider

Until ch. 14, it was difficult to think about ways to use Ray’s “front and behind” faces. But in ch. 14, Ray's truth was finally revealed and Shirai felt better. Sugita says it was still difficult to make Ray confess he was the insider in ch. 15. If he plainly confessed and dived into explanations, it could become long and monotonous. But Shirai was on a roll and finished the scene just within a page with the comical “So it was you?!” (from Emma)

Shirai says he thought Ray is the type of person who’d reveal it like this. If not something he’s stubborn about, Ray is the most straightforward character and thus being pulled back by emotions usually never happens with him.

Regarding the (finalized version of) the panel on the right, there were questions such as “What was Ray saying here?” In the storyboard, Ray’s mouth was closed; he wasn’t saying anything. Demizu sensei drew him laughing, I thought it was nice so it was kept like that. (Shirai) 

 

For this panel from ch. 13, I asked Demizu sensei for a meaningful expression in Ray; and a wonderfully drawn expression came out from it. (Shirai)

William Minerva’s origin

It was Posuka who came up with the Owl logo on bookplates. Multiple motifs were proposed and the owl logo was a perfect fit. 

For naming William Minerva, Shirai was looking for a name that would have an intellectual feel to it for Japanese readers. The draft plan was to name him William Watson. “William” being a frequent surname among celebrities and “Watson” referencing Sherlock Holmes’ smart partner. However, Sugita suggested changing it to Minerva because of the owl logo. Minerva is the name of the god of wisdom, and there is a famous phrase “Minerva’s owl flies at the dusk.”  When researched, it was found to be an unused name, thus it was decided. (T/N: further details on William Minerva will be discussed in later sections.)

The previous title for The Promised Neverland

Emma’s quote “The way we survive in this world” (image) in chapter 16 was a reference to TPN's prototype which had it as the series title. Shirai considers “The way we survive in this world” a sloppy title. Adding “the way to survive” gives off the feeling that it’s about deaths and Shirai is glad the name was changed. But it was still a good phrase, so they decided to use it somewhere. 

The title “Neverland” was decided, because it’s a shonen manga about a world where children can’t grow to their adulthood. “Eternal children” was another title that was considered, and later it was frequently used in chapter previews from the magazine. “Neverland of Betrayal” was a contender till the end, but in the end, Shirai wanted a gentler (T/N: less edgy) title that can be pushed into the main story.

Not letting Don hit Emma

Chapters 17~19 were different from the initial manuscript for obvious reasons; the story was no more about “three genius kids trying to escape” but “children trusting and helping each other to escape from the adults.” 

Sugita strictly told Shirai not to make Don hit Emma. ("If Don hits Emma, he would become a scummy person; so absolutely no!") Emma is Emma, so Shirai wanted to show that she’s prepared to be beaten. In the end, it was settled with a non-resisting Emma and Don who couldn’t punch.

As TPN has a world setting with little gender differences, Shirai wanted the border to remain suppressed even in the said scene. However, Don’s case was decided this way because regardless of Emma’s gender, Emma was the third person Don attempted to hit (And Emma showed no resistance), his head had cooled down by then so he wavered between hitting or not.

Chapter 17 had extra/off scenes with two older girls. Shirai liked their designs by Posuka and made them appear here and there afterwards. Around that time, the first Light novel for TPN was written. The novel's author Nanao named the two girls  Olivia and Michelle.

Fighting alongside Krone

This was added in the finalized version. Ray’s betrayal story went well, so a three-way-interest was created where the enemy would become an ally. Sugita comments, the chapters here were similar to the western drama Playing Bad.  Around this time, it was confirmed that TPN wouldn’t be discontinued/rejected (T/N: “axed”) by the magazine, so they were free to try out different themes.

Among the fan letters I’ve received from the editorial department, there were envelopes with nice retro bindings and memorabilia. I thought, “Letters are so cool!” And, as a gratitude for the fan letter, I made a letter scene appear in the main story. (Shirai)

Secrets of the well

The well was brought in as a hint. At that time, ways to escape the farm were undecided. There was a plan to use the well to escape.

Shirai states, the GF House in that time frame used the pump water supply; but long ago, it used to draw water from the well. The GF farm didn’t exist 1000 years ago. There were previous versions of top-grade farms, but it required around 400 years to come to the current form.

First intro color. The concept was to show delicious dishes drawn by Demizu sensei and give a review of the story so those who bought Jump for the first time would also be interested. (Shirai)

First Intro color! Conflict about the survival and the death of Krone

Shirai had two weeks to write the storyboard for chapter 27. It was TPN’s first intro color page for Shonen jump magazine, and Krone died there.

Originally, Krone was supposed to stay in the House till escape, and be revealed as the Mama when Emma returns to the House. Shirai was conflicted about killing her off (because he liked her character), but Sugita insists at least this much was essential for the chapter with first intro color. 

One reason to kill her off was the color page, but also because she stood out too much. In the prototype, she was the one who broke Emma’s leg. Isabella is the main antagonist, so Krone mustn't overshadow her. Sugita jokingly says she was too good of a character that she had to die. At least, Shirai gave an effort to give her a nice departure. Even though it was TPN’s first color page, the main characters weren’t drawn here and Krone seemed to be the main character.

The short haired Sister beside Isabella would appear a few times afterward. Her name is revealed in Volume 19. For some reason, this person is kept alive. (Shirai)

Krone’s end

It’s the remorse of a cattle human who served for the farm, killed by the system. So a setting was added where she would entrust the children with something useful. The pen had a checkered pattern similar to a chessboard and thus has an essence of TPN, and it was dropped by Smee, one of the humans Krone mentioned who came from the outside world.

Shirai sensei kept the page with the “Destroy this rotten world” quote almost empty and requested Posuka to put in strong and wonderful imagery. The image was drawn with Moms standing on a broken plate. 

Shirai thought about giving Krone a final line, but none sat right to him, so nothing was added. Also, Posuka’s art is great and a way to make it stand out is not adding a lot of dialogues. 

Regarding killing off the characters

Sugita remembers when he saw the page with dead Krone in the finalized manuscript, he was sad. Thinking logically as an editor and reviewing it now, killing her off was a correct decision. But back then he was worried about removing a popular character like her; and he jokingly says Krone fans might have hated him.

At the same time, Sugita was the one who prevented Ray’s death. Shirai made the decision to kill Ray off from the beginning. Initially, Sugita said “He may die”, but gradually started saying "Is Ray really going to die? Isn't it sad that he'd die right before escape?" In fact from the very beginning, Sugita had no intention to let Shirai kill him.

However, Shirai understands Sugita’s concern about killing off the characters. Although he let Conny die, Shirai felt guilty for killing a little girl like her after receiving a congratulatory illustration for good reception in reader surveys from Posuka where Isabella was tying Conny’s hair and both were wearing festive clothes. 

(T/N: The congratulatory illustration from Posuka to Shirai and Sugita for good reader reception. Source: TPN Artbook World) 

The Boosted middle story

A discarded scene, Isabella describes the children’s irreplaceable, happy life in the House.

Krone’s death gave a boost to the story. They calculated the approximate number of chapters required before escape so the arc can end when TPN receives its next color page.

With Krone’s death, Isabella finally began to move. Shirai loves Isabella's appearance in chapter 25. Shirai’s own storyboard for this chapter can be found in  Vol. 13 special edition booklet.

Sugita points out, both Shirai and Posuka were on a roll. There was a desire to draw a cool and beautiful woman in Isabella’s character, the pictures came out wonderfully.

Sugita remembers being surprised at Norman’s quote “I’ll stop being a good boy.” Shirai didn’t discuss it in their meeting, but put it on the storyboard. Mom had been lying, and so was Norman-that type of contrast was expressed which Sugita liked.

Shirai jokingly says that Mom’s “Nice to meet you” scene subconsciously reminds him of Shinobu Sensui from Yu Yu Hakusho.

Don is the first character who moves around on his own. I could proceed with the scenes from the first half of chapter 25 very quickly, but my pen stopped at the second half. But suddenly a scene came when Ray kicked a door and found Don ahead; and it all suddenly connected very smoothly, because Don makes interesting reactions. Don was my first character who “moves freely within the story”, as many writers and artists have mentioned. -Shirai

Krone-Loss

Shirai was determined not to let Krone’s death go to waste. After expressing “This is what it’s like to die” with her death, he wanted to incorporate that it’s heart-wrenching to kill off characters who don’t want to die rather than the ones who do. Keeping that in mind, Norman’s feeling was drawn.

The portrayal of Norman’s despair was an after-effect of Krone’s death; because Shirai wanted to make the best use of the death of his beloved character (Krone).

Misleading that Norman might be saved

Shirai decided to make the escape take place at a time different from the decided deadline. That’s why Norman not wanting to die and others trying to save him was essential; to bring a change to their planned schedules. Norman’s shipment was in Shirai’s prototype. But there was no hint to Norman’s possible survival (but his survival was planned back then as well.) He was swiftly shipped out, and Ray was swiftly killed. Sugita wanted both of them to survive; and suggested a clear mislead of Norman's rescue.

Norman was very popular and became a pillar to TPN’s story and he wouldn’t be drawn in a long time, so Sugita was scared. He started suggesting to decide his rescue based on the reader's response. He even thought in detail and suggested ways to save him (such as keeping him hidden). But Shirai responded “I’ll make him die.” Sugita jokingly teases Shirai for wanting to kill off Norman after being so desperate to keep Krone alive. Shirai remembers saying “If Ray can’t die, then let me ship Norman out!”

The two came to negotiation and a small hint to Norman’s survival was added. Shirai insisted it wouldn't be necessary, but Sugita demanded, “At least put in a [huh?] so people can speculate whether he’s alive or not!”

Norman’s last expression was changed to an exquisite one by Demizu sensei (Shirai) [Draft where the logo’s position is shown /Norman’s “Huh?” excluded version]

The impact of Black Clover in “Ray can break his leg!”

The quote “Ray can just break his leg!” was born from the influence of Tabata Yuki’s Black Clover protagonist, Asta. From the prototype to the serialized version, TPN felt very dark and heavy with very little comedy. Asta made Shirai acknowledge the necessity of a similar brightness; and he aimed for it with the said quote. Around that time while drawing TPN, Shirai was healed by Black Clover and Yuragi-sou no Yuuna san’s gentle world setting. TPN is read along with the other Jump titles published alongside it, and it was essential to be conscious of the readers’ taste. 

Around this time, four chapters were drawn just to encourage Norman. He was very popular. Everyone expressed their love for Norman in reader surveys, and there were comments on social media saying “Norman, please live!” Seeing it all, Sugita inwardly apologized and signed the manuscript.

Source of Infantile Amnesia

Ray’s fetal memory was there in the TPN prototype, but it was Sugita who introduced Shirai to the term “Infantile amnesia”. In fact, Shirai knew a very young child who had memories of his fetal life. When serialization started, Shirai received remarks such as “Don’t make it complicated” regarding this particular setup but considers it one of the best 5 times when he didn’t listen to others but felt glad about it later. 

Norman’s farewell drawn twice

Although Norman had his farewell in chapter 29, the events rewind in chapter 30. It’s because Sugita questioned, “Is it okay for him to part like this?” Shirai decided to add a scene of Emma having a breakdown, Sugita once again inists Norman leaving with a simple “see you” as a departing speech won’t work. That’s why chapter 30 was drawn the way it is.

Norman and Emma’s parting scene was inspired from Kimura Yuuji’s “U-19” which serialized in Jump at the same time. The protagonist boy and girl had a powerful parting scene in chapter 2. Shirai was overwhelmed with the thought that he’s incapable of drawing something of such caliber, and gave his best shot. Shirai is glad he rewound the farewell scene because otherwise, it’d be a plain farewell.

U19 by Kimura Yuuji

The Secret behind the Title logo

The three lines on the title logo always extend off the screen. The lines are, in order from the top: Norman-Emma-Ray, and they are escaping from the world they are trapped in.

(T/N: The lines extending from Volume 1 and 20 connect to each other. The positioning is too precise to be a coincidence.)

In volume 1 cover, there appears to be a blue sky at a glimpse, but actually, everyone is enclosed in a circle. Posuka wanted to subtly allude it to being entrapped. The background could be seen. The three lines coincidentally crossed through Conny, who died in chapter 1. Usually, the logo is placed on the first page in the magazine version of the chapters. But for chapter 30, it was moved to the final panel and one of the lines was missing. The same version of the logo appeared in chapter 31. Many readers pointed it out. 

Posuka informed that the intro page of chapter 31 was drawn to be a contrast to chapter 1’s color page.

Emma’s smiling face at the end

The quote "the best way to avoid despair is to give up” came from Shirai's own experience, and he’s glad he could incorporate it in his work. Isabella’s side represents those who lost various ways in the world while Emma’s side represents those who try not to lose.

Shirai wanted to end the chapter with Emma’s smiling face. Sugita was opposed to the idea. He was worried; if the chapter ended with Emma’s smile, it would seem as if the despair before it were all an act and the readers would question if she was truly sad. But Shirai replied that the smile makes it interesting. The despair prior to this scene was established to be real with Emma’s exquisite expressions of sickness and vengefulness drawn by Posuka. 

Posuka’s arts often pull them through when they’re stuck with something. Shirai previously told Sugita that it was a cycle of feeling sick and not wanting to draw the storyboard, seeing Pouska’s art and feeling better to start drawing again.

Escape methods begin to solidify

Around this chapter, Shirai decided to make an escape from the wall and not the well.

Usually, Sugita and Shirai have their meetings over the phone. But this time was important because Sugita wanted to persuade Shirai not to kill Ray off and so he met him in person. In that meeting, everyone’s escape details (ie. using pet bottles) was finalized, because it’s fun when everyone participates together.

Shirai previously asked Posuka to draw Thoma and Lanni’s expressions differently from other children at Emma's leg break announcement (because they knew the truth). Many readers noticed the difference as well.

The third draft for chapter 32. The panel placement is different from the finalized manuscript. 

Ray’s fire scene seriously drawn by Demizu sensei

Ray was drenched in oil but didn’t die. Even Posuka was surprised seeing the storyboard that was handed over to her and anxiously said, “Ray definitely died here. Is it okay? Norman isn’t here anymore, and Ray dies on top of that? Shirai sensei is so dark!”

Shirai believed Emma’s growth as a character would be affected if Norman and Ray remained with her (thus he wanted both of them to be removed).

To surprise the readers, TPN arts are drawn with serious intention. Halfway through, it was really drawn while thinking <he's going to die>, thus a dying person’s depiction came out both in storyboard and final manuscript.

Phil appears in the key moments

Within myself, Phil represents a sibling. If he’s cute, all siblings would collectively seem cute-that type of image. In Shirai-stage, Phil’s imagery is Elmos from Sesame street and the protagonist of a wonderful French film “Oscar and the lady in twelve letters” I didn’t report it to Demizu sensei, so it was just inside me. -Shirai

Drawing chapter 34 was very difficult. If two chapters were used up for collecting hints, it’d be delayed. As a result, all hints were addressed in a single chapter.

In volume 4’s cliffhanger, Phil drawn by Posuka wasn’t just cute but had an indescribable, disturbing air around him. Sugita says Phil was like a mysterious character whose scenes wouldn’t be brought up (by the author or the artist) in the meeting conversations, but he would eventually appear in the chapters. Eventually, he was used to set a 2-year deadline for returning to the farm.

In the prototype, there was no deadline for returning to Grace Field. Emma was supposed to return to the farm, but she originally escaped just by herself. It was a story about showing Emma’s hopes disappearing as the characters around her are sacrificed. Eventually, Emma would find a human settlement outside, gain strength, and return to the farm.

Posuka originally drew Phil with a pained expression for the scene “I’ll wait!”. Shirai asked her to redraw it. It’s essential for him to have a bright face that expresses his braveness, and would reassure Emma to make the choice to leave him behind. The corrected image that Posuka drew was on spot.

Mom’s clock is a dragon radar. In the draft, I cheated a little and drew it as a square. It was backed up by Demizu sensei’s drawing skills so I returned to the idea of dragon radar (laughs) -Shirai

A ghost-like Norman

The children’s accumulated experience and training in two months were finally revealed. At this time, Norman makes a ghostly appearance. Sugita questioned “Is it okay for Norman to appear here? Is it really Ray’s hallucination? How about making it more hallucination-like?” Because he looked like a real person and spoke quite a lot. This was unlike Emma’s case where she saw him for a split second.

Some people thought he really died and appeared as a ghost. Sugita jokingly says back then he was afraid that Norman seemed “too dead.” Shirai says he had to put in some quotes there. And it’s good if people thought he really died.

Sugita is glad they could draw Emma showing a never-before-seen sight to Ray who gave up, by not giving up. 

GF House’s hangers are special, so don’t imitate them. It’s dangerous. -Shirai

The reason why Mom and Emma didn’t talk

I asked the front page of ch. 37 to be drawn like the last scene from the movie Titanic. After the ship sank, the imagery of the ship’s interior flowed in, which reminded us that it was such a beautiful ship. "(I want) that type of sadness!"-I said. -Shirai

Emma and Mom didn’t meet each other before Emma’s departure. Sugita back then asked Shirai about it, thinking it was a missed opportunity. Emma and Isabella had a final exchange in the anime. But Shirai says he prefers a silent, perhaps a cruel farewell.

Here, Isabella’s story is revealed. TPN tries to present a multifaceted story so Shirai thought it’s a good time to show that Mom isn’t a completely evil person.

However, Shirai was initially conflicted about showing Mom as a good or bad person. Sugita remembers Shirai saying “Let’s spare trying to convince readers that she’s a good person. She’s a bad one after all, and just wants to save herself.” The idea was showing the Grace Field House having an uncomfortable change due to Mom’s suggestion where every child would be brainwashed and religiously believe that, “Being killed and eaten is a thing of happiness.” There is hardly a way to escape in such circumstances, and Emma’s group would be in absolute despair after their return.

Throughout TPN, it’s difficult to tell if Mom is a good person or a bad person. Regardless, her past was the same from the start. Leslie was there in the prototype. There was also a scene similar to “Mom, why did you give birth to me?” The base of Emma’s departure image was the same.

Unattractive Leslie

(Shirai’s draft)

Sugita rarely asks Pouska to redo a character’s design after she sends her suggestions. He did it only twice for two characters during the serialization. One is Leslie, the other is Ayshe.

In the prototype, Leslie looked rather unattractive, but Isabella still liked him. Posuka understood Shirai’s intention and elevated that design. But Sugita intervened and said it looked overdone; and asked to “raise the beauty” a little more.

Sugita says he wanted a boy who loves music to have a more beautiful appearance. Isabella’s love would still be for his inner side, but would also have grace to it. The readers could be caught up by the contrast (because Posuka’s version raised the dullness and made him kind of ugly, while Isabella was a very pretty girl) so Sugita asked Posuka to change it. (T/N: Isabella’s love here is implied by Sugita to be romantic.) 

Posuka wrote a note that said she drew Leslie’s front bangs with the motif of a piano's keyboard. Shirai says he thinks it’s a brilliant idea to associate a music-loving person’s appearance to a piano and thinks it was perfect.

The draft depicting the feeling of Isabella

The finalized version of chapter 37 had a lot of quotes that weren’t brought up in Shirai’s meeting with Sugita before writing it. Shirai says writing this chapter was difficult. He wanted to draw Isabella’s true face and her facade twice in a single chapter, but it was becoming complicated so he decided to remove it. Eventually, he did draw her multifacetedness but faced difficulty in deciding how much of it would be shown. 

Isabella suddenly visualizing herself inside the House was a scene inspired from Titanic.

Chapter 37 reveals that Ray is Mom’s real son (Another scene for which Posuka commented Shirai is "dark"). Shirai is happy with the timing of the reveal. There were locations where this revelation was supposed to take place. But Shirai removed them all and put it here, and he thinks this was the correct choice.

This scene was around the last part in the initial prototype, as well. Shirai is glad the reveal was very simplistic and flowed swiftly instead of being at-your-face.

Secret behind the quotes

Emma’s quote “Freedom is beautiful, yet so harsh” wasn’t in the draft. Shirai was inspired by Sugita’s suggestion to add something that would be a voice for the readers who began a new stage of their lives, such as new employees and students. Because it was published around the Golden Week holiday. Shirai mentions a few other shonen manga such as Dragonball, One Piece, Jojo’s Bizarre adventure, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Hunter x Hunter which deliver a lot of words that resonate with a reader’s life. Shirai tried to follow the way of the senior mangaka and tried his best to write something that the readers can feel in their everyday life.

A page with drawing notes for Posuka. A version where the final panel is different

The last panel was about to have an accident. In the manuscript, I mistakenly wrote the date as Jan 15, 2045. Right when I was submitting, I noticed “Oh no, it’s 2046!” and corrected it. If I hadn't noticed this, the time would be a year behind. -Shirai

Protype TPN where Krone was the one to break Emma’s leg (4  pages, right to left)

(T/N: Another page from TPN prototype. Source: Quarterly S magazine. Vol. 72)
(1)
N: I have no idea what you're talking about.
Krone: What an impudent boy. Tell me now, please.
Where are you hiding it?
(2)
Norman: Emma! (How reckless!)
Emma: Stay away from Norman!

(T/N: Isabella and Krone's conversation after Krone's arrival, from Shirai's prototype TPN Source: Quarterly S magazine.)

In Shirai’s draft, only demons were shown in ch.36 double spread. Posuka suggested adding some humans around their feet to show how big the demons are, and Shirai decided to add them.

Offscene drafts with instruction note to Posuka. The placement of the offscenes in volume is also mentioned. The last one was discarded. [Norman: “(I can ask) anything? Could you disassemble this?” Krone: "Anything but that, please!”]

~: Character profiles :~

Isabella

Other children

(Profile TL credit to @14thNeah!)

Everyone’s scoresheet. ave.1 is the latest average from the past 1/2 months, ave.2 is from the beginning of giving tests (average of a 4y/o). Shipping order is mostly decided from ave.1 (starting from the bottom). Daily scores are on the right side. 

-Norman has scored nothing but a perfect score since the start of giving tests as a 4y/o.

-Ray made mistakes around the beginning, afterwards, he got a perfect score almost every day; and for the last few years, he has always got a perfect score.

-Emma made mistakes at the beginning, but afterward, she gradually got a perfect score under Ray’s guidance. In the last few years, she has got perfect scores every day.

~:Shirai Sensei’s QnA Pt. 1 (Answering the Readers):~

Q. Who decides the names of cattle kids?

A: Basically, Grandma!

Q. Who wins most in chess? Ray or Norman?

A. Until the night of October 17 2045, the winning count was almost a tie.

Q. How likely is it for a child to be selected as a Mom candidate?

A. Just a slight possibility.

Q. Ray doesn’t like reading or studying, then what does he really like?

A. Learning the mechanism of things. Cuisine, art, photos etc.

Q. If Emma and Norman weren’t there, would Ray have accepted the fate of being shipped out?

A. Possibly he would.

Q. What is the origin of the name of Grandma Sarah? Were you inspired by Disney’s restaurant “Grandma Sarah’s kitchen?”

A. Demizu sensei named Sarah! She said it’s easy to make a good signature for it, and it means Princess in Hebrew. Maybe the name was “Sarah” because it first appeared as a signature, it’s smart and cool- a perfect and nice name.

Q. Did Isabella get full scores as a kid?

A. She didn’t always get full scores around the beginning, but after a certain time, she became a full scorer. 

Q. Conny got little Bunny from Mama. Did Emma (and Ray/Norman) receive some presents from Mom too?

A. They did. (Ray received a pocket watch, Emma a music box.)

Q. On the farm, girls are given an opportunity to become Moms, but are boys shipped out no matter how smart they are, or is there an option of becoming a researcher at HQ?

A. Yes, shipment is the only option (all researchers are from the Ratri family).

Q. Ray had been planning and preparing for escape for six years, but when did he come up with the idea of burning himself? Given that he stored a large amount of oil, it seems to be a long time ago. It makes me sad thinking about such terrible measures he took as a small kid.

A. When he was around 7 years old!

Q. Could Sister Krone avoid being killed if she obediently followed Mom’s instructions?

A. She could. But she wouldn’t have been able to reach above Isabella.

Q. Who are the real fathers of cattle children?

A. That’s a secret.

Q. After Norman’s shipment, when Ray said “Let’s just die here”-how much of it was a bluff and how much of it was serious?

A. It’s a bluff. Even if he died, he’d absolutely save Emma-that’s what he thought.

Q. Is Little Bunny’s droopy face from a paper pattern that came from the HQ? Is it Conny’s request, or Mom’s aesthetic?

A. Mom’s aesthetic, reflecting Conny’s taste.

Q. How did Norman learn lockpicking and how did Don learn to pickpocket? Norman’s case may be an extension of his circle of wisdom, but Don is too mysterious...

A. Norman’s lockpicking was a bad play he learned as an extension of machine disassembling with Ray. By the way, Ray also knows it and did it with him. Don’s was copying the action of the Phantom thief from a novel from the House Library. He practiced a lot.

Q. I didn’t understand why apples appeared as meals in the later half of September. Please tell me~

A. Immediately after shipping, the supplies are immediately replenished. So raw foods are then available.

Q. What was "Grandma's feeling towards dying Krone" that troubled you so much while writing the manuscript?

A. As I recall, it was about how much of Krone's snitching Grandma knew about, how far she'd cater to Isabella, the interest of the plant and her own - what were the motives behind Grandma's actions? Such things could be a part of what troubled me.

Q. Carol and Emma look similar, are they genetically close?

A. In Demizu sensei’s note, it was written, “Carol is like adding and splitting Conny and Emma”, so in my mind, Carol was always an equivalent to Conny+Emma. It’s unknown if they’re genetically close (but that’s possible, isn’t it?)

Q. Is wearing blazers at the time of shipments like mourning, or mercy from Mom? Or to pretend to go out? Also, what’s the reason behind making such a setting?

A. That’s the intention of the farm. A perfect setup for the perfect human meats. It costs a lot, so the shipment is a great deal. Regarding mercy and respect, there are demons who don’t care at all, but there are some who do, somewhere in their heart. The formality isn't an intention from the Moms. However, the first person to propose this costume was perhaps a farm breeder once.

Q. What happened to Isabella’s photo taken by Ray? I’m worried it might have been burned along the House.

A. It burnt along with the House...!

Q. How are the bedrooms allocated to children in the House? Are they shuffled (like changing seats)?

A. Basically, the oldest kid’s place is fixed close to the door. And remaining are decided according to age and personality. When a young child is moved from Isabella’s room, they shuffle as needed. The room allocation defines the personality and characteristics of that room. Emma’s room has a little more people and many of them are naughty, but because it’s Emma-it’s well handled. There is Gilda who can help her. Other room allocation is also done in a combination calculated by Isabella. 

Q. Why did Mom report “They have escaped safely” to Phil as if she knew about Phil knowing the plan?

A. She realized after Emma escaped from her clutch, that only Phil knew. 

Q. When Norman was shipped out, he offered back the deactivator saying he hasn’t used it yet so it can still be used. So I assume the number of times it can be used is limited. However, how did children use so many times before escaping?

A. Rather than the number of times, the concern was about the possibility of revealing the device to Mom. The batteries were limited but it was sufficient for everyone, it’s okay.

~:From Demizu sensei: “This was amazing, Shirai sensei!” Pt.1:~

Story Composition

Whichever page you open, there is something interesting going on. When developing the contents, the introduction-progression-conclusion all of it was thought of. Shirai sensei creates a mechanism that makes you want to keep turning one page after another. That’s why it’s hard to stop flipping through the whole book once you start reading it. 

If I were to mention the moments I found it to be particularly amazing... Basically everything, but I always fall in love with the flow of the story in chapters like 13 and 126 where there’s almost no change of scenes and just conversations. 

I was particularly surprised by the insider reveal in chapter 11. Not only the skill of deployment but also the expressive power that conveys how the characters moved around and how their thoughts intersect; all of it in an easy to understand manner; hats off to sensei.

~Posuka Demizu 

Isabella and Krone in 2020

CHAPTER 2 - THE SEARCH FOR MINERVA