May 25, 2021

The Promised Neverland Fanbook: Vol. 0 Mystic Code - (3)

Pages: 101-127

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

Chapter-3

Goldy Pond

~: Commentary (ch. 65-97) :~

[Kaiu Shirai: TPN manga's author | Sugita Suguru: TPN's editor in charge | Posuka Demizu: TPN's artist]

Combining the genres of entertainment

Rather than repeating the theme of 'escape', TPN tried to combine different genres together. Goldy Pond was written with a focus on heavy action and suspense. Writing this arc was a challenge because there aren't many shonen series that successfully adapted the said genres (Hunter X Hunter being one of few).

Sugita suggested the Western series 'Wayward Pines' to Shirai for references. He recommends this series to the readers who enjoyed Goldy Pond.

"USE YOUR PEN" was written by Violet

The words "USE YOUR PEN" scribbled on Emma's palm were written by Violet, following Lucas' request. Shirai didn't add a specific panel for this scene. Instead of directly revealing Violet to be an ally, Shirai wanted to create a mystery about her identity.

The character designs for Goldy Pond's Noble Demons

Bayon's concept was "the serious 'Head' of Goldy Pond", Luce was "the type that shows off parents' power" (similar to Helmeppo from One Piece), Leuvis was "a skilled hunter demon". Nous and Nouma were born from a discussion about writing twin-like demons. Luce being a rich spoiled kid who'd rather be carried by his subordinates than walk himself was Posuka's idea. Shirai wanted to add a few more ordinary demons but Sugita opposed the idea. Shirai thinks it was the correct decision.

Leuvis' design drafts by Posuka

Leuvis' models were these certain people...

Sugita suggested Leuvis should have a hat. Shirai, too, wanted a hat-wearing demon but was unsure about how he'd look like. Leuvis' final design was a combination of three: Ed Harris' costumes in Westworld (Man in Black) and Stalingrad (Major Konig), and a Japanese hunter Shirai saw on TV. The double spread from chapter 51 was also inspired by Westworld. (T/N: Shirai was asked about character design references before. Back then, he said he'd keep Leuvis' design references a secret.)

Lots of unreasonable asks to Demizu sensei! And Leuvis' name isn't 'Leuvis'! Glad I changed it! -Shirai
T/N: Leuvis' name in the bottom panel reads "Vallis."

Emma is a hero who protects her friends

Finally, Emma could be drawn like a shonen hero. It remained unnoticed due to busyness at the time of drawing these chapters, but Shirai noticed during his reread how cool Emma was. The atmosphere of the story changed and there were mixed reactions from the readers. Some readers wanted the suspense and mind games back, others liked it even when the genre changed. There were readers who started liking TPN from Goldy Pond arc due to its battle-shonen nature.

Deciding the names of the characters

Shirai remembers Sugita praising Shirai's naming ability for the first time for Jake, Monica, and Theo's names. (Sugita argues that he always praises him for his naming ability.)

Shirai wasn't originally good at naming and he tends to proceed without naming the characters. When he can't come up with a name, he goes through the names of the casts and staff from his DVDs. Jake and Monica's names were taken from the movie Mission: 8 Minutes (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan), Theo's was a random choice to stick everything together.

Monica and Jake's roles

Even though he appeared in only one chapter, Jake was one of Sugita's favorite characters. In Shirai's first draft, Jake was the only one who died. But it would be incomplete if Monica survived. Shirai wanted to draw out the reader's empathy by making Theo the only survivor. Jake and Monica's roles were similar to Conny. Their deaths added a feeling of urgent danger.

Demon's feast is like Shokugeki no Soma

Chapter 68 shows what type of place GP was and how the demons ate meat. In chapter 7's Demon conference, the demons were supposed to be eating meat. But it was too early and it could look like eating Conny. So, the menu was changed to soup.

The scene of the demons eating meat came right after Theo cried for his dead siblings. Shirai remembers asking Posuka to make the pate look delicious; similar to the food scenes from Shokugeki no Soma.

Why do the names of the farm facilities start with "G"?

Audio

The farms were given names easy to remember. If it starts with "G", it's a farm name. On the contrary, Shirai says it eventually became difficult to remember which farm is which because all of them start with the same letter.

Who was the person implied in "I want you to meet someone"?

Audio (includes ch.74 discussion in the latter half. Here's @yakishioyou's audio summary.)

When Violet said she wanted Emma to meet someone, almost every reader concluded it was Norman. It wasn't Shirai's intention but Sugita said it was okay. In Shirai's opinion, Leuvis would never be bored if Norman was really there. But he was happy to see the readers waiting eagerly for Norman's reappearance.

The scars on Lucas' face were Demizu sensei's idea, to differentiate him from the young Lucas. (Shirai)

The appearance of GP's major characters

Oliver and Violet's designs were based on Posuka's "cool boy" and "crossdresser beauty" themed characters from early post-jailbreak concept arts (check here for Violet's prototype design. Prototype Oliver's face shot will be shared later.). There were few opportunities to introduce new characters, so Sugita asked Posuka to go all out with new demon and human designs.

Everyone's designs were decided quickly. Gillian and Paula's designs were borrowed from some of Barbara and Ayshe's prototype design drafts which already existed at that time.

Barbara's early design draft by Posuka

What kind of place is Goldy Pond?

Goldy Pond was named this way because, literally, it's a pond of golden water. Shirai drew golden water because he thought it'd be interesting if there were scientifically unexplained substances. Elevator was a familiar vehicle and seemed appropriate for crossing between human and demon worlds. The setting was that, one could reach the human world by riding on GP's elevator (if it worked) or going down Grace Field's staircase. But the series ended without using either of these settings even once.

William Minerva's first appearance

Although via a recorded phone call, Emma finally met William Minerva in ch. 72. Shirai requested Posuka to draw James as a handsome young man. Some of his previously established features such as his left-handedness returned here (T/N: James being left-handed was hinted at in Vol.2 undercover).

James and Norman were similar because of various conditions and chances. Regarding theories such as Norman being a clone of James or Adam and Norman having the same genes, Shirai confirms he had no such concept at all.

Origin of the name "Peter Ratri"

The theory 'Peter's name is based on Peter Pan' is correct. James' name was taken from Captain James Hook. The number of characters increased, so Shirai wanted them to have memorable names. The title of the series was "Neverland", so these names were borrowed from Peter Pan. Similarly, Yugo's tea party could allude to the tea party from Alice in wonderland.

In Indian mythology, Ratri is the night goddess, so the name can be associated with "guardians". "Night" implies "back/cover". The word also sounds like an unusual surname.

Norman's reappearance story

Shirai didn't intend to reveal Norman in volume 9. For a bigger surprise, he wanted Norman to be revealed for the first time in Vol. 14, after the timeskip. But the interval was taking longer than expected, so Norman was revealed in advance.

Oliver's US military-style encouragement?

Some readers exclaimed "Oliver is like a US commander!" because his way of encouraging his teammates was similar to a method used by the US Army (Shirai doesn't know the legitimacy of this information). Shirai was thinking about ways to make Oliver look the most leader-like. The hunting ground's leader is cool.

Why are the breeding supervisors' names different for each farm?

The names of the breeding supervisors are different for each farm (ie. "Mama", "Sensei"), because the veneer of each farm is different. Grace Field is "A happy orphanage playing family inside the House", Glory Bell is "like a town", Grand Valley and Goodwill Ridge are "school-like facilities".

The Grand Valley members from Goldy Pond were all born at the same location, but they didn't grow up together. Grace Field is the smallest farm that specializes in the development of brains. Glory Bell focuses on physical development along with the brain. Grand Valley and Goodwill Ridge have average quality brain and meat. As long as the brain is good, the children from Grace Field are shipped out at/before 12. It's fine even if they're skinny. The shipping ages are different at the other farms, such as 15 (Glory Bell) or 17 (Grand Valley).

Sugita proposed that Yugo should be from a farm that focuses both on physical and mental development. Shirai wanted Yugo's farm's shipping age to be around 15 years, so he thought of different names for the breeding supervisors.

A chapter for Gillian's spotlight

Chapter 77 was Gillian's spotlight. Shirai likes the front page with a hamster cage. It was fulfilling to see her striking back against the resentful demon with both guns in hand. Shirai wanted something like this to happen, and the reader reception was good. Sugita praises Gillian's character design. Luce was the most annoying one, so his death was satisfying.

What's the difference between a demon and a human?

A demon's optical nerve is weak for some reason. The mask protects the eyes from injuries and shields them from direct light.

Nous cries at the loss of Nouma. But afterward, he eats her. It had to do with the demons eating to acquire the traits of what they eat within themselves.

Shirai wanted to show the personalities of intelligent demons in the GP arc. These chapters laid the foundations for the questions raised in the final arc: whether humans and demons are very different and if the demons are really monsters to kill.

Shirai says he doesn't want to impose author's ideals onto the readers, but he drew TPN with the thought he didn't want a war.

Luce's "Muda Muda" wasn't a homage to Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, it's something I came up with based on his personality. That being said, I love Jojo. Muda! Luce, he can't be as cool as Giorno (laughs)-Shirai

Chapters where the protagonists didn't appear at all

Emma and Ray didn't appear for a very long time since the start of the battle against the aristocrats. Shirai was worried about the chapters being carried by only the new characters. However, he wanted to use this opportunity to go all out with developing the demons as they didn't appear at all in the first arc. He wanted Oliver and the team to be empathized with, but the demons were prioritized for the story setup. Writing drama was difficult.

The appearance of the unbeatable and strongest enemy

Emma went through some changes before her fight with Leuvis. Even though she was angry and hated Leuvis for killing her friends, she was thinking of ways to avoid a fight. It's an essential element in her character and helped her to earn acknowledgment from Leuvis.

I believe Parvus means "small" in Latin. I thought it's okay if it's an old human language word. By the way, "Leuvis" is a coined word.- Shirai

Leuvis caught the bullets with his hands. Shirai had learned the values of flashy and unique presentation. The scene aimed to show that Leuvis can't be defeated easily.

The enemy is so strong, you don't know how to beat him

Emma's attempts to damage Leuvis turned out to be meaningful. From Norman and Ray, she learned to read her opponents. Breaking Leuvis' mask was difficult. The Royals and aristocrats have the toughest masks, their subordinates' are more penetrable, and the townsfolks' masks are more fragile. Even when his mask was broken, Leuvis started laughing frantically. The characters and the author-editor themselves were worried about what to do with him.

I wanted this image of Yugo to be like "Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan" by Ilya Repin. I love Repin -Shirai

Origin of the extras

Shirai was asked, "why has Don turned into Little Bunny in volume 10 extras?" It was because Sugita wanted something casual and fun in the bonus pages contrasting the main story events. Jailbreak arc was the same but it maintained a happy surface. On the other hand, everything was gloomy since the search for Minerva arc. Sugita thought something funny could be nice in between.

The reason behind fallen Emma's flashbacks

Chapter 93 was popular. The climax was near and it was a good time for something exciting and dramatic before defeating the enemy, and to show the weight and determination Emma carried. Chapters like these are good for making manuscripts. The previous antagonists, Mama and Krone, helped Emma in the flashback for some reason. It was an opportunity to make them appear on this occasion.

In the first meeting with Sugita san, I was thinking of a route similar to Toguro 100% from Yu Yu Hakusho. But something felt wrong, so it was discarded. -Shirai

The blank page

The blank page before Leuvis' defeat could be easily be mistaken as an incorrect page. Shirai joked about getting his manuscript fee for free for this one. To assure it wasn't an incorrect page, the panel margins were erased at places on the following page. Shirai also added a volume comment about this page. He needed courage, but some other mangaka often use this method. Sugita liked a similar page from Ashita no Joe.

Demons are not simple fantasy creatures

Leuvis' flashback was also important as it shows the characters that he had contact with. The victory declaration in GP was a parallel to jaibreak arc. Although the demons are fantasy creatures, some science and science fiction elements were considered for their biological characteristics. Analyzing them as living things and not as monsters created a chance to win.

Demizu sensei's drawing of the gathered family

Everyone returned to the shelter. Shirai likes chapter 96 because it connects to the earlier exchanges among the characters. Yugo's expressions looked comedic.

Both Shirai and Sugita praise Posuka's art for the double page where Emma was greeted by her family. Shirai thinks seeing the spread in Jump magazine had a special charm compared to seeing it in the volume; similar to the difference between watching something on theatre vs watching on a tv. He tried to add a scene like this once in every three volumes, including a similar double spread after the reunion with Norman.

T/N: Shirai's storyboard (source: TPN exhibition goods preview)

The reason behind the children getting along so well

The children's drawings on the wall behind Emma were precious and transmit their love for Emma, Shirai requests the readers to pay attention to them. Sandy's face was covered under bandages, but there were drawings for him on the wall too. Shirai thinks the reason why TPN's children are all kind and friendly is because Posuka draws them. Sugita says the children drawn by Posuka have nothing evil in them.

Yugo's name was supposed to be Ugo

'Ugo' was a candidate for Yugo's name. Shirai had a concept where Yugo noticed a book with his name (Ugo's adventure) which eventually triggered their escape. But Sugita suggested avoiding the same name. He wanted a universal name rather than a Japanese one. Yugo is the friend of Lucas, so Sugita suggested the name "George." Sugita thought the conditions were perfect for this name but Shirai insisted that it'd be rude to George Lucas. Shirai is glad the final name was 'Yugo."

Unreasonable request for a tsundere master

Yugo refusing to call the children by their names was Sugita's idea. Originally Yugo was supposed to be a 'master' character. An old master Sugita had known, his old baseball team coach - wouldn't call the players by their names unless they leveled up or achieved something. Sugita asked Shirai to make Yugo a similar tsundere character. So, Yugo's name-reveal and his teachings were saved for later.

Yugo seemed rather annoying at first but he developed and became a nice guy. Writing him was difficult. Shirai's had to cut off his Obon holidays for developing Yugo's concept.

The release of all cattle children was unplanned

Emma reveals a bigger dream: to release every cattle child in the demon world. At first, it wasn't planned. Emma's wish was just to release the children from Grace Field. But after meeting the children from Goldy Pond and learning more about demons, especially with the developments surrounding the Seven walls, Shirai figured Emma would inevitably change this way.

Shirai thinks Emma is easy to be misunderstood. When she really wants to do something, she'd thoroughly do everything necessary, but she's also aware of the extent of what she can do and doesn't necessarily think she'd be able to get everything (As seen with agreeing to keep Phil behind or cutting off her ear).

~:Character profiles:~

(Profile TL credit to @14thNeah on Twitter!)

~: Shirai Sensei’s QnA Pt. 3 (Answering the Readers) :~

Q. Some mouse demons appeared in Vol. 16, and Leuvis' partner Parvus is a monkey demon. But are there dog or cat demons in the demon world that are kept by the demons as pets? I'm curious.

A. There are. They can be kept (as pets), and depending on species, some may live in the wild.

Q. Lambda 7214 was under construction during the end of James' tenure as the head of the Ratri clan. Did it have any other purpose back then besides being an experimental facility?

A. No, especially not in James' era. But the data obtained there was used for some secret purposes in the human world later on.

Q. Who informed Peter about Bayon’s wish for hunting? Were there demons against Bayon?

A. Peter learned about it from his own network. Bayon was well behaved and quiet, almost no demon targeted him. Bayon tried to keep his hunting desire suppressed, but Peter found out about it and offered him the hunting ground to satisfy him and other aristocrats (ie. Nous); also to dispose of the escaped children.

Q. Is it common for demons to eat the brain when their loved ones die? Can they learn about their loved ones' secrets?

A. It's not common. Only Nous and Nouma were like that. The demons can inherit the cells of the ones they eat, but it doesn't necessarily mean they'd acquire even the memories (Leglavalima was an exception). It doesn't always happen, but, to an extent, I think there's certainly a possibility of having their secrets revealed after death. How terrifying....!

Q. What's the #1 cause of Yugo's grey hair? It's stress, isn't it?

A. It is stress! (Yugo did his best!)

Q. Tell us more about the girl who saved the dying Lucas 3 year years ago!

A. That kid was actually a boy. From internet comments, I've learned he was being referred to as a girl for some reason...(why?)

He was a coward, and that's why he was cautious. He found the underground pit while searching for a place to hide. He didn’t want to take the risk of being found by demons. So he couldn’t let anyone know of this place and piled up his guilt and pain. He found Lucas injured and on brink of death. Normally he wouldn’t do anything, but feeling guilty about everyone who he'd abandoned so far, he wanted to help. Yugo and Lucas were the heroes and hopes for the hunting ground children at that time. So, the kid knew Lucas. He wanted to heal Lucas for an opportunity of rebellion. Although he died of illness, to Lucas, the boy was one of his dear friends.

Q. What does Parvus, the demon that sits on Grand Duke Leuvis' shoulder, eat on daily basis? Are there things that we call pet foods in our world available in the demon world too?

A. He eats monkey meat and nuts, etc. Maybe pet food exists in the Royal/Aristocrat level, but I don't think Leuvis uses products like that. (Grand Duke's rule is to let Parvus hunt and find food for himself.)

Q. Why did James put information about Lambda Project in the pen?

A. Because it involved the cattle children (not at that moment but it would in the future).

Q. All the children wore whichever clothes they wanted in GP, but were there white uniforms like Grace Field in other farms too?

A. Among the Houses, Grand Valley also had white uniforms.

Q. What criteria did Oliver's group use to select their comrades? Why did they select Adam?

A. Those who are able to fight or have a strong desire to fight and destroy the hunting ground, also those who can become a symbol of hope for this place (to survive if there's a future where they can have their revenge or win against the demons).

Violet was the one who brought in Adam. At first, Adam was unresponsive or didn't show any emotion. But when Violet saved him in the state where he didn't understand what was going on, he had tremendous power. Besides, she instinctively felt he was a good guy, so she brought him to Oliver and others. (she was also worried that he'd be almost killed again without understanding anything if she left him behind.)

Q. When James recorded the phone call in GP in 2031, I think the human world was in a difficult situation due to wars and disasters. But James didn't say anything more than the ways to cross the world <if the children wanted to run away.> Did he intend to keep them protected after crossing the world?

A. I think, at the very least, he made arrangements to avoid dangers.

Q. Where was the elevator in GP connected to?

A. Inside a certain forest in Australia.

Q. When Grank Duke Leuvis reappears in ch. 171, he wore the mask (destroyed by gunshot) and hat (disappeared when he left) which he should've lost in GP, did he renew them?

A. Yes, those were renewed later.

Q. When GP collapsed, it sank after a large amount of water flooded in. How did Andrew find Sir Bayon's corpse?

A. The elite search team from Ratri family dived in. (Barkeley and Collins, they could do anything).

Q. Were the transmitters of GP kids and lambda escaped kids disabled? (I love TPN!!!)

A. Thank you!!! Actually, only Grace Field children have a transmitter. So the children from Goldy Pond and Grand Valley didn't need to disable anything.

Q. Pepe's introductory description reads "it's only been a short time since he came here". Was Pepe temporarily transferred to a different place after being shipped? Or had he been in GP for 4 years, if he was shipped at 14? He's 16, so I'm curious. Thank you!

A. Grand Valley's oldest shipment age is 17, and they weren't shipped in the order of test scores. So Pepe simply stayed in GV until he was 16, then he was shipped out and was in GP for a few months. He hadn't been transferred to a different place.

Q. Was Grand Valley under the ground like Goldy Pond? If so, why was Grace Field above the ground?

A. Grand Valley is a large farm, but they couldn't spend a lot of money per product unlike Grace Field, so they closed the sky to prevent escape or theft and made an artificial sky. By the way, it's not underground; just closed inside a dome. It's above the ground.

Q. What happened to Sir Bayon's underling demons after GP collapsed? Did they drown alive?

A. Some of them drowned and some survived. By the way, there was a plot where they (Bayon's underlings who survived) aimed for Emma under Peter's guidance.

Q. Did Bayon supply the daily meals and ingredients to Goldy Pond children?

A. Yes, food was provided by Bayon.

Q. Nigel was in charge of machinery and had good knowledge of electronic equipments. Did he like machines and studied their mechanism when he was in the House? Or did he become proficient with machines while preparing for a battle in Goldy Pond?

A. Compared to Grace Field, the children from Grand Valley and Glory Bell have more opportunities to come in contact with electronic devices. So, Nigel was familiar with machines since his time in Grand Valley. However, his skills and knowledge gradually improved in Goldy Pond.

Q. Was Sir Bayon's territory near Goldy Pond? If he often took a vacation for poaching, I'm afraid his territorial management activities might have been hindered. Or, was his son already running the territory?

A. By the time Emma arrived at GP, Bayon had already left territorial management duties to his son to some extent, so there was no problem. It was okay.

Q. Why didn’t Ray, Mujika, or Sonju appear in Emma’s subconscious in chapter 93? I think they’re important people indispensable to Emma.

A. At that moment, Emma’s desired future (also, the biggest consciousness in Emma’s mind at that time) was to create a world where ‘GF Family’ and ‘cattle children’ could live.

~:From Demizu sensei: “This was amazing, Shirai sensei!” Pt.3:~

The Storyboard

It's drawn with a lot of details, is it normal for someone to draw their storyboard with so many details? There's a lot of information, but it's still easy to read. Even when a scene with a lot of information suddenly appears (such as ch. 120) , I'm surprised at how smoothly it can still be read. I was also surprised at how the A4 papers were divided in 8 parts. Was his mechanical pencil too sharp?

-Posuka Demizu