Welcome to AiPT’s weekly The Promised Neverland recap column. As new chapters are released, I’ll be sharing my reactions to the series’s latest twists and turns. From bloodthirsty demons to elaborate battle strategies, writer Kaiu Shirai and artist Posuka Demizu always have something compelling up their sleeves. Be warned, though, that in order to elaborate on my thoughts I will be including SPOILERS.
Leuvis has been a standout part of every chapter he’s appeared in thus far, and this week’s is no exception. He’s easily one of the series’s best villains, from his design to his voice to his unique motivations. Several pages in this chapter are narrated by Leuvis, and diving further into his thought processes is a fun treat. His ramblings include some interesting reflections on the irony inherent to human desires and actions. Humans strive for joy, but it’s often experiences of despair or trauma that push them to become stronger. It’s an interesting concept to consider, especially in the context of this tragedy-ridden manga.
With that said, Leuvis is also badass in purely combat situations.
As always, Leuvis also impresses visually. Demizu can do virtually no wrong when it comes to this character. Leuvis’s long, flowing coat constantly adds a sense of drama, and his rough, inhuman limbs are very creepy. His sadistic grins further add to the horror, as he gets happier the closer he comes to death. This is a demon who’s been longing for human prey that are actually challenging to hunt. He’s found that in Emma and her cohorts, but they’re not having any easier of a time defeating him than he is eating them.
Demizu’s work in this chapter’s action scenes is also strong. One particularly thrilling two-page spread features Leuvis on one side of a cramped hallway and his human opponents on the other side. The humans are all shooting liberally at Leuvis, unleashing a flurry of bullets. Demizu captures a specific split-second in time, with dozens of bullets frozen in place between the two sides. It’s a fantastic visualization of the humans’ desperate barrage.
So cool!!
There are also some solid plot revelations in this chapter. We learn that there’s a limit to Leuvis’s regeneration abilities, which could hold the key to defeating him. With that said, we (and Emma) still don’t know what that limit is. Nonetheless, it’s nice to finally get a hint at Leuvis’s weakness given that this battle has been going on for a while now. This chapter’s ending is also significant, as a mysterious background character comes to the forefront. The cliffhanger is an effective one, as multiple subplots seem to be coming together nicely.
That’s all for this chapter! Stay tuned for more recaps as The Promised Neverland updates every week. If you’re interested in reading more of our thoughts about the series, check out our column from last week, as well as our review of the latest collected volume. Also, feel free to share your own thoughts about this chapter in the comment space below!
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