Neverland Promised Land is the rare horror manga series to achieve massive success on Shonen Jump, but its heroine, Emma, also makes it a rare series among the magazine’s best-selling titles. . However, as the original editor of the series revealed, it almost ended with a very different hero in Emma’s place.
The Promised Neverland tells the story of some super-smart orphans at an orphanage who discover that the “adopted” children are actually being killed. After discovering this secret, Emma, Norman and Ray are determined to get every child out of that orphanage together. Psychological horror elements are heavy at the beginning, but eventually the series shifts into something more adventurous as it progresses. Emma assumes the position of the main character throughout, a fact that has made the series receive many praises from fans as well as critics. However, if certain creative forces get their way, Emma will be turned into a boy.
How Emma avoids being a boy
In an interview on Shueisha’s Manga Plus site, The Promised Neveland editor Suguru Sugita talked about the development of The Promised Neverland. Sugita worked with series author Kaiu Shirai for almost three years to create the first version, so there were a lot of revisions before it became what it is today. During the interview, Sugita admitted that he and the other editors at Shonen Jump were concerned about having a female protagonist, since Shonen Jump’s target audience has always been boys. Since The Promised Neverland is already very different from the usual Shonen Jump manga in that it doesn’t have a lot of fight scenes, it feels like some concessions might need to be made to make it more engaging. . As a result, Shirai and Sugita worked together to create a version in which Emma’s character was made male… but they found that “it didn’t work out.” Instead of sticking to the decision, they go back to the original Emma, which they feel is more “right” and based on Emma’s reception, it’s the right decision.
Interestingly, when trying to justify a female lead, Sugita ended up looking to Studio Ghibli films, which are globally appealing in Japan and beyond, and often feature girls. children in leading roles, as in Kiki’s Delivery Service or Spirited Away. With Norman and Ray already in the supporting male roles, there’s simply no need to fear the fan’s reaction to Emma. While The Promised Neverland is particularly dark compared to Ghibli’s works, it does share some similarities – a fantasy world full of unknown threats discovered by a young girl on a quest to find the world. looking for a house (albeit a new one). Emma ended up becoming more assertive and aggressive (rather than reactive) in the revision process, establishing the ultimate version of the character that fans know and love.
Neverland Promised Land broke many unwritten conventions by placing Emma as the main character, but ultimately that was the key to the series’ success, proving that sometimes it’s best to be an artist (and their editor). ) stick with what feels right to the story, rather than over what’s marketable.
Source: Manga Plus
