Volume 12

Starting Sound (始まりの音) is the twelfth volume of The Promised Neverland series.

Synopsis
With the demons of Goldy Pond finally defeated, Emma and the other children now focus on their next task—finding the Seven Walls. But it won’t be easy, especially with a dangerous new foe trying to hunt them down. Can Emma and Ray decrypt the ancient clues that will lead the children to true freedom?

Plot
Volume twelve of The Promised Neverland does a lot of time skipping and by a lot… I mean… A LOT. Last volume, they said that they had two years in order to find the seven walls. Well, as of halfway through this volume, one year and ten months have passed. During this time, they found the clues that they were looking for in order to find the seven walls. It took a lot of traveling but they managed to do it. During this time, we did get some artwork updates on a few of the characters, namely Emma, who is looking a bit older now. However, their plans come to a halt as Andrew, one of Peter Ratri's top subordinates, finds the shelter they were all staying at and with a platoon of eight men in total, their mission is to eradicate everyone. A plan to escape using the shelter’s hidden passages proves to be futile as Andrew claims he spent the last year hunting down and killing all of their supporters which is how they found the shelter and know of its entire layout. The kids seem to be trapped but feel that there is a way out. In order to secure that route, Lucas and Yugo head into battle and our volume comes to an end.

Cover and Volume Illustration
The illustration depicts Emma standing and looking down curiously on the amulet that Mujika had given to her. Behind Emma is a large city surrounded by a forest.

Chapters

 * 098. Starting Sound (始まりの音)
 * 099. Cuvitidala (クヴィティダラ)
 * 100. Arrival (到着)
 * 101. Come (おいで)
 * 102. Found It (見つけたよ)
 * 103. One More Move (あと一手)
 * 104. Abandon (捨てる)
 * 105. Illusion (まやかし)
 * 106. The Way Out (活路)

Author Notes
I was told that the anime would start around the time this volume went on sale in Japan.

Even though the days pass by so quickly, the progress of the anime gradually getting made is more fun than I ever dreamed.

By the way, in the next volume, a certain someone is finally going to make a move!!

The puzzle pieces are getting placed, and the day they form a full picture is drawing near.

I'll see you in the next volume!

Writer Shirai's interesting tidbits for The Promised Neverland fanatics, part 4!

I love the notes that Demizu Sensei wrote with the character designs.

Nigel and Yvette make Team Artisan. Gillian and Alicia are Team Gillian's High School. And then...Thoma, Lanni and Sandy are Team Broccoli.

(Broccoli!)

Please enjoy this volume!

Sales
Volumes 12 was the 16th best selling manga volume of 2019 with 801,584 copies sold in Japan.