Monster

Overview:

What happens when the world's nicest doctor accidentally saves the life of the world's most evil man? We get an amazing 70+ episode anime of course!

Story: 10/10

The story begins in 1980s West Germany with a brilliant young neurosurgeon named Kenzo Tenma. One day Kenzo is about to operate on a Turkish construction worker, but is pulled out of surgery at the last minute to operate on an opera singer instead. The opera singer survives and the Turkish construction worker dies, because everyone in this hospital besides Tenma is criminally inept. The wife of the construction worker berates Tenma for not operating on her husband, ... when he arrived first at the ER. Although this isn't very realistic, it provides the series' first of many moral dillemas for our hero Tenma. A few days later a similar situation occurs with a young boy coming into the ER with a bullet wound to the head at the same time that an important mayor needs an operation. Tenma decides to follow his morals this time and operates on the boy that came in first. As a result, the mayor dies and Kenzo's career at the hospital comes to a grinding halt thanks to his scum sucking boss. Kenzo's career rebounds when all of his enemy's mysteriously die in a single night and the boy disappears. Years later Kenzo learns that he saved an absolute monster and ridden with guilt decides to hunt down this man and right this wrong. Much like some of my other favorite anime, Monster's plot often contains unrealistic coincidences, cliche' plot devices like amnesia, and other elements that make it fodder for snarky pseudo-intellectuals to rip on. What makes it good is that it builds suspense in the style of a classic Hitchcock movie. It is thought provoking and emotionally rewarding. When the protagonist must make a difficult moral decision, we the audience share his suffering. It is true that it is not very realistic, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. This is the writing style of Victor Hugo, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, and the majority of classic literature. You can go ahead and laugh at it if you want to, but you are missing a great story.

Characters: 10/10

The main character is Kenzo Tenma, who is an almost Christ like figure that must navigate an often cruel and cold world. He is relentlessly hunted by the well meaning but narrow sighted Inspector Lunge, who believes Kenzo is guilty of murder. This relation is pretty much lifted directly from Hugo's Les Misrables, but I'm not going to dock points for an anime having literary allusions that are actually well done. Tenma's nemesis is the anarcho-nihilist maniac Johan Liebert. Johan wishes to cause the maximum amount of suffering and destruction simply because he can. He has no fear of death and can't be persuaded with offers of money or power. He is not going to swear and sweat bullets if one of his plans is threatened. This guy simply doesn't give a FUCK. He’ll likely remind viewers of the Joker from The Dark Knight. However, Johan's pure level of frightening evil and frequent targeting of children with his hypnotic charisma reminded me even more of literature's original anarcho-nihilist monster: Nikolay Vsevelodovich Stavrogin from Dostoevsky's The Demons. The characters in Monster are larger than life and often far from realistic. I have already explained why I don't consider that a cardinal sin of writing. These are great characters and the viewer will get to know all of them very intimately.

Art: 8/10

I actually don't have that much to say about the art. It is quite good, but not the best I have ever seen. Interestingly the art does the opposite of the writing and follows a highly realistic style. There is no moe silliness, giant sweat drops, or fountains of blood coming out of people's noses. Asian characters actually look Asian and can be told apart from the European characters. This is a lengthy anime, but the art doesn't degrade in quality as the series goes on and it didn't blow its budget halfway through the series leaving us with a complete lack of animation at the end (cough Evangelion cough). Overall an 8/10.

Music: 8/10

The Music is often haunting and does a great job of building suspense. It doesn't have many catchy themes that you will be whistling in the shower, but it gets the job done nicely.

Enjoyment 9/10

Let me just warn you that Monster can be quite slow at times. In order to not get ahead of the original manga and not have to create a truckload of bullshit filler, Monster can sometimes move at a snail's pace. It is also very dialogue heavy and tends to lack action, that is when the Magnificent Steiner isn't there to grace us with his badassery! None of my friends made it past episode 5 of Monster, due to its very slow start. However, if you can make it past the first few episodes and have a little patience, it is quite the ride.

Overall 10/10

I absolutely adored this series despite its flaws. The manga is my favorite manga of all time, and this anime is a spectacular adaptation. Supposedly Monster is scheduled to become a live action HBO show directed by Del Toro. I am eagerly awaiting new developments on this since rumors started a few years ago. I recommend Monster from the bottom of my heart.

HOW I WAS INTRODUCED TO MONSTER:
Monster was recently recommended to me by a friend who was rather frustrated that there wasn't enough of a fanbase for such a great anime. It wasn't my usual type of anime, since I'm not a big mystery/detective fan and I doubted I would like it at first... Another note I would like to mention is that the anime and manga of Monster are very close and true to each other.

STORY (10/10):
The story is incredibly intriguing. Avoiding being redundant and giving a plot synopsis, I'll say this: Every story development pulls the watcher further in, without resorting ... to real "cliff hangers". The first few episodes, though very important, felt somewhat dry, however once those are over and the real plot begins to move, the intensity of each episode builds.

ART (10/10):
The art of the Monster anime is very unlike the art in the manga. The manga harkens heavily back to the Astro-boy days of manga. The anime is somewhat modernized, but somewhat more realistic than a lot of anime currently. I found the art to be very endearing and used well to enhance the atmosphere of the anime.

SOUND (8/10):
The sound got a somewhat lower rating not because it's *bad*. The music and voices are well done, but simply unexceptional. Mostly the music, though good, quickly passes from memory. The opening and closing themes are incredibly generic. Luckily, the voice actors used were incredibly talented.

CHARACTERS (9/10):
The characters are really what make Monster so great. Their interactions and personal motivations are so incredibly *human*. Each has their own set of faults and strong points. The only reason I did not give the characters section a 10 was because after becoming attached to a character, the character might disappear for a few episodes simply due to the fact the cast is so large and each has such depth.

ENJOYMENT (10/10):
Monster is by no means perfect, but it is an incredibly well-thought out anime that kept me eager for the next episode. The faults, in this case, can be overlooked. I enjoyed this anime enough to give it a 10.

OVERALL (9.4/10)

- Spiffyish

NOTE ABOUT THIS REVIEW: Also, if you find this review unhelpful in anyway, send me a private message saying why (please) so that I can improve it for future readers! :D

Monster could really have been a good show, but like so many works it tried to put too much stuff in one packet to really deliver anything.

The premise was very interesting, and if compressed into 20-30 episodes could have made a great series. However, it went the another way, putting Tenma through many many sidequests that had nothing to do with the main plot, and the wangst resulting all his encounters had not much to do with his character's development. In classical terms, we would call these 'fillers'.

If these were quickly over their existence would not ruin the overall enjoyment. However, they are treated as ... equally important with the main story, and the pacing which is on par with The Bold and the Beautiful totally killed the enjoyment. It's just frustrating when you'd want to see where the story twists next and nothing happens in the time of 3-10 episodes.

1. Story (9/10)
Monster has one of the best stories ever. It has romance, violence, war, drama, betrayal. The plot really dragged me into marathoning this anime.

2. Art (5/10)
The art work is not the best, aside from the main characters, everyone else seems to look the same which does not matter to me at all.

3. Sound (7/10)
I usually don't pay much attention to soundtrack unless it is really good or really off. In this case, I didn't notice anything that was off. I also quite like the OP.

4. Character (1/10)
I feel this category is very important in creating a good anime, in the case of ... Monster, this category ruined the entire anime for me. To receive a good rating for this section from me, the characters need to be practical, show development, and have proper non-retarded dialogue.

The way the characters acted in this anime were far from practical, it was actually so retarded. More than half the things that came out of Johans mouth made no sense at all, if I heard someone speaking like Johan IRL, I would think that person has some kind of mental illness. Aside from Johan, every damn character talked like they were retarded with the conversations being very long and repetitive. Here’s some examples,

Character A: *while looking at the TV* “its, its... its.... its ...”
character B: *while starring at Character A“ its who? You gottta tell me, who is it? I need to know!!".
A: its, its , its... its HIM.
B: WHO? its WHO?? You have to TELL ME!!! Who is it?
A: its, its its its.. 3 second pause. The man who saved my life. if it was not for this man.... .... ... It is, its is ....
B: it IS WHO???.
A: it's DOCTOR TENMA!!.
B: *finally turns to the TV* "its him. it really is. It really is him. Its doctor teenma. It REALLY IS! DR TEENMA SAVED ME TOO.
ARE YOU FKING KIDDING ME.

Example of how this convo. would go IRL: Character A: shit its DR. Tenma.

There is absolutely no development in this anime. Although all the characters cling to their past, what I want to get at is how the same shit happens over and over again and the results are always the same AND they take forever to get there. Dieter must have been told 6 or 7 times to stay behind because he is too young for this type of life, yet every damn time, he back talks into tagging along. What i'm saying is, why is there so much screen time placed into these damn scenes (each time is like 3 minutes). There are many other ways to show his stubbornness.. Little things like this take up more than half of the 74 episode screen time. (totally irrelevant).

Another example, Tenmas most spoken phrases:
1:“only me, only I can do it, no, I must do it, I have to do it. Because I was the one. The one who saved ……a monster... I must kill him to prevent more deaths."
2: "NO I CANT DO IT, I JUST CANT, I cant shoot him"
3. ANNA, You mustn’t kill him!. Because I have to do it.
4. Repeat. (Anna does the exact same thing too. In the end, after all that screen time of retarded indecisiveness, nothing happened).

Retarded dialogue.. literally every chance the script writer had, he did the following:
A: It is ….it is…. HIM
B: WHO???
A: the man who… Who… he is… He is… he is… none other than…. A MONSTER (TERROR)
IRL (A): "He is Johan."
IRL (B): "OH" *shocked*


5. Enjoyment (2/10)
I honestly really enjoyed the first 20 episodes. Then I got fed up with how ridiculous the dialogue was and how extremely long this anime was. I don’t appreciate how the creators put in so much repeats and recaps when there were 74 fucking episodes (it's like how i use write my middle school essays). Every detective repeated the entire case every damn time they got a chance to and the story book was read from beginning to end like 5 TIMES. This anime would've been so much better with 24 episodes.


6. Overall (4/10)
Like all media, the negative always has a heavier impact than the positive. A great story just doesn’t cut it for me if the characters are not practical. I do not recommend this anime, I actually skimmed threw episodes 64-74 but really had no idea what went on since all i could read was Johan's retarded riddle-like words, repeated scenes and the words HIM and MONSTER.

I went into this show expecting great things. I did not get them. Monster is nothing more than a bloated uninteresting pile of drivel. The story was touted as a deep psychological thriller, but the individual episodes were incredibly repetitive and uninteresting and the overarching story felt cliched, even with how unorthodox it becomes. Around half of the show's episodes can be summarized as "Tenma goes somewhere, he broods over how awful his life is, he encounters someone with a troubled life, he helps them and leaves". The conflict between Johann and Tenma starts out somewhat interesting, but after 74 episodes of pure schlock it ... gets hard to be invested. The pacing is awful as well. Being drip fed pieces of a story can be interesting, but when it's done over 70 episodes only to put together a very unsatisfying conclusion it's terrible. The characters are all one-note caricatures. In every episode until the final one Tenma and Johann show no signs of character development and the meager development they get at the end is mediocre at best. No other character matters, as they either get killed off to show how evil Johann is or are completely unchanging and annoying. The one character who is even vaguely interesting is Grimmer. Johann's shtick of brainwashing people is also so incredibly stupid. It made me cringe whenever it happened and felt like something that would've been written by some edgy 14 year old in a Shadow the Hedgehog fanfiction. Despite being praised as some philosophical masterpiece, the themes given by the show are either incredibly boring, overused, or childish. The music/sound design are the only really good things about this show. I forced myself to watch through this whole series, only to get disappointed. The only way I can think of improving this show without a complete rewrite would be to cut it down to thirteen episodes.

74 episodes long. I looked at those little words on the left hand column of MAL's page dedicated to Monster, and I said to myself "74 episodes?" *cower* "I've heard this anime is really good...bu...but...that is a lot of episodes". So it took me a few months to finally get up the motivation to actually sit down and watch the first episode of this series. And once I did, there was no turning back. Deciding that this anime was too long to be worth my time was totally futile, I had been drawn in by one of the greatest series (anime or not) ever ... created.
I. Was. Hooked.

Story
Forgive the pun… but you must know this: Monster is one monster of a story. It will have you sitting and pondering and digesting every little piece of the story in order to piece everything together and make sense of it all. It’s frustrating in a way. Some people don't get it because they don't put in the time to.You have to analyze it and look at it at different angles to get it. But in the end, it is so worth it. Monster has so many layers and nuances and themes and twists and arcs that you can’t really sum it up in a review. I’ll try to give you the gist (spoiler free fear not). Basic premise: Doctor saves a kid…BUT oops. This kid is a monster (pretty much a living, breathing, embodiment of all things monstrous and evil). Doctor says to himself “oh shoot. I let this monster live when I could have let him die. I need to make this right” *Sets off on epic journey to fix things*. And that’s just the tippy tippity top of the iceberg. The story progresses from there, the characters develop and morph , the mystery builds, and the twists reveal little by little the true nature and origins of the “monster” that is the central piece of this series. But despite my best efforts, I can't even think up the words to adequately describe how great of a story Monster is. It is so well written. So well developed. So original. So DEEP. I can’t remember the last time I’ve witnessed writing this good.

Art
The art of Monster is really good and reflects the kind of eerie unsettling tone of the series. It’s quite muted and VERY realistic in its portrayal of settings and in its character designs. This is one of the only series I’ve seen that has characters that actually look like REAL PEOPLE!!! The detail of the art is absolutely breathtaking. The backgrounds of the settings are so realistic and so accurately portrayed. The animation itself is pretty consistently good too. The animators definitely could have slacked more on such a long series. Overall, the art is top notch.

Sound
The music of this series, like the art, goes well with the tone. Although this was probably the only area of the anime that didn't absolutely blow my mind, it wasn't half bad. I really liked the OP. It got stuck in my head a lot but it was awesome and edgy :D the ED was so dissettling and disturbing and crazy...it really added to the series. The VAs did an incredible job. Goodness. I wish they had anime Oscars. The voices fit the characters perfectly...it's creepy...especially Johan *shivers*. So yeah. Though my mind wasn't blown, I was not disappointed with sound at all.

Characters
Monster is intricately woven with a relatively large cast of characters to carry out the complex series of events. But each character has a role. A purpose. A distinct personality. You see every supporting character develop and change as the story progresses. And the character development of the leads…Dr. Tenma, Nina, Eva and even the third person perspective we’re given of the development of Johan are all spectacular. SO THOROUGH. These characters are so complex and fleshed out… they seem real. We see their strengths, their flaws, their beliefs all play out. Every character is multi dimensional….we’re given views of each little facet of their personalities as the story goes on. Ah. Monster is a rare example of characterization done perfectly.

Enjoyment/ Overall
In the end, all I can really say is "..........w..o..w"

It will remain to this day the best damn anime I have ever seen.

In short “”””””From masterpiece to ruins””””

From such a headline, you might wonder why I would still give it a 6 ? Well, I've thought about it a lot, as on my personal page it is a 7, and I won't change it, but it is an incredibly biaised note. Normally I’d have given it a 4-5, because of the second part of the anime, but I couldn't bring myself to give that note for the review either. So iin the end I decided to take the middle path for this review and give it a 6 instead (as the show isn't bad from begining to ... end, on the contrary). It won't stop me, however, to say what is wrong with it. But I’ll try to not spoil it too much.


Art :

First of all, the art, because it is the first thing you encounter. It reminded me a lot of the 80th-90th and it is to be expected considering the manga started in 1994. Some people are going to be repelled by it, personally, it just brings in nostalgia of my childhood. But all in all, if you need "pretty drawing" in the more modern "standards" the chances are high you'll have issues with this at first. Not that it is bad, but just different.

What's less subjective though, is the drop in animation. I cannot exactly say when, but at one point the proportions and animation just start dropping drastically from frame to frame, as though the budget was starting to run out. Though for the last arc it gets better again.

Still in the con, some drawings are convenient. !!!SPOILERS!!! For example, Johan dressing as Nina. Dressed as her, his features change, not because he's good with make-up, no, no, at one point he's taking off his wig and he has his own features back whereas the second before, with a wig, it was Nina's face. Same can be said about his general body who is conveniently exactly like Nina, but only for that part because when he's Johan his frame somehow changes to be more masculine (which is rather inconsistent). I can understand they didn't want to give away that it was a fraud - even if it was obvious - but they just went with the easy and lazy way to deliver it. Just by showing he used make-up, or that even in his manly clothes his frame has changed or by "hiding" the fake Nina's frame, that would have been more coherent. Oh and lastly, once it is given he's crossdressing, the fake Nina has Johan's features or expressions most of the time. Just way too easy for me. !!!END SPOILERS!!! Also, I don't care if it is like that as well in the manga, I'm speaking about the anime here and that is what matters. An adaptation's responsibility is also to solve the original's work issues, not to simply copy past it.

On a lighter tone. When the anime was still a masterpiece, roughly 1/4 of the Anime (the second quarter was good, even if issues started to pop up, the third quarter was harder to get through and the last one was just an utter mess), I really liked how they used the image to convey the story or the emotions rather than through words. It's something that I feel is lost more and more, so having seen it felt really good. Sadly, through the episodes and more specifically toward the two last quarters they abandoned that and spent a lot of time holding your hand (aka, they explain everything, not trusting the people to get it on their own) which is really saddening and sometimes kind of clash with the general mood of the show. But well, that's not really about the art anymore.

On the same level though, their way to portray the emotional and mental states of the various cast was really well done. They don’t hold back when it comes to distort the “facial traits” to achieve it.


Opening/Ending :

To keep with the visually artistic aspect, I'm gonna brush the opening and ending a little. Both really were good surprises. I'm not really into them, usually, and I'm quite fond of skipping them (between the fanservice and flashy, flashy one, my low tolerance is quick to quit), these however....man, I'll definitely miss them. Especially the opening. Now, it is definitely subjective, of course. What I enjoyed is that they tell stories on their own, they do a "job" whereas I often have the impression those two are there for "decoration" lately (which isn't negative and not exactly accurate, they try to introduce you to the world of the anime as well, but I don't feel as though they bring much to the anime itself and that the “decoration” aspect is more important than the “introduction”). In a way...my nostalgia is partly talking too.


Sound & Soundtrack :

And since I brushed opening and ending, I might as well speak of the soundtrack and the sound design in general.

About the sound I don't have much to say, it was more worked on when they went for telling through images than through words, so kudo that, but for the rest it wasn't ground-breaking.

As for the soundtrack, even if it isn't one of those that will stay with me forever, it remains really good and does its job pretty well (it isn't about "being beautiful" but about bringing the right ambiance and atmosphere, they can be really different from one to another to fit various mood and situations ; some really are memorable but they are a minority out of the close to 1 hour and a half long soundtrack). It has that "different" touch that I really liked too.


Story & Characters

Well, I've been turning around the bulk for a while, so it may be time I touch that. The story is slow paced ; there aren't thousand ways, you'll either have issue with it or you won't. I, for one, enjoy slow paced stories if they use it well. In this case, it was at first. It was mainly used to develop characters, to show their complexity, to show psychology through images and sound rather than text. Really, I was enticed. As long as it was used properly. But yeah, after one point, the anime started to drag unnecessarily. To build tension for the sake of it. It even starts turning in circles without any real progression, yes, things happen to make you believe it goes farther and farther, but they look more like a “mask” to justify length (and, to cross a bit with the chara part, they keep going back and forth their evolution, losing any consistency, another good way to drag an anime or a manga).

In the same type of ideas, a lot of arcs or doors are opened to be abandoned midway. Lunge, for example, suffers a lot from it the most, though close to every charas do. To keep on Lunge, his "unique trait" is underused, feeling more as a gimmick rather than an important point, which is really sad. Samewise, Johan’s “impressive ability to manipulate others” appears to be pure magic in the end : “do this !” “ok” “do that !” “ok”. That’s….not convincing…and it was supposedly something amazing.

More about the charas, a bunch of them play major roles at first, then completely disappear for no reason, even though they are presented and implemented in the story as mattering factors. Some never reappear again, others do...out of thin air. As though they suddenly were remembered and for what ? To be killed, to be forgotten again or for secondary events that won't even have a vital importance in the end.

And then you have the free exposition. If at first the exposition of the various cast were done nicely, revealing just what is needed, time by time, you eventually have characters whose entire screentime literally consist on their exposition.... Now, it is always good to give depth to your charas, but having a chara telling his life for 5 min and then disappear for the rest of the show is forced and unnecessary. Not to mention that doing it with the subtlety of a tsunami isn't exactly what can be considered proper delivery. Sometimes the exposition also occur in the most inappropriate moments. Like Tenma aiming a certain chara with his gun, said chara, at first afraid, will then suddenly start telling this entire life and...oh and then they are at his home and he invites Tenma inside as though they became some sort of allies, because, errr, well, there's no reason....it's just offscreen ? Maybe... I guess.... Yeah, no, ok....

About the characters development. Issues eventually shows up as well. From Tenma, to Nina, to Johan, to Lunge, to Eva, they lose consistency. For a moment they'll say "X", the one just after they'll say "Y" then back again to "X", then to "Z". It turns into a mess of inconsistency. Inconsistent because those changes aren't motivated. A good character development is a "justified" development. But like everything, it is really well done and portrayed at first, slowly (maybe too slowly for certain people), sure, but efficient. And then starts crumbling. And some scenes just don’t make sense when knowing the various aims of the charas. Yes, let’s aim at each other while repeatedly shouting the other’s name and letting the third person go away….because ! and third person apparently wasn’t in the mood to accomplish his aim just yet for ignoring one of us so sorely, yeah…not very convincing… They can also not make any sense on their own…for example having a long inner dialogue for several minutes about how you’re going to die and the guy which is about to kill you taking 5 min to shoot because he’s too scared…. Yeah, there was absolutely no way you could have done something in such a long timespan… It’s suicide, hu ? Yeah, I think you can call it suicide….

In the same order of ideas, the abuse of twists (just for the sake to pretend to be "smart", adding incoherence and losing credibility).Grimmer is a good embodiment of issues. Apart from the various incoherencies, the inability to convey/deliver the chara properly, he has way too many twists in a way too short amount of time to be credible. And after the 3-4 twists from a single chara, newly introduced charas will also start getting on a twist train. Twists are good, they are fun, but they should not be abused. They should not come out of nowhere and bring in incoherencies with the previous material. Though even without twists and character inconsistency you have a good amount of incoherencies, like getting fired but going normally to your job the next day and everyone acting as though your firing never happened or let’s speak about my son and it is for said son I’m doing this, but next time I talk to the same chara I’m saying the polar opposite and we both act as though we never discussed about it ; or no ! I know ! let’s threat someone’s life, kidnap that person and, and, and….errrrr…..we abandoned that arc, sorry, we have no idea what happened after that, but both charas are well and fine ! they…just….took different pathes….somehow…

On another level, the mood and tonality will also suffer shifts. As though the targeted demographic changed through the episodes. From a more mature audience to a younger one. It is particularly notable in the ending arc where charas will be “cool”…and OOC, as though it completely accepted to have turned into Shounen. On a more positive note, I do enjoy the parallel between ending and beginning, but the light-mooded epilogue feels really off.

Overall, I have the feeling that after a certain amount of episodes they had no idea what to do to fill in every episodes so they just had to find ways to drag it : abandoned arcs, abandoned charas, free exposition, twist for twist, charas' inconsistency, etc. they can all be "justified" by the need to "fill" the episodes (and no, I don’t know how it is in the manga and it still doesn’t matter).

I liked the various "main" cast (I must really give credits to Eva – well…before she loses consistency – to be that hateable character who is portrayed like a human being rather than a simple duality or Manichaeism, she even grew on me). Despite, my issues with them, and I do find one of the main subject : "alienation", really fascinating. Each of them represent a different type of alienation, and how hard it is to get out of it. I really just wished the quality wouldn't have dropped.


Recommendation :

Overall…yes, this review is rather sore…. I do have deep regrets concerning this show… I said it already the first part of the Anime is still a masterpiece, the second part is good ; it’s only the two last parts, half of the show, that has issues, too many issues for it to be considered average. Or maybe I’m just so hard on the second half due to the ruined potential… But well, despite all that, Monster is still one of my favourite Anime, or to be more precise, the first half is. I’ll buy both DVDs and mangas for sure.

I wouldn’t recommend this show for people having issues with slow pacing or needing exaggerated characterization, this Anime probably won’t satisfy you. If you need “pretty art” – modern standard – to appreciate an anime, you may turn your back to this as well. If you expect a show to take you by the hand, the second half of the show is pretty much for you.
As for the others, it might be wise to abandon the anime midthrough, when you start realizing the anime is going down, because, no, it won’t get back up, sadly ; however, if you want to continue you might consider lowering your expectations or turn of your brain for a while ; even if theoretically, it shouldn’t be the type of show for that (and I have nothing against those shows, I always watch them when I just want to relax and nothing else).

Yesterday, after quite an industrious few days' watching, I finished Monster. It is, to keep it as simple as possible, brilliant.

When speaking to anime sceptics, I tend to point out that it's only here in the west that animation (animatedness?) is considered the defining quality of animated films/series. In Japan, it's film first and animation second. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to illustrate this point; even the most gritty historical epics, such as Bakumatsu, contain elements of magic, psychic powers or the supernatural. From now on, I need not fear - Monster is the perfect example. Set in present day Germany (well, the mid ... 1990s, but close enough), focusing entirely on drama, tension, plot and psychology, Monster features little in the way of anime staples. It is free of fan service, there are no big eyes or disproportionately large heads in sight, and everything that occurs is actually possible (like most film and TV drama, the events of the series are improbable but possible). In fact, Monster actually takes more care with realism than most 'real' TV: when the neurosurgeon, Dr Tenma, starts using a gun, his ability to do so is actually explained - in this case, by means of him having spent five months taking marksmanship lessons from a retired mercenary. The same happens with other characters too. Everything is justified, explained and accounted for.

On top of the attention to detail and effort to maintain realism, Monster is laden with carefully nurtured tension. The various protagonists all make so many mistakes and struggle so hard to achieve anything that the threat of failure is tangible in each pivotal scene. Additionally, there is so much misdirection and layering in the plot of the series that the viewer never really has a handle on the truth - and every time something is resolved, it just reveals another layer of horror and mystery beneath. All of this dramatic goodness is rounded off by good acting. To the best of my knowledge, Monster has yet to be dubbed into English, so I watched it subtitled, and I usually don't have any opinion on Japanese voice actors unless one has a particularly annoying voice (Merle in Escaflowne is a prime example). I simply - and inevitably - don't pick up the same nuances of tone and expression in Japanese as I do in English. In this case, though, some of the performances actually struck me as exceptionally good - which, presumably, means that if I understood the language they'd be superb.

I have only three criticisms of Monster. The first is the very complexity that makes it a compelling watch across 74 episodes; at times, the convoluted plot can be difficult to follow, and more than once I found myself in the position of knowing I've seen a particular character before, but being unable to remember where or why. This is, I suspect, an inevitable side effect of having a complex plot, as is my second complaint: the pacing. On the whole, the pacing is perfectly appropriate, but it's hardly fast. A story of this type requires a slow, careful pace, so I can't complain - but it does result in the series being more difficult to watch than others of similar length. My third and final criticism is of the main character, Dr Tenma. It troubled me only infrequently, so it's a minor gripe, but Tenma is something of a Mary Sue (or whatever the male version is...Gary Stu, I think). Though he often makes mistakes - indeed, the whole premise of the series is based on Tenma's atonement for a grave error - he is nonetheless one of those characters who improve the lives of everyone they come into contact with, by imparting some grain of personal philosophy or restoring a cynic's faith in humanity. In general, the plot was sufficiently dark, and Tenma's suffering sufficiently intense, that this element of his character went unnoticed, but it did catch my attention at times, particularly around the mid-point of the series.

In all, then, Monster is one of the best anime there is, in my opinion. It's dark, gritty, complex, compelling and occasionally disturbing - all the things sceptics don't associate with anime. This maturity and realism is reflected in the artwork, and continues to the very last moment of the very last episode, without even once succumbing to anime's tendency to incorporate magic or psychic powers.

Never seen a show so highly regarded and begin with a solid premise only to waste at least 80% of its runtime on episodic BS, splitting up the characters for no reason, pointless external conflicts, red herrings and distractions that endlessly delay the actual plot. You had 74 episodes to weave a meaningful murder thriller story, and very few of these episodes are actually interested in anything of the sort.

If the plot isn't moving forward, are we developing the characters? No, like I said, arbitrary external conflicts or the characters just up and leaving instead of having conversations always leads the characters to being pawns ... of the plot. They never have clear motivations or goals in terms of how the story treats them--they just do things and react to Johan, Tenma's actions and movements. Emotions and feelings are never expressed that show deep character movement or progression. They just look sad, forlorn about 'oh no I have to kill Johan', humanity is bad, murder make me sadge, cri cri. The rest of the time is just filled with recap of prior events (that are also not meaningful).

Is it realistic? In some ways, yes, in many ways no--it has plenty of contrivances, conveniences or deus ex machinas that any story often has. It's realistic sometimes but actively obstructs its plot and mutes its character motivations when the writer hasn't decided what to do yet.

Mid at best, often worse than mediocre, waste of time.

Monster.

I once made my goal to watch the top 100 animes of myanimelist because I figured “Wow, the first three are so gud”.

However: one single anime made me realize that not all top 100 animes are equal; some are more equal than the others. This is the one who made me realize that some anime’s on top 100 are just pure trash.


Characters:

Kenzo Tenma is way too good, and I mean that in the evil/good sense. The biggest thing going about him is his supposed vengeance upon the main bad guy that makes you think would be the trigger for him to turn bad himself. ... There really is no development of his character which you desperately want to see in a psychological anime. He is just a good guy who does good for the sake of it. He also has no visibly personality except his outstanding manners which are a trademark of the Japanese people. He is probably one of those people that if it weren’t for the fact they had this one good skill (he is a really good surgeon) they would simply be going through life without anything special happening.

Anna Liebert: Mary Sue

Inspector Lunge: He is an ok character, but his memorization technique looks really out of place and not needed. I liked his theorizing about Tenma’s state of mind. Doesn’t do anything in the end despite being the most vigilant of all characters.

Dieter: I literally can’t find a reason why he would be in the series. He is really annoying and made me skip almost all of the scenes where he was doing something (usually nothing).
Werner Weber: Same with Lunge, his special power is just so weird. His overemphasized empathy is also annoying. He’s like if Dieter and Lunge had a son.

Other characters: Trash. They are the likes that you would expect to come from the immense knowledge an average manga artist has. Most of their characterization is made up by some forced up quality like that evil blonde girl being an alcoholic or that evil nazi guy being a dwarf.

Johan Liebeter: Honestly, he is the only good character in the anime (and I mean that in the sense of good & bad). He is mostly reserved but constantly does something in part of his keikaku. He is a good force of nature villain that moves the mostly stagnant plot. His monologues are mildly interesting but do sometimes sound like Jaden Smith wrote them. His biggest flaw has to do with the fact that his psychological manipulation doesn’t really make sense and seems forced. His motivations remain unclear and is mostly speculations but has some development by the end. He might be considered an “ubermensch” because he doesn’t’ really care about other people opinion and just does what he wants. Tbh, he is the only good thing in the show, but that’s like, an apple in a load of shit if you ask me.


Plot:

It’s kinda stupid and misleading. Let me elaborate. From the very first episode, one would deduce that perhaps the anime is about one becoming a monster (namely Kenzo Tenma). It does lead that way in the very first 30 episodes.

But, later one, it becomes clear that this isn’t about Kenzo Tenma becoming the monster because the constant killing/suffering/injustice going unpunished turns him into it (which would be interesting). Instead, we get this huge circlejerk of evil characters vs good ones and the constant and constant and constant delaying of the final confrontation between Tenma and Johan Liebert (the one who is closest to being a “monster”). Which lead me to the biggest and worst flaw in this entire anime.

THE PLOT PACING IS REALLY REALLY BAD AND I MEAN LIKE REALLY BAD (THE WORST I HAVE EVER SEEN IN ANY KIND OF MEDIA). I HAD TO WATCH THIS ANIME IN 2X SPEED BECAUSE IT JUST KEPT HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THINGS WE ALREADY KNEW AND HAD FILLER SCENES. THE REAL MONSTER IS NOT SOME BLONDE GUY BUT THE PLOT PACING.

As I said, the plot is mostly about good (the average German citizen) vs evil (literal psychos) characters in interconnected places that are being visited by our main character. He travels from place to place in order to find clues about the aryan main villain guy. He is like an RPG character but also has to constantly prove that he isn't tainted by evil, and trust me, the show SURE MAKES SURE THAT YOU DON'T EVER THINK THAT TENMA IS EVEN A LITTLE BIT EVIL. And as we move from place to place we realize that perhaps it isn't about finding the monster, but making friends along the way.

Now I will spoil the twist of the title. It’s kinda needlessly wholesome and out of place. The real monster is actually the mother of Johan Liebert and Anna Liebert who did the “grave” sin of choosing one over the other. That moment alone is possibly the reason why Johan became what he became. It was the final meh to the grave.


Sound: The opening is Gucci but it becomes boring after you listen to it for the 50th time… oh yeah, the opening is the same for all the 74 episodes… The rest of the soundtrack is not something you would listen to in your free time.



Art: It makes me depressed which would be expected from eastern Europe so i think it is good.


Conclusion: Please don’t watch this show. It’s a huge waste of time. If you ask anybody on /a/ they will tell you the same thing: It’s an overrated show that elitist like to brag about having watched it. And this is not like one of those “so bad it is good”. It’s just bad and boring. If you want real psychological stuff go read novels smh.

“If you don’t want to be betrayed anymore… then start doubting the person you want to doubt the least.”

Monster is a fierce, gripping show that grabs you by the arm and transports you through 74 episodes of mind-bending plot, engaging characters and possibly the best villain in anime history. I had to wait about a week after finishing this series before making my attempt at a review due to the sheer amount of things I wanted to say at its conclusion.

It’s quite difficult to put into words how much I enjoyed Monster’s unique storyline. Not only is it realistic, but it ... keeps a steady pace for the entire 74 episodes while focusing entirely on a single story arc. It’s an incredible feat to see in an anime. Adapted from the highly revered manga by Naoki Urasawa, viewers follow the main protagonist, Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a prodigal Japanese neurosurgeon. Dr. Tenma is working abroad in post segregated Germany, engaged to the daughter of the hospital’s director and is genuinely living the “good life”. That is, until a certain patient arrives in his care. Dr. Tenma is faced with a difficult decision when he has to choose between performing an operation on the mayor or a young boy shot in the head that he was already in surgery with. With a strong sense of morality on his side, he chooses the boy and his life literally comes crashing down around him. He is stripped of his head neurosurgeon title, accused of murder on several accounts and left by his fiancée, and this is within the first five episodes!

The rest of the series follows Tenma as he is on the run, trying to track down the Monster that ruined his life. It’s a constant game of cat and mouse, filled with death and drama, and focusing strongly on character development and well paced plotlines. The writing in Monster is absolutely fantastic. It is both medically and geographically accurate, and the dialogue between the characters is top notch. There are almost no filler episodes, and each chapter is meticulously laid out to aid the viewer in solving the mystery of the “monster” for themselves. I mostly enjoyed the sequences between Tenma and the infamous BKA Inspector Lunge, as well as the interactions Tenma has with the Monster himself. The action sequences were also well orchestrated, leaving that appropriate amount of suspense when you knew the killer was right around the corner, or Tenma himself was just moments from being caught. It’s moments like that which are missing from most animes in the genre, and Monster executed them perfectly.

Social issues and corruption are prominent throughout the series as well, buffing the realism factor exponentially. There are gangs, exposed destitute orphanages, and red light districts in post-segregated Germany which showcase the disparities that still exist even today. All the side stories are interwoven into one infernal beast of a storyline. No characters are disposed for the sake of fan service, no dialogues is squandered and most of all, the feeling you get at the end of this series is pure satisfaction.

The cast of this anime is just too damn good. Plenty of characters to love, and those you love to hate. Tenma is the moral pillar inside all of us. He is an honest and logical man who is trying to right the wrongs that have occurred within his life. His decisions are always calculated, never rash, and if it comes down to saving someone’s life over his own personal gain… he will always make the right choice. His friends along the way could always sense his genuinely good character, and would stick by Tenma’s side, come what may. The “Monster” was brilliantly sinister throughout the series, and I often found myself somewhat scared when he appeared on screen. His elusiveness and charisma added to his complexity as a character and made it all the more terrifying. He will go down as perhaps the greatest villain in anime history.

The comparison of the main antagonist to Hitler is also interesting. The way that the “Monster” manipulates the minds of the individuals he befriends is frighteningly realistic. He brings them to the lowest point, lower than death, and when the suffering appears to be too much he offers them a hand in return for performing his dirty work. I can imagine people like that existing in the world today, and the fact that the government and certain masochistic individuals were attempting to recreate Hitler using experiments done on children was appalling in nature.

The rest of the supporting characters were great in their own rights. I enjoyed the background of Wolfgang Grimmer, the prior orphan turned freelance journalist, who was trying to uncover his own past while helping to unravel pieces of the overarching mystery. I quickly grew attached to his side arch and how he intertwined with Tenma. Deiter and Nina were also great aids to Tenma, as well as Dr. Reichwein and Gillen. But perhaps my favorite character of all was that of Inspector Lunge. He was a brilliant detective who grew obsessed with the cases he couldn’t solve. Even at the cost of his own family and career. The way he was so systematic in filing information into his “hard drive” screamed OCD and reminded me loosely of L from Deathnote.

For what it is, I love the animation style from the early to mid 2000’s. Monster especially made realistic looking characters, and did a great job of illustrating Germany and the Czech Republic’s land/cityscapes. None of the characters seemed dull, and even maintained a highly detailed level of animation through long dialogue sequences. The transformation of Tenma over the series is also evident in the character model; going from young and clean cut to tattered and worn. The soundtrack was suspenseful at the necessary times, and I never found it to be overused or tacky. The opening didn’t change over the course of the show, which was great. Sometimes I feel that anime openings have become less and less to do with the anime itself and more about showcasing artists that make them. The ending song was the creepiest I’ve ever seen, and fit so well with the ominous vibe the series was trying to convey. The English voice acting was extremely good, and I actually found that I liked it more than the Japanese.

There isn’t any logical way I can give anything but a 10 to this anime. Not just based on average score, but the overall effect that Monster had on me was tremendous. It is a show that I will not soon forget, and certainly one I could recommend to any suspense/thriller fan… even those who don’t enjoy anime. It has been rumored that legendary horror director Guillermo Del Toro has worked with HBO to bring us a live action iteration of this masterpiece, so I hope to continue my love for the series in the future. Monster is a hard hitting, life changing anime that will go down in history as one of my all time favorites.

I've finally done it. I watched Monster. But my feelings are mixed, leaning more toward the negative side over the positive. Hear me out before you start bashing, getting angrily drawn to the dislike button. I can see where Monster is getting all its fame and prestige. However, are we going to ignore the inconsistencies and other glaring issues it has? I am not about to sugarcoat my feelings whatsoever. If you can't handle any criticism. Then, turn away at once before getting all negative for merely sharing my true opinion and wasting both of our time and mental capacity on unnecessaries. Where do ... I even begin? Everyone has probably heard that Monster is known for being criminally slow-paced. They were not lying, even for someone like me who can binge show easily. Monster was the first time I felt exhausted at times and honestly even bored. This was not a smooth sailing watch. I barely enjoyed parts of it but was mostly bored out of my mind. Why did I still watch it? I guess I got lost in the hype shared by many in the community. I decided to read manga alongside the anime. It went by much faster, but I still felt like I mostly wasted my time here. Monster usually has a slow part where it introduces characters. This can go on for a few episodes after that comes to the climax with the juicy and explosive bits. But for me, it didn't feel evenly lined and came off as inconsistent. When an exciting and climactic moment is about to go down, suddenly we cut to a new arc, character, or a completely new situation.

It just doesn't work for me and makes me lose my grasp of things. Author is jumping all over the place, trying to take pieces of the puzzle here and there, forcefully making them connect roundabout manner without being clear about the direction. It can come off as sloppy and not satisfying if you don't understand Uraswa's intention. This is not about having a high IQ. It's simple to put it into words. Moster is honestly messy. Whenever they are talking about some topics. It just starts out of nowhere and ends somewhere else. When it comes to character interactions, they meet and hit off like friends when this was their first conversation. But this is not the case all the time but enough to be a problem for me. Monster's biggest issue thus is the pacing in the form of character and story. It's not flawless, the closure was janky, made no sense, and most of the story was rehashed and repeated the same formula. Tenma runs away after being suspected of being involved in a murder. Comes across people he knows, fight starts, Tenma comes to a gunpoint against someone after his life. Tenma decides to be the good and merciful one, does not shoot, and runs away. And then we repeat that formula till we are at the last stages of Monster. This where the story picks up its pace and tries to conclude the jumbled mess it already is. I don't like it one bit.

All things considered, what is Monster? It's a psychological mystery horror-thriller about a serial killer who is charismatic enough to make others around him kill for him or even commit suicide. Johan's words are like poison that, like a virus, festers into your mind slowly over time. By uses of sweet-talking, Johan manipulates the victim's past or uses a significant weakness of theirs. He speaks to them in a way that instills negativity as they slowly drown in the darkness of the abyss. By doing so, Johan can now make the victim do all of his biddings - anything really. Johan is literally the embodiment of a monster. A manifestation of all the bitterness, darkness, all other disgusting shit that slowly plays around with the victim for his own benefit. Before, he ultimately devours them piece by piece to the point their name or identity gets stolen from them. Johan might use them in his game or perhaps become the victim and spread his venom and influence further. This convoluted story is about many characters and their own issues, insecurities, and stories to tell, dissect, and assess. But nothing is easy with Monster. It's left up to the viewers to interpret whatever the hell is happening on the screen or as a whole. Monster won't feed you the answers, but it will give you an idea of what it's trying to do. The rest is up to you to decipher as you see fit. This is why there are many ways to explain Monster's story and values, as there is no pure and right way.

Dr. Tenma is a world-known and one of the best surgeons in the world and a victim who gets thrown into Johan's game. All killings done by the real culprit are blamed on the doctor. Now he embarks on a journey to kill the frightening thing he saved as his good nature of doctor willed him to do. On the journey, he learns about humanity, the good and bad, what it means to have an identity, and much more. Monster tackles many themes, others such as racism and perseverance to do what must be done, the equality of human life, and how everyone weights the same regardless of the nation and ethnicity, and so forth. But Dr. Tenma could not know the nature of the person he saved would cause multiple tragedies in the future. Nina is the sister of Johan. She is also thrown into the looming carnage and tragedy that Johan creates and spreads. Nina has to deal with her own dark past as she tries to stop her brother by unveiling the grim, terrifying past hidden in multiple layers of thick cloth.

Monster tells you that human beings are fickle lifeforms that are easy to manipulate if you know which buttons to press. Someone who has only known carnage and blood, grief only needs this and that push. Or anyone who is an empty husk without identity. They don't know what's right or wrong since they didn't have the pleasure of being brought forth by their parents or good guardians. So inside the emptiness, you can fill it with your toxic waste and tell them the wrong things are right and so forth. To the point, they break and fall into total darkness. But those who did get brought up by their parents and have a solid guard protecting their mind from all the dark and nasty. And are only filled with good and had more or less a joyous life filled with love, and even during times of darkness, you had someone to lean on and get comforted by. These are the ones whose guard will be much tougher to pierce. Since they have a foundation for their identity, which will not be easy to devour and steal. No. You will need a much darker and drastic measure to crack them open and manipulate them to your own will.

I have to say it Dr. Tenma is such a dull lead who changed way too fast. We didn't get to see the process. He just became obsessed chasing after Johan after their first meeting for whatever reason. It felt wonky. I know he feels responsible since, as a doctor, if he hadn't saved him. None of the tragedy would be set in motion, but it just doesn't feel natural for me. As such as sad as it may be, I just don't like Dr. Tenma. He was so boring. The execution of his character needed more practical fleshing out. Johan got potential, but he's barely in the story. We only see him whenever the writer feels it's convenient to give him screentime. It felt like he was used as bait to keep the audience in check and to make them avoid dropping this tedious and torturous tale. One ridiculous way to describe Monster is that it was jumpy, never stayed in one place. It was glitchy, like it skipped over vital information or events to drive you into mad confusion before delicately explaining things by connecting them to breadcrumbs, which were hidden in plain sight but were always there. You just didn't realize it before the author - Urasawa wanted you to. Regardless, I felt the execution on that point didn't deliver either. Before the reveal, it was so tedious and dull. Take Higurashi as an example. It did a solid job of leaving hints for a bigger and grander picture. Monster didn't feel like that at all.

When it comes to Monster's production, despite being from the very early 2000s, it looks good. The animation and art-style are decent and conveys emotions and facial expressions well. It didn't feel cheap. Madhouse invested their time well and clearly was passionate. The way the facial expressions depict certain emotions is worthy of praise and very realistic. This is the first time I felt I was watching a live-action show instead of a pure anime. Monster shine is the stunning voice acting and the soundtrack, which complements the eerie, mystery, disturbing atmosphere of the show. After having read and watched Monster, can I recommend it? Honestly, there are far better stories out there that really nail their themes. Monster's anti-climatic and nonsensical conclusion felt so silly that I had to pause the episode for a moment. I was pondering, it's this how it ends? I was so disappointed. If you want to check out Monster, then go ahead, but I would recommend the manga, despite anime having good production for its time. Well, the anime was choring tho, and the pacing is incredibly slow either way, but the manga goes by faster. If you want me to be real with you, I don't recommend Monster at all.

A good story is the essence of the show and if the story is a failure then we won't enjoy the other aspects of the show. The problem with Monster is that it's simply meaningless and a drag. The show has a good and promising start but after episode 10 you see filler arcs. I think the story is just trying to twist the events to make them look mysterious while they're not. This is the feeling I have been getting when watching it. All the characters have disappointed me after a while.


If you have been watching Monster but got bored of it and are ... hesitating to continue it or not then my suggestion is that you drop it. Because there's nothing else to enjoy in it for you. If you haven't enjoyed it be sure that you won't enjoy the rest either because the pacing doesn't change. The ending isn't anything special either and all the mysteries remain unsolved (they get solved but they wouldn't satisfy you because there is so little reasoning into them)

— The rest of the review contains minor spoilers! —

before I start, Some people might come and say: you don't understand. Monster is not an anime "normal" people can understand. If you believe you are a special talented person, kindly note that this review is not for you


This show does not offer much in the aspect of mystery and thriller. I started this show mostly because of these two categories but got disappointed. The mysteries are just meant to keep you interested in the show but they're not ever answered properly. There isn't anything thrilling in this anime either, I probably don't have to mention that it's a really slow paced anime. So don't expect to be excited over it.
However there can be good experiences for the first time. I was really moved when that newspaper guy and Anna's parents were killed. But after that same cliche keeps happening and it becomes boring. After some time it just becomes like: ah this guy died too. Okay next


I will explore the characters a bit:

Tenma:
Through the whole story Tenma wanders around here and there doing absolutely nothing other than making a serious face and showing himself resolved. You could feel something is wrong if the "main" character does nothing other than being in minor and filler plots helping random characters. Can anyone recall Tenma doing something that affects the story other than saving Johan in the beginning?


Johan:
Johan doesn't do anything at all either. He is just the absolute evil with a mysterious past and he makes others do the things he wants by only existing. We have no idea what powers he has and how he managed to get so many lackeys. Throughout the series Johan's motives keep changing. One time he's trying to kill anyone who knows about his past, another time he's simply trying to cause chaos, one time he's trying to get revenge...
His actions don't have much reasoning behind them. Also he keeps pointing to his forehead and asking others to shoot him. If he has goals and motives why does he want to die? If he really just wants to die why doesn't he shoot himself? This is just meaningless to me, not deep


Anna:
Just like Tenma, Anna is another character that wanders around and does nothing. "I remember! Something important must have happened here. I want to remember but I'm scared" or something like that. She was the character that made me excited the most because I was curious to hear the backstories but she never explains anything since there's nothing to explain at all. It's all meaningless.

*Anna inspects the room for 5 minutes and then says: "I remember! I remember!" And then Dieter says: "no Anna don't remember it. Maybe it's better if you don't remember!"* I just wanted to smash the screen that time! Such a drag


Inspector Lunge:
This guy was the character I was expecting great things from and the only time that I was impressed was the time that he put himself in Johan's perspective and predicted that he will cause chaos in the library. But then he didn't appear in the library arc!!!! That's why this anime is so meaningless. Tries to make exciting moments for you but after a while you realize they're just meant to hype you up and nothing more


Grimmer:
Two things about this character were disappointing. Other than that he wasn't a bad character
First: his fights were never shown. We all wanna know how he managed to beat 4 armed people with only his fists. (well it's impossible right? that's why it wasn't shown)
Second: despite declaring that he has no emotions he is still affected by emotions! (before regaining them and crying for his child)
We can see shock and fear and anger in him even though he says he doesn't have any of them. I might be wrong about this as I'm not 100% sure but I think there was some paradox in this character regarding emotions


Let's not forget that there are many extra and annoying characters such as Dieter or that thief guy or Tenma's ex girlfriend. Also so many new characters keep showing up and dying 2 episodes after that which is a total failure to make us feel sympathy for them. If Tenma or Anna died we could've felt sad but why would we get sad over some side character which was introduced 2 episodes ago?

Monster was the most disappointing experience for me and I didn't enjoy it at all. The anime was all about trying to make you feel something deep and big is behind the scenes but in truth nothing like that had existed. Some broken background stories and broken reasoning and cliche is all this show is made of.

Monster is an anime that delves into the human mind. It causes us to question our own beliefs. Why do bad things have to happen to good people, people who have such good intentions? This is a question you will think about a lot throughout the series.

Monster tells the story of an innocent doctor who is trying to find the person who ruined his life, while at the same time, being chased by an obsessed detective. The beliefs of certain characters in this anime are very deranged, and show how ugly humans can be. The anime does a very good job at portraying this, mainly ... through the use of facial expressions.

The style in which the story is carried out is certainly effective in gaining the attention of the viewers. The story starts off at a fairly slow pace. As you continue to watch, however, you'll find yourself being drawn in by it. Monster is the kind of series where you just have to know what happens next. There are 74 episodes, but as I am nearly finished, there really hasn't been a boring moment yet. It just keeps getting better and better. You will see many different characters, and at first, their connection to the story may be unknown. Then, out of nowhere, they might run into one of the main characters. There are also times when the main focus will switch between the main characters, allowing you to get a glimpse as to what the others have been up to.

All of the characters are well developed, and you really learn a lot about them, even the ones who only appear for a short period of time. The background of a few characters, including the villain, are mostly unknown. This is another way in which Monster grabs your attention. You are learning at practically same pace as the main characters, and whenever they discover something, you share the same expression as they do.

Despite the number of episodes, none of them are filler; in fact, this anime is one of the few in which every scene is taken directly from the manga. The music fits the anime very well, but it isn't all that memorable for the most part. The ending is pretty creepy, but that's a good thing considering the nature of the anime. I like the opening a lot, especially the choir part at the beginning, mostly because it reminds me of Death Note. (In fact, if I could make a comparison between this and another anime, I would say it is like Death Note without the supernatural powers.) The animation isn't anything special, and the character design may take some time getting used to it, but the story is where this anime truly shines. Monster has already taken its place as one of my favorite anime.

Where do all the lonely people come from? The Beatles asked this question four dozen years ago - yet the answer remains deficient. Suffice it to say that MONSTER is not the type of series that will deliver us - the viewers - an easy answer. To first understand WHY we're lonely, we must explore the true nature of us humans.

Dr. Tenma is a gifted (yet naive) Japanese neurosurgeon working in Düsseldorf during the mid '80th. The politically-unstable era saw the sparkle of unity among German youth, though Dr. Tenma does not get to witness this rising tide; He's about to get married to sought-after ... daughter of his hospital director, with the position of Head-Surgeon right beneath his feet. Away from his homeland, the illusion of wealth blinds the conversant Doctor.

It only takes a few gunshots - Fired many miles away from the Hospital - to change his false perception of reality.

In a way, Johan Liebert did Dr. Tenma a favor. By having his position, fiancé and respect taken away from him, Dr. Tenma starts to see the world as it truly is. The journey which he embarks upon years later (while hiding from the police) forces him to deal with his inner demons.

Though that's not the case for Anna, a cheerful and a good-hearted college student whose loving environment is taken away from her as her gruesome past begins to resurface. These two lonely souls must change their inner beliefs in order to subsist.

Johan Liebert's part in the series resembles that of a Vole operating underground; we mostly get to hear about him as a legend rather than witness him in action. The scariest monsters are the ones we cannot see, and little by little Johan establishes himself as the scariest motherfucker in any room. Neither before nor after watching MONSTER have I encountered a ghastlier nemesis. By the time he was 18, Johan's name became a fearsome legend spread faster than that of DEATH NOTE's "KIRA".

Similarly to THE FUGITIVE (1993), MONSTER pit two characters with superior intelligences against one another. While on the run, inspector Heinrich Lunge takes a nearly obsessive agenda to capture Dr. Tenma. In a Hitchcock-esque way, we're not easily able to choose sides. The Inspector's character is too compelling for us to hate, making their cat-and-mouse game intriguing not any less than Johan's manhunt.

While not the best looking anime of its era, MONSTER excels at adapting 99.9% of Naoki Urusawa's original manga, to the point of preserving frames as well as the art style. Germany's (and later the Czech Republic's) big cities and countrysides are well detailed and umbrageous - keeping the shady mood of revolution constantly in the background.

Not many thriller anime series can be proud of getting some closure, yet MONSTER will give the middling viewer a satisfying conclusion by its endpoint. More peevish viewers will be glad to hear about the series half point which is as intense as a season finale.

MONSTER is Urusawa's magnum opus: The 74-episodes journey manages to balance the right amount of suspense and drama. All of the main characters overgrow their inner problems during the course of the series, while having their lives at risk (and keeping every viewer on the edge of his seat).

I can proudly announce it as one of my top 3 anime series of all time, not wrecked by the wheel of time. It may not give us the answer to The Beatles' song, merely a speculation, yet MONSTER explores the nature of humanity enough for us to ask the right question: What can individuals do to never be lonely again?

It's not often that you find an anime that even a 50+ years old audience can enjoy, as well as an anime that is so disappointing through expectation of a grand ending. It is a well known fact that the ending greatly affects the impression of the work as a whole, and, unfortunately, "Monster" was not able to realize its aspirations well.

Story:
The anime is like a detective story, where the MC, with the help of different leads, received or not received at the end of each story/arc that he experiences during his wanderings, tries to find the "killer" and fulfill, in his opinion, his duty. ... The action takes place in Germany in the 80s and 90s.
The narration is measured, and although it does not make you sleepy, I often wish it was faster.
Step by step, the MC, of which there are several, is approaching his goal, gaining new connections or making enemies for himself. Usually, the viewer is shown the development of the story of only one of the main characters at a time.
Some arcs generally do without the participation of the main characters in the beginning.
I would describe the story itself as depressing and emotional at times, but quite realistic. There were only a few moments when I strongly doubted the possibility of what was happening (for example, how a certain character calmly walked the streets of Germany, meanwhile being wanted). Of course, everything can be explained, but usually it turns out to be far-fetched.
The anime features some important historical events with a mix of fictional events. These events entail all sorts of consequences and create unique characters that later intersect with each other in different sequences and move the plot forward.
It is also worth noting that the story raises several philosophical questions: are all lives equal, does everyone deserve redemption, and towards the end it tell us why humans are special and why one must continue to live no matter what.
To my great regret, in my opinion, the authors managed to spoil the end of the story a lot, as if turning it into meaningless from the very beginning.
Overall, I would rate the story 5.5/10. Aside from the ending of the story, I'd give it a solid 9/10. What a pity.

Art:
The drawing is well done: the background, details, colors, characters - everything is at a high level. The authors, in my opinion, did convey the atmosphere of those years. The style was chosen close to realism, which certainly suits this genre. For the whole work, I saw only a few oversights in terms of drawing. Lipstick marks on a cigarette, characters hair growth over time, even such details are taken into account. In my opinion, the drawing deserves an 8/10 rating.
The animation is also very good. Although you won’t find such action scenes as in some shonens here (duh), all movements look natural, that is, the animation is of high quality. The facial animation is fine, although there was one case where the character spoke without opening his mouth. I can give 8/10 here too.
And just to think that this anime was created back in 2004 and it is quite long. Well done.

Sound:
The musical accompaniment is very meager, it consists of only 3-4 compositions, even if they are good ones. 5/10.
I have no comment on the sound effects. They do not cause negative feelings, but there is nothing to praise them for. 5/10.
I liked the voice acting. Emotions are conveyed well, the voices are adequately chosen, except that in a couple of children they a little bit stand out in a bad way. If you've watched any of the "Big three" then you'll definitely recognize someone. 8/10.

Characters:
We have a huge number of secondary, but at the same time interesting characters with their own stories behind their backs. Somewhere they converge in characters, but, nevertheless, remain unique, as it works in real life.
The protagonist, as I mentioned, is not the only one here. We can see the internal struggle of these characters, their constant development from beginning to end.
Tenma, who is behind the plot of the story of this anime, at first is a brilliant, but naive and weak-willed person, but after the events he has experienced, he changes quite a lot.
Actions of MCs and SCs do not contradict their characters.
However, I was very disappointed with the "killer", or to be more precise, his motivation and goal.
For the characters, their depth, motives, uniqueness, I will give 8/10. If not for the killer, the rating would be 10.

Enjoyment:
Many of the stories were very interesting, but not all. Every time important figures crossed over, I got goosebumps. However, this is a story of slow burnout: you are curious about what will happen next, but you do not have enough patience for a slow narrative. And that feeling was killing me all the time. Very disappointing ending and the killer are still there. I'm definitely not going to rewatch it anytime soon. In total, I can only give 6/10.

Total score:
Since I value enjoyment above other parameters, because we watch/read different works for the sake of it in the first place, and it is quite strongly influenced by the end of the story, I will rate this work only for 6/10 - "Fine".
From a technical point of view, everything is very good, majority of the characters are interesting and I liked most of them, but I didn’t like the ending so much, I found it so unworthy of everything that was in the anime before it, that I can’t put it higher than "Fine". This is by no means a bad anime, clearly better than most out here, but I can’t call it good for reasons I described, nor can I confidently recommend it to everyone.

To understand why I hated the ending, see the "Comments" under this anime in my anime list, because these are big spoilers. For possible errors in the text I apologize, English is not my native language.

I'm not trying to hate on this anime, there is far worse shows out there.

For me, I enjoyed the tension and atmosphere but I never felt rewarded for watching it. I just couldn't tell what was driving this anime along with the pace being so slow, i like to feel a little left behind so I try to keep up and I want more. This was like I lapped this thing 5 times and then took a break to cheer it on as it struggled for air.

I think I'm a victim of my own expectations and the reality is I never ... finished it. My advice is to get stuck in and prepare for the long haul because I'm sure something happens eventually.

The story is about a doctor, I can't relate to this person at all because he's successful and has alot of money and women. If you read the synopsis you are about as far as I am with 15 eps.

Let's get one thing out of the way first: I REALLY liked Monster! But, I wouldn't watch it again...

Monster is a down-to-Earth psychological crime drama. At first, it might appear to have supernatural elements, but I won't spoil it for you. After watching the entire thing, I would say Monster would've been great as a live-action TV series, which couldn't be said for any other anime I watched so far (and I watched quite a lot). It has everything a great series needs, a cast of characters that the audience can care about, action-packed scenes to liven up the pretty in-depth crime drama, great character ... development, a good story full of twists and turns that will keep you coming back for more, and an astonishing and realistic art-style to wrap it all together. During it's epic 74 episode run time, it brings up many hard questions about the human psyche, morality and human connections, relationships. How far are we willing to go to accomplish our goals? How much of your humanity are you willing to trade in for them? What is "humanity" anyway? Some of the episodes are frighteningly realistic in describing the human condition and it doesn't back down from touching really hard social and historical taboos either. No, it grabs you by the hair and slams your face in them saying "Look! That's what you are!". I can safely say Monster was one of the most unique and thought-provoking experiences I've ever had.

But, (and yes, here comes the "but") Monster is anything but perfect. While it's action-packed and suspenseful story would stand great on it's own, it's sadly spread too thin and too long. The story needlessly drags on for 74 full-length episodes and the ending feels more like a coup de grace than closure. The cast of main characters is huge, and while they are really well made and fleshed out, we are continuously introduced to a slew of new side-characters that have barely any relevance to the main story (if at all). The writers regularly go off on tangents just to demonstrate a small plot point or tidbits of (mostly irrelevant) character backstory, bringing in and taking out characters on a whim after they "served their purpose". In the end, they were seemingly just struggling to give enough individual screen-time to their monstrously bloated cast (pun intended), and it only makes the audience lose interest in them and lose count on who is who why they are even there.

The story itself is mostly delivered in (sometimes painfully dragged out) exposition. The series lurches forward in needlessly detailed investigation sequences, flooded with meaningless trivia and extra character backstory that have little to no bearing on the main story itself. The story paths regularly branch off into dead-ends and meaningless side-plots that fill entire episodes, yet don't bring anything new or interesting to the table. The sheer amount of dialogue and narration in Monster would fill entire volumes of books. Even the exposition itself is riddled by double-takes, needlessly repeated flashback segments, and a ton of redundant, rephrased information. You can seriously skip entire dozens of episodes and still understand everything because of mind-blowing number of flashback scenes, and the characters even keep repeating themselves over and over. The whole series could've been distilled down to a neat 30-40 episodes without losing any of the story.

My third (entirely personal) beef with this series is with the setting itself. Unlike most anime, the entire story of Monster takes place in 80's and 90's Europe (mostly Germany and the former Czechoslovakia). See, I was born and still living in Europe, I lived in the time and place the show takes place. Monster being a work of fiction, I chalked up most of the factual, cultural and historical errors and inconsistencies to "writer's freedom" and "suspension of disbelief" and such. While the creators of the anime obviously did their homework and got most of the general things right, there were some details that bugged me more than they should've. Little, insignificant things that most people from other parts of the world would miss, were just screaming at me from the screen. Getting used to the obviously Japanese idiosyncrasies, mannerisms, phrases and behaviors forced upon the allegedly fully European characters is one thing. But small details like choice of words, custom, type of foods/drinks, fashion, architecture or even music in some places were just flat our wrong and felt so out of place that it shoved me right out of the immersion. The whole thing felt like someone went to the library and read a whole bunch of books and travel guides about Europe, but never actually been there. I know it sounds lame, but since I did live here at the time of the anime, and the creators obviously tried to recreate the European setting realistically, I just couldn't help it.

I know I spent most of this review pandering on what's wrong with Monster, but the truth is, I really liked it, and I stand by my score of 8/10. It's really worth watching for everyone who desires something other than the run-of-mill anime, something unique. If you can overlook the droll exposition and sometimes aimlessly branching and dragged out storytelling, you'll find a really suspenseful and interesting story of crime and punishment, dark secrets, interesting characters, huge plot twists, thrilling psychological expeditions into the human mind and soul and much more.

I didn't like this series. I didn't like this series at all should be how I phrase it.
The first time it came on was on Sy-fy. Don't get me wrong.. I was glad that there was a new anime showing but I was not thrilled with it.

I decided to give it a try, and the moment the opening came on I dropped it. I couldn't watch. It was like trying to read a book that you strongly dislike but were trying to against your nature.. Of course I should be able to give you a good opinion on the anime by just the opening alone. ... No. I can't. I decided to watch one episode after nearly three months of it being on.. and I must say I regretted it.

The plot.. I had to read up on it but I can basically give you a discription.. It was boring... and un interesting. Sometimes I didn't even know why the anime was doing half the time.. and the unnecessary scenes.. Really.. this was painful. And I never thought I would hear myself say this but.. Twilight is better than this. Oh.. that was painful. The story took way to long to actually developed and dragged a great deal in places. It was like running the series in slow mo.

I couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried.

The next set was the art. The art just pretty much sucked.. it had that dullish aura about it and that really pathetic display at it. People who know me, know that I usually pay more attention to the art and this time I could not because of how poorly it was. 'sighs' My time wasted.

The opening theme was what made me turn, not just the plot or how bad the art was. I melody chosen didn't go well with the series like most do. And the opening animation was something I swear I had seen before. Completely unimpressed.

The voice actors were descent.. as far as I can tell.. but I really don't want to go into them seeing as I couldn't pay much attention with how hard I was trying to keep my nerve to watch that episode.

The characters.. again I rather not go into this. I found them dull.. uninteresting.. and pathetic in development. But they deserve a three for keep the series a float for others.. as for me they sunk.. and I couldn't enjoy them.

Speaking of my enjoyment.. as I have said.. it was like trying to read a book you couldn't stand. And I still wince at the memory of this series. I just have to rate this a one because of how much I struggled to watch. I wanted to just bash my head against my dresser after it was done. Never again.. and the reason for why I dropped it.

Overall I rate this a two. Even though I hated it to the point of saying Twilight was better, I have to remember to give a fair rating for the series.. and that is a two. I didn't like the story.. it wasn't very well developed and dragged way to many times in places.. the characters were completely uninteresting and though they provided to keep the story a float I couldn't get into them either.. the sound was descent yet I couldn't stand it sometimes.. and the art just sucked.

I think it deserves a two.

The thrill and rush of the introduction fades into a slower and wholesomely repetitive narrative about a vigilante doctor's cat-and-mouse adventures with the law, the "underground", and his own ethical obsessions. Ultimately, when protagonists, deuteragonists, tritagonists, as well as antagonists all get tied into the main narrative, it gets twisted it into a knot so complex it takes the last 40 slow and strenuous episodes to "undo" it.

Is the 'moral of the story' really so clever as to warrant those dozens of hours of backstories and flashbacks? I believe it could easily do without, as by the end of the info-bomb most of the ... arcs will be rather distant in memory; the conclusion not making itself any less forgettable.
Clever, but annoyingly so.