Naoki Urasawa's Monster is a masterpiece in television, in storytelling, and in animation. It has made it's way to the top of my all time favourite shows list, anime or otherwise. I'm writing this review after my second viewing and watching the English dub (I first watched it in May 2014 in the original subbed).
Story: 10
I won't give a summary, as it's A: not advised, and B: It wouldn't do it justice. The MAL summary will do, so read that first.
Monster is a slow burn, and will be where many people may find the show divisive. The show constantly operates in phases,
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with several episodes of a seemingly unrelated nature, often containing a self-contained story, and then linking together in one explosive, tragic, or horrifying episode. This happens throughout the whole show, with the gaps getting shorter and shorter. There's always some other twist, leaving you wanting more, even down to the last few minutes of the last episode.
MAL labels Monster as a horror, though it should be noted it is not body horror (something like Parasyte), or monster horror (Gyo or someting) - despite the show's title. The Monster in this show is a human being. Someone just like you or me, and that's what's unsettling. The "monster" within the show also gets several charming names, like "the next Fuhrer" or the Antichrist (I don't believe these are present in the dub however). Given just a little push, the entire scenario within the show could happen in the real world.
The story also sets place in a land rarely seen in anime - Germany - primarily Dusseldorf and Frankfurt (and later in the series the Czech Republic). And this Germany is not a hyper-Nazi version either. Instead, the series is mainly set between 1994-97, with a short prologue during 1985. As a result, themes of socialism, the East v West, and more dark themes (without saying too much) are prevalent throughout. This is not a show you want to show your kids, and having prior knowledge of these events is certainly helpful, though it is not wholly necessary to the show's enjoyment. If you want a long, psychological show to keep you intrigued, Monster is certainly my recommendation. If you want a more tight-knit or action-packed show, perhaps instead try Death Note or Psycho-Pass, both of which are quite good in their own right.
Lastly, if this show doesn't make sense at parts, just wait a bit, it will answer it. Though sometimes, it may have said the answer already, and you just need to think on it. It also has an interpretive last episode, so if that's not your thing, there's that.
Art: 8
Monster's artstyle has a realistic tone to it, in both character design and background art. Throughout the dozens of characters you'll meet in the show (get to them in a bit), each one is drawn in the same style, but each one sticks with you. One character you saw 30 episodes ago, might show up, and you'll remember them almost instantly The show is also done in mostly drab colours, which may be off putting at first, but will quickly begin to match the tone of the show. What few colourful moments there are will often either be the green of a beautiful country field, or the bright lights of a red light district.
The animation is generally consistent throughout the show, with fluid movements during a tense fistfight or a raging fire. One of my particular favourites is the animation of one character's certain tic. Rain and wind are also drawn particularly nicely. Other than that, it retains the standard anime technique of frames of nothing moving but mouths and eyes. Some animations are not so nice however. Vehicles often look rather misshapen when moving around, and doors have an odd habit of turning into flat textures at times.
Lastly, and this stems primarily from the manga, many background buildings are based directly off those in real life, with one scene being a direct 1 to 1 drawing of the Charles Bridge in Prague, with all the buildings exactly where they are.
Sound: 9
Both the subbed and dubbed versions are excellent. It's important to note that there are soundtrack differences between the versions, as the English version could not obtain several licenses. Most notable is the ending song. In the subbed it's "For the Love of Life" by David Sylvian, a rather depressing tune, followed by a rather bad second one, "Make it Home", by Fujiko Heming. The dub version instead has a haunting instrumental version of the former throughout the show.
The voice actors in both languages are outstanding. First up, let's talk about our two leads, Dr Tenma and Johann Liebert. The Japanese VA for Tenma is a perfect cast for the gentle-tempered Tenma, out to save lives and the world. But when it comes later to the Tenma out to kick ass and take names, he can rarely pull off the aggression and anger needed for the scene. Meanwhile, the English VA, Liam O'Brien (who you may recognize as Gaara from Naruto) is the exact opposite. He can pull off an "okay" Doctor, but when he comes to Dr Badass, he nails it. delivering the hatred and pain behind all he's been through. It comes down to individual preference, but I personally prefer the English version. Johann has a consistent tone throughout the voice as part of his character, and both VAs give a similar calm, soothing voice, even during the most morbid of situations. I'd say they are about equal.
Side characters and the like are both voiced on surprisingly equal terms. The only notable difference I could point out is that the English VAs can easily outperform the Japanese when saying the more difficult German and Czech names. Other than that, both perform very well.
Lastly, the soundtrack to the show has often unnerving, haunting tunes. The English version again has a slightly different soundtrack: The Japanese soundtrack has a lot of stringed instruments, whereas the English has more deep piano tunes, and occasionally disturbing theremin sounds during the more horrific scenes, really ramping it up. The Japanese version has a better sounding soundtrack, but the English version uses it instead to boost the effectiveness of scenes. Again, personal preference on which you prefer.
Characters: 10:
There are an insane number of characters, ranging from the Monster's sibling, a frighteningly determined detective, an amnesiac spy, a bastard of a hitman, a rich alcoholic, and a psychiatrist analysing the nature of evil. And that's a fraction that you'll meet, and as mentioned previously, you'll probably remember each and every one. Sometime characters will show up in one episode, seemingly have their little story down, only to show up later tied to another event, with something new on their plate. It can be a little daunting if you think about it too hard, but the show is careful enough not to load you up with too much at once. As you might have inferred, there are several subplots throughout, besides the Tenma/Johann one. Several other characters are also working their way to the truth, with various levels of success, and their are just as many doing their most to counteract them.
Some characters do some pretty messed up thing too, such as engaging in eugenics, genocide, rape and murder of various levels. No single character in the show is perfect. In fact, Tenma is probably the most flawed character in the series. He starts out as a simple doctor, but by the end, he's almost lost his mind with grief, and at times forgets a doctor's #1 rule: Do No Harm.
Enjoyment: 10
The show is one long, complex mystery, with lots of little mysteries rewarding you with only clues to the bigger puzzle. People die a lot, you try to figure out whodunit, and you think you'll have an answer. The answer the show then reveals instead turns out to be more tragic, spiteful, or mortifying than anything you came up with. Even on my second viewing (with an admittedly long gap between them), some of the revelations still caught me by surprise. The show will grab you at times - if you're a patient person that is. That slow burn stuff is still up to everyone. You could watch one episode, go "What is this trash? This is as fun as the Endless Eight." If that's you, it's a shame, but this slow burn stuff is just my type (don't worry, NO-ONE likes the Endless Eight).
Also, if you're a history nerd, you might learn a few things too. Though the series rarely outright tells you, if may hint at something, enticing you to go out and do some more research on your own. Thanks to that, I learned more about the history of Prague, the Berlin Wall, and a few German words. Yay!
Overall: 10
I'll say it again. Monster is a goddamn masterpiece. A magnum opus. It's story is exciting, depressing, horrific, and full of impact. The art style is realistic, rare in the realm of anime. The voice acting is superb, paired with a tingling soundtrack. The vast array of characters will stick with you, even some side characters in only a few episodes. It's mystery will keep pulling at you, and have an interesting backdrop to accompany it.
Monster is an anime that can stand among the grounds of great television shows, like Breaking Bad and The Wire. It may even be joining them soon, with rumors of a TV adaptation with Guillermo del Toro that have been circulating for years. If you want a real experience of a show, Monster should be at the top of your list.
Nov 7, 2016
Naoki Urasawa's Monster is a masterpiece in television, in storytelling, and in animation. It has made it's way to the top of my all time favourite shows list, anime or otherwise. I'm writing this review after my second viewing and watching the English dub (I first watched it in May 2014 in the original subbed).
Story: 10 I won't give a summary, as it's A: not advised, and B: It wouldn't do it justice. The MAL summary will do, so read that first. Monster is a slow burn, and will be where many people may find the show divisive. The show constantly operates in phases, ... |
