When an anime tries the rare endeavour of a realistic and plausible approach, it tends to be lackluster.
What we have here is a beautfuly crafted series, gleaming with articulate contrast, chocked full of unique characters with outstanding personaliities.
Monster is mostly psychological, but blends mystery and action with small portions of politics and wholesome amounts of "slice of life" from the mundane, to enticing perspectives.
Story; 8/10 This story is damn near perfect, as I stated it plays on plausible circumstances, which is rare in anime, and usually rather boring. In my opinion the story isn't even the highlight, it's the journey. It is well executed over 74 episodes, and the pacing is fluid.
Characters: 9/10 Extreme attention to detail and personality. Almost every character, whether making an apperance for only an episode or two, or the whole series, has backstories
worthy of showcase. I watched the dubbed version and the voice acting is superb and really sells the anime.
Music: 8/10 Mostly orchestral with some occasional jazz influence. Plenty of ambience pieces very befitting of this anime's atmosphere, nothing bland here and helps carry the story.
My only complaint is for 74 episodes, a slight lack of songs. I believe only roughly 30+ tracks( I also, have high expectations of music though).
Art direction: 8/10 Plenty of atmosphere here, of course with a real setting things will be depicted with realism, but contrast between settings and atmosphere is well maintained.
Facial expressions are believable, nothing over done, spectacular angles which help paint the moment and smooth animation.
Monster offers a wide array of likable characters, easy to follow story that will keep you enticed and guessing, relatable characters and a sense
of different walks of life, mixed with expirences you can take something from. Overall I give Monster a 8.5 out of 10.
PS: It's a shame the title is so cliche, probably turns people away too quickly.
