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Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a nameless Monster. He was dying to have a name, so the Monster made up his mind to set out on a journey to look for one … At last he had found a name, but there was no longer anyone around to call him by it." As his protagonist and antagonist, Naoki Urasawa's Monster is highly intelligent and fascinating. The characters are complex and believable, the dark style in animation fits the tone of the story and its progression which could be described as a downwards spiral from a seemingly bright place into a pitch black abyss. And so it's only logical that one of the series' main question is, how long can you look into that abyss until it looks back right into you? This is the story of protagonist Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a brilliant and promising neurosurgeon, who could have it all if he could compromise his values just a little bit and try to fit into the superficial, ignorant, but pretty comfortable world around him some more. He cannot (or does not want to) do that anymore and, following his values and principles rather than the instructions of his superiors, decides to rescue a badly injured little boy rather than a wealthy and influential politician, loosing his status, privileges, fiancé and future in the process. Little did he know that what he perceived to be an act of principle and morality (after all, aren't all lives created equal?) would not only cost him deeply career wise, but would literally come back and haunt him in person, as that little boy was and will become an even worse sociopath and serial killer who would set out to murder dozens of innocent people. Tenma, feeling responsible for saving the boy who would otherwise have died and been unable to kill all those people, sets onto a quest to right his wrong, knowing he will loose everything and likely himself in the process. Doing so he is being hunted by the police for crimes not be, but that very boy committed. On his journey he discovers things better left undiscovered, as this monstrous boy, now grown into a young, beautiful and deeply frightening man, is a man-made monster with a rather horrifying past and history.
The themes and questions asked in the series are for an 18+ audience: Are some people just born or predestined to become monsters, or are we really all innocent and equal in the beginning? If so, what does it take to irreversibly destroy a person's soul and create the ultimate monster? Can anyone be turned into a monster, or are some people untouchable by evil? And if a monster was not born, but created, does that really justify forgiveness for his actions? Are we allowed to feel pity for such a monster, forgive him even, or is there a darkness where there is no coming back from, where it does not matter anymore how the darkness was created originally? Are we responsible for everything we do, or to what extent? And does one have to become a monster in order to be able to defeat one? The series does explore these questions in a very adult manner. The characters are very believable in their motives, actions as well as inactions. Tenma's journey from the gentle, selfless, compassionate, and caring doctor to the homeless, hunted, lonely outlaw (fantastically shown in the character design), his struggle to end a life, even if it might safe countless more, is more than touching. What annoys me in so many books and movies (the good and morally untouchable protagonist being unable to do what's necessary, leading to even more innocent people getting hurt), this problem was nonexistent for me in Monster, as we get to know and care deeply for the characters and their motivations, main ones or sidekicks. While deeply wishing for the monster to die, I found myself urging Tenma not to do it.
Final Verdict : 8,5/10
Only because it sometimes got a little bit too repetitive for me and some of the flashbacks and foreshadowing built up expectations that didn't hold up to what we got to see and experience in the end
