Let me start out by saying that I by no means dislike this anime and by all means, if you're into the psycological and thriller genre's give it a look. But it is definately not the best I've seen, nor is it a masterpiece.
Story 8/10:
Although the actual story is great, what it lacks is pace. Too slow in some places, too condensed in others and snapping to new locations and events without any segway. This anime took 74 episodes to say what could have easily been articulated in almost half that and although looking back there was always something enthralling happening, it felt as if I were watching it in slow motion. I feel as if cutting down the script in the right places would have done wonders for this anime, perhaps even make it the masterpiece it is heralded as.
Art 6/10:
For me, if an anime is going to take place in a universe so strikingly similar to our own, the art should add something missing from what we see every day, otherwise the point of choosing animation as a storytelling medium is lost on me. The colour pallet felt very bland, perhaps adding to the feeling of watching in slow motion, the quality of the animation was average.
However, it's two saving graces from a bad score are the realistically designed and animated characters to match its setting and it's use of techniques such as foreshadow.
Characters 10/10:
In this respect, Monster excels. After watching this anime the watcher can feel a somewhat intimate knowledge of the characters, the voices are very well matched to the characters visually and in regards to the script, the dialogue was somewhat drab but admittedly this matches the characters too. I don't really have anything bad in this regard (And I'm a picky fucker)
Enjoyment 8/10:
Well, I think I've covered why Monster was somewhat a letdown for me, but I'll be damned if the finally isn't a banger.! It really does a good job of drawing you in despite all its flaws which I think is where it gets so much undying admiration. Not to mention the psychologically unnerving elements being super effective. I'm giving this an 8 not based on my personal enjoyment but the enjoyment I feel I would had watching this without listening to those who put it on a pedestal
Overall 7/10
As I said, I don't dislike this anime. It's a damn sight better than a lot I've seen, and it would be even better if it wasn't help up so highly in the anime community as the savior of psychological thrillers.
