Times exist when you are expecting something alright,but receive something actually unique and wonderful. Monster is a series that has been endlessly praised and even harshly criticized for years,but here I am,stunned by what I have witnessed.
Monster creates a deeply disturbing and seriously immoral world,and plunges a perfectly kindhearted man into its abyss of terror. Kenzou Tenma is a prodigy in neurosurgery,perhaps even a master at it,who works in a hospital that has been corrupted by its own politics in Dusseldorf. Refusing to obey the director,he chooses his own morals and decides to perform surgery on a young boy,rather than on the Mayor of Dusseldorf. This is merely a kernel of the story of Monster,and is just the surface of it all.
The journey we experience throughout the series is breathtaking and is superb. Dr. Tenma's desire to stop Johan Liebert and his struggle to control the monster that is Johan himself,while ensuring that he himself does not succumb to corruption makes for a spectacular series. I will admit that,while personally I had no problem with the pacing of the show,some may find it a little slow at times. The story is magnificent in my eyes,but it progresses at quite a leisurely pace for some.
The characters in Monster are absolutely amazing. Dr. Tenma's core belief that all people are equal and his refusal to kill no matter what circumstance is his defining characteristic. Many would like to say that his flaw is in his effort to be flawless. Tenma's morals and ideals are what he grasps at desperately to save himself from becoming a devil himself. Johan Liebert is an absolutely demented and twisted character,and his embrace of the evil growing inside of him is a malicious sight indeed. Johan's deceitful personality almost overshadows him as a cruel and almost,if not completely,inhumane monster is integral to the story obviously,but also to other characters we are introduced to. Heinrich Lunge,an inspector trying to hunt down Tenma for a series of murders,and his relentlessness in his approach to do so,is a character whom you may hate at first,but over time you begin to see him as this character who will do anything to either prove himself correct or to repair his errors. Among these there are many more characters who are intriguing and fascinating; main characters and side characters alike.
The music in this series was brilliant to say the least. The opening theme,'Grain',is a mysterious and captivating piece that is a complete contrast to many anime openings we see regularly,and its two ending themes are quite strange,but in their queerness they fit with the series. Personally,I thought that the background music was fantastic,but not flawless. The art and animation is also consistently great throughout the grand scope of the series,but never falls into that perfect category.
Perhaps this is just quoting public opinion,perhaps I am blinded by some sense of bias,or perhaps the series is too fresh in my mind,but I think that this series is phenomenal,and is a gem in the medium of anime because of how well it blends character and story,and how difficult it is to separate the two. Monster is an anime that will stimulate your mind,instill fear in your heart,and bring you an enigmatic sense of enjoyment all at once.
