It just doesn't work for me and makes me lose my grasp of things. Author is jumping all over the place, trying to take pieces of the puzzle here and there, forcefully making them connect roundabout manner without being clear about the direction. It can come off as sloppy and not satisfying if you don't understand Uraswa's intention. This is not about having a high IQ. It's simple to put it into words. Moster is honestly messy. Whenever they are talking about some topics. It just starts out of nowhere and ends somewhere else. When it comes to character interactions, they meet and hit off like friends when this was their first conversation. But this is not the case all the time but enough to be a problem for me. Monster's biggest issue thus is the pacing in the form of character and story. It's not flawless, the closure was janky, made no sense, and most of the story was rehashed and repeated the same formula. Tenma runs away after being suspected of being involved in a murder. Comes across people he knows, fight starts, Tenma comes to a gunpoint against someone after his life. Tenma decides to be the good and merciful one, does not shoot, and runs away. And then we repeat that formula till we are at the last stages of Monster. This where the story picks up its pace and tries to conclude the jumbled mess it already is. I don't like it one bit.
All things considered, what is Monster? It's a psychological mystery horror-thriller about a serial killer who is charismatic enough to make others around him kill for him or even commit suicide. Johan's words are like poison that, like a virus, festers into your mind slowly over time. By uses of sweet-talking, Johan manipulates the victim's past or uses a significant weakness of theirs. He speaks to them in a way that instills negativity as they slowly drown in the darkness of the abyss. By doing so, Johan can now make the victim do all of his biddings - anything really. Johan is literally the embodiment of a monster. A manifestation of all the bitterness, darkness, all other disgusting shit that slowly plays around with the victim for his own benefit. Before, he ultimately devours them piece by piece to the point their name or identity gets stolen from them. Johan might use them in his game or perhaps become the victim and spread his venom and influence further. This convoluted story is about many characters and their own issues, insecurities, and stories to tell, dissect, and assess. But nothing is easy with Monster. It's left up to the viewers to interpret whatever the hell is happening on the screen or as a whole. Monster won't feed you the answers, but it will give you an idea of what it's trying to do. The rest is up to you to decipher as you see fit. This is why there are many ways to explain Monster's story and values, as there is no pure and right way.
Dr. Tenma is a world-known and one of the best surgeons in the world and a victim who gets thrown into Johan's game. All killings done by the real culprit are blamed on the doctor. Now he embarks on a journey to kill the frightening thing he saved as his good nature of doctor willed him to do. On the journey, he learns about humanity, the good and bad, what it means to have an identity, and much more. Monster tackles many themes, others such as racism and perseverance to do what must be done, the equality of human life, and how everyone weights the same regardless of the nation and ethnicity, and so forth. But Dr. Tenma could not know the nature of the person he saved would cause multiple tragedies in the future. Nina is the sister of Johan. She is also thrown into the looming carnage and tragedy that Johan creates and spreads. Nina has to deal with her own dark past as she tries to stop her brother by unveiling the grim, terrifying past hidden in multiple layers of thick cloth.
Monster tells you that human beings are fickle lifeforms that are easy to manipulate if you know which buttons to press. Someone who has only known carnage and blood, grief only needs this and that push. Or anyone who is an empty husk without identity. They don't know what's right or wrong since they didn't have the pleasure of being brought forth by their parents or good guardians. So inside the emptiness, you can fill it with your toxic waste and tell them the wrong things are right and so forth. To the point, they break and fall into total darkness. But those who did get brought up by their parents and have a solid guard protecting their mind from all the dark and nasty. And are only filled with good and had more or less a joyous life filled with love, and even during times of darkness, you had someone to lean on and get comforted by. These are the ones whose guard will be much tougher to pierce. Since they have a foundation for their identity, which will not be easy to devour and steal. No. You will need a much darker and drastic measure to crack them open and manipulate them to your own will.
I have to say it Dr. Tenma is such a dull lead who changed way too fast. We didn't get to see the process. He just became obsessed chasing after Johan after their first meeting for whatever reason. It felt wonky. I know he feels responsible since, as a doctor, if he hadn't saved him. None of the tragedy would be set in motion, but it just doesn't feel natural for me. As such as sad as it may be, I just don't like Dr. Tenma. He was so boring. The execution of his character needed more practical fleshing out. Johan got potential, but he's barely in the story. We only see him whenever the writer feels it's convenient to give him screentime. It felt like he was used as bait to keep the audience in check and to make them avoid dropping this tedious and torturous tale. One ridiculous way to describe Monster is that it was jumpy, never stayed in one place. It was glitchy, like it skipped over vital information or events to drive you into mad confusion before delicately explaining things by connecting them to breadcrumbs, which were hidden in plain sight but were always there. You just didn't realize it before the author - Urasawa wanted you to. Regardless, I felt the execution on that point didn't deliver either. Before the reveal, it was so tedious and dull. Take Higurashi as an example. It did a solid job of leaving hints for a bigger and grander picture. Monster didn't feel like that at all.
When it comes to Monster's production, despite being from the very early 2000s, it looks good. The animation and art-style are decent and conveys emotions and facial expressions well. It didn't feel cheap. Madhouse invested their time well and clearly was passionate. The way the facial expressions depict certain emotions is worthy of praise and very realistic. This is the first time I felt I was watching a live-action show instead of a pure anime. Monster shine is the stunning voice acting and the soundtrack, which complements the eerie, mystery, disturbing atmosphere of the show. After having read and watched Monster, can I recommend it? Honestly, there are far better stories out there that really nail their themes. Monster's anti-climatic and nonsensical conclusion felt so silly that I had to pause the episode for a moment. I was pondering, it's this how it ends? I was so disappointed. If you want to check out Monster, then go ahead, but I would recommend the manga, despite anime having good production for its time. Well, the anime was choring tho, and the pacing is incredibly slow either way, but the manga goes by faster. If you want me to be real with you, I don't recommend Monster at all.
