Reviews

Monster is a severe, emotionally taxing and unwavering anime of epic proportions. It is a magnificently animated magnum opus for it's creator, Naoki Urasawa, with monster, I not only got an emotional experience bordering on Vonnegut levels, but an intellectual workout worthy of a Kafka novel. The artistic style and animation reek of an insular paranoia, it expands and contracts and breaths with it's magnificent display of darkness and the occasional rare moment of light. The anime can move you to tears and to the darkest places of sadness, and to the most spiraling, towering, wonderful moments of happiness. The anime tenses and contracts, pulling you along with it, straight into the depths of an abyss darker then the blackest of nights. The real treat though, is the story, which is dark, grueling and merciless. It pulls no punches, and slams the watcher right in the face with it's aggressive darkness and voluminous intelligence that is carefully calculated and deviously arranged into an experience that hurts and has beauty of it's own caliber hidden within it. Monsters characters are unique, multidimensional and amazing all in their own right. The main villain of Monster is so magnetic, it's absolutely frightening. He is an amazing and alluring darkness, that creates such a contrast with the heroes good nature and willingness to help, that when they are together on the screen, you cannot help but feel like two epic powers are squaring off in the room. It makes every battle ever fought in DBZ seen paltry in comparison. The emotions you feel with every scene pummel you, until every time you see a character, your heart pounds with concern for them, and if a character is hurt or is feeling emotional pain, you feel pain with them. That is another amazing thing about this amazing series, the connection that you feel with the characters is so close, that it's almost as if you know them as close personal friends. Watching them struggle is like watching a friend struggle, and it's equally as painful to watch, even more so when you know you are cannot help them. Seeing them overcome obstacles is even more incredible and inspiration, and lifts you out of your worry for the characters and into the happiness of knowing a friend has overcome trouble in their life. I loved this show, I enjoyed every precious second of it. I would watch it again, and it would still have the same amazing impact. This show is amazing, amazing in every way, amazing down to the last line of the drawing. I cannot heap enough praise onto this amazing show, so i'll just settle with this: This is the best anime ever made.