'Monster' by Naoki Urasawa is unlike any anime I'd seen before. An ardent fan of action-packed and supernatural staples like Naruto and Pokémon, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Monster offered a completely different take on anime, one that I would expect to enjoy in a live-action detective murder-mystery series. It is incredibly well-grounded in real life; the story has no fantastical elements to it. If you were enticed by the title to expect a supernatural tale, then you were misled. For Monster is a story about people, and in particular the darker, sinister side of people that can manifest when certain things go horribly wrong in their life or in the way they are brought up.
On the surface, Monster is about a talented Japanese neurosurgeon practicing in Germany named Tenma Kenzo, who believes, as a doctor ought to believe, in the equality of all human lives. He is well-regarded in the hospital where he works; he has a suite of promotions lined up ahead of him; he is even engaged to the hospital director's daughter. In short, he has the perfect life going for him. One fateful day, however, that changes completely when he acts on his moral principles and chooses to save a young boy named Johan over a famous and influential politician. This decision of his costs him his whole profession: he is stripped of his position, his fiancé leaves him, and he becomes the object of pity and ridicule in the hospital. Several years later, Tenma picks himself up and is rising once again in the ranks, when he is framed in the murders of some employees at his hospital. He discovers soon after to his shock that the boy he once almost sacrificed his career to save has now become a ruthless and psychopathic serial-killer who ascribes no value whatsoever to human life. The bulk of Monster's main narrative line is about Dr. Tenma, now a wanted fugitive, embarking on a quest to find and kill Johan - to put a stop to his evils and to test Johan's nihilism against Tenma's benevolent ideology of the equality of human lives.
Yet, Monster is so much more. Every character in the story besides Tenma and Johan that receives even a few dozen minutes of screen-time has an interesting and unique backstory that are in one way or another relevant to the main plot. Indeed, they are incredibly lifelike figures with their own personal struggles and goals, whose lives are - often unbeknown to them - tied inextricably to the physical and ideological battle between Dr. Tenma and Johan. The music is brilliantly composed and well-arranged for the different scenes in the anime, to the effect that the happy moments feel truly joyful, whereas the suspenseful ones will make you bite your nails. The art is likewise brilliantly done, and the colors are picked intelligently to suit the overall mood of the situation.
In summary, Urasawa's Monster is one of the finest, most intellectually stimulating anime in its genre. At 74 episodes, it is longer than most anime, which might be a slight turn-off for some viewers. Admittedly, there are few occasions here and there where you're tempted to skip anywhere from a few minutes to an entire episode or two just to get back into the juicy main story. Personally, however, the excellent screen-writing and the engaging supporting characters never once made the anime anything less than enjoyable for me at all times. If anything, the protracted storyline and the suspense it built up rendered the climax that much more exciting and satisfying for me.
So give Monster a watch. If you're looking for something novel, intellectual, and thrilling in anime, Monster will NOT disappoint.
On the surface, Monster is about a talented Japanese neurosurgeon practicing in Germany named Tenma Kenzo, who believes, as a doctor ought to believe, in the equality of all human lives. He is well-regarded in the hospital where he works; he has a suite of promotions lined up ahead of him; he is even engaged to the hospital director's daughter. In short, he has the perfect life going for him. One fateful day, however, that changes completely when he acts on his moral principles and chooses to save a young boy named Johan over a famous and influential politician. This decision of his costs him his whole profession: he is stripped of his position, his fiancé leaves him, and he becomes the object of pity and ridicule in the hospital. Several years later, Tenma picks himself up and is rising once again in the ranks, when he is framed in the murders of some employees at his hospital. He discovers soon after to his shock that the boy he once almost sacrificed his career to save has now become a ruthless and psychopathic serial-killer who ascribes no value whatsoever to human life. The bulk of Monster's main narrative line is about Dr. Tenma, now a wanted fugitive, embarking on a quest to find and kill Johan - to put a stop to his evils and to test Johan's nihilism against Tenma's benevolent ideology of the equality of human lives.
Yet, Monster is so much more. Every character in the story besides Tenma and Johan that receives even a few dozen minutes of screen-time has an interesting and unique backstory that are in one way or another relevant to the main plot. Indeed, they are incredibly lifelike figures with their own personal struggles and goals, whose lives are - often unbeknown to them - tied inextricably to the physical and ideological battle between Dr. Tenma and Johan. The music is brilliantly composed and well-arranged for the different scenes in the anime, to the effect that the happy moments feel truly joyful, whereas the suspenseful ones will make you bite your nails. The art is likewise brilliantly done, and the colors are picked intelligently to suit the overall mood of the situation.
In summary, Urasawa's Monster is one of the finest, most intellectually stimulating anime in its genre. At 74 episodes, it is longer than most anime, which might be a slight turn-off for some viewers. Admittedly, there are few occasions here and there where you're tempted to skip anywhere from a few minutes to an entire episode or two just to get back into the juicy main story. Personally, however, the excellent screen-writing and the engaging supporting characters never once made the anime anything less than enjoyable for me at all times. If anything, the protracted storyline and the suspense it built up rendered the climax that much more exciting and satisfying for me.
So give Monster a watch. If you're looking for something novel, intellectual, and thrilling in anime, Monster will NOT disappoint.
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