Monster

This series held surprises into the very last episode.

I'm not really going to include any major spoilers for the series in my review. The closest that I'll come will cover what you've probably heard about from any general discussion concerning the TV series, or the books that the story comes from, or the opening TV credits for the very first episode. That means that some key elements from the first 4 episodes, which covers the first 5% of the 74 episode series, will be mentioned. But it's hard to even say what the series is about without going that far, and you're likely to get more spoilers in any major review of the latest Hollywood mega-release anyways.

In life, there are two types of monsters. The first is the type that most of us have probably thought of in our childhood, the type that we feared under the bed or in the closet, the type who our parents or guardians told us didn't exist. The second type, however, is what the title of this series refers to. This is the type which adults do fear, the type that does exist. This monster can plan human deaths with the same nonchalance that others have when they decide the details of getting their next coffee.

Naoki Urasawa's story is one that covers such a monster, but this monster isn't the main character. Instead, the main character is the highly skilled Japanese neurosurgeon Kenzou Tenma, working in Germany shortly after its reunification. Tenma believes that all life is of equal high worth, and that the value of life isn't changed with wealth, fame, nor with celebrity status. But he discovers that the hospital itself doesn't share that belief. The life that he saved, the life which more desperately needed his skills, looked so much like another anonymous life that was about to get wiped out by the hospital's lack of ethics. But Tenma unknowingly gave life back to a monster. And for the first time ever, Tenma regrets the life that he saved; so much so that he finds himself forced to correct that mistake.

From this point, if you saw the opening credits which cover the first 90 seconds of the very first episode, you can guess the general direction of the series. Picture the TV series 'The Fugitive', but with a single storyline which went from the first episode to the last. Now throw in a detective (Inspector Runge) who is as calm, confident, and calculating as the devil himself, pursuing Tenma. There are also other characters in the series, who are crucial to how the story builds, and who are rather difficult to introduce clearly without spoiling some of the many subplots which build through the series. These characters include Tenma's ex-fiancée Eva, as well as a retired detective, a reclusive billionaire, two criminal psychiatrists, members of organized crime, ones involved in possible illegal dealings with the Czech police, a crusading defense attorney, and others.

There will be a few times where the main storyline seems to be put on hold, and a new storyline with new characters will be introduced. And you'd likely be wondering why things have taken a detour, or when they'll get back to the actual story. But the overall plot is much more complex and detailed than you may have seen on other serial thrillers such as 'Alias', '24', or 'Lost'. The seemingly disjointed story lines in 'Monster' slowly build to be a critical part in the overall plot, and the series overall doesn't have any wasted scenes or episodes (filler), nor the jumps and jolts which betray signs of last minute rewrites.

If you're hoping that the upcoming Hollywood movie based on the series will be as good, you might want to reconsider. For starters, it'll mean rewriting a story which takes 37 broadcast hours to tell, and re-conveying that over a time slot of 90 to 100 minutes. Also, it'll be coming from the same talent pool which took the highly rated Japanese movies 'Ringu', 'Ju-On', and 'Shall We Dance', and turned them into the mediocre Hollywood productions 'The Ring', 'The Grudge', and 'Shall We Dance'. (From 94-64-79 to 72-40-49, according to RottenTomatoes.com.) While Hollywood can make a good original movie occasionally, their record at remaking movies leaves a lot to be desired.

In short, this is one of the better suspense stories out there. The writing is solid, the characters are believable (even when their character changes), and the story always makes sense. In some story arcs, just when you think they're getting ready to wrap things up, they find a way to ratchet up the tension again. But it never seems forced, or cheap, like what is by far more common in most thrillers I've seen. 'Monster' is definitely a series which requires your full attention when watching it, due to the pace which events happen and the number of details which all come together as the story progresses. And if you don't mind a long story with a lot of twists and turns, this is definitely one worth following.

I was always a bit negative about anime because of the childish, almost cringy ways of delivering stories that have the potential of being really good.

And that's when I came across Monster. The first episode immediately got me scared and hooked at the same time, and it wasn't necessarily the episode itself that got me. It was the credits. The image I saw, the music that played gave me an indescribable feeling of terror, loneliness... and great anticipation.

So I continued watching. Every episode was even better than the last. The story was extremely engaging. I had strong emotions about every character, whether it was love, hatred, disgust or fear. The tension was constantly there, and it was great to see the mysteries unfold. What was so great about it is that the mysteries don't stay mysteries for too long, I always found that when unanswered questions drag on for too long, I lose my interest to even find out the answers (I'm looking at you, BBC Sherlock and the Kingdom Hearts Saga), but this show really got me going.

The small backstories were also a lot of fun, I've told people various small tales that come from this show and I always manage to pique their interest. And I'm not even a good storyteller, that's just how amazing the concept of each backstory is!

Well, I think I've said plenty. If the animation quality/style is what throws you off, which I can kind of understand, please do keep watching anyway. It's really, really worth it.

I've watched a lot of anime, I've read a lot of manga, but Monster has managed to blow all of my former "favorites" out of the water. It manages to combine everything that's great about thrillers, mysteries, character studies, and psychological dramas all at once. The writing is superior, the direction is fantastic, and the way the story builds is slow but undoubtedly engaging. If Alfred Hitchcock had ever endeavored to create a serial work, it would be something like this.

The characters are all lovingly and soulfully rendered, and the show never seems to fall into the traps that even the best anime do - that is: needless fanservice, forced comedy, or ludicrous violence.

In addition, get ready for a history lesson. This story deals more with the social and political annals of 20th century Eastern Europe - ACCURATELY - than most classes on the subject.

People traditionally associate Japanese animes with the likes of Pokemon and Dragonball Z and it is often very difficult to convince non-anime fans that there's more to them. I'm no exception! Luckily, Monster was the third serial anime I was introduced to after Death Note and Fruits Basket (odd combos, I know). And to be honest, I was not expecting this.

The series starts off ordinarily with the traditional story of a doctor forced to prioritize between patients and his career. The story of two traumatized children is introduced along the way and things start becoming rather interesting. By the time I got to this point, I had completely forgotten I was watching an anime. See, in traditional Japanese animes (and no disrespect to the fans), the writers have no idea how to develop the dialogue and make it work with the story. The height of a character's shock will be repeating somebody's name in a low, gaspy/raspy voice. Among the millions of other queer things, I never got why anime writers felt that was a good emotional expression. I simply dismissed it as another odd Japanese behavior.

As a pleasant surprise, Monster does almost everything to stray from that. At so many points during the story, I wondered how brilliant this would've been as a non-animated series. The character development is interesting and not muggled up or confusing, the songs/music make sense for a change, there are no irritating characters trying to be funny and the plot keeps thickening ... although slowly, and that might be a flaw. But to be honest, the gradual development is what keeps you so attached to it.

So in conclusion, if you're a japanime fan and want to introduce the haters to the club, I highly recommend you make them watch this as their first ever anime. All in all, a 9.5/10 score. Definitely worth the watch!

I can't take the sadness why this anime ever ended?! I remember I felt deep emptiness when I finished it for the first time. As expected from Madhouse, Monster was a monster creation. Monster is my first work which I got to know of Naoki Urasawa. Monster is literally one of the best anime ever made.