Words alone are not enough to describe how much I love Monster, the show with the one-word title, but I will try my best. Monster is easily the greatest anime you've never heard of, a hospital drama that speedily shifts into a continuously captivating murder mystery/ suspense story. The basis behind Monster follows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy that all lives are created equal, that nobody's better than anyone else, and this is why Dr. Kenzo Tenma, the protagonist of Monster, Germany's unbelievably brilliant surgeon, chose to save a wounded boy named Johan Liebert over the mayor himself. Tenma's entirely justified decision destroys his career and his reputation as Johan is revealed to be a psychotic criminal mastermind, and Tenma embarks on a years-long journey to murder the patient he healed, to slay the monster he resurrected.
As the audience accompanies Dr. Tenma, Monster presents the most beautifully detailed scenery you'll ever see, from highlighting the dirty and run-down aspects of the red light district to emphasizing the constant and consistent downpour of the Ruhenheim rain. Monster also showcases a masterful soundtrack, perfectly complementing the anime's plot with laid-back melodies in moments of peace, suspenseful organ music in climatic sequences, and tragic piano pieces in Monster's most emotional scenes. The greatest exhibition of Monster's musical genius is the anime's main theme, beginning with bone-chilling Latin chanting before a flurry of drums dominate the rest. The main theme is simple yet ominous, a phenomenal way to introduce a phenomenal anime.
Naoki Urasawa (the creator of Monster) is a renowned genius of the manga word with several notable pieces including the immortal 20th Century Boys, a sci-fi adventure/suspense story that epitomizes childhood nostalgia, overflows with drama, and is very, very close to Monster's legendary status. Monster, however, is Naoki Urasawa at his finest, an anime with unbelievable complexity in its plot (although it moves noticeably slow, it doesn't reveal everything at once, and the gut-wrenching twists are definitely worth the wait) and intensely realistic characters. In Dr. Tenma's quest, he encounters Inspector Lunge (an unrivaled detective determined to arrest Tenma for Johan's crimes), Anna Liebert/Nina Fortner (the exceptionally kind and easily likable sister of Johan with the same mission as Tenma), Dieter (the gifted soccer prodigy with a friendly and joyful personality), and my favorite character Grimmer (a ridiculously laid-back journalist/former spy with almost-superhuman strength). There's tons of depth in this show, to the point where a certain bodyguard/ hitman (who only appears in three episodes) becomes among the most memorable Monster characters ever. The cast of characters in Monster is the best I've ever seen, with world-class acting and a ton of personality (with the exception of the severely socially stunted Inspector Lunge). Compared to the in-depth exploration of other characters, Monster doesn't venture into the main protagonist's character. Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the definitive Good Samaritan, the epitome of selflessness, a mysterious man of benevolence determined to accomplish his goal, and that's all Monster really needed to reveal about him.
The Beast, the Demon, and the Devil. These are names used in referring to Johan Liebert, the titular Monster of the series. If Tenma is the epitome of goodness, then Johan is the epitome of evil, a charming blond-haired young man with pale blue eyes, a bland brown sweater, and a sadistic mind. Johan doesn't simply set the plot in motion; he is the plot. Monster is about discovering how that sadistic yet brilliant mind works and what molded Johan into a being of evil (the monster's motive is revealed in the final moments of the anime, something I had to re-watch to fully comprehend). With his exceptionally creepy monotone and the basis of who he is, Johan dominates every scene he's in, even when he's not talking. The man has a presence. In the show Monster, Johan is a sign of bad luck akin to a black cat; there's an unwritten rules that if a minor or major character looks at Johan's face, they are guaranteed to die (with a few exceptions). If you don't believe me, look at what happened to Martin, the aforementioned bodyguard/hitman. In the episode "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Martin walked past Johan and, on that same night, he was shot in the chest and died. Some of the crimes Johan committed were done to maintain his secrecy (like the murder of Mr. Junkers or the psychological destruction of private eye Richard Braun) but most of the crimes were ones Johan executed because he felt like it, and all of them resulted in a self-contained enjoyment from the monster, only revealing a subtle (yet creepy) smile. Monster is filled with examples of the infamous mastermind's greatness, what I dubbed "Johan moments", but the most memorable example to me is in the episode "At the Edge of Darkness": after listening to the Red Hindenburg's past (which cements her as the most despicable character in an anime filled with them), Johan wordlessly orders her execution before leaving her apartment and calmly walking away with a balloon in hand and the subtle smile on his face. HBO is supposedly making a live-action version of this classic anime, but there will never be a villain like Johan Liebert and there will never be an anime like Monster.
Favorite episodes: The Cruelist Thing, The Door to Memories, Execution
Rating: 10 out of 10
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Anime Reviews
Non-FictionThis is where I write short but detailed reviews of various anime with a ton of passion. I hope you at least find these interesting.
