Monster - Reviews

FIrst impression post read: This story was long and almost too much of a slow burner to properlly enjoy, but closing in on the last 3 - 4 volumes my views shifted. What I thought was happening in one chapter, would lead me down another road the next. The investment in reading a manga I had no previous interest in apart from a friendly recommendation has left a bitter taste in my mouth for not reading it sooner.

Recommend? yes or no?

If you are hovering on whether to read it now or later do it. Don't think about it, or try to find out what you should (guides, explanations, and others of this nature) just begin it. Read a chapter, and then another, and then another. Monster is a manga you will not regret picking up and finishing.

Final Thoughts

Being one of the most recommended manga within my friend group I had the idea going in that it was over hyped or just one of those that wouldn't land; and this was partially right for the beginning chapters. I found the pacing to be slower than usual and was slightly annoyed at the idea of puzzles and fragments being left throughout the manga (yes this is the genre and yes it was my first, dont hate me) but when closing in to the ending, I truly realised just how amazing and intricate the story in itself was. By chapter 80 I was hooked and binged the rest in two sittings. The characters and their own indivdual developments was stunning and had me emotional in the later chapters watching their stories progress. I am not a fan of spoilers or giving information on a story you are interested in yourself. I can say with 100% confidence, if you are in a similar position of slight curiosity or intrigue "Monster" is worth the unhealthy binge times you will most likely find yourself reading at. A top pick for me and now my go to ambassador manga.

The moral of the story is that everyone is capable of suicide and murder. The aura of the story is unraveling a conspiracy. It builds up tension and maintains a high level of suspense and intrigue throughout, though that does lead to some problems. First of all, even though it's exciting, when you step back and look at it, the plot feels a bit pointless. Why should I care about Johan's past? Why are such convoluted methods being used for what is essentially a very simplistic goal? Possibly related to this, I found myself a bit reluctant to begin each reading session. Though once I did begin reading, I would always quickly find myself hooked and not wanting to put it down. And I've read it at least three times at this point and have still found it generally enthralling. Though each time I've read it, I've always found the final confrontation in Ruhenheim to suck. It's not that it's necessarily bad per se, though it does feel like it's just recycling previous ideas and it exentuates the high-intensity/low-purpose problem I referred to earlier. However, with how much the suspense has been built up over the course of the manga, I'm not sure if there's any way the story could've ended that wouldn't have felt anticlimactic. I also feel like I noticed at least one plothole during their constant weaving and retelling of past events (compare chs. 142 and 159): why did Bonaparta bring the child out to witness the scene, or if he didn't, who did?

There are many great characters. Tenma is a righteous and moral brain surgeon who has been framed for several murders by Johan. Johan, or Michael, or Franz, or Erich is a beautiful and charismatic young boy is able to connect with people on the deepest level and manipulate them into doing what fe wants. For example, fe is able to recognize serial killers and convince them to kill for fem. Lunge is a BKA detective who has perfect recall of past encounters and doesn't believe that Johan exists, partially because Johan has been systematically destroying all connections to feir past. Grimmer is a wanderer with a large backpack and a buddha smile who has lost all of feir emotions after going through Kinderheim 511. Those four are my favorites, but even the supporting cast often have compelling personalities and understandable motives.

A major theme is identity, with past connections and names being especially important. One could argue that the message of the story is that without a strong sense of identity, a person's moral code, and emotions, and even desire to live will disappear. One of the ways that Tenma and others talk people off of the ledge is by instilling in them the idea that they have a "reason to live." As a nihilist myself, I find it incorrect for them to imply that acknowledging the meaninglessness of life will inevitably lead to suicidal thoughts, but it's still an interesting look into how brainwashing can have massive consequences. We learn of two loosely connected groups (Kinderheim 511 and the Red Rose Mansion reading seminars) that Johan had been part of which were built around brainwashing and raising kids to lead the new world. A storybook author who went by many names (though I liked Emil the most) ends up becoming a central figure in this conspiracy. Some of the chapters actually consist of just showing off this guy's storybooks, and I liked those chapters. Though I will say that it takes some suspension of disbelief to accept that these stories were effective at brainwashing. The author of this manga may enjoy taking innocuous childhood items like storybooks and turning them into the core of massive, world-altering conspiracies, because fe also did something similar with 20th Century Boys.

The story of Monster follows an enthusiastic, naive doctor named Dr. Teams who makes a decision to save a life, as all doctors do. Only that decision turns out to have dire consequences when he realizes that the life he saved is that of a psychopathic young man. Tenma them sets out on a journey to undue the damage: to kill what he saved.  It's honestly a fantastic premise and the only reason I gave it a 9/10 instead of a 10/10 is because I don't know how I felt about the ending.

The art is an interesting topic... The backgrounds were awesome and super accurate in terms of landscapes, but the side characters tended to all blur together. I became confused about who was who later on in the series due to villains beginning to look alike. The main characters were easily distinguishable, though. 

The characters are absolutely fantastic. Johan, the main antagonist, had a lot of layers to him that kept him interesting. I loved the argument of wondering if monsters are created to be as they are or if they're just born this way. Tenma was also a great character who kept surprising the reader at every turn. Many of the side characters were also very fleshed out with objectives and desires of their own. 

Overall, this manga has been dubbed a classic for a reason. It's one where you have to dive a little deep to decipher some of the hidden meanings, but that's what makes it fun. 

My personal enjoyment of this manga was off the charts. I stayed up for nights reading it and wouldn't erase that experience for anything. It reignited my love of anime and manga.