Review of Monster

(Spoiler free review) Since I’ve just finished Monster for the second time I thought it was time to try and write a review summarising my thoughts. Naoki Urasawa’s Monster is definitely in a class as of one of the best anime I have seen and in this review I hope to articulate why I think that and hopefully encourage you to give this anime a shot. Story - 8/10 The story is that of a detective thriller, a murder mystery which spans across Germany, Dr Tenma’s search for the ‘Monster’. This story is very well written for the most part, it has a lot of mysteriesset in the story to hook you and it has a lot of great themes and message through out which can really make you think about their relevance in real life. The anime covers so many themes that I can't really list them all here. The most common themes I would say would be to do with the value of life, responsibility for your actions and identity, which all play strong roles throughout this series. Thematically the ending is also really great for resolving one of the big questions brought to you right at the very start.

Though whilst the ending is perfect a tie in there are a few questionable scenes and some people debate how satisfying it really is.
Further problems in this story is that around fifties I found this the weaker part of the story, I think at this point it had sort of thrown a bit too many mysteries and I just wanted it to get to the end, though I still did enjoy it and whilst I may have felt it was a bit round about, all the mystery’s it set up here were necessary for the conclusion. (Unfortunately I can’t be more specific without spoilers)

Not everything is also related to the plot itself there are loads of sub stories like Tenma learning to shoot a gun, or him being picked up by a couple of British Tourist, I don’t really mind these Tenma getting magically from point A to point B wouldn’t make sense (he is a fugitive) and so would him being an expert marksmen with the gun without something to explain why. The characters we meet are compelling in of themselves as well they all have great stories to them but episodes like these are a common criticism against Monster as it is true they aren’t directly contributing to the plot. I think they really add to the world, all the side stories and characters really do make it feel well lived in and whilst they may not directly tie in terms of the plot, they do have thematic relevance with tying in with some of the stories key themes.

A minor gripe I just want to throw in here which almost became a joke towards the end was the whole fake suspense when somebody was going to shoot somebody it was a good trick to build suspense at first but the whole you see a gun shot and now we cut away trick did become a little over used especially towards the end. But this is just a minor thing which didn't really detract from it.

Characters – 10/10
The characters to Monster are one of the best thing about it there are so many likeable and relatable characters and what makes them so good is they all feel human and nearly all of them have something else behind them, an extra layer to the surface level character we see. Monster has a huge cast throughout the entire show, there are loads of arcs based on different locations, surrounding different incidents which all tie in eventually to the main plot. These scenarios lead to other characters getting the spotlight
and development, this focus could be for as much as six episodes, they could become a reoccurring character or it could just be one. The story really nails making them ‘human’ a lot of them are good people but have their vices, none of them are archetypal and a lot of them have their problems/issues/goals they all work through.

This really enhances the plot, first of all this anime does kill of characters quite a bit, and there is no consequence to the ‘Monster’ killing nameless stranger A it has a real impact when it someone you have grown attached to someone who is ‘human’. The world also feels very lived in, the whole world doesn’t just rotate around the MC, the scope of the narrative is large and it makes sense to have narratives which don’t focus on the MC and the antagonist all the time and again I want to emphasise how much I have come to like a myriad of Monster’s characters, it really is the best aspect of a show, and not many anime can compete with the layers and relatability this shows characters have.

I do though have mixed feelings on one character and that is on the villain himself he isn’t really humanised until a little bit at the end and although there are good reasons for the way he is, he still is the only character in this cast who doesn’t quite feel human. He is terrifying, incredibly charismatic and seems to always know what is going on. Though its the fact that he doesn't feel human which makes him terrifying and as a villain he has an incredibly presence, he fits the role and whilst he doesn't feel human, this is actually less of a negative as its these aspects which make him the terrifying villain that he is.

Sound – 8/10
Opening/endings and OST all fit this anime very well, the OST though suffers from being a repetitive throughout the seventy four episode run streak, I will admit that I don’t pay that much attention to the OST, but I didn’t notice that towards the end of the show it kind of just used the same tracks over and over again. They would good though they fitted with the atmosphere and could add tension in some moments.
Also the voice acting is on point here, if you like good dubs this anime certainly has one, and the sub is very well done here as well, you can't go wrong with either.

Art/Animation – 8/10
I find this a rather hard section to rate, well first the art is definitely on point, this is a far more grounded anime than most anime, and the art style fits its far more realistic and dark story, it’s a perfect match. In regards to animation Madhouse have done a good job here like they almost always do, I didn’t notice any quality drops and its solid all around I find it much easier to rate anime of today’s standards than going back a decade + for its day it Is very high quality for now it’s definitely good and nothing to complaint about but it isn’t the most detailed or fluid.

Enjoyment – 9/10
For the most part I was completely hooked enjoying the messages, the characters stories and the mysteries always got me thinking, this show engaged me through and through and I couldn’t help but constantly want to watch the next episode. I did suffer from a minor burn out in the fifities but that was just a little slump an I continued to marathon away the whole thing. I enjoyed this show immensely.

Overall – 10/10
It might not have averaged out a 10/10 in all aspects but what it does, it does exceptionally well to the point of overcoming the faults in the other catergories. Monster is quite easily one of the best anime shows I have watched, its plot will hook you with its mysteries and engaging writing,its characters are incredibly realistic and relateable and with good animation and sound and an art style which suits it perfectly it is an all around great show. Hopefully i convinced you to try it this show it is great it may not be able to hold the attention span of action junkies but for most this should be a great ride.