Review of Monster

Once every while there will come an anime that stands on top of all anime, a magnum opus. An anime that will leave your bones chilled, your mind reeling and your heart racing. A masterpiece. Monster, also known as Naoki Urasawa’s Monster is a prime example of such bone-chilling perfection. As a seasoned anime watcher I have yet to find another anime that comes close to this masterpiece, though Death Note and Code Geass come close. I have gone out of my way to dish out a lot of praise for this anime, and will give it a 10/10. So let me break it down. Animation –7/10

Being an anime released in early 2005, the animation is obviously not on par with some of the more recent anime released. But it still is quite good, graphic and detailed, being a Madhouse production; the animation complements the story beautifully. The characters are detailed, the scenes picturesque, good and overall fine.

Characters – 14/10

“Look at me! Look at me!”
“The monster inside of me has grown this big!”
“Chomp, chomp, munch, munch, gobble, gobble, gulp”

The characters are….

You may think I went a bit overboard with the ratings, but I would have gone even further. The characters are this anime’s strongest points, and what makes it a masterpiece, especially Johan Leibert.

He has been described as the Anti-Christ, the Monster with seven heads and ten horns, and is flawless in terms of what should be described as “evil.” There are so many things that can be said about this man that I could go on writing forever, but alas, I can’t describe him as delicately and artfully as I want.

He excluded, the other characters, Kenzo Tenma, and Johan’s twin sister Anna Liebert, are also powerful characters in their own right. If one can grasp the beauty and complexity of the characters, they are in for a fun ride!

Sound – 8/10

Personally, I prefer subbed over dubbed, but here is an exception. I watched it dubbed, so I could hear Liam O’ Brien. The music, other voice cast, and soundtrack everything is beautiful and well done. Especially the opening, the opening is haunting, chilling and so creepy yet at the same time beautiful, alluring us, calling us into it, and also giving us an idea about what we are headed for.

The dialogues are also perfect, nothing over-done, clearly placed, and thought-provoking, and just enough haunting to leave you thinking, about what is considered good and bad, what may be considered “returning a favor” and what are the grey-areas of science. Of course it depends on the reader, and other things may cross their minds.

Story – 9/10

If you look at in perspective, it’s just a wild goose chase, which explores human psychology, human nature, hierarchy, devotion, human relations. It explores the themes of mass murder, human experimentation, child abuse, brain washing, Yup, a wild goose chase. Those who have seen it can agree with me that whether they like it or not, it is an extremely dark, uncomfortable show in which Urasawa takes some common themes and subjects and tears them asunder to rebuild them new – and one can’t help but just go along with it, as the story will chomp, munch and gobble whoever decides to watch it.

Enjoyment – 10/10

I have thoroughly enjoyed this show, and it is a masterpiece, but an unconventional one. It displays the world’s horrific sides, it’s dark gloomy beauty, and I would never call it a “must-watch”, for there are some things that should just be left as it is, and not be served to the masses.

My rating – 9.6, rounded to a 10.