Review of Monster

Monster...taught me what it means to be human. That's probably the best praise I can give the show. In no uncertain terms, I consider it masterfully written, the characters flawed in a painfully realistic way, the art style somber and to the macabre point, and the music as eerie as the mastermind behind the proverbial curtain. I'll focus on character first, as the story does fantastic work at making realistic characters who have goals, but struggle with flaws throughout their run, even minor characters who just show up for an episode or two. The lead, Temna, establishes himself well as a character for the audience to latchonto, as he pursues his initial goal of valuing patients over career security, and suffers for his conviction. As the story progresses, his goals evolve along with his worldview as he interacts with the plethora of other great characters, including a former soldier taking care of a girl he orphaned, a journalist who struggles to balance work life with his romantic life, a step-father with an unhealthy love in the form of torturing his son, and many more just among the side cast. Tenma stands as a paragon that others can look up to,yet teetering on a precarious edge that they don't know how to save him from.

To save time on the gushing I could do about every character, I'll limit myself to one more. A good portion of the cast can make themselves likeable quickly, yet not in a blatant way that begs for your sympathy. And then there's some members of the cast I remember fondly for being absolute wretches, like Eva Heinemann. She is a user of both alcohol and people, leeches off her father's wealth, and wears her disdain for the lower class atop her overpriced make-up. Tenma is just another tool in crafting her perfect life, and just as expendable. As the series goes on, she falls into depression, and continues to take on self-destructive habits. Who would like a character this far up her own ass? Me. Am I a masochist? Probably. But all these negative qualities flow naturally from who she is, and inform me of how she got this way. Rather than a likeable character, I prefer one whom I can understand the motives of and acts in a way believable from her circumstances. Is some of this perspective biased from hindsight? Yes. Watch to find out why, no spoilers.

But the characters aren't universally great. I have particular beef to pick with Nina. She is introduced into the story with amnesia. The plot to unravel this amnesia is great, but Nina herself often felt a little lacking. Like the plot was meant to define her personality. Her best moments were those that invoked character actions from Tenma or a friend she made in the Vampire's Blood arc. (I don't know if that's the arc's actual name, but I think it fits.) Maybe it's just an aftereffect of the series coming out in the 90s, a time where women didn't get the best representation in manga, but personality-filled characters like Eva make me notice this more in Nina.

Next, story. I started with characters because the story is very character driven, brought about by characters acting and reacting. This is important, because the story is not a thrill ride nor a slow paced drag. It does a good job allowing the characters to act as they need to, putting them in high-intensity scenes for one moment, and appreciating a small moment to relax in the next. Both types of moments balance give meaning to the other, and allow us to see the characters in a variety of circumstances that shows off their characters in rich and unique ways.
The plot itself is rather simple. It's a fetch quest, basically, with different characters having a different stake in the result. There's a pursuer, a pursuee, another pursuer, some with beef towards the initial pursuer, and other pieces. But what makes the story great is the responses. The pursuee has had considerable impact on the world, and Temna is often stopped by these subplots, unable to put his goal over his core beliefs. Its these subplots that really define Monster, as seeing these responses is what shows off the humanity of each character presented.
Keep in mind, though, that the plot isn't perfect. It uses a few narrative tropes that can feel a bit cliche, and questionable things here and there. There's a scene in episode 2 where characters are introduced to a deadly drug laced in candy. The doctors ate this candy by one grabbing a sealed bag from among the gifts given to the child patient and sharing it with his co-workers. Apparently, this was intentional on the killer's part, yet the killer had no control of what the doctors would eat, or even whether the doctors would eat it. There's also a number of scenes where a character could do something basic for their safety, but doesn't, despite nothing in their character informing why they wouldn't do that.
However, these are minor complaints. The story does a good job showing characters engaging with the plot, rather than pieces being used to motivate the plot.
The overall theme is the title, Monster, in how there's a monster in all of us. Every good person in the show is capable of evil, and every reprehensible character has a spark of humanity and/or weakness within them. Where there's a monster, there's a human.

Quick aside: This plot takes place in the real world, and is based around real events like the fall of the Berlin wall and the rise of communism in Germany. I'm not a historical expert of any kind, and I'm writing most of this on the spot, so I don't have an appreciation for this degree of worldbuilding. If so, I might upgrade my overall ranking to a 10, as historical accuracy plays a big role in a story's ability to appeal.

Next, art. I liked the art. It has a grayer color palette compared to most, but this series resembles a film noir much more than most sporadic anime. This is not to say one style is better, it's to say that certain shows have styles that fir them better. The characters are well-defined, and I'm able to recognize them from one another through more subtle things that just appearance, though their delivery plays a part in this distinction too. The animation style is okay. The shortcuts are rather obvious, but it looks fine for a 2003 animation, and I'm no expert. As long as I can recognize what's going on, I'm fine.

Put simply, this series is almost a masterpiece. It stubs its toes here and there, making me aware of its flaws that detract from the show's quality.