Review of Monster

A masterpiece. That’s the first thing I’ll say about this anime. Monster. The ability to characterize somebody you’ll only see for a couple of episodes in a single episode, even the bare rigor of their expression that is a product of the extraordinarily diverse palette of character designs. Well done, Urasawa. When this person reacts to the news of something tragic and their eyes shift, the surface moves, arms fall. In that one moment we get more development, “fleshing out” (pun intended), than many isekai protagonists receive in a cour. It feels real. Visceral. Your parents did not die, but someone else’s parents did, andyou feel the pain. The eviscerating sorrow that spreads forth like the plangent cry of the Sirens, through the rest of the show. Deaths accumulate like tainted snow called forth by the best villain the medium has to offer. His name I will not reveal. The monster within must be witnessed with little introduction. Know true terror. For a show like Monster, I highly recommend -- and hope -- that you do not and did not read the plot blurb provided by this very database. Watch not just one but two episodes to see where this begins. Urasawa does what we often refer to as “pacing” RIGHT. Events unfold in a series of seemingly unrelated mini-arcs, each concerning a different set of characters, that only upon reflection and realization are AS ONE -- or at least one arc of blood spilt by [name]. The manner in which Monster turns its probing eye upon character after character, distinct human being after human being, is sharply reminiscent of Hugo in Les Misérables. There is a “main character” but the story looks at society, at the human entity, as a whole in its unforgiving turnings. You are not inculpable. Projection. Vision. Movement forward towards the inescapable, monolithic end. “What is the end?”

For a long time while watching Monster, not yet really aware of just how amazing it was, I merely thought it was a well-made anime, solid story, interesting villain. At some point I noticed. The direction. The camera isn’t as vivacious as the one behind the infamous potato chip scene. It’s not as intimate and revealing as the one that makes Yakusoku no Neverland so riveting. It’s not as vicarious as the one that birthed the new Gridman. But it moves in its own, precise gait that illuminates the raising of faces, the unknown behind the door, certain disparate parts of the character matrix that in certain arrangements show, tell, illuminate. As more and more hints and shadows at the fore and revelations were dropped, the more I connected events to events and considered, [name]: the monster: he who shall not be named stands there, silent, until his -- how do I even describe it? The voice acting on him is brilliant. I won’t say more, because you have to hear it yourself, and for that to happen you have to watch Monster. Please do. One of the handful of anime I can, without a doubt, use the word “masterpiece” to describe.

The soundtrack is haunting. As the series is itself, besides the many dark and tragic and sorrowful moments there are notes of hope, respites of a temporary happiness. “angel hand” is one of my favorites. The opening theme manages to capture basically the entire show in 90 seconds (in terms of the major arcs/events) and the two ending themes are lilting melodies of anticipation. Who is the monster? Can true, unadulterated evil exist? Or even more relevant, the potential to be wicked in all of us. Humans are vessels for change. We choose to be good, or we lapse into darkness.

The visuals are no ufotable shadows and spades but you realize, you must, that the gentle canvas employed by Madhouse here suits the atmosphere and characters perfectly. The angered face of Character T as he points the gun. The supercilious face that conceals an unrelenting misery of Character E. The face of Character J that says nothing and says everything, a deep, unabiding recognition of the truth. Pay attention as the deaths accrue. The monster is real, and he exists.

The characters as I already mentioned are well manifested but they are also superbly written, with the main characters possessing strong arcs. I at least grew to care for Character N. This is one of those rare shows that present human beings as human beings which most anime nowadays fail to do, let alone even try to do. The incredible cast of Monster of whom really nobody is neglected speak like real humans. Their facial expressions are mutable and no two characters look alike. The questions presented are significant, they involve these characters legitimately, they involve you and me, they are critically important facets of human nature and what makes one “good” or “evil”. Morality. They are of who you are, who you really are, and why you are who you are. Identity. Name. Open your eyes and see the devil come down to earth.