Review of Monster

Monster is pretty well regarded virtually everywhere, so that sets up huge expectations. Expectations, that often it fails to live up to, and often meets in unexpected ways. The premise of "doctor saves a serial killer and has to now make right by hunting him down" is a quite unique one, and it manages to sustain lots of good will towards the show for some of its runtime. The pacing similarly is done (contrary to what you might expect from a 74 episode show) quite masterfully. Once you start getting bored of the setup arc(s), the show shifts into a very comfy Monster (heh) ofthe week format, before settling into some bigger arcs and setting up the (incredible) finale. Particularly the longer arcs of Munich and Prague stand out as phenomenally well done. The finale is one of the most striking I have seen in ages, particularly with how it oozes with atmosphere. Pacing is a common pitfall for longer shows, so it's nice to be surprised with how well Monster does on this front.

The other common pitfall for longer shows though, is characters. And Monster has the sad disadvantage of having one of the most annoying, passive, and one-note main characters I have ever seen in a story. I said the premise sustains a lot of good will, but since the main character has nothing else going on, it's simply not enough. Thankfully, the extended cast ranges from only slightly boring, to comfy, to very interesting, with some of the more recurring characters like Eva, Grimmer and Lunge getting great moments and character bits that the main character is sadly lacking. They became some of my favourite characters in fiction, which should stand for something. Monster also gets lots of praise for its villain, who - the few times he's actually on screen - does shine a lot. Sadly, most of the time he is only talked about, and by characters who either praise or condemn him for his evil deeds (most of which we don't see). This makes him feel almost apart from the story, even though most characters revolve around him and never seem to be able to not talk about him. This ends up being one of the strong points of his character however, stumbling through the story without a clear goal for his day to day actions while everyone seems to have grand plans for him.

Speaking about story, Monster relies heavily on its mystery to keep you engaged in its overarching plot. Which, for what is basically a detective story, is totally fine and normal. However one should lower their expectations going in. A lot of the reveals and twists end up coming off more silly than shocking, and the story spends a lot of time with points which are of no real importance to the overall plot, but then big important events aren't given the weight they would have needed. Also, the ending is quite horrible, but you might feel different if you disagree with my assessment of the main character.

The real greatest strength of monster however is something I have not heard talked about going in: its world. Particularly the setting of Germany (and Prague) is so well captured. Locations look like Germany, characters often act like Germans, characters LOOK like Germans. How many times in Monster have I seen a character who looks and acts like I could've run across them on the street when I go to the grocery store. From grumpy old men to bumbling police officers to immigrant families to nazi punks - the character design is top notch and does not sell short the diversity of Germany's population, an aspect that is often disregarded (particularly in anime). The design of locations is similarly outstanding. Be it small countryside villages or big sprawling towns, the designs are both memorable and just so very true to life in a way I simply have not seen in anime so far.

Overall, Monster is definitely an experience one should have under their belt. But don't expect it to blow you away with deep and psychologically interesting storytelling which it often gets praise for. The way is the goal in this case, especially if you take in the sights as you go along and make some friends along the way.