Review of Monster

Fun fact: When I first heard of a show called "Monster" where the main character was a doctor, I immediately thought of something akin to Frankenstein. I was so far off it's funny. Anyway, this show is fantastic, but I can't imagine it is for everyone. It does not prioritize flashy battle scenes or anything of the sort. This story is pure art. It is emotional, suspenseful, exciting, and everything in between. Even if it does not sound like your cup of tea, you should definitely give it a try. STORY: 10 Monster's story is obviously its priority, and it shouldbe. It is symbolic and moral, but is not scared to show us the ugly side of the world. Like I say in my other reviews, I won't explain the general story because that's what the synopsis on this website is for.
For the first 24 episodes, we get to see the journey of Dr. Kenzou Tenma experiencing misfortune everywhere but not ceasing to help others as he unravels the mystery of Johan's past.
Then, starting on episode 25, things get more complicated. In this show, you will go episodes at a time without seeing either Tenma or Johan; the two main characters! There is so much going on at a time in this story, which to me is a good thing, but that doesn't mean I don't miss seeing Tenma's perspective after a while of watching other characters. You will probably experience the same thing, but maybe not with Tenma.
The last five episodes are nail-biting and probably the most suspenseful thing I've ever watched. I won't say anymore but my goodness is it good.

ART: 8

Monster is old-ish. It was released in 2004, so compared to today's animation it is a little lackluster. That's ok though because the most complexly animated thing in this show is probably a gun being shot or a building burning. There aren't any major battles or anything that would require today's level of advanced animation to produce well.
The art is very realistic compared to most anime. The only problem I really have there is that some elderly characters' noses are a little bit big, which is ironic because usually, in anime, the opposite is true! It's NOT a glaring issue, though. Otherwise, I really love the character designs.
A lie that I would like to mention, is that the art style does a great job of making different races look different. Dr. Tenma definitely looks different, being Japanese, than the Germans, Czechs, Turks, English, etc. who all are different from each other as well.
The story in Monster takes place over a long period of time. Tenma's appearance definitely changes throughout the series as he becomes more rugged and dirty from his journey. I like the attention to detail there.

SOUND: 9

The opening and ending themes are NOT like other anime's. The opening sounds very suspenseful and makes me think of the word "desperation" which is a very good word to describe the characters' emotions in this show. The ending has two versions depending on where you watch this anime. One has lyrics and the other does not. Even the full version with lyrics has several instrumental portions that I enjoy a lot. Both versions are beautiful. The background music in Monster is pretty good and fits the scenes it plays in well. Some of the tracks definitely warrant listening to on their own, but no as many as I would like. My personal favorites are "Angel Hand", "Than One", "Cannot Hear", and "Faith". There's a couple more that I just don't know he names of. That's all not to say the rest of the soundtrack isn't good, it's just more atmospheric and doesn't really have very many melodies that stand out that much.
As for the English dub, I thought it was a very good one, except that some of the kids' voices and a few others are kind of annoying. For the most part it's great, though, especially the most important characters. The story takes place mainly in Germany and Czechoslovakia so maybe you will prefer that simply for the sake of immersion, even though TECHNICALLY they should be speaking German and Czech for the most part, English is more likely than Japanese. That may or may not make a difference to you, though.

CHARACTER: 10

Oh, jeez. There are a LOT of characters in Monster. I'll go over the main characters individually and the side characters as a whole.
Kenzou Tenma is one of my favorite characters ever. I myself am a Christain and his morals really reflect my own. He is kind-hearted, intelligent, and selfless, which I can relate to. That does NOT make him a boring character. He definitely has his fair share of moral dilemmas, and since he is such a good person, it is interesting to watch him have to make the decision to do something a little more morally gray.
Johan Liebert, the main villain, is an extremely unique villain and one of the best ever. He is often compared to Light Yagami from Death Note, but I don't think that is a very good comparison, even though the two anime are similar. Johan is psychotic for all that we can see of him, and I've never seen psychosis portrayed nearly as well in any fictional story ever. You actually feel bad for Johan, as you can tell he is not fully... there in his head. There is just something off about him no matter what he does. Light on the other hand, slips into a demented psych because of his power and situation. Johan's story is tragic and one of the best character backstories ever, but I won't spoil anything.
Some other notable characters include Detective Lunge and Anna Liebert. I'll let you experience both of their roles on your own, though. I'll just let you know that they make things very interesting.
There are several other side characters, and some are better than others, but they all add something to the story, even if you really hate their guts.

ENJOYMENT: 10

Monster is one of the greatest works of fiction that I have ever experienced. If I were to divide the series into thirds, I would say I enjoyed the first third the most, the second third the least, and the final portion in between, at least on the first watch-through. I'm currently re-watching it and it all feels a bit more equal to me now. Regardless, the whole show was a blast and might be my single favorite show, rivaled only by Death Note.

OVERALL: 10

More authors need to look at Naoki Urusawa and his masterpiece of a story that is Monster. Instead of giving us fan-service, focus on the meaningful parts of your work. This does not mean that shows cannot have epic battles if they are integral to the story, but plot and character development should always be the top priority.
Monster is a masterpiece, and you should definitely watch it. Give it four or five episodes before you decide it is not your thing. I don't want you missing out on what might be a life-changing story.