Review of Monster

Monster was the longest anime I have watched to date. I find long shows in general to be daunting and tend to avoid them when choosing new shows to watch. However, Monster's length was less foreign to me when compared to its storytelling. Most of what I enjoy is based around characters and the relatability or intrigue of those characters. Simply put, I love character studies and the intensely personal experiences they weave. Monster however, has very little of this because Monster is a sort of fable. Necessarily then, it is an exploration of themes and ideas with some kind of message. Therefore all charactersare symbols or refractions of the themes at play. For me, this was especially strange.

Monster is particularly interested in many ideas however all stem from one thing. That motif would be the relationship humanity has with monsters or evil. Many famous literature, movies and shows are chiefly concerned with this idea as well. Apocalypse Now is what instantly comes to mind for me. The genius of Monster however is its portrayal of good, and the story it tells with it. But first we shall start with evil.

Johan is a famous character and represents the monster inside humanity. He draws people in and corrupts them. He is a puppeteer of death. As easily as he can kill he can just as easily get others to do it for him. That is because Johan knows that the monster inside of him is inside of all of us. This is his truth and it would be incomprehensible to suggest otherwise. At least for me this truth is nothing new and Johan relishes in that triviality. Monster takes us through arc after arc where evil takes hold and asks the same question every time. What would you do to destroy it? In Johan's world I would be killed as my answer to that question most often is "anything". Many people seem to share this sentiment in the comments of 9anime at least. By the way, shout out to the 9anime peeps the character arcs in the comment section alone was divine. Anyway, Monster is a fable and so what's its message? In response to Johan and his perfect evil Monster gives us a doctor, a good doctor, doctor Tenma.

Tenma is not just a foil to Johan (the evil of humanity) but the answer to it. He is definitionally a doctor one who treats all created life as equal. He is also human and very early on (I think the first few episodes) it is established that he has the possibility of breaking. Johan sees this perfect doctor and is transfixed. For Johan the game is afoot a holy challenge to prove the evil inside all of us; he will break the good doctor. So the story goes and that story will not make it easy for doctor or viewer. Wait, wait, wait how can a story be hard for a viewer? That is where the genius of Tenma is displayed. You will quite possibly hate Tenma and his almost absurd goodness. The story tells it that way and shows us the unrelatability, the distance, and the absurdity in being a "good doctor". It's darkly comedic (this show is also very funny at times) the ease at which I understand the themes and messages of Johan. Conversely, it is extremely comedic the difficulty I have with understanding the themes and messages of Tenma. Is evil more human than good? What is this story trying to tell me? Well...

In the end, Monster appears to ask us to choose. Does horror consume us? Or do we prefer to hope? In my opinion, it tells us, as most fables do, but like all good stories you should see it for yourself. I can tell you however, the fable it tells is not a 10/10, it is a 12/10. In the biz we call that earth shattering! Straight through the planet this story can kill. A thesis has no true characters but there most definitely is a story. As Monster proves so eloquently in each of its 74 episodes. It is a must watch and would do finely as a first time anime. If you have the patience, maybe some beer and some friends this show will serve you finely. At the very least check out the dub comments on 9anime. There is some funny stuff in there, and had me laughing so much I checked them after every episode.