Review of Monster

Monster So much I've heard about it and yet it took me close to 12 years to start it. I was constantly looking for excuses why I didn't want to watch it. And I don't regret it at all to have waited so long, otherwise, I would have had to watch this piece of art on my own. I would go so far as to say that this series represents the "Psychological Thriller" genre in the entire anime scene and is the best in this category. Whether this is the best thriller of my life in general I can't say so, but as an animated Show,there is none more superior to date.

Before I get to why this series fascinated me so much and why it's a must-watch, I have to bring up some harsh negative issues first.

Monster unfortunately has shaky and weakly mediocre pacing, which robs some scenes of atmosphere and damages the tension.
Then we have the problem that the series constantly tries to seem too "serious". By already pushing all the twists and resolutions almost in the face of the viewer. With loud background music to 10x more to clarify how BAD, this revelation is yet and how shocked Tenma must first look for 2 minutes. Yet the same happens in the next episode as well. Most of the time it only happens when Tenma hears the name "Johann" or just thinks that he might be involved. Then he stands rooted to the spot and says "Jo-OOhaNN?!?!?!" which would be less bad if it didn't feel like some of these scenes were ripped from an Indian movie. In other words, it often made it seem like you were watching a " theater play" instead of a crime thriller. But these are just shortcomings of the anime adaptation itself.

But we also have minor problems in terms of the basic premise. As an example, the inability of the enemies to represent a real "danger", which is a similar flaw to "Steins Gate". And how often the characters do escape their fate. That Tenma often survives is understandable, since it's not his turn to die yet. But most of the other characters seem to have a guardian angel that almost scared me. And .. Nina.

Now enough of the negative. This series also has massive strengths as a psychological thriller, in terms of characters, execution, backgrounds, and overall narrative.

[Story 10]

This story is as real as it gets in terms of concept and structure. You could almost think that this whole scene could have happened once in 1990. And being specifically German, I am even more fascinated by the author's knowledge of history and the German way of life. It is rare that the whole scene takes place outside Japan and especially to such a large extent.

The background of Tenma was a very original way of bringing the story to life and creating a novel concept. A doctor's remorse leads him to pursue one of his former patients and put him back in the ground. I find this narrative and the irony behind it very appealing.

The story is very linear at first, a simple search for the individual "Johan". But as the plot progresses, you realize that the whole thing is heavier and bigger than anticipated. The past of the "monster" and his goals are revealed piece by piece and thus the story is driven forward. Through the thirst for knowledge to know what is hiding behind the truth and what in turn lurks behind the next truth. Until at the end the door is opened to the finale, in which all the characters enter the playing field and all the cards are face up.

There were quite a few twists and turns that kept within the realistic scale. This gave the series an intense charm. Not to mention the captivating atmosphere.

[Characters 7]

I'll say it freely, Monster didn't use the full potential of the characters and let many characters like "Eva, Nina, and Runge" degenerate into irrelevant characters. But there are also highlights among many secondary characters, the antagonist and protagonist.

Tenma was framed for the murders of Johann and is on the hunt for the real killer. He is a very sensitive and adult man who forces himself to be someone he is not. To be responsible is important, but to conjure up a responsibility that one can neither choose nor cope with can destroy someone. There are hardly any real "shining moments" with him, he is just a man with a goal. But on his journey, you can see how many events are reflected in his eyes and keep him on the right track. He is a protagonist who not only influences everything around him but is also influenced.

Johann, the centerpiece of this anime and the title "Monster" in itself. He is the antagonist of the story and by far one of the best antagonists I have ever seen. A perfect morally destroyed sociopath who goes his way with his absolute ideas. But his personality is much bigger, much deeper than that. You'll learn more as you learn more and more about his background. Also, his charismatic appearance is immensely convincing, as if he would look into the soul of the people themselves. The only thing that bothered me about him, or rather his existence. Was how often someone called him a "monster". This slowly became disturbing over time.

Nina is the female protagonist and Johann's sister. Is a promising second lead, who is only held up as a plot device until the end. Apart from helping to steer Tenma a bit and digging up the background of her past, she has no use whatsoever for this series. The backgrounds could have been involved in any way. But just creating Nina for this wasn't necessary. In the whole series, she didn't have enough influence to be relevant.

Eva, the ex-wife of the protagonist. Left me wondering "what her role will be?" until the end. But the answer has been disappointing. Nothing at all. She has sacrificed significantly more screentime than necessary. Yes, I liked her development and the reflection of her life. She was a fascinating character. But again, lacked relevance.

Then we have Runge, the agent of Tenma followed through the world. He is badass, interesting, and a well-written character. But even he is only there when the plot needed him. Otherwise, he's running around somewhere doing his stuff. From time to time, I forgot that he existed at all.

The biggest positive point I give here to the "side characters" these have me most clearly fascinated and impressed. Their personalities and influence on the series and many of the characters' decisions.

[Animations 8]

For an anime that's a bit older and so long, the animations are very convincing. The implementation of the atmosphere and the representation of the backgrounds were particularly positively noted.

There were no real fights here and running was also rare. This is why a higher level was never reached. But most of what the series needed was excellently fulfilled.

[Music 6]

Yes, the intro is mediocre, but as an intro, it stalls more than you need.

The outro, on the other hand, is fascinating. A musical and visual representation of the story of the "monster with no name" which played an immensely large role in the series itself, in the revelation of all things.

The osts have been most discreet. Especially good were these to boost