Review of Monster

I feel like Monster is just some big inside-joke and that I'm the only one who's not in on it. How could so many people like something so terrible? I'm honestly baffled that this could be in the top 25 anime. Monster in a nutshell: the beginning was perfect, the library arc was great, and everything in-between was abysmally slow. Monster's plot could have been good, but after being dragged through the mud for so long it lost sight of itself. Tenma, who began as an excellent character, slowly devolved into a flat character (including Johan, who never really changed). Any and all drama/intensity waslost due constant repetition ("welcome home" the most obvious occurrence) and the random unexplained nature of events. I was watching this show with someone else and there were many moments I considered joking about something that would happen but figured it would be too stupid to even joke about so I'd shut my mouth, only for it to happen sooner or later... this included the ending. Originally, I had watched 40 episodes, dropped it, then came back to rewatch it many years later to see if I had just been missing something (it was worse than I could imagine).

Monster is a show for those who want to think they are smart; for those connoisseurs who like to smell hot garbage with a hint of gobbledygook, and is just stupid enough for the average viewer to buy into.