Review of Monster

Would you save a serial killer from death? What about if in order to save them, you would have to sacrifice something yourself? (spoiler free) After finishing Death Note, I thought there wasn't any other anime that could live up to it. Boy was I wrong. Monster, the eloquent psychological journey, trades in fantasy elements for immense character development in order to create a masterpiece for mature audiences. Story - 10 Now back to that question. Monster dives into this idea of saving a serial killer, except there is a twist. Dr. Tenma, our main character, struggles with guilt as a former patient of his whom hesaved the life of, has now become a sociopathic killer. Tenma realizes that if he had not saved this patient, (which ended up severely affecting his job, considering some circumstances) all of the people whom this patient has killed, would still be alive. I don't want to give much more, as the story unfolds slowly within this anime. Though, I will say that it is an incredibly interesting piece, watching as this doctor struggles with his guilt, and attempts to relieve this guilt (in ways you will see in the anime), all the while having Yohan (his former patient) continuing on his killing spree, fully knowing that Tenma is frustrated by it.

Characters - 10
With 74 episodes, there isn't a single character in this anime that isn't well developed. The slow pace allows for more dialogue between characters as well as back stories, which make you care about side characters than you would in other anime. I also enjoy the absence of a fantasy or futuristic sci-fi element, because it makes it so much easier to relate to and understand these characters. The entire plot of Monster could very well happen in real life, which makes the plot, but especially the characters, seem that much more authentic. They didn't find a magic book that allowed them to kill people, or the power to force someone to do anything you say. The characters were completely realistic people, making them more relatable, genuine, and frightening in the case of the killer.

Art - 8
The art is good. It's not super detailed, but it's not necessary for it to be for the story. The color scheme is perfectly eerie.

Sound - 10
One of my favorite soundtracks ever, right up there with death note. I'm not sure I ever found the opening or endings particularly amazing. but the placement of dramatic music is used perfectly, and I still remember a few of the tracks after over a year since I watched this anime.

Enjoyment - 10
Some people will say there is filler here and there, but I disagree. Once you realize that this anime is going to go slow, and accept it, you will enjoy every second. An anime doesn't need dramatic plot twists and action scenes every episode, and by spreading it out, it makes them much more shocking and overall enjoyable. Dramatic scenes also aren't 5 minutes long, instead the event will take about 2-3 episodes, which really allows it to set in and for tension to be built until the end of the event. And the ending of this anime is really what pulls it all together - one of my favorites. I don't want to say too much, but it's not your typical "will the main character lose or win/live or die?" ending. I was thinking about it nonstop for days.

Overall - 10
I think I've covered just about everything for one of my favorite anime out there. The characters still stick with me today, and all of their stories are still so clear in my mind. This is truly what I would call a masterpiece. Watch it if you want something that goes really deep into the psychological realm!

TLDR: An amazing psychological anime that goes slower than your average show, but does so in order to create your new favorite characters.