Monster Review

As Dark As It Gets.

 There are many groundbreaking anime out there, but every once in a while unique anime comes and shows what can be done with the medium itself, Monster is one of those animes. Based on Naoki Urasawa's manga of the same name, comes the anime adaptation handled well by anime studio, Madhouse. After a long marathon of watching the show , I can simply say... we need more animes like Monster. 

STORY- Kenzo Tenma, an excellent brain surgeon who works at Eisler Memorial Hospital in Dusseldorf, Germany, is about to have a great life. He is soon-to-be promoted Chief of Surgery, has good relations with the hospital director, and has the director's daughter, Eva, as his fiancee. However, it all changes when Tenma is forced to either save the mayor of Dusseldorf, who collapsed on his holiday retreat or a mysterious young boy, who survived a fatal massacre with his twin sister. 

 Going by his ethics as a doctor, Tenma chooses to operate on the young boy instead of the mayor, in which he ultimately saves the boy and the mayor couldn't make it. However, dissatisfied with his decision, the hospital director demotes Tenma, and Eva calls off their engagement. Just as when Dr. Tenma's life is about to crumble, the director and several high members of the hospital are found dead and the mysterious twins were missing.

 Nine years later, Tenma is now Chief of Surgery and one of his patients, part of the murders of many middle-aged couples, was killed in front of him. The killer was none other than Johan Liebert, the missing boy Tenma saved nine years ago. However, the police places Tenma as lead suspect, since they couldn't find a man named Johan Liebert.

 Desperate to clear his innocence and end the destruction that Johan leaves, Tenma sets to put an end to the monster that is Johan. Throughout his journey Tenma meets interesting characters and uncovers many conspiracies and dark secrets of the twin's past.

The Running Doctor.

CHARACTERS- Monster features many interesting, terrifying, and memorable characters. Other main characters include Nina Fortner, Johan's twin sister, she's hardworking and kind, but suffers from amnesia due to the trauma caused nine years ago. Moving on, Inspector Lunge (my favorite character along with Tenma and Johan) is a cold and calculating detective sent to the murder case. Lunge is obsessed with Tenma, devoted to catch him at the cost of his own personal life. 

 Side characters include, Wolfgang Grimmer, a really nice guy with a dark past and Roberto, a very dangerous and scary as hell hitman. By the end of the show, I found myself liking all of the characters and found some of them quite memorable.

Meet anime's most twisted sociopath, Johan Liebert.

PRESENTATION- Monster is a good-looking anime. It doesn't do anything new, though it stays faithful to the manga, which is nice. At times, however, some of the character's designs may look similar to each other, often causing confusion. In terms of sound, Monster features on of the best dubs I've heard. English language voice actors such as Liam O'Brien (Tenma) and JB Blanc (Roberto) provide convincing performances as well as Keith Silverstein who provides an excellent, menacing performance as Johan. The soundtrack by David Sylvian and Kuniaki Haishama is also memorable, fits the atmosphere of the show, and is a joy to listen.

"When you're in the darkness, you can only
sink deeper into it. Keep the light shining." - Dr. Tenma

OVERALL- Monster is an outstanding anime, I was hooked throughout the 74 episodes and really enjoyed my time with it. The story, characters, and performances makes it one of the best out there. 

- Monster is an anime for mature audiences, so expect graphic violence, some sexual scenes and profanity.- 

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