Monster

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the deepest and finest seinen manga you will ever encounter in your life.

Story: 10/10 - The writer has masterfully crafted each character's journey and narrative, creating a vivid reflection of our current reality. This manga is truly exceptional.

It's challenging to pinpoint what makes this manga so beautiful and remarkable because every aspect of it is outstanding.

Characters: 10/10 - Each character plays a unique role with their own personal story, driving the plot forward and interconnecting with other characters. This showcases the writer's brilliance.

Events: 10/10 - Predicting the events in this manga is nearly impossible, making it incredibly engaging.

Despite its length, there are no filler elements in the story, ensuring that you won't get bored.

Drawing: 10/10 - The traditional and excellent art style is something I personally admire greatly.

If you're a fan of shounen anime, unfortunately, this manga may not be for you as it delves into deeper and darker themes typical of seinen manga.

Words cannot fully capture the genius of this masterpiece.

Brilliant atmosphere, characters, and unfolding of mystery. I loved the murky, elusive core of Jonah's motivations and his history, though I would have appreciated more direct insight into his inner workings.

The cat-and-mouse elements could feel a bit repetitive at times, with the characters endlessly chasing each other. However, the advancement of the plot and the introduction of new elements kept it engaging. Wonderful!

All in all, "Monster" is incredibly captivating and brutal in its switching of directions. The characters have depth; some are lovable, some are villainous, but many have a great shot at redemption that doesn't feel forced.

An absolute classic. The story is timeless and delves into dark themes such as child abuse, prostitution, murder, and racism. Despite these heavy topics, the narrative remains hopeful and optimistic, largely thanks to its well-developed characters, which are undoubtedly the story's greatest strength.

The characters are nuanced and multifaceted; what initially seems like a one-dimensional character evolves significantly as the story progresses, making it easy for any of them to become a fan favorite. One way I gauge the quality of a manga is by examining how well the women are written. Poorly written female characters often result in a mediocre manga, while strong female characters usually indicate a great one. I'm pleased to say that Naoki Urasawa meets this criterion. The women in the story are well-written, with minimal sexualization and no ecchi content, which is refreshing.

The artwork is decent but not outstanding. It doesn't have the striking visual impact of works like Berserk or One Punch Man, but it's consistently high-quality and not rushed. The characters are visually distinct, and different races are uniquely portrayed. While the art may not wow readers, it serves the story and text well, which is ultimately more important.

The story is AMAZING. It's full of twists and turns, keeping you engaged from start to finish. There's rarely a moment when you aren't captivated by what's happening.

If you enjoy murder mysteries, Naoki Urasawa's other works, or simply want to read a timeless masterpiece, you should absolutely give this a read.

It's exceptionally rare for me to critically analyze an animanga and find no flaws, but "Monster" is a unique exception. There's nothing in this story that detracts from its perfection. The way this manga crafts a manipulative, cunning, and truly evil antagonist is astounding. His connection to the story and his enigmatic intentions are masterfully executed. This is undoubtedly my favorite crime animanga so far. Its uniqueness lies in both its setting and characters, with a plot that can make a complete turnaround, which is incredibly impressive. Tenma's personal internal conflict and his journey to end Johan's reign of terror are essential reads.

Monster - the Midwit Masterpiece

There are few mangas or animes that I regret reading or watching, but Monster is definitely one of them. It is an absolute bore with zero payoff, featuring an incredibly unsatisfying ending that renders most of the plot meaningless, along with unrealistic and uninteresting characters.

Ultimately, it boils down to a mostly episodic series where the main character Tenma roams around Europe helping everyone in his path. There are many sappy exchanges, but I couldn't bring myself to care about any of these random people. The evil characters are over-the-top and sinister, which I noticed right away and never stops. Since the show tries to portray itself as a serious drama, this is a major problem.

All the while, the author scatters little overarching plot hints to keep you hooked and excited to learn more. By the end, most of these things are left unexplained or, in some cases, contradicted. As I mentioned earlier, it is incredibly unsatisfying.

I really feel that this series is a street cred series, one you say you enjoyed to show your good taste. But it ultimately fails to do what manga or anime should do, which is entertain. It's a bore, a slog with no payoff.

A classic that still leaves something to be desired. Johann is iconic, but the culmination of his schemes felt somewhat anticlimactic—was that it? Tenma is a hero you can root for, though perhaps too good-natured. It was a bit exhausting how everyone rallied behind him as if he were Mother Teresa. It would have been nice to see him get angry and kick a dog or something, just to add some layers. His entire life had been uprooted, yet he remained an unflappably swell guy. There were too many side characters with similar roles; I feel that if some characters had been consolidated, there would have been a more memorable cast. Urasawa's art is amazing, but it doesn't do much to differentiate this work from others like "Pluto" and "20th Century Boys." There are truly riveting and chilling moments, and it's a story I will always look upon fondly.

I approached "Monster," like many of you, as a self-imposed homework assignment. The series is frequently listed among the top 10 manga and is often praised by the most meticulous fans as a masterpiece that should be read before you die. They claim it will change your perception of manga and make you see the poor conceptual state of the industry today—this while holding a glass of wine in one hand and a Rei Ayanami body pillow in the other.

And to be honest, it does live up to its reputation in terms of quality, but I found it really challenging to get past the first two volumes. The story simmers slowly and is conceptually dense, with dialogues that can feel heavy and cumbersome at times. I hesitate to call it boring, but it does present a bit of a challenge to read until the plot gains momentum and you find yourself drawn into the suspense.

The initial premise is relatively straightforward: the story centers on Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon who decides to save the life of a boy instead of the city's mayor, setting off a chain of events that lead him to uncover a sinister conspiracy.

Comparing this work to the author's previous titles such as "Yawara!", "Dancing Policeman", "NASA", "Happy!" and "Jigoro!", we can see a shift in tone. These earlier works focused on sports and everyday life with a much lighter approach that favored comedy.

"Monster," on the other hand, is a much darker and emotionally intense narrative, more mature in its themes. Here, Urasawa showcases his ability to craft complex and believable characters and maintain a tense and intriguing plot till the very end. This skill was likely honed during his work on "Master Keaton."

In terms of other works published in "Big Comic Original" magazine, "Monster" marks a significant turning point. It focuses on psychological thrillers and intricate conspiracy plots, unlike most other works in the magazine which were aimed at an older audience but centered around everyday comedy or drama. After the success of "Monster," the magazine began to explore darker stories.

One of the story's strengths is how Urasawa handles themes of justice and morality. Throughout the narrative, readers are constantly challenged to question who the real monster is: the serial killer Dr. Tenma is pursuing, or the corrupt system that enables such evil to exist. This ongoing reflection on human nature and justice is what makes "Monster" a timeless masterpiece.

In summary, it's a remarkable piece of work that doesn't disappoint fans of the noir genre. However, one must be prepared for dense, complicated dialogue and slow-paced progression with minimal action—elements that might disinterest more casual readers.

It's challenging to review a manga like Monster, given its reputation often precedes it, making it difficult to offer unique criticism. People either praise it for meeting expectations or label it as overrated if it falls short. Despite its popularity, I'll avoid spoilers and won't waste time explaining the premise since you likely already know whether you're interested or have finished it. You might be here just to see my score, which is lower than many others. Rest assured, I'm not being bitter or contrarian; I believe Monster has a significant flaw that ruins the reading experience. I'll keep my review as general as possible.

Monster's main issue is that the questions it raises are more interesting than the actual story. Many will mention its philosophical aspects, and they are right—the dilemmas presented are intriguing but not conveyed in an engaging way. Essentially, Monster is boring. It spans 162 chapters, yet the themes and morals can be explained and explored in half an hour. While these themes are interesting and will be discussed for generations, Monster doesn't explore them in a particularly nuanced manner. It's only by the end that it delivers its themes, but by then, it feels too little, too late.

The reasons Monster doesn't live up to its potential are straightforward:

1. The characters are basic. They represent interesting ideologies but lack depth, resulting in an uninspired Christ-like protagonist and an unbelievable antagonist. The characters feel heavy-handed, with little ambiguity.

2. The dialogue is very heavy-handed and melodramatic. If you expect maturity in storytelling, you'd assume subtlety. However, Monster constantly tells you what characters are feeling and how to feel. There are moments of reader interpretation, especially at the ending, which is great but doesn't make up for the rest.

3. The plot is predictable and can border on absurd. Due to the heavy-handed dialogue, the story loses suspense when twists are predictable. When predictions are wrong, it's usually because the story breaches suspension of disbelief.

4. The story attempts to be grounded in reality but fails due to the aforementioned points. Many issues would be alleviated if it didn't take itself so seriously. It borders on pretentiousness, lacking the writing quality to support its tone. This makes the entire manga feel boring, as the characters, dialogue, and plot undermine its intended tone.

Despite my criticisms, there are positives. The art is well-done, and I appreciate that the story aims to say more than most manga. That counts for something, as thousands of manga are published solely for mass appeal or lack ambition. Monster's themes and slow pace do stand out, attracting many readers. However, I wouldn't say reading the whole manga is worth it. The literal story detracts from its themes. It's more interesting to talk about than to read. I recommend reading the first two or three volumes and then watching explanations of the ending online. That way, you get the core philosophy without slogging through the entire manga.

I found the ending satisfying as it lets the reader draw their own conclusions, contrasting with the rest of the series. I enjoyed reading and watching reviews of Monster more than reading it myself. I feel a bit envious that I didn't enjoy it as much as others. Calling Monster mediocre is unfortunate, but I can't change how I feel.

5/10

Thank you for reading this. It's likely no one will, but if you are, I appreciate your attention, even if you disagree or think less of me for it. I hope you found this review insightful or interesting.

I wish the ratings could be more than 10 for this one. I love crime-related and historical dramas, and I've read several manga and watched many shows on these topics. While they had that psychological tussle, none quite hit the spot for me.
But this manga hit just the right spot, and I was in for a thrilling ride. It is a bit slow-paced, but I assure you it won't bore you. Every chapter has its own superb story, revealing something about the characters while leaving much to be discovered in the next chapter.
It's superb, really superb. Read it, and you won't regret it. Especially for someone like me who has become a manga-only person recently due to time constraints, haha. Alright, that's my review.
Happy reading for this one!