Being a doctor means having an oath to save someone's life because all lives are equal. To be a doctor means you have the skills and tools to go above and beyond to help and save peoples lives. Working in Germany during the 1980 Doctor Kenzo Tenma, a well renowned brain surgeon lives his life fulfilling his oath. Until, one day a boy with a serious brain injury and a famous politician also with a life threatening injury come in. Dr. Tenma has to make a decision between saving the boy or the politician. Little did he know that this decision would turn his world upside down and result in the murders of many innocent people.
Most will be discouraged by the 74 episode listing, but if you’re reading this I assume you’re interested enough to see if it’s worth it.I will also add that I am currently in self quarantine because of COVID-19, so I have time to finish it. Thankfully the slow pacing is backed up by it’s grey astounding characters and suspenseful plot. If anyone has seen the show Game of Thrones, you would know how important the characters are. They have their issues that make them relate able and much more interesting. The same is done here. The array of characters from Dr. Tenma, Johan, Nina, Lunge, Grimmer and more creates a relationship between you and the characters. You root for Dr. Tenma to fix his life. You sympathize for Nina. You can’t help but be captivated by everything Johan does. Throughout the story there were characters I initially didn’t like or have strong feelings for (inspector Lunge cough* cough*), but by the end I appreciated them so much (He’s an actual genius). This is because through all those episodes you slowly get to know them.
The plot on the other hand, oh my god the way it unfolds. By the Red Rose Mansion arc I’m in so much suspense. While the stories and mysteries unfold you also discover more and more about the antagonist. The reasons he does everything he does and how it all ties in together. The other thing about this anime is that it focuses on age old topics. Topics such as “is humanity meant for good or meant for bad?”. This has been done multiple times before, but Monster does it in such a unique way. Dr. Tenma is also an example of people’s ideal self. Someone who cares for others, and showcases all the good traits of mankind. However, he isn’t perfect; he is dealing with great pressure and mental turmoil. Johan is his coil resembling all that's bad in mankind. He showcases those haunting feelings we suppress and are afraid of. Yet you can’t help, but feel a sort of guilty pleasure when Johan appears. If you enjoy crime and mystery shows this anime is meant for you.
I got more out of this anime than a good time. I learned to appreciate the different types of anime their are and the complexity of the stories they tell. Monster isn't like any "traditional anime" their aren't any ecchi scenes, fan service, stretched out shounen fights, love triangles , outrages characters, you know none of the things we can easily spot in most anime. Yet it does what I believe differentiates anime from any other type of animation. It leaves the viewers contemplating about the importance of what they just watched. Of course that's just my opinion haha, but thank you for taking the time to read this!