Kozahk
03-12-2011, 10:20 AM
Monster is split up into three box sets totaling 76 episodes, I think :confused:, anyway I'll be doing this review in three parts as I eventually acquire them.
http://assets.hulu.com/shows/key_art_naoki_urasawas_monster.jpg
"Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"
Naoki Urasawa's Monster is an anime that first aired in 2004, following the story of a neurosurgeon, Kenzo Tenma, and his pursuit of a serial killer, under the alias Johan, whose life Tenma had once saved. It is an adaption based off the manga of the same name, a rather faithful one at that, that ran between 1994-2001.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/syRk6NuNBTY/0.jpg
The plot of Monster follows Dr Tenma's hunt for Johan, a boy whose life he had saved after being shot the head during the height of the Cold War, after a 'crisis of conscience' between his belief that all lives are equal, and the ambition of his career that would've saved a prestigious official, but left the boy to die. Tenma would soon learn, that the boy he saved would grow up to become a serial killer seemingly targeting people connected to his shadowy past. Setting aside his career; Tenma pursues the monster that he had unleashed upon the world.
The narrative of Monster is broken up into 2 parts; the search and discovery. Typically there will be about three episodes (discovery) dealing directly with Tenma and Johan, then another 4 dealing with the Tenma's travels (search) across Europe following Johan's trail before having another 'discovery' arc. Each episode within the 'search' are typically stand-alone, one off plots, such as: Tenma in a rural town performing an illegal surgery on a police officer's mother, when said police officer shows up (Tenma is a suspected criminal to the murders committed by Johan) and struggles with either securing his long term future or letting a wanted criminal save mother's life, then just walk away. Because of this method, some episodes are fantastic in their story telling, whilst others come off a bit 'half-baked'. The 'discovery' episodes almost never fail to disappoint, and a collection of colourful characters help keep the plot both interesting and suspenseful.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/70KX5WKGkus/0.jpg
Artistically, it has a very realistic tone to it. There are very few exaggerations common in anime present, which supplements the overall gritty feel of both Germany recovering from the Cold War, and the shady nature of the characters themselves. One important thing to note, is that every single character, no matter how major or minor their part, is given a fully unique look. From Tenma, down to the police officers who are only seen in one panel, to a crowd of people, you will notice that a ridiculous amount of time and effort has gone into making every single person, a unique character. The animation itself is very smooth, with very few jerking motions that can sometimes plague the genre.
http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/Uploads/Public/Images/Anime/Monster/b-Monster-Screenshot-21-000005.jpg
Sound design is good for the most part, haunting piano and organs help emasculate the creepy vibe the series gives off. Voice acting is decent with both a good Japanese and English (SHOCK) dub, however some of the dialogue is a bit undercooked (I will punch out the next person who tells me that 'Tenma is a good neurosurgeon', I FUCKING KNOW YOU'VE BEEN TELLING ME THAT FOR THE PAST 4 EPISODES :angry:)
Overall, Monster is a pretty decent anime. Unfortunately, some hit or miss episodes and some spotty dialogue keeping from achieving greatness. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't expect the world from it, but wants an enjoyable, suspenseful experience.
http://ts2.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=676754237409&id=f529d40b3ae122a8c35f9444a17c34ef&url=http%3a%2f%2fmayorparaleercomics.files.wordpre ss.com%2f2009%2f12%2fmonster1.jpg
http://assets.hulu.com/shows/key_art_naoki_urasawas_monster.jpg
"Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"
Naoki Urasawa's Monster is an anime that first aired in 2004, following the story of a neurosurgeon, Kenzo Tenma, and his pursuit of a serial killer, under the alias Johan, whose life Tenma had once saved. It is an adaption based off the manga of the same name, a rather faithful one at that, that ran between 1994-2001.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/syRk6NuNBTY/0.jpg
The plot of Monster follows Dr Tenma's hunt for Johan, a boy whose life he had saved after being shot the head during the height of the Cold War, after a 'crisis of conscience' between his belief that all lives are equal, and the ambition of his career that would've saved a prestigious official, but left the boy to die. Tenma would soon learn, that the boy he saved would grow up to become a serial killer seemingly targeting people connected to his shadowy past. Setting aside his career; Tenma pursues the monster that he had unleashed upon the world.
The narrative of Monster is broken up into 2 parts; the search and discovery. Typically there will be about three episodes (discovery) dealing directly with Tenma and Johan, then another 4 dealing with the Tenma's travels (search) across Europe following Johan's trail before having another 'discovery' arc. Each episode within the 'search' are typically stand-alone, one off plots, such as: Tenma in a rural town performing an illegal surgery on a police officer's mother, when said police officer shows up (Tenma is a suspected criminal to the murders committed by Johan) and struggles with either securing his long term future or letting a wanted criminal save mother's life, then just walk away. Because of this method, some episodes are fantastic in their story telling, whilst others come off a bit 'half-baked'. The 'discovery' episodes almost never fail to disappoint, and a collection of colourful characters help keep the plot both interesting and suspenseful.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/70KX5WKGkus/0.jpg
Artistically, it has a very realistic tone to it. There are very few exaggerations common in anime present, which supplements the overall gritty feel of both Germany recovering from the Cold War, and the shady nature of the characters themselves. One important thing to note, is that every single character, no matter how major or minor their part, is given a fully unique look. From Tenma, down to the police officers who are only seen in one panel, to a crowd of people, you will notice that a ridiculous amount of time and effort has gone into making every single person, a unique character. The animation itself is very smooth, with very few jerking motions that can sometimes plague the genre.
http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/Uploads/Public/Images/Anime/Monster/b-Monster-Screenshot-21-000005.jpg
Sound design is good for the most part, haunting piano and organs help emasculate the creepy vibe the series gives off. Voice acting is decent with both a good Japanese and English (SHOCK) dub, however some of the dialogue is a bit undercooked (I will punch out the next person who tells me that 'Tenma is a good neurosurgeon', I FUCKING KNOW YOU'VE BEEN TELLING ME THAT FOR THE PAST 4 EPISODES :angry:)
Overall, Monster is a pretty decent anime. Unfortunately, some hit or miss episodes and some spotty dialogue keeping from achieving greatness. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't expect the world from it, but wants an enjoyable, suspenseful experience.
http://ts2.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=676754237409&id=f529d40b3ae122a8c35f9444a17c34ef&url=http%3a%2f%2fmayorparaleercomics.files.wordpre ss.com%2f2009%2f12%2fmonster1.jpg