Monster

Promotional image for the anime series featuring Kenzo Tenma and partially-shadowed Johan Liebert
Promotional image for the anime series featuring Kenzo Tenma and partially-shadowed Johan Liebert
Promotional image for the anime series featuring Kenzo Tenma and partially-shadowed Johan Liebert

If you are into anime or not you should still consider watching or reading Monster. Unlike the typical anime, Monster has a realistic look, feel, and tone to it. The show doesn’t have dramatic fight scenes or exaggerated faces. Monster is a Crime thriller written by Naoki Urasawa. It’s about this man name Dr. Kenzo Tenma who lived in 1986 Germany. Kenzo was a man who believed that no life was worth more than another life. His philosophy was that all life had meaning and purpose. Due to his beliefs  he disobeys direct orders and instead does what he feels is right. Another character, Johan was an orphaned boy whose only relative was his twin sister Anna. He was a nihilist, sociopath, and serial killer. The series essentially follows Kenzo as he tracks down Johan to kill him ultimately “fixing” his mistake. What makes this show interesting  is the way it sets out to answer the age old question on whether people are inherently evil or good. Johan wants Kenzo to kill him to prove to himself and to the world that people are evil in nature. And we as viewers watch as Kenzo struggles with this. A man whose beliefs are pushed to the limits.. The tone of the show is grim and dark. The dialogue exchange between characters is almost always morbid. Even the music. Often  times you won’t hear it due to its faint sound but it still helps set the tone to this dark series. Monster didn’t just touch on the topic of good vs. evil but it also touched on deeper topics. This is what made the story so compelling it’s always set out a way to make you question your views on something like identity, social status, nature vs. nurture. Even biblical and historical questions. Overall Monster will always be one of my favorite manga/anime series and like I said before even if you are not into anime you should still give it a try. I promise you it won’t be a waste of your time.

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