Monster Review

Took the opportunity to re-read Monster because I wanted to test my reading experience on my new iPad Pro, and it turned out a lot better than expected. I finished Monster long ago and honestly find it a little overhyped, but now I realize I have likely missed out on some detail that makes me change my mind.

While I still prefer Pluto from the big works of Naoki, I think the idea behind Monsters is far simpler yet just as powerful.

What makes a monster? Do monsters really exist? These have been recurring themes throughout the story and I think given the release year it has certainly inspired many other manga, anime, or even movies that came out later with equivalent premises ( or straight-up copy-paste xd).

While it’s undeniable that the mysteries and detective elements remain the backbone of this work, I find the result and application of said subjects combined with the deep dive into the psychological side of characters are what elevated Monster, for the whole purpose of uncovering the truth behind the puzzles are to decipher the motives, and sympathize with the victims as well as the perpetrator, at least from the context of the manga.

Ahem, I might have to quote Umineko for this one:

It’s not about the what and how it’s about the why

And damn boy they really nailed it with this one.

So what is Monster really about? I’d also like to add my few cents on the topic. I think anything and anyone can be a “monster”. As demonstrated in this work, even the most kind-hearted, down-to-earth person can “slip” and corrupt into something that is just not themselves, especially GIVEN THE BADLY TIMED circumstances and environment surrounding them.

This is not to justify their terrible deeds but to understand and acknowledge them for what they are. It is like a chemical reaction, with the correct intervention you can just blow things up even though they were not originally meant to be that way. Similarly, because human emotion and mental state can be fragile and prone to distortion like paper, the same thing can happen to them with a slight push from behind.

The cast of Monster can be hailed as rich and quite engaging, the only problem I can point out is the lack of presence and panel time for the twin even though they have their status as main characters. For Johan sure his reach in the manga without even being metaphorical is just completely over the top, but I don’t really enjoy the fact that most of his so-called panel-time is simply people retelling a story or reminiscing about the past or PTSD whatever. It might be alright for the first few times but this gets extremely long-winded and blatantly repetitive as I kept reading. There was not much real actual panel time, so I thought Johan as a character could have soared even further had the author come up with some way to mitigate that flaw.

But even so, I’m not as mad for Johan as I am for Nina, she’s just so wasted and barely left any mark on the story other than being a mere shadow to Johan. I know it’s unfair to compare the two of them but hey if Naoki decided to have them as a twin with so much resemblance in design and such then I just can’t help it, also her early stage was actually pretty well done and I enjoyed her moments till she got swiftly reduced to being a plot device so yea, that’s just rip.

I may be a bit harsh on this matter but this is a toll for having an ambitious lineup of character. Sure it’s a challenge to balance between main and supporting if you have way too many of them but I think for a work as grandiose as Monster, it must be responsible for setting a clear line between them, not just as having Tenma alone as the main focus.

Regardless,

I’m not saying Nina and Johan are bad by any means

, they’re good but can be even better and that’s all. As for the rest of the cast, I really enjoyed a lot of those characters individually, they served their purpose well and brought flavors to the story as the plot got thicker while enclosing the finish line, which is very cool. The real charm though lies in the diversity of these characters.

I have to hats off to Naoki for embracing so many different cultures and showcasing them right in this manga, whether it be EU, or Asian, the characters feel pretty alive and have their own roles to play, be it big or small. Each of them has their own story, conflict, struggle, and dilemma, yet somehow Naoki always managed to give them an ending fitting the context so much. When you zoom the whole picture out everyone is connected one way or another despite the grim tone spanning across the story, and that’s kinda just sublime.

The art direction for this manga is just great I can say. Naoki usually strives for a realistic approach to his works and I don’t have anything against it, this makes a good change of pace from the usual 2d stuff where everything steers away from real life and goes as wild, weird, and fantasy-like as possible. The choice of setting is also great because I don’t think we’ve got that many series that actually heavily involved Germany and the EU as Monster did and the culture change is nice to see.

Apart from that Naoki also made full use of the advantage of manga as a medium to create atmospheric shots especially when transiting from a gloomy, desolate view to something less depressing yet with unclear direction, and in turn inducing serenity as a result. And the way the manga works, with every page you flip, you can’t be sure if it’ll be another jump scare or something heartfelt, disgusting, or simply mesmerizing, and that adds to the thrill and reading experience overall.

All and all, I think Monster was an outstanding read and while it has room for improvement the main message and theme were well conveyed in a very sophisticated way over the course of 160+ chapters as the curtain on the grand painting being drawn bits by bits. Accompanying the manga is a prolific amount of characters treated with care and capable of moving at their own pace on top of the splendid manga panels and spread to highlight dramatic moments or evoke a satisfying scene after a long period of getting you on edge with its seemingly never-ending chase in the darkness of the unknown.