YoshiKyon

10/10

AniList

Wow wow wow. I knew Monster was highly regarded, but I didn't know much more than that, and had to look up what it even was when Jess recommended it to me as part of my 12 Anime in 12 Months:

12 Anime in 12 Months:

These are listed in the order I thought I would enjoy them, from most likely to enjoy to least.

• Shinsekai yori
• Plastic Memories
• Vivy: Fluorite Eyes Song
• Kaiba
• Bloom Into You
• Princess Tutu
• Redline
• Monster
• Saint Onii-san
• Haikyu!!
• So I'm a Spider, So What
• In Another World With My Smartphone

74 episodes is pretty daunting for something like this, but once I'd started watching, it was tough to stop. As always, mild spoilers below the cut, but in this case, there are also some slight spoiler content warnings listed immediately below the cut, because this show goes to... a lot of places.

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Content Warnings:

• Demonisation of mental health (and split personalities in particular). This is mostly skimmed over, but it's there and it's jarring when it happens.
• Nazis. Symptom of the setting, and they're unequivocally condemned throughout, but there are definitely a few parts where they're major characters and talk through their plans or ideals.
• Suicide. Just... yeah. Not much more to say on that one.
• Alcoholism. Multiple times, multiple characters, so if this is a problem for people, it's likely not something that can be brushed aside here.

For a long-running show (and typically, I think of anything beyond a typical 2-season / 26-episode duration as long-running), it's usually difficult to summarise the plot, since it'll jump from point to point. Not the case with Monster: within the first couple of episodes, it clearly sets up the premise and does a fantastic job of keeping it relevant and interesting the entire way through. Kenzo Tenma is a brain surgeon who chooses to save the life of an orphaned child, rather than the wealthy politician he is told to prioritise. The child becomes a monster, responsible for the deaths of many, and Tenma sets out to try and right his 'wrong' of saving Johan.

Saying that the central plot remains relevant to Monster undersells the biggest strength of the show, though; the side-characters and stories are told in an incredible way, with intricate characters that grow into their roles and intertwined plots that start off feeling like wild tangents but quickly weave themselves into the paths of everyone else, with Tenma, Johan and Nina running as a core through the centre of it all.

The characters are fantastic too, whether they're likable or not. I won't go into detail on this because it really does need to be watched to be appreciated, but there are characters I thought I would hate who became favourites, and characters I thought would be irrelevant who became more and more integral as things developed. Nina, in particular, is a really well-written character who feels like she could end up being pulled in countless different directions throughout, and her story alone is captivating, let alone the rest of a large varied cast of wonderful characters (and, in some cases, wonderful bastards).

One thing in particular that I want to highlight with Monster is that it does a perfect job of creating tension in the right moments. There are constantly reasons for characters to be on their guard in this show, but it excels at peaking the tension at just the right moments to make them feel more impactful - it's easy to forget the dangers each character faces at times, because Monster does an incredible job at lowering the stakes when it can so that they can be raised later.

It's incredible to think that, in 74 episodes, there isn't a single point where this felt like it dragged on or I needed to take a break. It's perfectly crafted in so many ways, and I can guarantee that, unless you're incredibly averse to crime dramas, you won't regret watching this one. (Now for me to consider buying the manga too...)