Monster is a psychological suspense thriller with a slow-paced storytelling style. It walks the viewers through some serious intellectual struggles and mind games. It is one of the most critically acclaimed anime in its genre.

Genre:  Psychological,  mystery
Episodes: 74

Plot

The story is set in 1986 after the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany. It follows Kenzou Tenma, who is an incredibly skilled Japanese brain surgeon in Germany. The action begins when he chooses to save the life of a young boy over the life of a Mayor. This event leads to him enduring many loses including his position at the hospital, his secure future, and his fiancé. In a drunken state, he pours out his heart to the little boy lying on his bed asleep. Now guess what, a short while later, the hospital director and the doctors that replaced him were murdered. This restores a few things that Tenma lost and opens up new opportunities for his success.

After nine years, under certain circumstances, he realizes that the little boy, Johan, whose life he saved is actually a psychopath and a serial killer. Eventually, Tenma also becomes a wanted man by police. He sets on a journey to investigate the truth behind the crimes and to correct the greatest mistake of his life. In this quest joins Nina, Johan’s twin sister, while she tries to uncover the truth about her past and regain her lost memories. Officer Lunge restlessly pursues Tenma, convinced that Tenma is responsible for all the crimes.

The anime takes you with Tenma to different parts of Germany uncovering mysteries and loosening the thread slowly and delicately. The architecture style, culture, and background are very well detailed and close to reality.

Characters  

Monster boasts of exceptional characterization. Almost every character (major and secondary) is represented brilliantly providing details to their back story, emotional state, and development. Most characters are driven by their fierce determination which often crosses the line to become an obsession.

Tenma, Johan, Nina, Lunge are the characters that receive the most attention, with Johan’s character being the most complicated. I want to refrain myself from giving spoilers but I cannot stop myself from mentioning that he somehow manages to talk fifty people into massacring each other. The lack of real insight into how Johan works (and his influence in crimes), leaves you a bit dissatisfied.

Verdict

Monster is a decent anime with a good number of riveting moments. If you jump into the anime expecting some fast-paced psychological clashes (like Death Note), you will be in for a disappointment. This anime falls into those classic types focusing on characterization, their dynamics, and essence of morality. It takes you on a long journey with the characters while you peel off the layers of truth one by one.  The ending of the anime felt incomplete and left me a bit confused. There are varied interpretation and opinions regarding the climax of the anime on the web.