Scene still
Disclaimer: Although this review does not have any explicit spoilers on the whole, it does go through the first episode and its various themes. If you like to go into an anime with a fresh mind perhaps this review won’t be for you, but if not then keep reading and enjoy!
Story:
Who would you save— A young boy who just got shot or a mayor with a head injury responsible for your promotions? Each patient with life threatening situations needs to be operated on by you. It can only be you. The guilt Dr Kenzo Tenma had from a previous experience caused him to save the Boy, losing him his job and all future job prospects. He is for a while content with it, but not long after his decision soon catches up to him when he discovers links in several murders.
The main theme of this anime is a philosophical and moral question called ‘The trolley problem’ where one is forced to pick against two equal weighted choices. This is the fundamental core of ‘Monster.’
I really relate to Dr Tenma, he picks what he belives is right and his belief is so firm it’s inspiring, but his decision leads to an extremely dark future. It makes you question if the decision was right or not. The ability to choose, to be conscious of our choices is what makes us distinct.
Art & Animation: Many people are not used to and do not like watching old style anime due to its simplistic nature. I think anime fans now are amazed by the special effects and the crisp quality that modern animation styles present but Monster is quite an old anime. The manga for Monster was made in 2002 and the anime aired on 2004! This is a classic anime with a simple style, the animation is also very simple. Perhaps for those who did not grow up on older animes may find themselves having to adjust to it, but it’s not necessarily really an issue overall.
In fact I think the art style goes really well with the aesthetic of the story. Monster is one of the darkest animes I know, the art therefore has a lot of earthy tones which can resemble life and death itself, a key and integral part of the story.
Sound & Music: One word—Amazing! I have never skipped the opening theme, not once for the entire 70+ episodes. I even listen to the soundtrack to this day. The music goes so well with the entire show. The two ending are also involved in the story a lot. Initially you’d think for an ending credit sequence to just be a set of images or animations that are not directly linked to the story. Monster however, I advise everyone to pay attention. The images, the soothing but saddening songs that play all have deep meanings, and I love how they incorporated which is otherwise maybe seen as a skippable scene into something which has a purpose.
However one critism I have with the soundtrack is that some parts are repeated a lot. Every time a track pops up, by the time you reach half way through the anime, you’d know what the scene was immediately about. Overall though, it’s not a massive issue, just a noticeable one.
Characters: This anime has so many great characters. The main character Dr Tenma has an unbelievable arc! It’s hard to describe without spoiling. He is definately one of my favourite characters in all anime. It’s great to see such a kind and caring character get such recognition. With a lot of anime, people tend to like the most powerful characters but what monster does is sit you down with relatable characters, characters which act insanely human, self-contrasting characters.
The antagonist in the anime is probably known to be the best villain in the whole of anime. He is extremely compelling, to the point where I was watching a scene and I shivered just seeing their face! Haha! However, the arc of the villain did not just happen out of thin air, little by little the anime gives you seeds of the history of what these characters had to go through, what they did in the past. It doesn’t treat you like you’re thick either, it allows the viewer to piece together these bits and pieces of a scene throughout the entire span of the anime to work out the plot by yourself.
Every important character has an arc, a journey throughout the story. Each character plays a profound role in one way or another. I don’t think a single character was wasted in this anime.
Enjoyment: Let’s just get this straight, I watched 70+ episodes in under three days! I actually wanted to initially watch this anime as a slow-burn. Watch it slowly and take my time with it but every time I stopped there was a need to watch some more, and more. Each episode is so worth it, each episode there is something that makes you think, makes you smile.
The anime is deeply philosophical, for a massive ponderer like me, I thought about so many topics while watching this anime. Things like the Trolley problem, life and death, justice, innocence, guilt. It’s honestly so great.
It’s also historical too! As a huge history nerd, the anime is set just after the cold war when the Berlin wall collapsed. The topic of Communism, Socialism even Nazism comes up. Since these events are mentioned the anime is quite a serious one. That doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom(although, jeez does it go there a lot) the anime in it is essence is quite hopeful.
Islamic Factor: Lots of lessons! The anime truly taught me so many things. The idea that people are not binary creatures, we all have the capability of doing good or doing evil. Many characters start off good and end up evil, many characters were evil but end up great, many characters stay exactly as they are. Everyone has room to grow in more ways than one if they so wish to.
That sanctity of life and the preservation of life is extremely important. Everyone has a right to live life free from oppression. Everyone has a right to start anew if they so wish. That human life is equal, and should be treated equally. This anime emphasised this for me a lot just because of the shere amount the main character has to do in order to try and maintain this.
Mastery in a field! Dr Tenma is a fabulous doctor, just watching him excel in his job made me want to be like him, it made me want to be good at something like that.
I’d like to warn people that the anime has scenes which are definately NOT for kids or even early/mid teens! There are scenes which even almost traumatised me. There is an episode called ‘The cruelest thing’ which broke my heart. Do not show this to kids.
Overall: This anime is actually one of my favourite animes of all time. Perhaps no.1 or no.2? I thought after 91days and Vinland nothing would be able to top it but this did in virtually nearly all grounds.
I love the fact that everything ties in once you get to the end. It becomes so satisfying to watch. The characters are either extremely likeable or extremely annoying but that just goes to show how good the characterisation work is! Naoki Urusawa (the creator of the manga) is truly a genius! The story is told so masterfully. It’s absolutely perfect for a person who loves psychological, mystery, historical based anime.
Words of advice: The ending might confuse some people, but there is actually a light novel which is sadly not fully translated into english. The novel explains the ending. There are partial translations here and there but none which explains the actual ending scene. You might find this annoying, but you can check out an explanation on the ending on youtube which addresses this in a satisfying way. It won’t leave you distressed don’t worry!
Scoring: 9.8/10 !
Credit: Naoki Urusawa & Madhouse Studio.
Originally published on Anime4Muslims. Source: https://anime4muslims.muslimmanga.org/2021/02/04/monster-the-beauty-of-life-in-the-midst-of-death/.