Urasawa's Monster

This is going to be an unusual review for this blog because it refers both to a book (or rather a series of graphic novels) and an anime series. In my defense, though, extraordinary content merits an extraordinary review.

I came upon Naoki Urasawa's Monster anime series thanks to the recommendation of one of these friends who nailed my tastes in books and music down to nearly a science. I knew that I was in for a big treat. After watching five 20-minute episodes, I was hopelessly hooked, but decided to watch the remaining 65 episodes when I could binge watch with little else to distract me. I almost kept my resolve, but then I stumbled upon a comic book store that carried the first volume of the manga's "perfect editions." A couple of months later, unable to restrain myself any longer, I dove into the manga, which forced me to watch the anime nearly in parallel. Thus began what became an unforgettable deep jump into one of the best series I've ever experienced.

In both media, Monster offers a very dark, complex, slow brewing exploration of topics related to what makes us human (9 volumes of manga, 27 hours of anime). The universe is primed with the personal, ethical dilemma confronted by a neurosurgeon who has little time to decide which of two human lives to save, a choice that endangers his professional career. The choice of the "right thing to do" would depend on knowing how the event will cause the future to unfold, but there's no crystal ball.

To avoid spoilers, I'll say only that Dr. Tenma's gut wrenching choice takes him down a long, winding path of pain, angst, and suffering. Maybe every human life has the same worth. Maybe the people we love are really the ones who can hurts as the most. Maybe there's an absolute evil in this world. Maybe the education we receive shapes us to behave according to a master plan. Maybe some seemingly inconsequential people we meet on our personal journey will be the ones who will save us when we need them the most. Maybe there are grand conspiracy theories that we can believe being orchestrated by people who don't realize they are also being manipulated against their will. Maybe there is indeed hope for those minds who have being touched by evil in their childhood for they will always be able to exercise their free will in spite of their "programming." Maybe. Lots of maybes. The series explores also European history, xenophobia, political extremism, love, friendship, childhood, education, prostitution, and other topics that I'm sure I'm forgetting, but above all, the meaning of identity.

Monster is not plotted as a straight arrow directed at a final climax. Instead, it takes beautiful detours and introduces a multiplicity of smaller characters and side stories, some of which are there to flesh out the main characters in the story and others which are there to remind us that our journeys in life are multifaceted and meandering. There have been reviewers who expressed annoyance with this apparent lack of focus, but I am not among them. I actually think that many of the threads got wrapped up beautifully in the end and those that didn't still added a lot of color to the story. It is the combination of all these threads and their characters that make Monster a masterpiece.

The cast of characters is simply amazing. I made fast friends with several of them, who will leave me lasting memories and who I plan to revisit from time to time: the conflicted, suffering Dr. Tenma, whose plight drives you all the way through the story, the complex twins Johan and Nina whose natures you just cannot fathom until the very end, the Eva wavering between evil and redemption, the obsessive compulsive Inspector Lunge whose quests include one for his lost humanity, the wandering freelance reporter and loyal friend Grimmer, and Dieter, the child in search of a parent, to cite a few.

The artwork in the Monster anime is not necessarily of consistently high quality. There are times where drawing and animation reach peaks of brilliance and others where they seems oversimplified. Since the storyline kept me fully engrossed, that never bothered me. (The artwork on the manga, on the other hand, is consistently beautiful.) As for the soundtrack, I was very impressed by how well the opening song and sequence fit together. I was also incredibly stoked to find David Sylvian's "For the love of life" song in closing credits sequence of the first 30-something episodes. It's a strong song that reminded me of his collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto in "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence," called "Forbidden Colors." There came a point, though, when I was shocked to discover that this song was substituted by another that sounds almost like an unexpertly performed sweet lullaby. Eventually, this second song started growing on me and I learned to like it (as you'd expect of a fanboy of the series). As to the remainder of the soundtrack, there are some songs that get overused a bit, if you pay close attention. I recall one, in particular, which I dubbed the "stereotypical cheesy piano lounge song," but, again the fanboy forgives.

All in all, I'd recommend Monster to anyone who is ready for an exciting experience involving dark and challenging mature subjects. I thing there's too much to shock audiences under 12 and to go over heads between 13 and 18. My expectation is that who will get the most of this series are adults over 20-something who managed to keep a strong and healthy inner child.