Anime – Monster [DVD]

Anime Dec 13, 2020

Overview:

A brain surgeon Tenma is a prodigy with the utmost talent but due to the foundation around him and politics… it shows how cruel the world can be by not following a conformist mentality. He decides to save a boy and push for his own view of equality no matter the life while the Director was trying to force him into saving only those that would serve a political gain. Tenma didn’t have a problem saving them, but these people would come in after or as his operation was about to start and he would be forced to stop and serve the other person for political reasons of inequality of life and personal gain.

The boy he decided to stand up for his own views on instead of conforming to another’s will brought about a form of suffering from a job perspective and who gains credit etc. Forcing him into nothingless in a sense, he was well regarded but trapped in a position of never moving forward due to the opposition he has done.

Years later the patient that was saved is what started a journey of false accusations and false criminality that was pinned onto him. He was branded a criminal due to events that came forth directly because of saving the boys life.

As the story progressed, there are several showings of the darkness that people are capable of and the sins a person can commit for personal/financial gain. Tenma wasn’t working to correct what he considered a sin of his past but rather make amends and right what he believed to be wrong. This journey took him to several places where he would meet and slowly uncover the boy’s past and reasoning for how he became what he was. There are a few twists and turns but everything is paced steadily without much slow pace or stale pacing. It was consistent all the way to the end.

Visuals/Music:

Given the age of Monster the animation is still pretty good all things considered. There are several times where the faces or other focus on screen where a bit lackluster, but it never felt too out of place since the main focus was always about character development and focusing on the story being told. The most standout animation was in the last episode when one of the characters opens a door at a University. The door seemed out of place entirely but that was the first notable instance. The entire color palette and way the animation was matched with the theme of being darker and *mature* esque… there are also come times where they would be driving and stop but the odometer is not at 0 and instead halfway up or so lol. Its strange but really a minor detail.

Music was good but nothing special. It was there and did its job of helping to keep the viewer immersed without feeling out of place, no complaints.

Final Thoughts:

Monster is one of those shows that is a classic in its own right. I highly recommend people to watch it. There are a decent amount of eps but worth the time investment by the end due to how well the story and characters were throughout.

Characters (main) – 5/5

Characters (sub) – 5/5

Enjoyment – 4/5

Visuals – 4/5

Music – 3.5/5

Story – 5/5