Nineteen years after its premiere, Netflix, in its continued journey to expand its animation content, adds this masterpiece to its catalog. And we have no choice but to recommend it.
Revered by the literary community both inside and outside of Japan, naoki urasawa is one of the most critically acclaimed manga authors of his time. So it’s natural that Monster – his fifth serialized manga and one of the best-selling in history-, became one of the best anime series ever brought to the screen.
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Issued between 2004 and 2005, Monster was encouraged by Madhouse, one of the best Japanese animation studios, with such big names as Hunter x Hunter, Death Note, One Punch Man either Sakura, card chaser, behind their backs. Their 74 episodes (30 of which are already available on Netflix), revolve around Kenzo Tenma, an up-and-coming Japanese neurosurgeon practicing at the Eisler Memorial Hospital in Dusseldorf.
Tenma has everything in life: a job that he is passionate about and in which he demonstrates his incredible skills, and a rich and beautiful girlfriend. However, one day he decides to ignore the order of his superior and save an unknown boy instead of the life of the town mayor. As a consequence of this he loses his privileged job and his girlfriend. A short time later, the doctors who dismissed him are found dead and he becomes the main suspect in the crime.
A situation that will put him between a rock and a hard place and will drive him to investigate these, and other deaths, to find out the truth about the monster that hides behind the events.
Monster is much more than just a thriller of suspense. Built on the timeless and most repeated dilemma in history (good and evil), this anime reflects on issues as complicated as innocence, guilt, optimism, nihilism, or morality.
A very powerful reflection on the human condition and psyche, and how our decisions affect the lives of others
Influenced by European authors, Urasawa took a very specific historical context of territorial tension as a reference: the Germany of the year 1986, when it had not yet been torn down the Berlin Wall. But it develops the story in an imaginary after its destruction. In a unified Germany over which the shadow and horror of the past still weighed.
Monster it’s a brilliant representation of the complex beauty and the terror of the macabre. A very powerful reflection on the human condition and psyche, and how our decisions affect the lives of others. A perfectly written and structured story riddled with powerful story arcs, revelations, and dilemmatic twists.
From the beginning to the end, Monster gives us the necessary space for us to do multiple interpretations of everything that happens. There is no absolute truth about who the real monster is, nor what is the correct criteria when defining it.
This series also has one of the best villains in anime history, and one of the best villains of all time. An incredible, twisted, dark and tragic character.
A story with a dark atmosphere that flows without lacking emotional and substantial depth, through the emotional development of its characters. With plenty of perfect episodes, simple but effective visual effects and wonderful sound design.
Urasawa does not judge, but he does throw us a disturbing reflection: there are monsters living among usand monsters that live inside of us.
