MONSTER
Filmed on location at the Loch Ness
Review by: M.H. “C is for Cookie” Torringjan
Length: 74 episodes
Genre: Mystery, suspense
Watched: 74 episodes
It’s been a long-standing policy of mine that I never watch a series longer than 52 episodes, at the most, because anything longer than that, they’re obviously drawing out the plot to make more money (then again, a lot of 26-episode series do this, too, so maybe that’s not the best rule in the world). However, after hearing about this anime series, I decided that one try at a series longer than 52 episodes would be worth my time. While my opinion of long-ass series hasn’t changed, I’ll grant that there can be good exceptions to the rule.
Plot Summary: Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the best neurosurgeon in Germany, and is content to live his life rising quickly to the top of the medical world: he’s engaged to the director’s daughter, there’s talk of a promotion, and he makes more money than most third-world countries have every week. However, his outlook changes when he is forced to save a famous musician’s life, instead of a poor immigrant who arrived first. He becomes dissatisfied with the situation, and when a young boy who’s been shot in the head arrives a few minutes before the mayor, he ignores his orders and saves the boy’s life instead of the mayor. Due to this, he begins a slow downward spiral that climaxes when the director is killed. Flash forward thirteen years, and Tenma has risen again to the top after the director’s death (which just goes to show, if your boss screws you over, don't worry, he'll die soon). However, a strange series of murders arises, and his past returns to him as the young boy, Johann, seems to be involved, and Tenma has to do something to clear his own name. And that’s just in the first three episodes!
Artwork: While it is about the standard fare for series from 2004, this is about the least remarkable thing about the series. This isn’t to say that the artwork is bad, just that it’s not on as high a level as the rest of the series. The style is sharp, and the colors are vivid. Also, the depictions of the cities and famous landmarks are well-done and accurate. The character designs are memorable and individual, even in terms of realistic-style series, and the range of emotions displayed on their faces serve to make the characters even more sympathetic. Also, considering the length of time that the story covers, the progression of the character design as the characters age is handled very nicely. There are, some stretches where the animation is a bit flat and jerky, but overall, it was really nice.
Music: This is another series where the producers went all out to get just the right feel. The orchestral music used in the series gives the appropriate feel for almost every scene, from the cheerful scenes to the suspenseful scenes. The volume control is handled well, so the music never gets too loud or obtrusive, and there are only two songs that have lyrics of any kind (the ending credit songs), showing that the art of orchestral music is not yet dead in anime. The opening theme is a darker, somewhat creepy instrumental track that serves to set the mood of the series very well. The only down-point of the music are the closing theme songs, both of which are downright annoying to listen to. The singers are the main problem, as the first song’s vocalist sounds like a smooth jazz singer from the 80’s, and the second closing theme’s vocalist sounds much like Herbert from Family Guy. While the song is very artistic, it really isn’t the best-sounding vocalist in the world.
Characters: While the actual cast of characters is extremely large, the core characters are a much more manageable number. Kenzo Tenma is the hero, a star neurosurgeon who sees his main purpose as saving peoples’ lives, no matter who they are. He becomes disillusioned with the politics of the hospital setting, however, which becomes a hindrance to his life. However, once he is sent on the run to find Johann, he is able to win friends and influence people by healing them, regardless or who they are or what they’ve done. His caring attitude towards people convinces most of the people he meets that he isn’t responsible for the murders he’s suspected of. Inspector Lunge of the BKA is the head inspector assigned to the cases surrounding Tenma and Johann. His dogged determination to get to the bottom of cases by looking into the minds of the suspects has won him high regard, but also taken its toll on his personal life. He has taken a special interest in Dr. Tenma’s case, as it’s the only unsolved case under his jurisdiction. He'll stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it. Deitrich is a young boy that Tenma takes into his care while searching for information about Johann. When the young boy meets Tenma, he is introverted and frightened, but Tenma gains his trust with kindness (and toys, because who can you trust more than a stranger giving you toys?) and finally takes him under his wing. Nina Fortner is Johann’s sister, who suffered from shock during the incident where Johann was shot. She doesn’t remember anything of the incident, or even that she has a brother. She’s been raised by a different family until her 21st birthday. Nina sets off on her on to find out the truth of her past and of Johann, and occasionally crosses paths with Tenma.
Plot: A short warning to all: My god, that is a long series. This is necessitated by the depth of the story, which makes me grateful that the producers and network allowed them to tell the entire story, but damn. Harrison Ford was able to catch his one-armed man in two hours, and he was twice Tenma's age! What's taking Tenma so damn long?! With the length of the series, there is more time to allow the characters to develop naturally, and to develop them more thoroughly than would be possible with 26 episodes. While the story itself is at times predictable, overall, it does a decent job of keeping you guessing, and the pacing is appropriate for the series (until perhaps the last few episodes, where it may lag a bit). In all, this is one of the most exciting and interesting psychological stories I’ve seen in an anime series.
CHICKS!! While the subject matter doesn’t lend itself to fanservice and ogling material, there’s still a pretty decent chick to look at. Nina Fortner is a resilient and self-reliant college-aged girl, who steadfastly searches for her past. Not much is known about her romantic interests or tastes, but she seems to prefer the knight-in-shining-armor type. So, you’ll have to be on your best behavior, but I don’t think you’ll have any competition from a certain doctor whom she views more as a father figure than a lover.
Overall: While the series is extremely long, and the plot does start to drag around the end of the series, the material, and the technical quality of the series makes this a classic suspense series. The depth of the characters and the memorable plot all lend to a successful series, and I’d recommend checking it out. Just don’t watch the ending if you don’t like pedophiles.
In a Nutshell:
+ Deep characters
+ Great plot
+ Great music
+ Decent artwork
- Few chicks
- Creepy end music
Final score: 9/10
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