Monster or the biggest master piece in the history of animes in my opinion.
The anime was published in 2004 based on the manga by Naoki Urasawa (on of the most talented man out there in my opinion). Is considered by some (including me) the best or one of the best psychological themed anime.
What is it even about ?
The story is about Kenzo Tenma, a neurosurgeon living and practicing in Germany. He is having an climbing career but one day a man die because he had to operate a less urgent but more important patient first and seeing the wife of the man destroyed by the event make him rethink the way he want to play the game of life. Later that day the mayor and a kid are both admitted to the hospital at the same time and even if asked to operate on the mayor Tenma want to save the kid.
After this, the mayor dies and Tenma is penalized by what he did, left on side by hierarchy and left by his wife.
On top of this already annoying situation, it come out that the kid he saved is a "Monster" that kill a lot of people without letting any unintentional traces. Tenma only goal now become to stop the Monster he "created".
I could reveal what happens during the 72 episodes but if you don't discover it yourself it doesn't have the same taste...
Let's know give a word about the themes, one of the big question around the anime is the moral ambiguity of "What is it to do the right thing". Kenzo did the right thing by saving a child. Kenzo did the wrong thing by curing the future antagonist. Did he know it that the child would kill people ? No, but if he listened to the hospital direction he wouldn't have saved a serial killer.
Another question treated during the anime at various moment and by the story of various character is the question of life, do we all deserve to live ? Do your actions impact your right to live ?
The final maxi-package is composed of 4 theme that are all mixed up, Good & Evil and Justice & Evil. During the story you will learn about the life of the young "Monster" which then "explain" why he became evil but at the same time another character with the same life turned out to become the complete opposite. Once the anime ends, there is no happy or sad ending it's more of a mixed one, in which you as a spectator have to tell if Kenzo have fixed his mistake (if you think he did any) or if he didn't.
In the end Monster isn't just any anime it's a one of a kind, no fan service, almost no action, slow rhythm. 72 episode and slow you will ask me how is it possible to watch all of this ? Intensity, when the character are happy you are, when they are stressed so are you, they are scared i guarantee you will start to be too.
There is one characther i would love to talk about, but he appear so late in the story that reviling anything about him would spoil you a lot about the story and i don't want this... but i can say that this opposit to "Monster" is an exemple on how we should all live. Being kind to everyone (could apply to Tenma too).
To end this, this anime probably impacted the way i behave quite a lot. Made me realize that i was nice not kind... which i tried and still try to change in my everyday way of behaving. Watch it 10/10.
