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Naoki Urasawa's Monster #16
Naoki Urasawa Präsentiert: Monster, Band 16: Schön, dass du wieder da bist
Johan is a cold and calculating killer with a mysterious past, and brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Conspiracy and serial murder open the door to a compelling, intricately woven plot in this masterpiece manga thriller.
Tenma is lying low, but his brief respite is doomed to be short-lived. Milan, one of Tenma's new friends, is planning to assassinate a man with deep ties to "Red Rose Mansion." Can Tenma dissuade him from this drastic line of action? Also, a seemingly unrelated string of murders by various serial killers hints at a sinister connection with Johan. How many more people need to die before the monster's work is complete?
Tenma is lying low, but his brief respite is doomed to be short-lived. Milan, one of Tenma's new friends, is planning to assassinate a man with deep ties to "Red Rose Mansion." Can Tenma dissuade him from this drastic line of action? Also, a seemingly unrelated string of murders by various serial killers hints at a sinister connection with Johan. How many more people need to die before the monster's work is complete?
215 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2001
About the author
Naoki Urasawa
340 books2,449 followersUrasawa Naoki (浦沢直樹) is a Japanese mangaka. He is perhaps best known for Monster (which drew praise from Junot Díaz, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner) and 20th Century Boys.
Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing
Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.
Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
March 15, 2023
I have mixed feelings about this volume. The beginning dragged a bit because I felt we just kept getting the same type of plot over and over again, the same type of thing constantly happening.
But then the last half became action-heavy, with some pretty shocking character moments and the plot escalating back to an exciting level.
By the end, my excitement for the series was back to high level, especially after all the we learn about the twins' past and the confusing-in a good way-last panel.
I'm hoping it stays at this level for the last two volumes in the series!
But then the last half became action-heavy, with some pretty shocking character moments and the plot escalating back to an exciting level.
By the end, my excitement for the series was back to high level, especially after all the we learn about the twins' past and the confusing-in a good way-last panel.
I'm hoping it stays at this level for the last two volumes in the series!
August 15, 2019
The End The End The End ,the final showdown Anna confronts Johan , Tenma is reaching to kill Johan. What will happen ? All things so messed up.
March 26, 2024
The beginning of the end...
September 29, 2018
Manga marathon.
Read
July 5, 2022"And I will keep on doing what I am doing to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 12-14
"He never sleeps. He says that he will never die. He dances in light and in shadow and he is a great favorite. He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.” - Blood Meridian
I tend to be a sucker for strong concepts. Give me a good hook for a story and I'll read it, even if it doesn't entirely grab me in the end. Much of the time, I'm disappointed when a concept is misused or the author/artist doesn't explore the concept's full potential, merely touching upon it to get the readers hooked and then going on about their own interests or in the worst-case scenario, destroying the momentum that's been built. But Monster is different, as it's the rare series that delivers on its concept, while also being a very fast paced, entertaining story.
I've tried to expand my horizons in the world of comics and read foreign comics, and manga has been on that list of foreign comics to read. I've read several manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub, Akira, Bastard, and Death Note which I've enjoyed to various degrees, but the name Naoki Urasawa has come up with almost religious reverence in the circles that I've come across in the manga fandom. I'm happy to say that Urasawa is a writer-artist combination who proves to be as skilled of a storyteller as he is a draughtsman.
Urasawa shows himself to be a master of pacing, a master of suspense, and a master storyteller. While Monster starts off slowly, Urasawa keeps the audience invested with deft plotting and intricate attention to character, before taking the audience on a wild ride from beginning to end. Much of his skill also comes from his sense of the mystique, giving us little niblets of a much grander mystery that keeps his audience coming back for more. It is this ability that kept me coming back for more. I was impressed with the psychological progression of the characters, how their beliefs change throughout the story, and how they grow from the experiences that they go through during the events of the story.
Urasawa's art is likewise skilled, it is cartoon-like, while also being filled with character and personality. All his characters have distinct designs, and a character rarely looks similar to the other. An issue I often find with manga art is that all the characters look like children, and at their oldest late teens to early 30s. I wouldn't be surprised if Urasawa was influenced by the artwork of Katsuhiro Otomo, as he shares his eye for detail and distinct characteristics of his characters. Though Urasawa's art often runs toward the gothic. My friend Dave put it nicely when he said that this series has such an ominous and otherworldly feel that it sometimes feels fantastic.
Proof of this idea is with the main antagonist Johan, the titular monster, someone who is so detached from the rest of humanity that it seems that he is something otherworldly. Like Anton Chigurh or The Joker, Johan's evil is something that is so incomprehensible to the human psyche, that even when his motives are clear we are still unable to penetrate why he does what he does. What makes him so frightening isn't that he's particularly malicious or sadistic, it's that he is completely indifferent towards the lives around him, including his own. Urasawa plays his cards beautifully by never showing Johan too much or stooping to cliches where he taunts the heroes, he proves to be more of a force of nature than a cartoon bad guy.
Much of the series explores the relationship of protagonist Dr. Tenma and Johan and how both effect the world around them. They're not merely enemies, but existential opposites who are forced to collide. As Robert McGee pointed out, a protagonist's journey is only as good as the forces that antagonize him. Tenma's journey is ripe with struggle as he uncovers the mystery of who Johan is and all the forces that seek him for good or ill. Yet what allows Tenma to win is the fact that he chooses to hang on to being good, despite being in a world that is so transparently corrupt, becoming just as incomprehensible to the people who want to exploit or use him for their own ends.
I was also very surprised with the depth of the side characters that Urasawa introduced and how many stories he weaved into the story without losing the threads of the main plot. While they might seem frivolous at first glance, Urasawa always manages to find a way to weave them back into the main story somehow, where no detail is lost in the abyss. Much of the emotion that I felt through the series came from the side characters often, and Urasawa proves to be as gifted with characterization as Stephen King, creating characters with depth and nuance that gives the story its heart despite all the horrors that happen in it.
I continually stand in awe with how Urasawa manages to connect all these seemingly loose threads together to create one big story. It's rare that a story delivers on its core concept so adroitly, yet Urasawa does this and then some. He puts many comic creators around the world to shame, and he has fun doing it. His boundless imagination and his sense of set up and pay off will keep readers entertained as the story moves along as it does, culminating to an ending that is as oddly fitting as you could be with this story.
It's rare that a story explores evil with such nuance and creativity, we see all aspects of human evil be laid to bare through this series without reservation, rather it be the casual indifference of Johan, the selfish opportunism of the neo-Nazis, or the banal cruelty of the scientists from Kinderheim 511. One can also see the film Halloween being an influence on this series considering how Johan is much like Michael Myers, especially with the ending which I won't spoil here. Good might have triumphed today, Johan might be stopped, but he'll never truly be gone...
After all, evil never really dies, does it?
"He never sleeps. He says that he will never die. He dances in light and in shadow and he is a great favorite. He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.” - Blood Meridian
I tend to be a sucker for strong concepts. Give me a good hook for a story and I'll read it, even if it doesn't entirely grab me in the end. Much of the time, I'm disappointed when a concept is misused or the author/artist doesn't explore the concept's full potential, merely touching upon it to get the readers hooked and then going on about their own interests or in the worst-case scenario, destroying the momentum that's been built. But Monster is different, as it's the rare series that delivers on its concept, while also being a very fast paced, entertaining story.
I've tried to expand my horizons in the world of comics and read foreign comics, and manga has been on that list of foreign comics to read. I've read several manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub, Akira, Bastard, and Death Note which I've enjoyed to various degrees, but the name Naoki Urasawa has come up with almost religious reverence in the circles that I've come across in the manga fandom. I'm happy to say that Urasawa is a writer-artist combination who proves to be as skilled of a storyteller as he is a draughtsman.
Urasawa shows himself to be a master of pacing, a master of suspense, and a master storyteller. While Monster starts off slowly, Urasawa keeps the audience invested with deft plotting and intricate attention to character, before taking the audience on a wild ride from beginning to end. Much of his skill also comes from his sense of the mystique, giving us little niblets of a much grander mystery that keeps his audience coming back for more. It is this ability that kept me coming back for more. I was impressed with the psychological progression of the characters, how their beliefs change throughout the story, and how they grow from the experiences that they go through during the events of the story.
Urasawa's art is likewise skilled, it is cartoon-like, while also being filled with character and personality. All his characters have distinct designs, and a character rarely looks similar to the other. An issue I often find with manga art is that all the characters look like children, and at their oldest late teens to early 30s. I wouldn't be surprised if Urasawa was influenced by the artwork of Katsuhiro Otomo, as he shares his eye for detail and distinct characteristics of his characters. Though Urasawa's art often runs toward the gothic. My friend Dave put it nicely when he said that this series has such an ominous and otherworldly feel that it sometimes feels fantastic.
Proof of this idea is with the main antagonist Johan, the titular monster, someone who is so detached from the rest of humanity that it seems that he is something otherworldly. Like Anton Chigurh or The Joker, Johan's evil is something that is so incomprehensible to the human psyche, that even when his motives are clear we are still unable to penetrate why he does what he does. What makes him so frightening isn't that he's particularly malicious or sadistic, it's that he is completely indifferent towards the lives around him, including his own. Urasawa plays his cards beautifully by never showing Johan too much or stooping to cliches where he taunts the heroes, he proves to be more of a force of nature than a cartoon bad guy.
Much of the series explores the relationship of protagonist Dr. Tenma and Johan and how both effect the world around them. They're not merely enemies, but existential opposites who are forced to collide. As Robert McGee pointed out, a protagonist's journey is only as good as the forces that antagonize him. Tenma's journey is ripe with struggle as he uncovers the mystery of who Johan is and all the forces that seek him for good or ill. Yet what allows Tenma to win is the fact that he chooses to hang on to being good, despite being in a world that is so transparently corrupt, becoming just as incomprehensible to the people who want to exploit or use him for their own ends.
I was also very surprised with the depth of the side characters that Urasawa introduced and how many stories he weaved into the story without losing the threads of the main plot. While they might seem frivolous at first glance, Urasawa always manages to find a way to weave them back into the main story somehow, where no detail is lost in the abyss. Much of the emotion that I felt through the series came from the side characters often, and Urasawa proves to be as gifted with characterization as Stephen King, creating characters with depth and nuance that gives the story its heart despite all the horrors that happen in it.
I continually stand in awe with how Urasawa manages to connect all these seemingly loose threads together to create one big story. It's rare that a story delivers on its core concept so adroitly, yet Urasawa does this and then some. He puts many comic creators around the world to shame, and he has fun doing it. His boundless imagination and his sense of set up and pay off will keep readers entertained as the story moves along as it does, culminating to an ending that is as oddly fitting as you could be with this story.
It's rare that a story explores evil with such nuance and creativity, we see all aspects of human evil be laid to bare through this series without reservation, rather it be the casual indifference of Johan, the selfish opportunism of the neo-Nazis, or the banal cruelty of the scientists from Kinderheim 511. One can also see the film Halloween being an influence on this series considering how Johan is much like Michael Myers, especially with the ending which I won't spoil here. Good might have triumphed today, Johan might be stopped, but he'll never truly be gone...
After all, evil never really dies, does it?
January 13, 2023
More death. Revenge (or is it vengeance...the two get so entangled as one in this series) goes wrong. Some who thought they'd die live, while innocents suffer. Tenma's ex is more off the deep end that I remember. Will this detective ever catch up on the story? He has a lot of missing parts but is still focused on the wrong person! And what is now up with Nina? So many questions continue to stack up.
April 5, 2015
Everyone ever associated with this is dropping like flies. It's satisfying and creepy, but more than anything else, the reveals are making this story supreme. Not surprising, of course, because this is a suspense, but I couldn't be more thrilled by how I see this developing.
The domino pieces were set up perfectly.
The domino pieces were set up perfectly.
March 12, 2024
More 'Monster', for good and for bad...
Like, yes, of course, this is a great series, and Urasawa is a master genius of storytelling. But, also, these few last volumes are testing my patience a little bit, with a lot of what seem interconnected facts, new characters that don't last long, and just a lot of stalling.
This one, once again, starts pretty slow, and ends with a bang... though I'm not that impressed. Let's see if what the last page seems to imply finally gets to fruition in the next volume, just once and for all.
Anyway, with just two more volumes to go, we absolutely need to be getting answers now, don't we?
Like, yes, of course, this is a great series, and Urasawa is a master genius of storytelling. But, also, these few last volumes are testing my patience a little bit, with a lot of what seem interconnected facts, new characters that don't last long, and just a lot of stalling.
This one, once again, starts pretty slow, and ends with a bang... though I'm not that impressed. Let's see if what the last page seems to imply finally gets to fruition in the next volume, just once and for all.
Anyway, with just two more volumes to go, we absolutely need to be getting answers now, don't we?
September 13, 2023
Some horrible people have died, there is yet another foreshadowed yet still surprising twist, and Tenma is on the way!
July 31, 2021
Over the Roofs (ch 130) was heartbreaking for several different reasons: broken families, adults who humored children with big dreams, children who humored adults by believing them among others.
The storytelling was interesting. The reader assumes that Tenma most likely let Milan go to kill Capek based in the first few panels and their shared sense of guilt and responsibility.
A Friendly Answer (ch 131) broke my heart. I loved the pain and guilt in this chapter, and I only really understood Tenma's lone wolf act here.
I wonder who inspired Peter Capek, if it was Franz Bonaparta- the true demon.
Taxi Driver (ch 132) was an unexpected callback to the beginning! The taxi driver reminded me of Light Yagami.
I like the consistency about the lack thereof in Unrelated Murders (ch 133): Gillen still seemed to be working on his paper about how a serial killer's last murder breaks away from an established pattern in an attempt to throw investigators off. I wonder if that guy who murdered teenage girls and that middle aged woman will be brought up again. I also find Gillen's facial expression funny; he seemed perpetually disturbed, which he most probably was.
As someone who hates the Baby, I loved The Baby's Depression (ch 134)! But this chapter was also good due to the storytelling, pacing, and atmosphere. The interspersion of the Baby's flashbacks with what seemed to be an ordinary date clouded by his apprehension was so good. The final panels themselves also had my heart beating so fast!
I am quite confused about so many things though such as the chronology of the murders because I really thought that they all occured right after Johan and Anna escaped from the hospital, Peter Capek's role because I thought he was one of those who influenced Johan but it seemed to be the other way around unless he was referring to someone else (my guess is Franz Bonaparta), and I suppose the "hierarchy" in general like where did Johan belong there if he did?
I am also surprised by bootleg Johan's role here. I did not expect him to be such a powerful figure- the son of the fourth founder, whom I guessed was Franz Bonaparta and also Johan's biological father. Based on Capek's shock, he did not direct the Baby's murder so bootleg Johan was probably getting too cocky and rogue.
Frightening Footsteps (ch 135) was suspenseful. I love the seed of distrust sowed in Capek who was so confident that Johan was playing by their rules. If I recall correctly, Tenma warned the Baby about Johan wanting to kill all of humanity and not just the people of color. Although, right now, it seems to me that he got bored of toying with human lives and decided to seek revenge on the people who made him that way or just plain intended to use him.
Johan's Footprints (ch 136) said girl power. Although I feel like there are still so many missing pieces like whatever happened with Eva, Martin, and Robert; and at the Red Rose Mansion and three frogs. Not quite sure how to feel about Peter Capek too because it was like he was suddenly a character that everyone wanted to kill, but his descent into distrust and disappointment was quite fulfilling nonetheless.
Also thought about how revenge seems like such a human response due to the feelings of anger and need for retribution, yet exacting it leads to the loss of one's humaneness.
Massacre (ch 137) was cool but confusing. I love Eva and how crazy she seemed at times, but when did she turn into a badass who knew how to use a gun? How did she suddenly get so deep into all of these? Was it really all because she caught a glimpse of Johan one night all those years ago that suddenly she was attempting to kill whoever was at the top of the food chain?
If Johan's plan involved world domination, I don't know how I will react...
I enjoyed the background story in Father and Mother (ch 138)! This is where things regarding Franz Bonaparta and his experiment really start falling into place for me.
Welcome Back (ch 139) was something I've long since awaited, but I still do not have a full grasp of Johan's and Anna's respective journey... Like why did Anna have memories of the Red Rose Mansion, and I thought she never opened the door at the three frogs...
The sappy side of me is hoping that the twins will tell the other that they truly love them.
The storytelling was interesting. The reader assumes that Tenma most likely let Milan go to kill Capek based in the first few panels and their shared sense of guilt and responsibility.
A Friendly Answer (ch 131) broke my heart. I loved the pain and guilt in this chapter, and I only really understood Tenma's lone wolf act here.
I wonder who inspired Peter Capek, if it was Franz Bonaparta- the true demon.
Taxi Driver (ch 132) was an unexpected callback to the beginning! The taxi driver reminded me of Light Yagami.
I like the consistency about the lack thereof in Unrelated Murders (ch 133): Gillen still seemed to be working on his paper about how a serial killer's last murder breaks away from an established pattern in an attempt to throw investigators off. I wonder if that guy who murdered teenage girls and that middle aged woman will be brought up again. I also find Gillen's facial expression funny; he seemed perpetually disturbed, which he most probably was.
As someone who hates the Baby, I loved The Baby's Depression (ch 134)! But this chapter was also good due to the storytelling, pacing, and atmosphere. The interspersion of the Baby's flashbacks with what seemed to be an ordinary date clouded by his apprehension was so good. The final panels themselves also had my heart beating so fast!
I am quite confused about so many things though such as the chronology of the murders because I really thought that they all occured right after Johan and Anna escaped from the hospital, Peter Capek's role because I thought he was one of those who influenced Johan but it seemed to be the other way around unless he was referring to someone else (my guess is Franz Bonaparta), and I suppose the "hierarchy" in general like where did Johan belong there if he did?
I am also surprised by bootleg Johan's role here. I did not expect him to be such a powerful figure- the son of the fourth founder, whom I guessed was Franz Bonaparta and also Johan's biological father. Based on Capek's shock, he did not direct the Baby's murder so bootleg Johan was probably getting too cocky and rogue.
Frightening Footsteps (ch 135) was suspenseful. I love the seed of distrust sowed in Capek who was so confident that Johan was playing by their rules. If I recall correctly, Tenma warned the Baby about Johan wanting to kill all of humanity and not just the people of color. Although, right now, it seems to me that he got bored of toying with human lives and decided to seek revenge on the people who made him that way or just plain intended to use him.
Johan's Footprints (ch 136) said girl power. Although I feel like there are still so many missing pieces like whatever happened with Eva, Martin, and Robert; and at the Red Rose Mansion and three frogs. Not quite sure how to feel about Peter Capek too because it was like he was suddenly a character that everyone wanted to kill, but his descent into distrust and disappointment was quite fulfilling nonetheless.
Also thought about how revenge seems like such a human response due to the feelings of anger and need for retribution, yet exacting it leads to the loss of one's humaneness.
Massacre (ch 137) was cool but confusing. I love Eva and how crazy she seemed at times, but when did she turn into a badass who knew how to use a gun? How did she suddenly get so deep into all of these? Was it really all because she caught a glimpse of Johan one night all those years ago that suddenly she was attempting to kill whoever was at the top of the food chain?
If Johan's plan involved world domination, I don't know how I will react...
I enjoyed the background story in Father and Mother (ch 138)! This is where things regarding Franz Bonaparta and his experiment really start falling into place for me.
Welcome Back (ch 139) was something I've long since awaited, but I still do not have a full grasp of Johan's and Anna's respective journey... Like why did Anna have memories of the Red Rose Mansion, and I thought she never opened the door at the three frogs...
The sappy side of me is hoping that the twins will tell the other that they truly love them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2023
Finally we are getting the answers to the mysteries...
July 28, 2020
This is a review of the entire series.
Synopsis: Dr. Tenma brings a boy named Johan back to life, unknowingly resurrecting a monster from the brink of death who ends up throwing the world he knows into a cesspit of despair and chaos.
Review: One of the most horrifying yet humanistic crime thrillers ever told, managing to capture the absolute worst of humanity while showing how we can also be the most kind, compassionate and heroic creatures that have ever lived. The complexity of human nature, the small deeds that change the world around us little by little, the hero and the monster that lives inside all of us, how our actions shape the next generation, the controversy of nature vs. nurture, Monster brilliantly portrays it all in a stunningly engrossing and emotional manner.
Interweaving dark conspiracies, hospital politics, serial murders and controversial indictment, the dark tale of Tenma, Johan and all of the unfortunate souls caught in between their battle of morality is an unforgettable experience.
Synopsis: Dr. Tenma brings a boy named Johan back to life, unknowingly resurrecting a monster from the brink of death who ends up throwing the world he knows into a cesspit of despair and chaos.
Review: One of the most horrifying yet humanistic crime thrillers ever told, managing to capture the absolute worst of humanity while showing how we can also be the most kind, compassionate and heroic creatures that have ever lived. The complexity of human nature, the small deeds that change the world around us little by little, the hero and the monster that lives inside all of us, how our actions shape the next generation, the controversy of nature vs. nurture, Monster brilliantly portrays it all in a stunningly engrossing and emotional manner.
Interweaving dark conspiracies, hospital politics, serial murders and controversial indictment, the dark tale of Tenma, Johan and all of the unfortunate souls caught in between their battle of morality is an unforgettable experience.
December 11, 2021
You know, I've started to notice a more ideological emphasis on the second half of this manga. It was always there, as its context makes them somewhat unavoidable, but the last couple of volumes seem to play around the idea of a "great plan" that will liberate us all (fascism, communism...). Not with a great deal of nuance but it's definitely... there. And I'm not sure what to make out of it. Still loving that sweet characterization though...
June 8, 2016
Now that the story is almost coming to an end, I am having mixed feelings. Is the one labeled monster really worth condemning, or the one who created a monster out of him. As he said, "The monster is not inside me. It was outside me." And finally the horrifying memory will be revealed in the next volume. The memory of the monster's birth.
January 20, 2010
Insights into the past, including an unexpected twist. Also a hinted-at-for-a-long-time twist, that I'm glad turned out the way I expected, although I expect there's more to it than meets the eye.
Urasawa maintains the tension, and his high standards.
Urasawa maintains the tension, and his high standards.
March 12, 2016
Another great book in a great series! We're getting down to the wire now. The characters are starting to converge, and I have a feeling there will be an explosive ending!
October 20, 2020
Holy Shit
July 21, 2021
3.5 pois eu nao estou compreendendo nada podua ter uma nota de rodape pra pessoas meio lentas
April 6, 2021
TLDR: A very exciting set up for the coming finale. It isn't his strongest set up, but it is a very captivating read. 4/5.
Longer Review: Not much to say. It is exciting as it gets closer and closer to the finale. You can really feel the suspense building as the story is progressing. This volume does a good job at setting up for the story and tying up some loose ends so that we can focus on the main story. 3.5/5 maybe a 4 but it rounds up to 4 either way.
Spoiler Review:
Longer Review: Not much to say. It is exciting as it gets closer and closer to the finale. You can really feel the suspense building as the story is progressing. This volume does a good job at setting up for the story and tying up some loose ends so that we can focus on the main story. 3.5/5 maybe a 4 but it rounds up to 4 either way.
Spoiler Review:
October 2, 2023
September 2023. Over September (and wrapping up on the 30th) I read this complex political conspiracy thriller drenched in guilt, corruption, but with a hope for finding the goodness and kindness in some everyday people across age, background, race, and nationality.
What starts as choosing a surgery for the first in need over the wealthy as a statement about the equality of all people spirals into over a decade long story with an expansive cast of characters, serial killings, and ethical debates that crosses cities and countries in its scope.
Reminded me a bit of Ira Levin’s The Boys From Brazil with the decades after upswell of political radicalism with its roots in WWII conflict (also an excellent book) and the element of conspiracy thriller at its core.
Absolutely looking forward to checking out his other series. Borrowed these through Sacramento Library and the Link+ System that let me borrow volumes from all over California libraries.
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster.
What starts as choosing a surgery for the first in need over the wealthy as a statement about the equality of all people spirals into over a decade long story with an expansive cast of characters, serial killings, and ethical debates that crosses cities and countries in its scope.
Reminded me a bit of Ira Levin’s The Boys From Brazil with the decades after upswell of political radicalism with its roots in WWII conflict (also an excellent book) and the element of conspiracy thriller at its core.
Absolutely looking forward to checking out his other series. Borrowed these through Sacramento Library and the Link+ System that let me borrow volumes from all over California libraries.
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster.
August 28, 2020
This series is rapidly coming to an end, and I can almost taste the bitterness of the ending. No good is going to come from the darkness slowly enveloping all of these characters. I get the feeling that most of them will succumb to "evil" by the end of the series, but hopefully it will not play out the way I think it will. This volume is quite excellent. A few loose ends were tied up, the buildup is palpable by this point, and the ending had me dying to read more. Dr. Tenma is still stupid, and his "morality" is going to get others and himself killed. I think I enjoyed everything to do with Peter Capek the most. The historicity, politics, and philosophy behind all of the series seems to be coalescing quite nicely, and I am excited to finish this series.
December 21, 2023
Kehadiran tokoh baru bernama Peter Capek menjadi penghubung tentang masa lalu Nina Fortner dan kembarannya, Johan Liebert. Ia juga yang memberi tahu Nina di mana Johan berada. Selain itu, dijelaskan juga tentang masa lalu Nina dan Johan yang memiliki seorang ibu yang cantik, beserta ayah mereka yang berprofesi sebagai tentara. Namun, ketika ayah mereka meninggal, ibu mereka malah dikurung dan dijadikan percobaan. Dari sana, akan diketahui bahwa Nina dan Johan menghadapi masa kecil suram dan dikelilingi oleh orang dewasa egois yang menjadikan anak kecil sebagai bahan percobaan. Itu sebabnya Johan memiliki sikap sadis dan suka membunuh orang tua yang pernah mengadopsi mereka.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2022
Hábil movimiento poner a Milan como espejo en el que Tenma pueda mirarse justo en este momento tan perentorio de la historia. Es muy difícil no inquietarse ante el testimonio del taxista: no por nada llamas a un capítulo de tu obra "Taxi Driver". El doble giro (porque son dos revelaciones conectadas) de "Monster" es de matrícula. Cocido a fuego lento y presentado con la elegancia ya característica en Naoki Urasawa. Y ocurre en este volumen. Es atrevido contar la versión de Johan antes del final. Pero funciona.
October 21, 2018
The unrelated murder cases were very interesting, he did not speak nor say their names he just write them in the sand and they knew that those names are scum and need to be purged away!
And it was a good seeing the retiring detective from the first episode solving his final case! good writing bringing him back.
And The most awaited cliffhanger meeting between the twins!!!
To the final two volumes!!!
And it was a good seeing the retiring detective from the first episode solving his final case! good writing bringing him back.
And The most awaited cliffhanger meeting between the twins!!!
To the final two volumes!!!
November 9, 2020
I somehow got it, this book is amazing, the plot is top notch.
What Johan represents, is the human greed and thirst for power, he came in this story to show what horrible things they have done, over and over again,that seeing it everytime made him a monster himself, so he grew tired of this world, where ppl ruin everything, he wanted to create his own, there he can have any identity he wants and act accordingly.
What Johan represents, is the human greed and thirst for power, he came in this story to show what horrible things they have done, over and over again,that seeing it everytime made him a monster himself, so he grew tired of this world, where ppl ruin everything, he wanted to create his own, there he can have any identity he wants and act accordingly.
March 31, 2021
I haven't been as enthralled with the overarching plot of the last few volumes, and I can't tell if it's going to be like the beginning of the series where I'll enjoy it more once everything ties together, or if it's just the curse of a long manga series petering off at the end yet again. Only two volumes left, and then I'll probably finish the anime, because generally watching an anime helps to clear up any confusion or remaining complexities left by the manga series
August 9, 2023
This book has content warnings for suicide, racism, and animal abuse.
Gods, this was a great volume. The beginning was a bit boring, but we did learn quite a lot. On top of that the last bit was very intriguing, and really sat me on the edge of my seat. We're getting closer, and closer to the climax, and I'm so incredibly excited to see where that is going to go.
Gods, this was a great volume. The beginning was a bit boring, but we did learn quite a lot. On top of that the last bit was very intriguing, and really sat me on the edge of my seat. We're getting closer, and closer to the climax, and I'm so incredibly excited to see where that is going to go.
August 9, 2021
Salah satu jilid yang terbaik di sepanjang serial ini. ALur yang cepat dan intens, beragam pertanyaan terjawab secara tak terduga pada jilid ini, serta beragam emosi karakter tersaji pada jilid ini.
Semakin mendekati final.
Semakin mendekati final.
May 30, 2018
Great
April 23, 2019
Best mystery manga i have read so far in my life.
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