流れ落ちる
10-20-2008, 10:06 PM
Monster
Media: TV series, manga, movie (in development; rights purchased by New Line)
Episode count: 74
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Horror, Psychological, Seinen
Author/Creator: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)
Publisher: Shogakukan, ビッグコミックオリジナル (Big Comic Original)
Plot: I've not read the manga, I'll shamefully say up front, but I've read some reviews that say the anime does a remarkably good job of staying close to the comic. That's likely because it was basically storyboarded straight from the comic's panels, shot-by-shot.
A fast-rising Japanese neurosurgeon living in Germany, Dr. Kenzou Tenma, has achieved a sort of dream life. He is engaged to the beautiful, if high maintenance, daughter of Eisler Memorial Hospital's director; his skill is world-class, and he has the opportunity to do real good in the field of medicine; and he is rapidly working through to the position of chief surgeon. However, hospital politics prevent him from fulfilling his wish to help everyone who needs his hands, and when he is confronted with a difficult moral choice--save the mayor or a young boy who, earlier, arrived with his sister at the hospital--he decides to take a stand against the director. Soon after, Tenma's relegation to a less prominent role and the deaths within the hospital that follow begin a mystery that is to mature within a decade: who is the young boy, Johan Liebert, whom Tenma saved that night? And how did it come to be that the same boy, the eponymous monster, is none other than the murderer responsible for those and other deaths?
Story (9.5/10):
You will not regret seeing this story in its original 74-shot run. The depth of the characters, even those few that come onstage for only a short while, is incredibly striking. Despite the improbability of the situation, the story manages to dig into you and keep you wondering. There's no shortage of interesting twists, many of which involve bits of information given to the audience beforehand. The plot progression manages to maintain Tenma as its protagonist while also featuring some episodes that carry on well without him. Later in the series (around episode 37), a picture book, its author, and its influence serve as the series' major turning point, after which it explores a number of weighty issues with sensible simplicity. The sometimes too-convenient meetings of characters (especially those connected to an orphanage and the twins, Johan and Anna Liebert) detract from the overall credibility. However, in most other regards, the series is tightly controlled and moves its characters toward their destinations with great dexterity.
Characters (10/10):
Doctors, lawyers, bums, whores, orphans, detectives, secret police--you name it, Monster features it. Not only features, but features exceptionally a vast array of characters from many walks of life (some more legal than others). Even now, I think my personal favorite wasHeinrich Runge, an inspector of the Bundeskriminalamt (the national German investigative police). As an example of characterization, Runge is shown, across only a few episodes, to be a father and former husband, as well as a dedicated agent--the latter to a fault, which negatively effects the former. Tenma's interactions with these characters bind them, and the man himself is interestingly portrayed throughout the series as struggling with his basic Hippocratic ethic: though he wants to do good for the world, he feels responsible for saving Johan's life, and so decides early in the series that kill Johan in order to right his wrong.
Art/animation (9/10):
The scenery is resplendent (e.g. Munich, Dusseldorf, and the German countryside); characters are nicely, but not densely detailed (e.g. Tenma's stubble after being on the road a while); and the animation, where necessary, is smooth and only as complex as it needs to be (e.g. running to different crime scenes, as well as those sequences where gunfire is an element). The color palette is dim, and even the bright areas of the world seem to be shrouded with a strange bleakness. Even at the conclusion, light is used in very artistic fashion to contribute to the plot. The sometimes slower pace of the scenes can cause minor drag here and there, but the character development is paced well enough that it shouldn't interfere too much. Still, at times, it seemed to me that the character drawings could've used a little more variety or detail to bring them out of their mild visual shortcomings.
Voice acting, music (10/10):
The music is pretty much perfect. The opening theme, "Grain" by Kuniaki Haishima (蓜島邦明) is chillingly fitting; the two ending themes, "For the Love of Life" by Japan (the band) singer, David Sylvian and "Make it Home" by Fujiko Hemming are haunting enough to carry you into the next episodes.
The in-series music is moving, certainly, but I can't say I recall much of it. You can take that either as indicating that it was so good that it seemed natural, or that it wasn't great enough to make you stand up and take notice.
Finally, though I don't recall many names, it appears that many of the seiyuu who worked on Monster are not exactly low-profile, having some serious experience with hit series under their belts. A lot of them have done work on some of my personal favorite series.
From Wikipedia: ,Isobe Tsutomu (磯部勉) serves as the voice of Runge, and he has also worked in a couple of my other favorites (as Dutch in Black Lagoon, a recent offering yet to have its third and latest season aired; and as Vincent Volaju in the Cowboy Bebop movie).
Kiuchi Hidenobu (木内 秀信,), voice of Dr. Tenma, has also performed voices in another few of my favorites, among those Darker than BLACK: 黒の契約者, as Hei; and Death Note, as Ukita Hirokazu.
Mamiko Noto (能登 麻美子) voices Anna Liebert, and she has worked on numerous other titles. She hasn't worked on many from my personal picks, so I won't go into specifics; but there are some you might know, like Inuyasha, Fruits Basket, Tenchi Muyo! GXP, and a variety of Pokemon shows. Out of only my personal preferences, though, she did provide the quiet voice of Tsukiko Sagi in Paranoia Agent, one of my top five (probably) favorites.
Nozomu Sasaki (佐々木望) as Johan has also performed voices in the legendary film adaptation of Akira (as Tetsuo, no less); he also provided the voices of Mello in Death Note, Yukimaru in Samurai Champloo, and Yuusuke Urameshi in Yuu Yuu Hakusho.
Overall (10/10):
Watch. This. Series. If you're old enough to get past the rating, that is. The content does dip into some rather "dirty" territory at times (abusing children, whoring, killing), and the entire series revolves around a few pretty mature concepts that might not be suitable for the impressionable--for example, why people bother living at all, which the series leaves rather satisfactorily unanswered. Though a number of the characters learn some ways of getting by, some don't so nicely meet their own ends.
Despite the content, it doesn't get too preachy or pedantic. Sometimes it's a little indirect, and you might experience (as mentioned earlier) some lag at times during the first twenty episodes or so; but the story takes a little while to set up a brilliant finale with one of the most perfect endings I've seen. That said, if you like your shows to conclude solidly, this one's ending is not going to make you happy. There's resolution, sure, but it feels like it could all cave in again with the right turbulence. Since this is quite possibly my all-time favorite, despite being somewhat new (written between 1994 and 2001), I might've glossed some things where I shouldn't have.
I can't wait to see this in theaters, although I simultaneously dread what might happen to it as it journeys from Japan to Hollywood. Regardless, I'd hope that you read or watch this one intently. I also hope you'll take into consideration that this is my first substantial post and first review. Do be kind ; ).
Media: TV series, manga, movie (in development; rights purchased by New Line)
Episode count: 74
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Horror, Psychological, Seinen
Author/Creator: Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹)
Publisher: Shogakukan, ビッグコミックオリジナル (Big Comic Original)
Plot: I've not read the manga, I'll shamefully say up front, but I've read some reviews that say the anime does a remarkably good job of staying close to the comic. That's likely because it was basically storyboarded straight from the comic's panels, shot-by-shot.
A fast-rising Japanese neurosurgeon living in Germany, Dr. Kenzou Tenma, has achieved a sort of dream life. He is engaged to the beautiful, if high maintenance, daughter of Eisler Memorial Hospital's director; his skill is world-class, and he has the opportunity to do real good in the field of medicine; and he is rapidly working through to the position of chief surgeon. However, hospital politics prevent him from fulfilling his wish to help everyone who needs his hands, and when he is confronted with a difficult moral choice--save the mayor or a young boy who, earlier, arrived with his sister at the hospital--he decides to take a stand against the director. Soon after, Tenma's relegation to a less prominent role and the deaths within the hospital that follow begin a mystery that is to mature within a decade: who is the young boy, Johan Liebert, whom Tenma saved that night? And how did it come to be that the same boy, the eponymous monster, is none other than the murderer responsible for those and other deaths?
Story (9.5/10):
You will not regret seeing this story in its original 74-shot run. The depth of the characters, even those few that come onstage for only a short while, is incredibly striking. Despite the improbability of the situation, the story manages to dig into you and keep you wondering. There's no shortage of interesting twists, many of which involve bits of information given to the audience beforehand. The plot progression manages to maintain Tenma as its protagonist while also featuring some episodes that carry on well without him. Later in the series (around episode 37), a picture book, its author, and its influence serve as the series' major turning point, after which it explores a number of weighty issues with sensible simplicity. The sometimes too-convenient meetings of characters (especially those connected to an orphanage and the twins, Johan and Anna Liebert) detract from the overall credibility. However, in most other regards, the series is tightly controlled and moves its characters toward their destinations with great dexterity.
Characters (10/10):
Doctors, lawyers, bums, whores, orphans, detectives, secret police--you name it, Monster features it. Not only features, but features exceptionally a vast array of characters from many walks of life (some more legal than others). Even now, I think my personal favorite wasHeinrich Runge, an inspector of the Bundeskriminalamt (the national German investigative police). As an example of characterization, Runge is shown, across only a few episodes, to be a father and former husband, as well as a dedicated agent--the latter to a fault, which negatively effects the former. Tenma's interactions with these characters bind them, and the man himself is interestingly portrayed throughout the series as struggling with his basic Hippocratic ethic: though he wants to do good for the world, he feels responsible for saving Johan's life, and so decides early in the series that kill Johan in order to right his wrong.
Art/animation (9/10):
The scenery is resplendent (e.g. Munich, Dusseldorf, and the German countryside); characters are nicely, but not densely detailed (e.g. Tenma's stubble after being on the road a while); and the animation, where necessary, is smooth and only as complex as it needs to be (e.g. running to different crime scenes, as well as those sequences where gunfire is an element). The color palette is dim, and even the bright areas of the world seem to be shrouded with a strange bleakness. Even at the conclusion, light is used in very artistic fashion to contribute to the plot. The sometimes slower pace of the scenes can cause minor drag here and there, but the character development is paced well enough that it shouldn't interfere too much. Still, at times, it seemed to me that the character drawings could've used a little more variety or detail to bring them out of their mild visual shortcomings.
Voice acting, music (10/10):
The music is pretty much perfect. The opening theme, "Grain" by Kuniaki Haishima (蓜島邦明) is chillingly fitting; the two ending themes, "For the Love of Life" by Japan (the band) singer, David Sylvian and "Make it Home" by Fujiko Hemming are haunting enough to carry you into the next episodes.
The in-series music is moving, certainly, but I can't say I recall much of it. You can take that either as indicating that it was so good that it seemed natural, or that it wasn't great enough to make you stand up and take notice.
Finally, though I don't recall many names, it appears that many of the seiyuu who worked on Monster are not exactly low-profile, having some serious experience with hit series under their belts. A lot of them have done work on some of my personal favorite series.
From Wikipedia: ,Isobe Tsutomu (磯部勉) serves as the voice of Runge, and he has also worked in a couple of my other favorites (as Dutch in Black Lagoon, a recent offering yet to have its third and latest season aired; and as Vincent Volaju in the Cowboy Bebop movie).
Kiuchi Hidenobu (木内 秀信,), voice of Dr. Tenma, has also performed voices in another few of my favorites, among those Darker than BLACK: 黒の契約者, as Hei; and Death Note, as Ukita Hirokazu.
Mamiko Noto (能登 麻美子) voices Anna Liebert, and she has worked on numerous other titles. She hasn't worked on many from my personal picks, so I won't go into specifics; but there are some you might know, like Inuyasha, Fruits Basket, Tenchi Muyo! GXP, and a variety of Pokemon shows. Out of only my personal preferences, though, she did provide the quiet voice of Tsukiko Sagi in Paranoia Agent, one of my top five (probably) favorites.
Nozomu Sasaki (佐々木望) as Johan has also performed voices in the legendary film adaptation of Akira (as Tetsuo, no less); he also provided the voices of Mello in Death Note, Yukimaru in Samurai Champloo, and Yuusuke Urameshi in Yuu Yuu Hakusho.
Overall (10/10):
Watch. This. Series. If you're old enough to get past the rating, that is. The content does dip into some rather "dirty" territory at times (abusing children, whoring, killing), and the entire series revolves around a few pretty mature concepts that might not be suitable for the impressionable--for example, why people bother living at all, which the series leaves rather satisfactorily unanswered. Though a number of the characters learn some ways of getting by, some don't so nicely meet their own ends.
Despite the content, it doesn't get too preachy or pedantic. Sometimes it's a little indirect, and you might experience (as mentioned earlier) some lag at times during the first twenty episodes or so; but the story takes a little while to set up a brilliant finale with one of the most perfect endings I've seen. That said, if you like your shows to conclude solidly, this one's ending is not going to make you happy. There's resolution, sure, but it feels like it could all cave in again with the right turbulence. Since this is quite possibly my all-time favorite, despite being somewhat new (written between 1994 and 2001), I might've glossed some things where I shouldn't have.
I can't wait to see this in theaters, although I simultaneously dread what might happen to it as it journeys from Japan to Hollywood. Regardless, I'd hope that you read or watch this one intently. I also hope you'll take into consideration that this is my first substantial post and first review. Do be kind ; ).