It’s been a while since I posted a review, but it does take a while for me to get through a 76 episode anime. I’ve wanted to re-watch Monster for quite a while, and now I have done so. Monster won’t win any prizes for artwork or animation, but the story is a classic. Plus the details of the sub-plots, depth of even the minor characters, and the backstories makes this one of the most intriguing anime series ever. Then there are the minute details, many of which I have forgotten.

Kenzou Tenma is a Japanese neurosurgeon working in Germany. Brilliant with a bright career ahead of him, Tenma risks it all when he operates on a young boy with a gunshot wound to his head, instead of the local mayor. Disobeying orders puts Tenma on the bad side of the hospital chief, whose spoiled daughter Eva is engaged to Tenma. But his love life is the least of Tenma’s concerns. Several years later, the young boy, Johan, is a deranged serial killer, and Tenma is suspect number one in Johan’s crimes. Tenma next is forced on the run, searching for Johan as the killings continue. As Tenma hunts down Johan, the hunter himself is pursued by an obsessive police detective named Lunge. To Lunge, Johan exists only in Tenma’s mind, and that Johan may be another aspect of Tenma’s personality.

Tenma’s quest leads him through a maze of Europe’s underbelly, from petty crooks, to prostitutes, to neo-Nazis. Along the way, Tenma makes friends and allies, as well as some dangerous enemies. Many of these enemies are manipulated and controlled by Johan, who turns out to be quite the expert in psychology. Friends and allies include Johan’s troubled sister Nina, whose subconscious holds many of the keys to this mystery. I like the way the climax is done mostly in black and white.

Monster is dark and disturbing, which is why I like it. It was created by writer Naoki Urasawa, who also is responsible for Mister Keaton and Pluto. I believe you will also find Monster compelling.