Reviews for Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Volume 1

The average rating for Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Volume 1 based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-06-16 00:00:00 Greg Morano Captivating. Fast paced. Page turner. Dilemmas faced by an ethical Doctor, in a dirty political environment full of favouritism. Simplistic art and smooth flowing story. Only grudge is a cliffhanger ending. This was my first attempt at Manga and I'm already hooked by it \m/ P.S.: Read it as a "twin" theme (thanks Sharadha). But the twins were only introduced here. Apparently they will capture centre stage in the next volume.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-07-23 00:00:00 Justin Moore One of the most tense and frightening manga series of all time is also filled with unexpected heart, warmth, and optimism. Dr Kenzo Tenma has everything he could want; as an up-and-coming brilliant Japanese surgeon living in Germany, he has a promising career ahead of him. He's friendly, popular with his peers, and is even engaged to the hospital director's daughter, Eva. That all changes one night when two patients are brought into emergency simultaneously; one the city mayor, and the other a young boy dying from a gunshot wound to the head, apparently sustained when his entire family, except for his twin sister, was murdered in front of him. Defying the director, who wants him to save the more important mayor, Tenma instead chooses to operate on the boy and manages to save him... but the mayor dies. Even though his fiancé leaves him, and his position at the hospital is destroyed, Tenma believes he's done the right thing, and carries that in his heart. Nine years later, that sacrifice may not have been the right thing to do after all. Because the boy has grown up to become a monster; a killer whose motives are as murky as they are terrifying. When Tenma suddenly finds himself implicated in a string of murders and realises what his decision brought about all those years ago, he goes on the run across Germany trying to track the killer down. But he might not be prepared for what he finds out; are monsters born?... or created? Make no mistake, this is a LONG story, and what starts out as a seemingly simple murder mystery becomes a very complicated web of intrigue strung across decades. The actual depicted violence is actually relatively scarce within the narrative, which is more intent on trying to frighten you with the characters themselves and some incredibly tense and disturbing scenarios than trying to simply gross you out with gore. One of the more fascinating and unsettling characters is Inspector Lunge, an extremely strange man with unorthodox methods who is single-minded in his pursuit of Tenma. Tenma himself makes for a wonderful protagonist who undergoes a transformation as the series progresses from a relatively naieve idealist. He's visibly dismayed and disappointed in the failings of some of the people he meets, but he can't stop himself from trying to save them, either. He's extremely likeable... and, for some, his constant white-knight complex might be a little annoying. No matter what happens, Tenma is always willing to put himself on the line and save others, which can get old after a while. Fortunately, the cast is so big that by the time the story inevitably cycles back around to Tenma, you'll be happy to see him again. What's amazing about Monster is its willingness to revel in the entirety of what it means to be human; all the petty jealousies, all the insecurity, sure, but also all the kindness, love, and strength to be found in the most unlikely of places. The people Tenma meets in his travels are both good and bad, and the series is entirely willing to spend issues at a time exploring comparatively mundane scenarios (such as the brief time Tenma spends in a small country village with a disenchanted doctor) before returning to the main plot. If you're more interested in action, in fact, you might find Monster's slow attention to detail frustrating; there's a lot of pages given over just to conversations, and you can go a long time without seeing hide nor hair of a gun or a drop of blood. In a way, this makes the action sequences all the more intense when they happen. Urasawa also illustrated the series, and the artwork is far and away some of the best you'll find in a serious title. The characters are where the art really shines; however simply drawn, they are incredibly expressive, unique, and widely varied. It's rare to find a manga series where the people actually look like people instead of perfect beautiful cartoons, and even the bit players in Urasawa's sprawling cast look genuine and interesting. An incredible piece of fiction, Monster should be worth a read by anyone; not just fans of mysteries or thrillers, but anyone with an interest in an understanding of the complexities of the human heart and soul. Despite occasionally becoming a little convoluted, it stands as one of the best pieces of fiction I've ever read... manga or otherwise.