Considering I can't listen to anything on the computer due to my injured ears (lord knows how I managed that), I am instead going to do a review. What of? Je ne c'est pas. All I will tell you is that it is an anime. You can never escape the anime freak! Even though I'm not much of an anime freak any more (considering that most of them are just plain stupid and cheesy now), but this is a classic to me. This is a review of one of my favourite suspense animes that I dare say is on the same level as Death Note. This is Monster.
Let's start with the overview of the plot (which I
Dr. Kenzō Tenma is a young Japanese doctor, working at Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf in 1986. An accomplished brain surgeon, he seems to have everything: a promotion in the offing; the favor of the hospital's director, Heinemann; and Heinemann's daughter Eva as his fiancée. However, Tenma is increasingly dissatisfied with the political bias of the hospital in treating patients, and seizes the chance to change things after a massacre brings twins Johan and Anna Liebert into the hospital. Johan has a gunshot wound to his head, and Anna mutters about killing; Tenma decides to operate on Johan instead of the mayor of Düsseldorf, who arrived later. Johan is saved, but Mayor Roedecker dies; Tenma loses his social standing (and Eva) as a result. However, Director Heinemann and the other doctors in Tenma's way are mysteriously murdered, and both children disappear from the hospital soon afterwards. The police suspect Tenma, since he benefits from the turn of events; however, they have no evidence and can only question him.
Nine years later, Tenma is Chief of Surgery at Eisler Memorial. After saving a criminal named Adolf Junkers after Junkers was hit by a car, he hears Junkers muttering about a "monster". Tenma is kind to Junkers, who reciprocates by opening up to the doctor. One evening, when Tenma returns with a clock as a gift for Junkers, he finds the guard in front of Junkers' room dead and Junkers gone. Following the trail to the construction site of a half-finished building near the hospital, Tenma finds Junkers held at gunpoint. Concerned for Tenma's safety, Junkers warns him against coming closer and pleads with him to run away. Tenma refuses, and the man holding the gun is revealed to be Johan Liebert, the boy whose life Tenma saved nine years earlier. Despite Tenma's attempts to reason with him Johan shoots Junkers; telling Tenma he could never kill the man who saved his life, he walks off into the night, with Tenma too shocked to stop him.
After this incident Tenma is again suspected by the police (particularly Inspector Runge), and he tries to find more information about Johan. He soon discovers that the boy's sister (now called Nina) is living a happy life as the adopted daughter of two caring parents; the only traces of her terrible past are a few nightmares. Tenma finds Nina on her birthday; he keeps her from Johan, but is too late to stop him from murdering her foster parents. Tenma eventually learns the origins of this monster: from the former East Germany's attempt to use a secret orphanage known as "511 Kinderheim" to create perfect soldiers through psychological reprogramming to the author of a children's book used in a eugenics experiment in Czech Republic. Tenma also learns the scope of the atrocities committed by this "monster", and vows to fix the mistake he made by saving Johan's life.
Interesting plot, no? Personally, when I first heard of this, I thought it was going to be really cheesy and ridiculous, but the moment you watch the opening, you realize that this is on a whole new level. I watched the first episode and was instantly hooked by the plot and the characters. They are completely different from your average anime characters and you just love to see them over and over again.
Another thing that makes this anime so good is how it manages to fit in so many side-stories that all co-exist with the main plot. You meet new characters for the first time and usually they only last for about an episode, but you feel as though you've known them all your life.
Now, I suppose it's time to talk about the characters. Well, three of them really: Tenma, Johan and Nina.
Be prepared when he comes to your door, because Johan isn't far behind.
This is Dr Tenma. At the start, he is a gifted Japanese Neurosurgeon and head of the department. He is a humanitarian and sees everyone as equals. He detests the way of the hospital, but does nothing to stop it except for when Johan is brought into the hospital after a bullet to the head. His conscience kicks in and he helps the boy instead of the Mayor who suddenly collapsed on his holiday. The boy survives, but the Mayor died in the surgery and Dr Tenma is demoted, with someone else taking his place and him losing his fiance. Weeks later, the director of the hospital as well as two doctors that ridiculed Dr Tenma mysteriously die and Tenma takes his place as the head of department. It is later revealed, many years later, that the young boy that Dr Tenma saved is the one that killed them. Full of guilt at saving what is discovered to be a monster, he vows to kill Johan.
I think that Dr Tenma is a great contrast to most anime heroes who are usually unable to fend for themselves and manage to solve the worlds problems through their loving personality. (Bleh!) While Dr Tenma is a humanitarian and is known for his acts of kindness to most people he meets, he is fully capable to doing what he has to to fulfill his duty. Despite the fact that he has made it his duty to kill Johan, he keeps most of his original personality and at times even doubts his objective and hesitates when faced with Johan with a gun. You can't help but feel bad for him when he goes through trouble because he is such a great person and when he gets upset, it is really difficult to watch.
With a whole new perspective on the good guy gone bad but not quite there, Dr Tenma is one character you'll just love.
Brought to you by the 'pee your pants' delivery service
Johan Liebert is the antagonist of the series and the 'monster' referred to in the title. He has been called the monster, the devil and Hitler reincarnated. As you can tell, he's not a very nice person. He was shot in the head as a child and saved by Tenma, so sees him as a father figure of sorts (not sure if I'd want him looking up to me). He claims to love his sister (despite his overall lack of proper emotions) and does show loyalty towards her. He goes to different places under different aliases (in the process killing his 'parents' when he gets bored) and is shown to have high charisma and intelligence. Sadly, for those who get in his way (ie. everyone) is is cunning, manipulative and deceitful. He is shown to be nice to children, although he doesn't hesitate to show them a lovely new game in which they close their eyes and balance across the edge of a roof to see which one survives the fall (if I ever have kids, I know who I'm not letting baby sit). His objective, as he states while a child, is to be the last person surviving on earth. (I know they tell you to think big at that age but aren't you going a bit overboard?) However, he appears to want Tenma to kill him. (I will not do a psychological theory here, I'll leave that to the anime.)
I will not deny, the first moment I met Johan, I was absolutely terrified. Sure, I've been called crazy myself, but just look at those eyes! Those eyes are the eyes of someone with no soul. To me, Johan is the incarnation of evil. Not only does he survive a bullet, he survives it twice. I am not sure how that is possible. We are told that Johan has many traits of that of the anti-christ, so I did some research, and this is true, which only adds to the reason why he is scary. I think the horrors he went through as a child have something to do with the reason for his twisted personality, but its at the point where every time you meet him in the anime, even when he's nice, you feel a chill running down your spine. There's also something about his voice, which is so calm and soothing that it makes you uncertain whether you want to run away screaming or if he's just having a friendly chat and doesn't want to kill you. It's difficult to tell.
Either way, this is one villain that is certain to leave you shaking in fear if he ever comes through the door (leans back in seat and checks hallway).
Because what anime doesn't have a girl with a gun?
The only person left unharmed in the attack on her adopted family and Johan's twin sister. Nina is sweet, kind and in many ways, appears like Tenma. She is living a happy life with her new family (having gained amnesia from her life before) when her foster parents are killed by Johan who was on his way to picking her up on her 20th birthday. After remembering everything about her brother killing her previous family and many others, she sets out on the same duty at Tenma although she has different reasons and a different purpose. She is usually a pacifist, but will threaten to kill others if she feels it is necessary to protect those close to her. While she does not share the same personality as Johan (thank god), she shares the same fears. A perfect example is when she is reading a book that was used in the Orphanage (you'd have to watch the anime to understand) where she is frozen still in fear (Johan fainted when he read the book).
Personally, when I first met Nina, I though very little of her and just saw her as another female lead that would get the main characters attention. However, she has a big role to follow in the anime and is really the sort of character that you don't pay much attention to, but you really like near the end. I love her personality and the way she reacts to everything. Unlike most female leads, she can take care of herself and defend herself well. She is also the one that helps Tenma and tries to stop him from what he is doing (claiming that he would become a monster if he was to kill Johan). Not much else I can say other than I love her voice. (What? It's a great contrast to Johan's soullessness.)
Now for my overall option on the anime. This is certainly one of the few anime that pulls of a great mystery with so many characters. It has a realistic feel to it and the characters are so believable, you'd actually think they were real people. One thing in specific I love about this anime is the music which uses basic instruments to twist the scene into something sinister (one I like especially is when it was three instruments that sounded like a heartbeat). I love the opening and ending the most which have no lyrics and mainly consists of a choir and classical instruments, which really sets a peaceful mood. The anime would be nothing if it wasn't for the amazing characters and the suspense which makes you go for the next episode without hesitation.
Great job, Naomi. I give this 10/10.
Signing off!
Rinrei
No comments:
Post a Comment