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| OH MY GOOOOOD!! one of the best endings ever!! it really leaves you for so many interpretations!! okay this is gonna be long so bear with me :) first off, i'm glad Schubert and Karl are okay. i actually thought Schubert is dead by this time due to old age. guess he's still doing fine! Eva and Dr. Reichwein working together once more! and yeah i would not expect Eva to be a kitchen instructor!! time sure flies. she's not the crazy bitch anymore, but rather the wise lady who has gone through alot and is getting back to her feet ^^ so Suk and Vardemann are the for Grimmer-san T__T one of the most essential characters ever in the series. i would think they won't be able to stop Johan without his helped. he was the reason how he got the key from one of the kinderheim 511 founders and also explained to Tenma what really happened to kinderheim 511. so Lunge is no longer a detective, but a professor? while he only speaks to his daughter through the email, at least that was an improvement compared to what we saw in the very few episodes. no interactions at all or even any emotions with his daughter having his grand child. i'm glad Lunge is all okay now. and i didn't see his hand acting like a computer anymore now XD glad Dieter and Heckel are still okay!!! tbh i would have wanted Dieter to be the kid where Johan was supposed to shoot instead of Wim. would have made the scene much more powerful than it already is. heckel is still free? despite being a mercenary! wow so Nina and Johan's mother is still alive all those years!! i knew when Tenma went to france he would visit some sort of church for people who are healing. so she did tell Tenma about Johan and Nina's real names!! they should have revealed it!! i thought Nina was running towards the church to catch up with his Tenma :P late as always huh Nina? :D congratulations Nina!!! tbh when i saw her graduating as a lawyer i instantly thought of Gyakuten Saiban(Ace Attorney) which is funny considering i just finished the first game yesterday!! congratulations once again Nina!!! i saw Frank Lotte on the background, but she didn't greet Nina!!! and i knew it, as soon as it said military operated hospital, this is where Johan was confined. at first i thought he was awake and is questioning why he is here. Johan waking up with that creepy music really sent down shivers throughout my body!!!!! seeing him alive and well is some sort of miracle! and wow so that was the missing final memory that Nina wanted to remembered. i also finally understand now why Nina forgives Johan after what he has done in the last episode. it's because Nina knows Johan is angry that his mother wanted to give either one of them. Johan is angry that his Mother began thinking of giving either of one of his child. wouldn't that made you angry if you Mother didn't wanted you in the first place. that's how Johan's Monster grew inside of him. also mixed that up with Nina being exprimented at the red rose mansion, the torture at Kinderheim 511 he endured so of course he'll lost sight what really is right and wrong in the first place. though to be honest, it should have been Nina that is supposed to be angry and vengeful. i mean she was indeed chosen for the experiment, imagine what she feels knowing your own mother chose you to be taken away and experienced extreme sadness and isolation. of course Johan and Nina's mother blindly choose Nina, but i think what Johan made anger is the thought of being thrown away like that infuriates him i think the Monster in this anime is basically her mother. just like the title says "The True Monster" it was her that drove Johan into madness. she also developed her own "Monster" because of the anger and sadness she had felt from Franz Bonaparta. she opted for revenge and promises that his children would someday kill him. ironic considering it was the same anger, "Monster" that had awakened Johan own in the first place. to be honest i kinda wish Johan's true goal is to find his mother and ask why she abandoned both him and his sister in the first place? also as someone said, Nina mentioned in the first few episodes that Johan had multiple identities. remember in the Zeus story book where the children had multiple names, but only Johan was the one he paid attention to? though i do agree, that they should have developed that or at least didn't mentioned he had some sort of multiple identity disorder(Identity Crisis would have been a better term) so i read in the wikia that Franz later regretted his actions of the experiment due to his newborn love with the mother of Johan and Nina. to be honest he should have tried to save the children back then. i don't think their mother knew that Franz would one day helped them escape. that's why he regretted his action later on his life as he said to Tenma after Grimmer dies. and i'm disappointed that we never get to see Kinderheim 511 in any of the flashbacks aside from one scene or two with Sievernich, Christof. i would also like if Johan's mother visited him and see and apologizes for the mistake that she had made. then Johan wakes up and threatens to kill her. that would have been an interesting scenario ^^ in any case it seems Johan had indeed escape. whether or not he would continue to manipulate people or live a new life like Franz will forever be a mystery. it's up to the each audience to create their own theory and scenario after the ending. and this is why i love this series!!! the ending was brilliant and while it may leave a huge cliffhanger, at least it was a satisfying conclusion. now whether or not there should be a 2nd series portraying Johan as a new person or something? that would be cool, but yeah i think the ending is extremely good and should be left alone :) but of course more Monster is never a bad thing! i give this series a 10/10. this instantly became one of my top 3 anime's ever!!! it seems i'll have to choose either Darker than Black Ryuusei no Gemini, Ghost in the Shell 2nd GiG SAC or Monster. either way i miss these kind of anime shows. really hope they would make more of this in the near future!!!! love Monster!! definitely one of the best psychological animes ever made!!! a TRUE MASTERPIECE!!!!!!! |
| okay i just watched the extra episode which recaps episode 1-17. to be honest i wanted to see more Johan doing the murder instead of seeing his victims instantly dead whenever he's around. also i wondered what happened to Dieter's father? you would think he would be sorry and try to get back to Dieter after all these years? and Lunge is scary as hell in this!! he still suspect Tenma as his no.1 suspect!! and finally Johan was supposed to have a double or split personalities. i think the author was still experimenting on how to portray Nina's memories into Johan. so that's why it is initially thought that Johan had some sort of multiple personality of some sorts. and wow hearing the original ED1!!! tbh i kinda like the ED2 more now especially what had happened in all of this episodes. but the ED1 is still good. in any case love the series. i hope there are more anime's that are complex like this! once again a True Masterpiece this work is!!!!! |
| Dat stare creep the heck out of me. Overall: 9/10 gotta say my favourite character in this series have to be Lunge. |
| that was amazing... |
| Monster was definitely an enjoyable watch for me. I wouldn't call it the masterpiece that some people here think it is, but it did live up to much of its praise. You can tell that there was a lot of effort put into the story, and I love how it was grounded in realism. Each episode served its purpose, but those last couple of episodes were magnificent with the somewhat film noir style and the feeling of isolation. Some questions were left unanswered (the ending in particular), but I didn't mind that at all. It makes for good discussion. I have a couple gripes about the series. The suspense in some scenes felt contrived (for example, having a character point a gun at someone and cutting to another scene as a gunshot is heard, which happened far too often) and there were many instances of plot convenience. I don't have any major issues with the length of the series, but being as long as it was, some aspects of the show became repetitive (namely, Nina's numerous mental breakdowns near the end). My score will be an 8/10 or 9/10... need more time to decide. It was a fantastic ride and I don't think I'll forget about this series any time soon. |
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| 9/10 |
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Mokey said: I can't believe how many people are giving this series a 10/10, especially with such an anti-climactic ending. The ending would have been so much better if Johan pulled a gun on Bonaparta and then got shot by Lunge or Grimmer. That way a major character could have put an end to everything without Anna or Tenma being "tainted." The clash between Lunge and Roberto was great, until Lunge said, "I won the fight but then turned around and got knocked out and Roberto didn't kill me for some reason, lol." Lunge should have killed Roberto, or Roberto could have just died when Tenma shot him at the library. Then Tenma would already have been a killer and could have shot Johan at the end. Roberto's story wasn't interesting at all; he worked better as a simple hitman who was fascinated by Johan's plans. On top of that, his connection to Grimmer was completely pointless and didn't make me feel anything. I wasn't expecting Nina to kill Johan or anything like that, but forgiving him? Then Tenma saves Johan again? That was some of the most cliche shit in the entire series. I knew I was going to have some problems when Nina said Johan wanted the perfect suicide, but I wasn't expecting a motivation as shitty as "because mommy didn't love me." Tenma is found innocent, which would basically involve proving Johan's guilt, and Johan isn't even handcuffed to his bed or anything? Johan basically gets off because we are supposed to feel sorry for him, even though he has killed countless people. Are we supposed to believe he has changed because Nina forgave him, but the love of all of his foster parent's didn't even make a dent? The ending didn't provide closure at all and didn't leave the plot open in an interesting way. The storytelling wasn't that great throughout the entire series. There were constantly bits of information thrown around that didn't go anywhere or things that just didn't make sense. At one point Nina "discovers" that Johan has multiple personalities, but this is just never mentioned again. The same thing happens when Nina goes full-schizo on Gillen. Why would Richard down a bottle of whiskey when he was so excited to see his daughter? Why would Johan need an apprentice? He obviously doesn't consider the guy a friend. Is he just grooming him to be a useful pawn as a politician? What would be the point of that when he has an uncanny ability to worm his way into people's lives? When Johan first sees the picture book, he freaks out and it is never clear why he has such a dramatic break in character. Does he regain memories at that point or something? If that is the case, then what the hell was his motivation before seeing the book? What was Johan's motivation to screw over Tenma in the first place? If his issue was needing love, wouldn't having your life saved be the ultimate cure for that? In fact, it is difficult to see the motivation for many of the characters. Tenma never really has a good reason to drop everything a pursue Johan. He is hellbent on killing Johan, then completely changes his morals to that of an eight year old when he actually gets the chance. We never know what the hell Nina is planning. Every time something important happens she has a mental breakdown and accomplishes nothing. Then in the end, she just forgives Johan for killing four of her parents and destroying her life without giving a reasonable explanation for her change of heart. Everyone else helps Tenma because he seems like a nice guy, basically, which hardly explains putting themselves in so much danger. It is never really explained why so many powerful people followed Johan's plan to the point of murdering others and we don't know what any of the experiments were for. I didn't care for how forced the twins thing was, they way overused terms like "monster" and "demon" for a show that didn't have a literal monster (not that I wanted one), 511 Kinderheim stopped being interesting once every character introduced was a survivor of it, the pacing was terrible at points, and I simply don't relate to the characters' ideals. I was expecting things to be pulled together in a really spectacular way toward the end, but it just never happened. I guess I was expecting too much and was let down. This anime was like a 6/10 at best. Agreed. I would give a 8/10 at best. |
| Control your feelings, or let your feelings control you. |
| Mokey pretty much hitting the nail on the head, I can't remember something disappointed me this much. It has one of the most bland and dumb main characters I've ever witnessed. The villain's entire motivations and actions don't even add up by the end. Johan is also ludicrously overpowered as a villain in regards to how effective he's able to be. Lunge is probably the only somewhat interesting character and even he had moments where he only made decisions for the sake of the plot. Dieter is just there for some reason, Anna is mostly a plot/flashback device, and Eva is incredibly uninteresting and annoying. Grimmer was somewhat interesting, but as Mokey said Kinderheim stops being interesting when you depend on it so much. Also Roberto has to be one of the most blatant plot device characters ever. He apparently has the ability to intervene on things for Johan whenever the plot demands it. Including being a lawyer of all things who then threatens to kill someone, move the plot forward, and just disappears for another 15-20 episodes. I guess randomly being some dude's nephew and liking cocoa makes up for that though *snore*. I can't at all wrap my head around all the praise the writing gets either. The twists are either laughable (Johan cross dressing, Roberto living the fire incident) or completely irrelevant. Okay so Nina was taken to the Mansion instead and...then what? Why does this lead to absolutely nothing, but revealed as so important so late in the show? Why does it matter Roberto was at Kinderheim? And don't get me started on the amount of times this show used an off screen gunshot for "suspense". Especially if only one person has the gun, it's pretty much a given whos actually getting shot in those circumstances. Why is Tenma able to prance around in broad daylight for more than half of the show only to be somehow shocked his dumb ass got caught finally? The ending was just dumb, an irrelevant character (WHO WAS DRUNK?!) "defeats" Johan by shooting him off screen (but of course). A case that was also regarded based on the newspaper clippings at the end as possibly one of the worst serial killing cases in the history of Europe. So naturally Johan is left unattended comfortably in a hospital bed...waiting for Tenma to show up X amount of time later so he can reveal irrelevant information about his mother possibly hating him. The show is begging to be taken seriously and is just a giant unrealistic and mostly pointless mess after a horrendous pace. There's probably way more I could vent about it but whatever, 5/10 for keeping me mildly interested for 72.5/74 episodes. Even if it was all for nothing. |
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| and so it finished... one of the best anime series i ever watched and the first i finished after 3 years of break ... it was amazing,although i am a bit confused of the ending...i love how they let it open to everyone's perception with the last scene,i think that both johann and anna have went through suffering with the experiment,johan being the first,and then when he escaped and dressed as anna to hide,they took anna,and johan didn't understand the reasoning of his mother,which was probably her trying to avoid having her kids completely destroyed. So she decided to give anna to them,so both of them had been brainwashed.Johan thought her mother didn't do the right thing and that's what made him snap,his sister going through the madness he went through... when he escaped now i think he's going to dress as anna and pay a visit to their mother,maybe? 10/10 |
Sayonara,papa! "Just how a mirror reflects you,people will also reflect your heart." ~Athena Glory,Aria "Whatever happens,happens" ~Spike Spiegel's thoughts on dying(Cowboy Bebop) |
| i found it strange how johann survived two head shots i also wonder why tenma saved his life a second time when he could have just let him die after all he wasnt the one who shot |
| RRRRRRRRRR |
| finished in 3 days. only thing I didn't liked very much is that we never saw johan killing all those old couples. I think it's meant to be like this but, I would love to see him in a killing rampage. maybe on the hbo series they show those scenes. and now I think about it, johan didn't killed so much people. at least not with his own hands. his greatest power and weapon is manipulation. he is indeed one of the greatest villains ever. but I don't think of him so much as a "villain". to me he is only another victim. |
| EL PSY KONGROO!!! |
| Wow it amazes me how many of you didn't get the point of the ending. It perfectly makes sense. What if the ending revealed us that Johan continued killing around after escaping? Of course that would ruin the whole thing. I assume that many people wanted a happy and safe ending with him being arrested or just dead with more questions revealed. You expect that Johan has a reasonable ending but you all forgot an important fact about him. Just as Johan had claimed throughout the series, he is someone who never really existed. This is what makes him so original. An empty bad with open window and breeze indicates on his presence. We have no idea what happened to him. Then again, how could we know what happened to someone who doesn't exist? His doings were based on "The Nameless Monster" story and he thought of himself as nothing more than a character from a fairytale. Another clue why he was practically a manipulating shadow as seen by other characters. |
filepileJan 25, 2014 2:38 PM
| I really could have been happy with the ending just being tenma visiting johann in the hospital, while he is lying unconscious with a ever so slight, peaceful smile on his face. But then they had to hit me with not revealing the names, and leaving the ending scene as an empty hospital bed and open window. I was relieved and fulfilled and now I'm unsettled. I loved this series so much, it was absolutely brilliant. I'm just gonna pretend that last scene didn't happen. My own ending is everyone being happy and johann just being happy in jail and shit idk man |
hybreezy said: Mokey pretty much hitting the nail on the head, I can't remember something disappointed me this much. It has one of the most bland and dumb main characters I've ever witnessed. The villain's entire motivations and actions don't even add up by the end. Johan is also ludicrously overpowered as a villain in regards to how effective he's able to be. Lunge is probably the only somewhat interesting character and even he had moments where he only made decisions for the sake of the plot. Dieter is just there for some reason, Anna is mostly a plot/flashback device, and Eva is incredibly uninteresting and annoying. Grimmer was somewhat interesting, but as Mokey said Kinderheim stops being interesting when you depend on it so much. Also Roberto has to be one of the most blatant plot device characters ever. He apparently has the ability to intervene on things for Johan whenever the plot demands it. Including being a lawyer of all things who then threatens to kill someone, move the plot forward, and just disappears for another 15-20 episodes. I guess randomly being some dude's nephew and liking cocoa makes up for that though *snore*. I can't at all wrap my head around all the praise the writing gets either. The twists are either laughable (Johan cross dressing, Roberto living the fire incident) or completely irrelevant. Okay so Nina was taken to the Mansion instead and...then what? Why does this lead to absolutely nothing, but revealed as so important so late in the show? Why does it matter Roberto was at Kinderheim? And don't get me started on the amount of times this show used an off screen gunshot for "suspense". Especially if only one person has the gun, it's pretty much a given whos actually getting shot in those circumstances. Why is Tenma able to prance around in broad daylight for more than half of the show only to be somehow shocked his dumb ass got caught finally? The ending was just dumb, an irrelevant character (WHO WAS DRUNK?!) "defeats" Johan by shooting him off screen (but of course). A case that was also regarded based on the newspaper clippings at the end as possibly one of the worst serial killing cases in the history of Europe. So naturally Johan is left unattended comfortably in a hospital bed...waiting for Tenma to show up X amount of time later so he can reveal irrelevant information about his mother possibly hating him. The show is begging to be taken seriously and is just a giant unrealistic and mostly pointless mess after a horrendous pace. There's probably way more I could vent about it but whatever, 5/10 for keeping me mildly interested for 72.5/74 episodes. Even if it was all for nothing. Okay, so obviously you didn't understand the series at all. Though it's true that the ending is one of the most confusing. You know, Johan wasn't a regular villain. The only bit of his motivation is shown in his final talk with Tenma. The rest of the questions, there's no to reveal it, because he never had extra reasons to commit such an acts. Johan was an innocent child and he hated his mother for letting one of her twins be taken away. He hated even more Bonaparta because he was the cause of her mother turning into a "monster". The only one Johan had faith in was his sister, he thought of her as "the second half of himself" because they shared the same fate, being the only two in the world without names and mother's love. Now let's get to another point. Johan isn't overpowered, the way his mind works is almost on the level of supernatural. You believe that it's impossible to be so effective on people because you believe if it were you, me or any other human couldn't be so manipulative. Johan can do it because he was born for that. He was the perfect result of eugenic experiment. I think that his mother's anger coincidentally were directed to the development of Johan during the pregnancy. Kinderheim 511 had no effect on him because he was already a monster. Third point: Monster possibly has one of the greatest character development that greatly fits with the flow of the story. None of them stand there JUST to stand there, as you said. Some don't play a huge role but it's wonderful sensing their personality changes. The most fascinating thing is just how many of them are connected to the story, even if it were some minor characters from fillers. Now just to answer some of your questions. Why it is important that Nina was taken to the mansion. As I said earlier, it was a key for messing Johan's brain, Nina had terrible expirience there and what's worse Johan took her memories as his own. Moreover, Bonaparta said an important detail to Nina that she forgot to pass on to Johan. Why it was important that Roberto was in 511? 511 was a cruel place and it erased all the pleasures from his memory. Johan helped him to remember the most beautiful thing from his childhood he really valued. This is why this show is so amazing. It shows a very close connection between good and evil, beside having an amazing story, it feels like a documentary as well since it shows how certain things can affect people. Oh and why is this an amazing story. Because it is realistic with loveable art no need to be too fancy (ok, this is a matter of taste), so many characters are useful and connected to the story, excellent character development, revealing Johan's past feels like puzzle games. It's funny how you rated Evangelion so high. I love Evangelion because of it's concept and idea but as far as the story goes, it is far from Monster. It almost has no story, just character development with some bacground. Eventually angels contribute a little to the flow of the story. |
| Im glad i stopped holding this anime back. I really do have to stop judging an anime by theiranimation. 10/10. No question |
 As of now, please try to refrain from looking at MAL. its a complete mess right now T-T People of anime have whooped, roasted, beaten, and tamed my ass. I have learned my ways and will never speak that horrible word. But, believe me, MY DAY OF VENGEANCE SHALL COME(please dont take this seriously, just "trying" to be funny lol |
| Great anime with an average and lacking ending.. I still give it a 9/10. We still don't know Anna's and Johan's real name and to the comment above Johan was causing murders and Tenma was taking the heat. Johan indirectly ended his career as a surgeon thus his life was in shambles which is why he chased after him he didn't decided to kill him till later down on the road.. Lunge and Eva had the most development.the side characters were good.. Johan's one of the best villains I've seen in fiction.. Tenma was so good.. After his life went up in flames he stayed true to his beliefs showing Johan that all life is created equal.. His development was good and his relationship with Anna and Dieter was so awesome.. Anna was good character and was fun to watch.. Obviously she was Tenma's romantic interest but I never had a problem with that.. Dieter is of the few kids I actually like in anime.. He was/tried to be as helpful as he could.. I saw him as a son to Tenma Really good series |
| Brilliant. I was prepared to write a long analysis on this series but I see that a lot of people have already said what I wanted to say, and better than I would have to, so I won't bother repeating the same things over. This ending though..fantastic. Not learning their names was thematically appropriate for the series, so no complaints there. And of course, the most powerful scene in the episode was the one near the end, when Johan 'wakes up' and asked Tenma that crucial question that sheds so much light on his character, motivations, and is one that ties well into the overall themes of the series: the importance of a proper childhood. I'm not sure whether that scene in the end should be interpreted literally or symbolically, though.. could be both. It'll stay on mind for a while, that's for sure. I'm glad that the characters that survived got happy endings. And I see Eva has finally moved on; her giving the book with the newspaper clippings represents that. Also, this episode reinforce my belief that Anna has some romantic feelings for Tenma. Her enthusiasm at seeing him again was definitely not platonic... This was a fantastic anime, the best one I've come across since HunterXHunter 2011. I was hooked from the first episode, and remained invested for the rest of the trip. I finished this whole show in a week, it was that addicting. There were slow parts, but didn't mind much; it was always a slow series. The storyline was incredibly complex, the characters realistic, endearing, and surprisingly well-developed, some with their own character arcs, and by the end of the anime I pretty much loved everyone. Eva and Lunge especially surprised me with the brilliance of their development, and how they were characterized initially and how they changed over the course of the series. The themes were poignant; this show is one of the most thought-provoking anime I've come across in a while. Just incredibly well-crafted, and something I think I'll remember for a long time. However, it was plagued by a few flaws that unfortunately never disappeared. There were no major, gaping issues, but just enough to keep it from a 10. The tactics used to increase suspense were a bit cheap at times, there were a few extremely unrealistic elements that were jarring in a grounded-in-reality anime like this, a few of the story events were forced, and there were a few weak links in the writing, as well as some plot threads that weren't wrapped up as well a they could have been. Despite all that, though, it's still an incredible anime and is definitely going on my Top 10 (so Death Note finally leaves my top ten list...). It wasn't very far from getting in my Top 5 either. I'm sad that I'm finished now, because I know it'll be hard to find another show this good in a while. Thanks for the great journey, Monster. |
| My anime blog Latest Post: The Zero Requiem (Analysis of the Ending of Code Geass) |
filepile said: Now let's get to another point. Johan isn't overpowered, the way his mind works is almost on the level of supernatural. You believe that it's impossible to be so effective on people because you believe if it were you, me or any other human couldn't be so manipulative. Johan can do it because he was born for that. He was the perfect result of eugenic experiment. I think that his mother's anger coincidentally were directed to the development of Johan during the pregnancy. Kinderheim 511 had no effect on him because he was already a monster. So glad I randomly came back here to read this post lol Johan isn't overpowered he's just some cosmic being who was born to bend anyone to his will no matter what? Well that makes perfect sense thanks. Bad enough he took two bullets to the brain and survived. Also yet another person praising it as realistic when it's far from it as I listed in my initial post. |
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| This is a great mystery anime that I enjoyed very much. Most of the characters were developed well including minor characters. The psychological issues of most the characters really provided much of the quality to this show. The complexity of the storyline was written very well with plot twists timed correctly at the right points. The themes that this show presents is presented well for the most part. The main flaw of Monster for me is the length and pacing. There were several episodes that didn't do much to progress the plot even though those episodes in particular were nice. Even though I don't mind long anime series, I didn't feel that this series in particular needed to be 74 episodes long. I liked the ending. Even though Johan's whereabouts are ambiguous, most character arcs had good conclusions. Despite the flaws that I mention, I give this series 10/10. |
Conan_KudoMar 7, 2014 6:04 PM
| Armageddon was yesterday, today we have a problem. |
| That ending sure was shocking... I wonder what johan is going to do now >< |
| I'm disappointed they never explained how Johan poisoned the candy that killed the 3 heads at Tenma's hospital. Especially when he was 9 or 10 years old. |
| I was going to give the series 10/10 if they explained everything,but the ending was disappointing 9/10 from me. |
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| It was the creator's intention to give everyone a mindf*** and let them figure it out for themselves. I loved the ending. You guys know why? It was a reminder that what really scares us, is the stuff we can't see! |
| ending was ok could of been better |
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| I loved the ending, and it couldn't have been done any better. You guys want to know why? Of course, some things were left unanswered, but that was only a good thing. This show's ending was a reminder that the things that scares us the most, are the things we can't see. Johan wasn't the Monster you see, it was trying to tell you that every person has a monster deep inside of him/her. |
| Johan's mother is the monster. That stares of Johan at Tenma.! @___@ *hides* |
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| ohw they didn't reveal johan's real name.. orz but i really love this series 10/10 |
| I think the most interesting thing about the whole anime were the picture books. I really dug those. I have so many complaints about this series, it seems I agree w/ all the negative and positive things people have said about it though. I'm sort of in between, my initial rating is 9/10, I doubt I'll change that. Would've given it a ten, but I was expecting more answers. I don't mind that they never told the real name of the twins.I wish they'd made it more clear the characters motivations though. From the first episode, it shows a scripture from Revelations about the anti-christ, so I was assuming from the beginning that that's what Johan would turn out to be, but seems that wasn't the case. Though the whole Devil and the devil's apprentice seemed to go along with that, and the fact that no one knew where Johan came from, and his ability to deceive people fits. Plus when the drunk guy shot him he calls him a monster with 7 heads and horns or something like that, which relates back to revelations if I'm correct. But still, It doesn't play out the right way. At first I thought the picture books were prophecies, but now I'm wondering if Johan read those books as if they were holy scripture and tried to fulfill them all. I get the two monsters were Johan and Nina. Why was the name Johan in both the Names-less Monster and the God of Peace. I probably missed this, but who gave the twins the names Nina and Johan anyway? The picture book Johan gives the God of Peace a red hat then the god looks in the mirror for the first time and sees a monster. Is that tying back to when Nina finds out that Johan killed the foster parents and realizes he's a monster (which would be like her looking in a mirror because he's her twin?) and then decides she has to kill him cause "no one can be happy with a monster like him in the world". WHY did Johan always want people to kill him? And the perfect suicide, what was that about, seems it didn't go down, but maybe it did? Was the suicide Johan jumping out of the window? No. That doesn't seem right. Who knows if he actually jumped out the window. I don't understand so much of this series, but the good thing about it is it makes me want to figure the things out. I believe the Monster was actually the twins mother, because she couldn't forgive the author guy. She almost cursed the twins when she said they'd do her bidding. And the fact that she escaped while she was giving birth, wouldn't that affect the kids in some way? But then again, Johan is a real Monster too, because he killed so many. Why did Nina talk in that low, rough voice when she was hypnotized, and when asked to say who she was she said "I dont want to say" and started strangling the doctor guy? What was the point in that if it was never explained. I hated how they kept flashing back to the same memories, I would just roll my eyes every time I'd hear "Welcome home" "I'm back" and then that'd be all we'd see. I think there should have been a clear flashback of what happened, it would barely show the twins for long till it switched to something else. I hated how unclear it was. Why was Johan dressed as a girl as a kid? Did the mother do that so they could hide? Did she really mistake Nina for Johan and that's why she chose to give her away? I remember once, didn't Johan say to their mother's picture in the Rose Mansion, "Even you couldn't tell us apart" right before he burned the place? I believe the mother didn't want Johan. I feel like even at a young age the mother stripped Johan of an identity by making him dress up as a girl, and probably pretend to be Nina. I also really don't understand the timeline of events. When was Johan and Nina split up? When was he sent to Kinderheim was it before he was shot by Nina and saved by Tenma or after? What was the point of Bonaparte (sp?) taking one twin away and then telling her to run away because people can be who they want to be. The more I think the more questions I have, and the more annoyed I get. These are probably all questions that have been answered so if anyone can shed some light for me, that would be good. The story just doesn't add up to me, but maybe I just don't understand and need it explained. What was the point of the experiments? Why were there people who saw Johan as a new Adolf Hitler, or world leader? Yet Johan wasn't into that, he was just into manipulating people. Seems he was just a ghost whispering into peoples ears telling them to do bad. Why didn't Johan ever kill Tenma? Why did he want to die? Did he have some foreknowledge of the way the world plays out. The whole thing with "the scenery of doomsday" also ties into the anti-christ plot. I get that Tenma saved Johan again because that's who he was, and he couldn't change. So I figure if Tenma didn't change after all those bad things, then neither will Johan even after he was forgiven, because people can't just change. The more I think about it, I think Nina is a monster as well, she's just fronting. She's the most twisted person on the show even more than Johan because we don't know who she really is or at least I don't. How the hell did Johan "take" her memories in the first place??????????? I feel like they should have told us more about the experiments, man. part of me says 9/10 other part of me is saying 4/10 |
toxinsMay 20, 2014 4:47 PM
| Although I didn't dislike this ending, I feel like given the way this series had been carrying itself before it could have done something more bizarre. It just felt too safe and, well, normal. I do like how they wrapped things up properly and there was closure to this whole situation while leaving the mystery of Johann's whereabouts/intentions. I feel like the ending was a clever play on the idea that Johann no longer existed and was like a whisper to be swept up in the wind. I think Johann's story is over now, mostly because I feel as though Johann completed his perfect suicide. Earlier in the series, Nina mentioned that there were two Johann's. I believe that with the second fatal shot to the head, one Johann - the monster - was able to achieve perfect suicide and traverse to the "true end" that he had mentioned seeing every time he was on the verge of death. Also going to say that I feel that even though Tenma's quest to kill Johann ended up failing, his journey was not a waste by any means. He was able to save and help countless people on the road and he was the person who constantly put together the lives of those who had been shattered by the monster. He was also able to reaffirm his belief that humans are a complete mess, but still worth saving. Well overall this was quite the ride. The story was very carefully put together and the slow build ups, character development, and intertwining of seemingly unconnected sub-plots was masterfully executed. I can't even count how many times I felt chills all over my body with the eerie atmosphere. It's like every time Johann was involved in a murder or something extremely disturbing, my jaw would drop. The use of the picture books was very intriguing as well, often helping to carry the mystery on while slowly revealing the true nature of the monster. This was definitely a heart pounding experience and was too addicting to put down or ease up on. Unfortunately the ending has felt a bit underwhelming, but the journey there was incredible and I'm not dissatisfied. Leaning more towards a 9/10 but a 10/10 is still possible. |
ZekkenshinMay 2, 2014 6:50 PM
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| This is one of best ending ever. So sad is Grimmer's death. I rewatched this series a few times (8 or 9) and after all this time I love it. What is amazing in Johan? I don't know, but I know one - he will never back. That's all. Kenzou in the end find peace, I'm really glad of it. I love characters of this series. And remember last words of Grimmer. ^^ If you want - you can read my review but in polish language. :) Here: http://www.filmweb.pl/user/Animefun666/reviews/Ciemno%C5%9B%C4%87+jest+w+ka%C5%BCdym+z+nas-15778 |
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| Very well made ending episode. Some of the mystery of 'Monster' is the fact that some of it is very shrouded in secrecy and it's better left up the viewer to determine what happens next. Johan's disappearance leaves a disturbing feeling, the best way they could have 'ended' his life. |
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| You would think they would put Johan in a maximum security prison hospital since he is the prime suspect of the serial slayings lol; not one with glass windows where he can just hop out of and escape. The dream sequence was really freaky, but I think the unwanted child was Johan. That would explain why he wanted to assume the memories of Nina at the Rose Mansion, because he knew it was him that was unwanted but his mother made a mistake? Perhaps this is the reason that Johan became the monster that he is, and Nina's fated encounter with Bonaparta saved her from becoming a monster despite witnessing the grisly incident at the mansion by telling her to run away and persuading her not to walk the path that Johan would ultimately take. Anyways I think this is up for interpretation/debate but that's just how I viewed it. ~.~ It was satisfying to see that Tenma did not lose his humanity by staining his hands by killing someone during his arduous journey though you gotta admit there were times I would scream at my monitor and say FUCKING KILL HIM ALREADY FUCCCCCCCCCK >_>. The only angst I had with the show was how omnipotent Johan was from the get go. A kid whispering sweet nothings to criminals and having them do his bidding was a bit far fetched. Though you could interpret Johan as literally the devil himself thus explaining the overwhelming, supernatural influence he has over others. Overall, I thought the story was well crafted (the story books were a great addition to the overall storytelling), the characters were exceptional including the support characters, and the 90s European setting with historical references/ dark atmosphere of the show provided the type of immersion I would expect out of a masterpiece. 9/10 but I enjoyed it immensely soooo up grading it to 10/10 |
zzzeallyMay 26, 2014 10:38 PM
| one word: brilliant. Can't expect any better ending from this. So did Tenma find his answer? Are all lives equal? How about the long-sought question by Johan: "Who is the Monster?" |
| "If you reject me, I'll blast a hole in you!" Kanzaki H. Aria Just kidding.  |
| Very cool ending. The question is: was it literal or symbolic? Or both? Did Johan actually escape, or was the final scene symbolizing how there is an unseen monster inside all of us, and that is what we should be most afraid of? |
| The fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth |
| What could have been if the mother didn't let go of the hands of either of the two? That decision was most probably a part of the experiment and the trigger which gave birth to a monster without a name. So, who was the real monster? I think some of us figured it out, while others will still ponder. But I wonder if any of us really figured it out. I have seen many anime but very few actually had such strong and fascinating lead and side characters alike in an anime. Tenma, Johan, Nina, Eva and Lunge aside, characters like Grimmer and Martin were fantastic. Tenma as a main lead has been a lead you really feel for in the anime. It's amazing how the author upheld Tenma's sense of responsibility and made him one of the most endearing characters ever. There was moments when I truly felt what this man did to deserve what he had been through. Tenma has been an embodiment of injustice and unfairness in the world we live in. That sky blue shirt he wore with a hairdo and refreshing appearance in the end. It was such a relief to see him as a free man again. I relived the same feelings I had after watching Shawshank Redemption. Johan, a monster born from a heinous experiment, remained the most horrifying character throughout the anime. His indifferent glances, his soft voice and his reluctant gesture made him all the more fascinating. Everything about him would send shivers down the spine. Nina, a beautiful girl with no recollection of her memories at first, has seen her family being destroyed over and over again as she went through the pain of losing people who cared for her. In the end, it was really warming to see her getting excited over the call from Dieter just knowing that she would get to see Tenma. We got to know that she has started anew, has a real goal in life in the shape of aiming to become a lawyer and obvious hints at finding happiness through her love interest in Tenma. Nina, the one who was taken away and went through the most shocking of experiments, in the end, didn't lose her humanity. Nina is the epitome of what can be considered the real beauty about human beings, not just in appearance, but what truly makes a human being a human: someone who would never lose forgiveness, some who would always show kindness and someone who would always carry affection. She triumphed over the experiments of the vile creatures of the Red Rose Mansion and remained pure and beautiful in heart and soul all the way in the end. In her, humanity won over all that is evil, and thus she became my favourite character in this anime. Lunge, a detective worthy of his character has been outstanding. His ways of deduction were unorthodox as much as his registering data in his brain. In the end, he became the savior of Tenma because it was his testimony that cleared all the charges against Tenma and late Grimmer. Grimmer, a mysterious character himself, was on par with Tenma and Lunge to reach to the same conclusions, sometimes albeit ahead of them. The man who always got out of dire situation with the help of the Magnificent Steiner left the strongest possible impression on me of all the characters beside Nina and Johan. Martin, a man who didn't even touch Eva, changed her completely with his tragic demise. Eva in the end became a character that probably grew the most in the anime. It was nice to see her moving with life as she concluded her healing consultancies with Dr. Reichwein. If the story wasn't fascinating enough, the characters in the anime added more life to it than it already had. Monster has been a series of tragedies; a long fought fight for justice; a never-ending journey for redemption; a terrifying story of the possibility of a dormant monster inside every human being; the triumph of humanity over that which breeds evil; and above all, a reminder of the significance of love in life. Monster is a masterpiece and I will give it nothing but a 10/10. |
shanimebibJun 14, 2014 1:46 AM
| Stay Home and Wash Your Hands. Protect Yourself. Protect Your Loved Ones. Protect Your Community and Help Defeat Coronavirus. |
| Although this show does represent something similar to the horror genre, I don't think the end was intended as "Tenma should have let him die because now Johan is going to kill again". I saw the ending more as Johan was shown that all human life is equal, and he might have even begun to realize the wrong he did. Him escaping allows him a chance at an ending similar to what Grimmer hoped for Franz. He will most likely visit his mother and want answers to why Anna/Nina was chosen, although she might not remember. As the mother tells Tenma earlier, she might forget everything. After that I would imagine him moving to a secluded area and living as Franz did, maybe one day either turning himself in or have Tenma or Nina look for him again. It's interesting that he made his plan in revenge for Franz and he saw Franz as the true monster, yet he became what Franz feared he himself would become, making Johan the fictional Franz in the story books. The ending started off with a bad taste I won't lie, but the more I think on it, it was the perfect ending and fit superbly. This anime is no doubt the best I've seen thus far, and I hope I didn't just see the top of the top and will have to settle for less from now on lol. Might even need to alter my whole grading scale for MAL |
| Complaints: Otherwise, really. That was brilliant. The characters (especially the characters!!), the tension, the coincidences, the themes... And the wrap-up was great as well. I'm full of praise for this series. It has left a very strong impression on me... I really won't forget this series! |
MirorinJun 15, 2014 10:57 PM
| This is probably the first anime I've seen where sometimes it was brilliant and sometimes I was thinking "he's gonna die, she's gonna die, oh I don't care anymore just get to the Damn ending!". Overall this series just missed me on a lot of points but on others I have to admit it was very well done. Now this ending... ugh. Too little closure for me. Best way I can think of this series is digging a hole and thinking you've gone deep enough but keep going and going. All the while running across people with some sort of sad situation. I did like Johan, Grimmer, Dieter and Tenma but besides them I really couldnt grow to care about anyone else and waited to see when the story focuses back on johan's past and what he's doing. I feel like they could've cut this series short by about 10 episodes and it would've been as good but oh well. I give it a 7/10. |
| Examining one series under the magnifying glass at a time. |
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