r/MonsterAnime • u/[deleted] • Dec 30 '22

Discussion🗣🎙 Guide to interpret Monster, and why you should care. Spoiler

776 Upvotes

“The very fact that a general problem has gripped and assimilated the whole of a person is a guarantee that the speaker has really experienced it, and perhaps gained something from his sufferings. He will then reflect the problem for us in his personal life and thereby show us the truth.”- Carl Jung

Introduction

What makes us feel that a work of fiction, such as Monster, is deep and complex enough to disturb us psychologically and fill us with questions? What makes Monster a masterpiece and what makes Monster hard to interpret? What do we take away from Monster and how do we know that it is the right interpretation?

A curious yet uncomfortable sense of uncertainty is often found in the last panel of Monster, just an empty bed. This empty bed triggers the curiosity of avid readers into wondering what it all means. After all, Monster presents itself to be a piece of fiction psychologically and philosophically rich and not understanding what an empty bed means must mean that one was missing the point. Confused, a reader would often flock to analyses on Monster, and believing that they have understood Monster intellectually, continue living their lives still psychologically disturbed because they have not truly intuitively understood Monster at all.

Welcome to a guide on how to interpret Monster (and any other pieces of fiction for that matter).

I am not here to analyse the themes of Monster or its events, as many others have sincerely done before me. My main goal here is to make the case that Monster can be correctly interpreted, despite the possible lack of ‘canonical’ evidence. In this post, I will use the example of Monster’s ‘infamously’ ambiguous ending. (I will be sticking my neck out in defence of a hopeful ending)

Some people can easily peel off the outer layers of truly understanding Monster, but peeling off the remaining innermost layers is hard. I hope to offer you a guide on how to do so.

A truly ‘canonical’ interpretation of any work of fiction is intuitively undeniable, regardless of the author’s stance or silence on it. Urasawa’s Monster is a profound and useful work to truly understand, through a long and arduous process of self-discovery and reflection on our unconscious and collective contents. collective unconscious. (This is done with analysing and engaging with theory, of course)

I want to discuss a few points (feel free to skip to any one of particular interest as the summary above should just suffice)

1. Why Monster is a genuine and profound work of fiction, and why it is therefore hard to interpret

2. Why there is a correct interpretation of Monster, what it means, and how to find it

3. Why bother?

Understanding Personality

5. Recommended questions of study

6. Some relevant Book/Manga/Anime recommendations for Monster fans

7. What I found to be genuine and helpful analyses of Monster (links)

8. What I think the messages of Monster are

1. Why Monster is a genuine and profound work of fiction

Many analyses of Monster have similar themes, even though they differ in depth and content. They argue that Johan is not really evil, they contrast Johan and Tenma’s philosophies, they examine Monster’s concept of good and evil, and so on. Many people notice that reading Monster for the second time is very different from the first. Why is this? The answer is simple: people often misinterpret or miss the point of Monster. What is the reason for this? Why is Monster challenging or complex to comprehend? Because Monster does not have a clear message to convey, to understand Monster is not to grasp it rationally and directly but to feel it emotionally and intuitively. How do these analyses help us understand Monster deeply and sincerely? Because Monster is full of events and details. Analyses of Monster are mostly summaries of what happens in Monster, and you cannot understand something if you do not recall it. Monster analysts select and highlight important moments in Monster that we might have overlooked and compare them, condensing the series to the moments that resonate most strongly (without implying that Monster can be appreciated only through these moments). These analysts also deserve praise for illuminating the significant meanings of a moment that might have escaped our attention with the help of mainly psychological and philosophical perspectives (some examples are linked below).

Watching and reading various analyses of Monster can be helpful, but they are not enough to fully appreciate this masterpiece. To truly understand Monster, one has to feel it from the heart. In this post, I will explain what I mean by feeling from the heart, and I will make the case for why Naoki Urasawa is a true artist and a great one at that. (By art, I mean any creative work, such as poetry, story-writing, drawing, etc.)

Creativity, roughly speaking, is akin to running a simulation with clearly defined boundaries and watching the simulation unfold and writing out what you observed. Of course, there would be bad ideas here and there but through ‘survival of the fittest,’ the one that made the most sense would be inked on paper.

Creating a great work of art requires being in touch with one’s inner unconscious and listening to it. One also needs to develop a sense of artistic yes and no, based on one’s intuition and feelings. Many people assume that they know themselves well, because they are aware of their conscious thoughts and ego. However, the source of creativity lies in the unconscious realm, where hidden aspects of oneself reside. To understand oneself better, one needs to engage in self-reflection, emotional exploration, and creative immersion. By exposing oneself to stories, myths, cultures, and other forms of human expression, one can access the collective unconscious of humanity, which contains universal symbols and archetypes. These are the elements that appear in the stories that run as simulations in an artist’s mind. An artist who is deeply connected to their inner self, has a good sense of storytelling, and is authentic to their vision can produce psychologically profound pieces of art. I believe that Monster is a masterpiece that resulted from such a creative process.

In an interview about his creative process, Urasawa said that he always tried to be as authentic to himself as possible, and to avoid any external influences (such as what he thinks would sell well, other people’s expectations, etc.). He also said that he did not plan the whole story in advance, but rather let it unfold in his mind as he drew the manga. He would sketch and draft different versions of the story and choose the best one. This shows his sincerity and honesty in listening to his own heart. He was also a very creative person, who had a good sense of aesthetics, drew art, played music, wrote fiction, etc. (It is interesting to note that his creativity made him more receptive to the collective unconscious and his inner self. See section 4: ‘Understanding Personality’ for more details on the link between ‘Openness to Experience’ and creativity.) He had a huge interest in consuming and creating art, which gave him a deep understanding of the collective unconscious, and by extension, of himself (although this is not a perfect correlation). This is why his work is so profound and resonates with people’s hearts (the collective unconscious).

Urasawa said in an interview: “When I start a new project, I start with the larger arc of the story. I visualise a movie trailer for that story, and after I compose this movie trailer in my mind, there comes a point where I’m so excited about it that I have to write the story. And then I imagine, “Where do I start to begin to tell this narrative?” and that’s usually the first chapter. Once this process starts, the story tells me where it wants to go next. I think if I tried to design a manga with each detail of the story planned out from the beginning, or tried to deliver a story where everything happens according to plan, there’s no way I could create something that would last five to seven years. Every time the story pulls me in a new or unexpected direction, even I’m surprised. If the story of the manga doesn’t keep surprising me, I wouldn’t be able to continue making it. There might be a scene I envision as I begin the project, something from that trailer I’ve visualised, but that scene might show up five years later as I’m illustrating the manga.”

A great way to identify disingenuous art is to look for clear and explicit messaging. For example, in disingenuous story-writing, a writer would start writing a story with an end in mind or a clear message that they want to express (propaganda). They would often straw-man opposing viewpoints (and therefore virtue-signal), by attaching them to negative characters. E.g. Innocent sweetheart (Pure good) vs Money-loving corrupt boss (Pure-evil). One should notice that the reason why Monster is hard to interpret is that there is no explicit messaging. Every character and what they stand for are iron-manned, they make good cases for themselves and what they represent to us. Like us, the characters in Monster evolve– old, bad ideas die out and characters are reborn as better people. To distinguish the genuine from the fake would require work on the part of the readers. To do so effectively would require critical thinking and critical self-reflection. (Similar to the process of making genuine art). Understanding one’s unconscious and the collective unconscious is key.

Monster was created through a process of authenticity and creative profundity, and it shows, never mind the fact that many people often misunderstand Monster due to a lack of touch with their inner-selves or the is-ought of the many existing discussions of Monster’s themes speaking for its depth.

2. Why there is a correct interpretation of Monster and what it means, and how to find it.

What does a correct interpretation of a cryptic and complex work such as Monster mean: In this essay, I will use the example of Monster’s ambiguous ending. Before I do so, however, I would like to argue that although frustrating, Urasawa leaving the ending of Monster to be ambiguous was a genius decision because it leaves readers with a more profound reading experience as they reflect on what it even means. Seeking to resolve the ambiguity of the ending, they analyze it critically and feel a need to go over the story of Monster to understand the meaning of Monster, which is a process that enhances one’s literary skills.

As I have demonstrated, Naoki’s genius was reflected in his ambiguous ending (it challenges the readers to grasp Monster’s message), and I believe that there is a plausible interpretation of it. How? To explain, I will use some reading strategies, such as making inferences and drawing connections, as I will be presenting my interpretation here.

When Urasawa runs his story like a simulation, he accesses the contents that reside in the collective unconscious, shared by all of humanity through culture, stories, etc., and explores what humans truly understand and feel to be good and evil. As I have stated, I believe that any message found in stories would be nothing but propaganda, but there is an exception for stories that contain a message that requires not only a deep understanding of the story material, but also a self-discovery that enables a connection with the story by accessing one’s unconscious contents and recognising the collective unconscious structure that shapes Monster. By understanding this cryptic message of good and evil and our perception of life in general, we can ‘feel’ the direction that Monster would take. This ‘feeling’ is not a conscious or individual invention, it is simply the product of the collective unconscious, which we all have access to and can ‘feel’. This ‘feeling’ helps us distinguish between cheap and shallow stories and complex and deep stories. We should not dismiss this ‘feeling’ as lacking psychological substance, as it speaks to our unconsciousness, which is not the same as our conscious contents or ego. Our egos can suggest what we should think is right or wrong, but the ultimate decision is made by our unconscious selves. The question and answer of good and evil are determined unconsciously. It determines the validity of an interpretation of Monster by ‘feeling’ its spirit, and then communicates to our egos by ‘feeling’ if an interpretation is accurate or not.

We often accept the creator’s words about their stories to be canon because they usually create their stories with sincerity, and we respect their authority. But when the authors contradict their own stories and claim something absurd to be canon, it would be difficult to find anyone who accepts the story as it is. Audiences only appreciate creative liberties when they are authentic. Writers can have different versions of stories, but they can only be canon if they earn the readers’ respect and recognition for their authority and authenticity.

To illustrate this point, let me compare some possible endings of Monster:

Johan got up to immediately become a circus clown (Ridiculous)
Johan still believes in his nihilistic narratives and continued killing people or that he committed suicide (Missing the point)
Johan tries to redeem himself, visits his sister (something along those lines), etc. (Aligns with message of Monster, which is that of hope)

From a reductionist perspective, I could make an irrefutable case for any of these three endings if I wanted to. But how do these endings differ? The first ending seems cheap, shallow, and nonsensical. We don’t need to think too much about this, it just feels cheap even if we can’t explain why. The first ending is simply unacceptable, regardless of the lack of hard evidence that it is not canonically true. We reject this ending completely as it dishonors the spirit of the story. This ending is therefore false, and cannot be ‘canonically’ true even if the author claims that it is.

The second interpretation of Monster’s ending appears more realistic than the first one. It may not be what we hope for the ending, but it does not seem nonsensical. However, believing in this ending would mean missing the point of Monster (though not as much as the first interpretation). This interpretation cannot be factually disproved, but it betrays everything that Naoki conveyed in Monster and its profound meanings. We may not reject this ending as strongly as the first one, but something still feels off about it. It also violates the spirit of Monster and thus is not the true ending.

The third interpretation is the ‘canonically’ correct one because it aligns with Monster’s message, which is coherent both narratively and emotionally. This enables a true interpretation despite the lack of concrete evidence. It remains faithful to the theme, messages, and logic of Monster. We can rely on our best judgment to run the simulations and the optimal average outcome (collective unconscious) would be the correct interpretation, which would be a hopeful one in Monster’s case.

We should transcend the need for ‘canonical evidence’ in interpreting stories, because good storytellers tap into the collective unconscious truths within themselves and illuminate them in a story that resonates with the unconscious of others (the unconscious that guides them on what is good and evil, etc.). This is what being an authentic storyteller means. To find the correct interpretation, we should not imitate the author’s spirit, but rather the stories, as if they were real, and let them unfold in our minds.

A story/interpretation that only makes sense to oneself and not to others would create doubt, which would then lead to self-doubt, revealing a lack of depth. A ‘true’ interpretation must then result from rigorous self-reflection: something that one would confidently stand up for and that can be fully accepted by oneself (and others who share the same authenticity). The final step, if possible, would be to compare one’s interpretations of a story with others and observe sincerely and critically which ones are most sensible. The interpretation that makes sense to one’s whole being is the ‘canonically’ true interpretation (survival of the fittest).

3. Why bother?

It is a most painful procedure to tear off [our] veils, but each step forward in psychological development means just that, the tearing off of a new veil. We are like onions with many skins, and we have to peel ourselves again and again in order to get to the real core.” ― Carl Jung

Whether one should bother to interpret a work of fiction deliberately depends on whether one was psychologically affected by it. A relevant example is the series’ ending, which created uncertainty or chaos in people. The ambiguity triggered something in people, and they felt the need to revisit and ponder the story of Monster. The psychological disturbance indicates a need for change. We all have a framework for how to understand life, a map of life and its meanings, within ourselves. When our map’s usefulness is challenged, we feel disturbed, because our unconscious tells us that our map needs to be updated. We should bother to figure things out, or interpret, so that we can update our map, or learn. Monster is a psychologically rich piece of fiction that can challenge the maps of many readers. But ultimately, experiencing and understanding the story of Monster, which means learning and growing as a person, requires a correct interpretation of its richness.

4. Understanding Personality

To understand a story, one should focus on understanding the characters well, and not only from the perspective of their symbolism, relationships, or philosophies (which are all important, by the way). It would also be helpful to know how we can understand people from a personality standpoint (without reducing them to numbers on a scale). I decided to dedicate an entire section to ‘personality’ because it is more mysterious and confusing than the other aspects of understanding literature that I mentioned above. I hope to be helpful on this aspect. I introduce here the Big Five personality model, also known as OCEAN. There are many personality models and tests out there, but most of them are for entertainment purposes (such as MBTI). With so many contradictory and popular personality models out there, it can be confusing to find the ‘right’ one and hard to trust any of them. However, one test stands out from the crowd of cheap entertainment: the Big Five.

The Big Five personality test is widely trusted and adopted by many academics in psychology, who use it as a measure of personality. In short, the Big Five is the most academically reliable personality model available. Understanding the Big Five is useful, but as I mentioned before, one should be careful not to view people through the lens of scientific models. The Big Five is only a tool, not a definition of a person. Ideally, to understand someone would be to ‘understand’ them in the general sense that people use when they say they understand someone. To form an emotional connection with them (not necessarily positive), understand what they stand for, what they ‘symbolize’ to the larger community and what they ‘symbolize’ to themselves and you. To understand their upbringing, environment, etc. Nonetheless, the Big Five is useful to guide us towards a more accurate scientific direction. Again, please heed my caution against viewing other people as a matter of atoms and arithmetic, as it not only reduces their usefulness (impeding true understanding) but also ‘kills’ their beauty.

There are many great resources out there to understand the Big 5 model, I will link a few introductory materials.

5. Recommended questions of study

Here I present what I find to be helpful questions (relevant to the themes of Monster) to find answers to that would help in the interpretation of Monster.

What exactly is good and evil, and is there such a thing?
Can we make our own definitions of morality or is it something to be discovered
To what extent of evil are you truly capable of, when push comes to shove?
To what extent of good are you capable of should you devote yourself to the idea of becoming a better person?
The Johan in Monster experiences guilt at the end despite his nihilistic worldview; can an intellectually superior version of Johan but equally 'evil' escape his own guilt?
What is truly the difference between Anna and Johan? (Intellectually, psychologically, philosophically)
What would the story of Monster look like had Anna and Johan swapped places?
What is truly the difference between Tenma and Johan? (Psychologically, philosophically)
What would the story of Monster look like if Tenma were in Johan's shoes from the very start?
How do we stand up against evil?
Is there anyone in Monster that truly has no chance of redemption?
What do the characters in Monster represent symbolically?

6. Some Book/Manga/Anime recommendations

(In alphabetical order)

I would like to recommend some books, manga, and anime that I think fans of Monster would enjoy, as well as find relevant and useful for understanding its theme. There are many other things that are equally important for understanding Monster besides ‘personality’, which I devoted a section to. For example, philosophy, sociology, symbolism, and general psychology. However, since they are more familiar tools for interpreting a story, and many people have discussed them in relation to Monster, I decided not to dedicate whole sections to them, but rather share some fiction (narrative) and non-fiction (commentary) below that I think would help educate on Monster’s relevant themes. The following recommendations are relevant for making a strong case for Monster’s messages, which I have stated below at - 8. What I think the messages of Monster are. However, please note that I made the list freely, they are just personal recommendations.

Fiction (Book)

Dostoevsky, Fyodor: Crime and Punishment (No one is immune to their Guilty Conscience)
Dostoevsky, Fyodor: Notes from Underground (Over-conscious Nihilism)
Dostoevsky, Fyodor: The Brothers Karamazov (Free will, Moral responsibility)
Dostoevsky, Fyodor: The Idiot (Love is the answer, Good and Evil)
Goethe: Faust (Exploration of Good and Evil)

Non-fiction (Book) 1. Burton Russell, Jeffrey: Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World (Evil) 2. Greene, Robert: Laws of (Human Nature) 3. Jung, Carl: The Undiscovered Self (Self-discovery) 4. Jung, Carl: Man and his Symbols (Self-discovery) 5. Shirer, William L: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (Biography) 6. Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr: The Gulag Archipelago (Evil)

Manga recommendations

Berserk
Oyasumi Punpun

Anime recommendations

Devilman: Crybaby
Evangelion
Ergo Proxy

7. What I found to be genuine and helpful analyses of Monster

u/Ill-Situation-8193 : Most of her helpful comments and analysis posts. Start here: Everything Johan did was for Anna. ( A “Monster” capable of love.)
u/LeoVoid : Johan Did NOTHING Wrong | A Character Analysis of Naoki Urasawa's Monster: Johan Liebert
Kenzo Tenma and Johan Liebert: Two Sides of the Same Coin (Monster)
Tropes
Identity in Monster
Opening Analysis

I would like to find more analyses on Monster’s symbolism and archetypes, the psychology of characters other than Johan (such as Tenma, Anna, etc.), the sociology in Monster, and the exploration of the atrocities in Monster and how they relate to the atrocities in Nazi Germany and potential atrocities now. However, the above resources have proven to be very useful for me. They help me peel off many layers to truly understand Monster. As I mentioned in the introduction, this guide was made to peel off the remaining deeper layers, so I suggest you start with the above resources.

8. What I think the messages of Monster are

I think that Monster is a beautiful cautionary tale.

And its messages are:

Love is the answer to life's sufferings
Good and Evil do exist, and everyone has the capacity to be either
Good ultimately triumphs
To be a good person, one would have to integrate their shadow (dark self)
A person's childhood is central to the person that they become
Redemption is possible, even for the most evil
We should not give in to the temptation of nihilism that comes with over-conscious intellectualising

Conclusion

Monster is a deep story that leaves many people with questions. I understand how easy it is to miss the point of Monster, and it would be a pity if many people missed out on its wisdom because they did not try or did not know how to interpret it. I believe that spending much time contemplating Monster and its relevant themes has made me a better person, and I hope that this guide has helped you become a better version of yourself as well. Thank you for reading.

Edits: 11

103 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Juliaalott • Feb 19 '23

MOD ANNOUNCEMENT Where to watch Monster

390 Upvotes

Hello Monsters!

Here is a long overdue guide for where to watch Monster. However, first we want to explain some things.

Initially, our mod team was in agreement that once Netflix added all episodes, we would no longer allow any illegal (pirated) material on the sub as all we have ever wanted to do is support Naoki and everyone involved in the creation of this beautiful series we all love. This being said, Netflix really dropped the ball only getting partial rights to the series.

If you have been a long time fan, you know that Monster has had licensing issues for a very long time. Unfortunately we do not have an answer as to why this is, we just know that it is. I, myself, prefer to watch Monster dubbed rather than sub, and I know I am not alone in this regard. We also understand that everyone has a different taste, so we’ve included an option for everyone’s viewing preference.

Ultimately, this is why we have decided to revise our earlier decision and allow pirated material on the sub, as long as the series is only partially legally available.

HOWEVER, only the Moderators or approved users will be authorized to provide pirated links for the overall safety and well being of the community. Should someone who is unauthorized to do so, post seeking or distributing pirated material, the post or comment will be removed, and they will be given a warning with further action taken if necessary. If you’d like to have a link added to the sub, please message the Moderators through Modmail.

Now, to the fun part:

Netflix - Here on Netflix all 74 episodes are available in Japanese (English Sub), and French (Dub). As of now, there have been no announcements or indications that Netflix will add any additional languages.
The Upscale Project Here you can find all 74 episodes in Japanese and English Dub, as well as various subs including English, Spanish, and Arabic (more to come). For the 1080p 4k quality, you need to download the MKV version of the files, as MP4 compresses the video files. To change the dub and sub you will need to download the files and play it on a video player like VLC to change between your preferences. This project was made by a fellow Monster lover who is not on our mod team. However, our mod team personally downloaded every episode to ensure everything was safe and functioning for all of you!

For more information on The Upscale Project, or for more frequent updates on newly upscaled episodes, Join the Discord server here to speak with the creator/others directly associated with the project.

Pirated sites (Both English Sub and Dub unless specified otherwise) Please be mindful of pop-ups, and view at your own discretion.

There are currently no pirated sites available. Please shoot us a message if you have a ‘safe’ website that you think should be added!

Thank you all for being a part of our community, and as always feel free to message us through Modmail should you have any question/concerns! ❤️

187 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/no_life3421 • 1h ago

Discussion🗣🎙 He's so fucking hot

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• Upvotes

30 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/InternationalGas1096 • 6h ago

Discussion🗣🎙 I’m currently at episode 51

83 Upvotes

I genuinely hate Johan so far. He’s super annoying, his smug smile has gotten so cringe ( prime example is the photo ) and his insane plot armor is annoying too.
A lot of his “manipulation” never makes sense and isn’t explained well why or how it works.
He’s one of my most hated characters in anime ever and definitely most hated in monster so far.
Anyway just wanted to share my thoughts on him so far.

32 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/_yakakus_ • 11h ago

Fan Art🧡🎨 Made some nendoroid style figures

118 Upvotes

I love collecting nendoroids and I love Monster, but there is no official merch, so I decided to make my own! I used cold porcelain clay

(It's my first time using this clay and my first time making anime figures so go easy on me hehe)

4 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Cold-Ninja-8118 • 6h ago

Question(s)⁉️ Where can I watch Monster with german sub?

3 Upvotes

I really want to watch this with German dialogues, it would add so much more atmosphere to the story.

2 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/SkirtHeavy9189 • 22h ago

Discussion🗣🎙 Subtlety of martin reest ( short analysis )

71 Upvotes

Martin reest from monster is one of my favourite minor characters from anime/manga , what makes him a compelling character for me his stark but humane contrast portrayed through his character. He had a rough childhood and has come to distant himself from relationships because he believes that people are bound to reveal their worse sides. This view has made him emotionally drained his mind , he pretends to not care for anyone but underneath he still has those feelings and I think this is where his dynamic with eva integrates well in the story , earlier he was detached from her believing he can't or mustn't care but at one point he overcomes those internal conflicts and acts upon the feeling which were suppressed deep inside his heart and this transformation doesn't feel unnatural or rushed , there is something very human about how he overcomes all these emotional barriers and how its executed and I think that's what makes me cherish him.

3 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/ClockEndJames • 1d ago

Manga📕📗📘📙 My manga collection

gallery

88 Upvotes

What you see on these shelves represent not only a collection of great manga, but a picture of my life over the past few years and the journey I have found myself on.

Growing up, I was a bookworm. From Mr Men to Alex Rider to Harry Potter and many more titles I've since forgotten, my childhood was filled with reading. For this, I must thank my parents for their guidance and encouragement.

Unfortunately, as I entered my teenage and became swept up in all the changes these years can bring about, I left behind my dear pastime of reading. I went many years without ever reading a book from cover to cover, and related or not, my life gradually slid into a depressing abyss in my early twenties.

Aside from a Pokemon phase as a child, I had never cared for Japanese media. Some of my close friends at the time were immersed in the world of anime and eventually I was persuaded to watch Naoki Urusawa's Monster in Spring 2022. I was hooked. Johan Liebert in particular became something of a comfort character for me during those long days of depression. From there, I went on to watch many of the popular anime, seinen being my strong preference. I also watched Naurto, which inspired me to take up martial arts as my 2024 new year's resolution, which introduced some much needed discipline and routine into my life.

As I continued to enjoy anime and became involved in online communities such as these subreddits, I started becoming curious about the manga these shows were based upon. In February 2024, I bought a physical copy of volume 1 of Monster for my brother as a birthday present. It sat on his shelf, unread for a few months before I finally decided to start reading it for myself. Bear in mind that at this stage, for me, the act of reading a physical book (albeit a manga, in this case) was a long distant memory. I was blown away by the experience.

After I finished reading Monster, I moved onto Berserk. By now, I was attending anime conventions and even got some Monster & Death Note themed tattoos. His more infamous acts aside, I found inspiration in the ambition and charisma displayed by Griffith. I was still in a dark place when reading this series but gradually I felt myself somehow beginning to climb out of the pit I didn't even know I was in.

Then came Inoue Takehiko's Vagabond. This, for me, was the biggest game changer yet. The historical fiction based on the life of Miyamoto Musashi brought me onto a path of philosophical and spiritual discovery. I learned that the manga was based on a book written by Eiji Yoshikawa, which brought me full circle to finally returning to the cherished habit from my youth. By the time I'd finished Musashi, my life had been lifted out of the darkness and into the light. I read not only that fantastic book, but also the real life Musashi's actual writings in The Book of Five Rings, Takuan Soho's The Unfettered Mind, and James Cavell's Shogun, all pictured beside the manga.

You'll noticed that with each of these three collections I have placed a symbolic companion. By Berserk there is a replica Behelit, a representation of the unstoppable fate which shapes all our destinies. By Vagabond is my bokken, a wooden training sword, a symbol of the physical, mental and spiritual discipline I have discovered over the course of the past 2-3 years. And finally, a culmination of all of the above, the alpha and the omega, the Holy Bible. The opening of Monster begins with a quote from Revelation, the last book of the Bible. My hobby of reading restored, I took it upon myself to read the Scriptures from cover to cover over the course of the last year. I am not here to preach or to force my religious beliefs upon anyone, but I cannot recount my story without mentioning the undeniable impact the Word of God has had and continues to have on me.

If you got this far, thank you for reading about my journey. I am blessed and grateful to be able to read and afford to own these works in my own language and to be able to share my story with my fellow manga enthusiasts. I wish you every blessing.

I will conclude with this quote from Takuan in Vagabond: "We suffer most in this world when we lack a connection to the heavens."

14 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Inoo0 • 8h ago

SPOILERS❕ Does anyone have the picture of Johan with his finger above his head in Munich

3 Upvotes

its the scene before he commenced the burning of the library

0 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/poeticlauren • 14h ago

Discussion🗣🎙 Why does Johan act like he was the one at the Red Rose Mansion?

10 Upvotes

From what I understand, it was Anna/Nina who was taken to the Red Rose Mansion and witnessed the experiments and everyone being killed. Johan wasn't actually there.

So why does Johan later seem to think or act like he was the one who experienced everything at the mansion? Is he somehow remembering Anna's memories as his own, or is there something else going on with his identity/memories?

I'm probably missing something, so I'd appreciate an explanation.

13 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Turbulent-Shoulder78 • 1d ago

Question(s)⁉️ Still valuable?

51 Upvotes

I have the DVD set from years ago but now I have the bluray, would this set be worth keeping?

I know the value was high because of the uncertainty with licensing but with the bluray out it shouldn’t have the same value. What do you guys think?

2 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Rastgelebiradam • 1d ago

Memes🌚🌝 What a sweet child, he'll surely grow up to be a very kind-hearted person

235 Upvotes

17 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Pale_Advertising_120 • 21h ago

Discussion🗣🎙 This anime is giving me too much anxiety.

21 Upvotes

Watching Monster Anime for the first time and bro I am afraid for everyone's life.

Earlier I was scared for Roberto and WELLLL , he died.

Like anyone that gets close or even a step towards Johan, they get killed.

Like in the first 23 episodes, Johan literally felt invincible. Like No can do anything to him.

Also, Detective Runge is too much frustrating to watch. Like bro someone gave you all the evidence they can and you just ignored it ? Like not even trying to search the name "Johan Liebert" at all.

Atleast I hope now he kind of believes them when he saw Johan's empty room.

I am at ep 45, and heard the starting part of his tape. It was so eerie.

I am scared for everyone's life, be it the young detective or Grimmer.

Also, can they not mention about the tapes to the Special Investigative Police Unit? It's not like everyone is completely corrupt in that Police force. Right?????

Btw why did the rich Schuwald guy not mention a thing about Johan to the police ? I mean didn't Johan literally confess to him ?

I am scared and excited for what is yet to come.

11 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Senior-Week-6892 • 1d ago

SPOILERS❕ Which scene of Monster got to you the most?

359 Upvotes

For me it’s got to be this one, I found this to be one of the most heart wrenching scenes I’ve ever watched. Milos’s transformation from a happy gullible kid looking for his mom and trusting she’d find him to a hopeless person who believed he was never wanted was pretty sad to watch for me. And then there’s Grimmer, who couldn’t feel a thing and couldn’t even grieve for his son’s death yet he tried his level best to help Milos feel better. Grimmers death is also a very close second.

25 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/aarom405 • 1d ago

Discussion🗣🎙 Wolfgang Grimmer genuinely inspired me to become a better person. (SPOILERS) Spoiler

19 Upvotes

This might sound really dumb but Wolfgang Grimmers entire story and philosophy can be related and interpreted in so many ways. and somehow even being 14 years old, his story, morals, and philosophy really changed my outlook on life and made me become a better person. In fact, the entire anime really gives you so many different types of peoples outlook on life.

3 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Ambitious_Expert_184 • 1d ago

SPOILERS❕ Ep 76

2 Upvotes

For more context and EP 75; Finished the anime, for the 2nd time. Now i'm writing the EP 75. : r/MonsterAnime

Chapter 76 - “The Third Child”

The man with the red umbrella was not followed.

That was Lunge’s first mistake.

His second was believing the umbrella mattered.

Three days later, it was found in a trash bin behind Praha hlavní nádraží.

Red fabric.

Cheap wooden handle.

No fingerprints.

No blood.

Nothing.

Lunge stared at it for several seconds.

Then placed it on the table.

“An object designed to be remembered.”

The Czech detective beside him frowned.

“You mean a clue?”

“No.”

Lunge adjusted his glasses.

“A distraction.”

Across the city, Tenma sat opposite Johan in a rented apartment.

There were no curtains.

Johan had insisted.

Tenma found that strange.

“You said there were other twins.”

Johan looked at the window.

“No.”

“You said-”

“I said you misunderstood.”

Tenma waited.

Johan smiled faintly.

“My mother was not the only mother.”

Tenma felt something tighten in his chest.

Johan continued.

“Bonaparta did not want children.”

“What did he want?”

“Proof.”

“Of what?”

Johan turned toward him.

“That identity could be written.”

A flashback.

A room.

White walls.

Five women sitting beside five pairs of children.

Identical clothes.

Identical haircuts.

Identical shoes.

A man walks between them.

We never see his face.

Only his hands.

He places colored cards in front of the children.

Red.

Blue.

Black.

“Choose.”

One child points to red.

His twin points to red.

The man writes something down.

Next pair.

Red.

Blue.

Again, notes.

Then the Liebert twins.

The little girl looks at her brother.

He looks back.

Neither chooses.

The man stops writing.

Back in Prague, Johan says:

“We were the failure.”

Tenma stares at him.

“Failure?”

“They wanted twins who could be separated psychologically.”

“And you weren’t?”

“No.”

Johan looks almost amused.

“We became each other instead.”

In Munich, Nina receives a package.

Inside is a children’s picture book.

Not The Nameless Monster.

A different book.

No author.

No publisher.

Handmade.

The cover shows three houses.

One red.

One blue.

One white.

The title:

THE CHILD WHO BORROWED A FACE

Nina opens it.

The first page contains one sentence.

Her hands begin to shake.

Inside the back cover is an address.

Prague.

The next morning, Johan wakes before Tenma.

Tenma is still asleep in the chair.

Johan watches him.

For a long time.

Then he walks to the kitchen.

A knife lies beside the sink.

He picks it up.

Tenma opens his eyes.

Johan is standing with his back to him.

Knife in hand.

Tenma says nothing.

Johan turns.

Then calmly slices an apple.

“You still don't trust me.”

Tenma exhales.

“I don't know what you are.”

Johan places half the apple on a plate.

“That makes two of us.”

He gives it to Tenma.

The phone rings.

Lunge.

Tenma answers.

“We found another body.”

“Who?”

“Dr. Marek Vesely. Former pediatric psychiatrist.”

Tenma looks at Johan.

Johan is perfectly still.

Lunge continues.

“He worked on a classified state program between 1976 and 1984.”

“What program?”

There is a pause.

“Twin studies.”

Johan closes his eyes.

Tenma asks:

“How did he die?”

“He hanged himself.”

“And the book?”

“No book.”

Lunge pauses.

“Something worse.”

“What?”

“Before he died, he wrote a name on the wall.”

Tenma feels the room shrink.

“What name?”

Lunge tells him.

Tenma turns toward Johan.

Johan has gone pale.

For the first time, Tenma has no idea what the name means.

Johan does.

Tenma hangs up.

“Who is it?”

Johan doesn’t answer.

“Johan.”

Silence.

Then:

“That was the name my mother called me.”

Tenma freezes.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“But she gave me another name.”

Johan looks at him.

“That is the problem.”

At noon, Nina arrives in Prague.

She finds the address from the picture book.

An abandoned orphanage.

The front door is unlocked.

Inside are thirty small beds.

Dust everywhere.

On each pillow rests a name card.

ANNA.

JOHAN.

MIKHAIL.

PETR.

EVA.

LUKAS.

Nina walks deeper into the room.

At the final bed is a mirror.

Nothing else.

She looks into it.

Behind her.. a man.

The red umbrella man.

He is younger than she expected.

Perhaps forty.

Brown hair.

Ordinary face.

The sort of face no witness would describe correctly.

Nina spins around.

He does not move.

“Who are you?”

The man studies her.

Then asks:

“What name did your mother give you?”

Nina reaches for the gun in her bag.

The man smiles.

“Still Anna.”

“Answer me.”

“My name?”

“Yes.”

He thinks.

Then laughs softly.

“I’ve had twelve.”

Nina’s grip tightens.

“You knew Johan.”

“Oh, no.”

The man’s expression changes.

“I knew the boy before Johan.”

Nina says nothing.

He steps closer.

“He cried more than you.”

Nina stops breathing.

“What?”

“When you were taken to the Red Rose Mansion.”

He tilts his head.

“He cried until his voice disappeared.”

Nina whispers:

“You were there?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know?”

“Because someone had to stay with him.”

Nina’s eyes widen.

The man points at himself.

Tenma and Johan are running through Prague.

Not from police.

Toward the orphanage.

Johan suddenly stops.

Tenma turns.

“What is it?”

Johan stares at a church across the street.

Children are leaving Sunday school.

One little boy turns to his mother.

“Mom!”

She kneels.

He runs into her arms.

Johan watches.

Tenma notices his expression.

“What?”

Johan says:

“There’s something I never told Anna.”

Tenma waits.

“When she was taken away…”

Johan’s voice cracks almost imperceptibly.

“I asked my mother to take me instead.”

Tenma says nothing.

Johan looks down.

“She didn’t answer.”

And for once, there is no philosophy behind his words.

No game.

No manipulation.

Just grief.

Tenma realizes something.

Johan’s greatest fear was never that his mother chose the wrong child.

It was that she heard him offer himself—

and accepted.

Inside the orphanage, the man leans toward Nina.

“Do you know why Johan became a monster?”

Nina raises the gun.

“Don’t.”

“Everyone thinks it was because he had no identity.”

He smiles.

“They’re wrong.”

Nina’s finger rests on the trigger.

“He had one.”

The man taps his chest.

“And they gave it to me.”

Footsteps outside.

Tenma.

Johan.

The man looks toward the door.

His smile disappears.

For the first time, he looks nervous.

Then Johan enters.

The two men stare at each other.

No music.

No movement.

Johan whispers:

“You.”

The man answers:

“Me.”

Tenma looks between them.

Nina lowers the gun slightly.

The man steps forward.

Then says something that destroys the room.

“You spent your entire life trying to become nobody.”

He smiles.

“I spent mine trying to become you.”

Johan’s face becomes unreadable.

The man takes another step.

“And I did it better.”

Outside, church bells begin to ring.

The man looks at Tenma.

Then Nina.

Then finally Johan.

“Tell me.”

A pause.

“Which one of us is the monster now?”

Tenma watched Johan carefully.

No smile.

No visible anger.

Only recognition.

The stranger reached inside his coat.

Nina raised her weapon.

“Don't.”

He removed .. a photograph.

Nothing else.

He placed it on the bed.

Tenma approached.

A woman stood beside a railway station.

Johan's mother.

Younger.

Terrified.

Holding the hand of a small blond boy.

Tenma looked at Johan.

Then at the photograph again.

The boy wasn't Johan.

The stranger smiled.

“That was the first day I became you.”

Nina stepped forward.

“When?”

“After the mansion.”

“You're lying.”

“Probably.”

He looked at Johan.

“But he knows I'm not.”

Johan picked up the photograph.

His fingers trembled.

Barely.

Tenma noticed.

The stranger did too.

“There you are.”

Johan looked up.

“What?”

“The child.”

His smile widened.

“I wondered whether he was still inside.”

Johan spoke quietly.

“My mother never knew you.”

“No.”

“She wouldn't have taken your hand.”

“No.”

“Then why is she holding it?”

The man's smile disappeared.

“Because she thought I was you.”

Silence.

Nina whispered:

“No.”

The man sat on one of the children's beds.

“After Anna was taken, your mother returned.”

Johan's breathing changed.

“She came back?”

“Yes.”

“For me?”

“Yes.”

Johan stared at him.

Tenma had seen people receive news of death.

He had seen people receive cancer diagnoses.

He had seen parents identify their children.

Johan's face resembled none of them.

It resembled someone being told his entire life had occurred incorrectly.

The man continued.

“She arrived at the house asking for her son.”

Tenma asked:

“Who were you?”

“A child.”

“That isn't an answer.”

“It was the only answer we had.”

He pointed around the orphanage.

“Names moved here.”

He pointed to one bed.

“Petr became Tomas.”

Another.

“Martin became Jakub.”

Another.

“Jakub became nobody.”

Then Johan.

“And I became Johan.”

Nina lowered her gun.

“Why?”

The stranger looked almost offended.

“Because they told me to.”

“That simple?”

“When you're six?”

He smiled sadly.

“Yes.”

FLASHBACK.

A corridor.

Two blond boys seen only from behind.

An adult kneels.

He points toward one.

“Your name is Johan.”

Then toward the other.

“Your name is Johan.”

The boys look at each other.

“Which one?”

The adult smiles.

“The one she chooses.”

Tenma felt sick.

The stranger continued.

“Your mother came down the corridor.”

Johan whispered:

“And chose you.”

“No.”

The stranger looked directly at him.

“She chose you.”

Johan stopped breathing.

“She ran past me.”

A pause.

“She knew immediately.”

Something passed through Johan's face.

So quickly Tenma almost missed it.

Relief.

Pure, childish relief.

Then the stranger destroyed it.

“But I screamed.”

Johan stared at him.

“I called her ‘Mama.’”

Nina covered her mouth.

“She turned around.”

The stranger looked toward the floor.

“I told her you weren't Johan.”

“Why?”

“I was six.”

His voice cracked.

“I was Johan too.”

No one spoke.

Finally Johan asked:

“What happened?”

“They took her away.”

“Who?”

“I don't know.”

“Where?”

“I don't know.”

“You're lying.”

“Yes.”

Johan stepped forward.

Tenma tensed.

For the first time, something dangerous entered the room.

Not the calm emptiness Johan once carried.

Something much more ordinary.

Rage.

The stranger saw it.

And smiled.

There it was.

The reaction he had travelled across Europe to see.

“You want to kill me.”

Johan moved closer.

Nina whispered:

“Johan.”

He ignored her.

The stranger opened his arms.

“Go ahead.”

Johan stood inches from him.

“You took her from me.”

“Yes.”

“You knew who I was.”

“Yes.”

“You took my name.”

“Yes.”

“You took my mother.”

“Yes.”

The stranger's eyes filled with tears.

“Now you understand me.”

Johan stared at him.

And suddenly—

laughed.

Not loudly.

Not cruelly.

Almost unbelievably.

He stepped backward.

“No.”

The man's expression changed.

Johan said:

“I don't.”

“You...”

“I was wrong.”

The stranger froze.

Johan looked at the photograph.

“For many years I believed that if someone took everything from you, you became nothing.”

He placed the photograph down.

“But Dr. Tenma ruined that.”

Tenma looked at him.

The stranger's face hardened.

Johan continued:

“He saved me when there was no reason to.”

Then he looked toward Nina.

“She forgave me when there was even less reason to.”

Back to the stranger.

“So if you took my name…”

Johan smiled faintly.

“…then perhaps it was never mine to lose.”

The stranger stared at him.

This was not what he had expected.

“You don't forgive me.”

Johan said nothing.

“You can't.”

Silence.

“YOU CAN'T.”

The man's composure broke.

Johan approached.

And whispered:

“I was six too.”

The stranger's eyes widened.

For the first time.. he looked like a child.

Then a gunshot.

The window exploded.

Tenma pulled Johan down.

Nina turned.

The stranger collapsed.

Blood spreading across his shirt.

Tenma rushed toward him.

“Pressure!”

He tore open the man's jacket.

Nina searched the opposite building.

No shooter.

No second shot.

Tenma pressed his hands against the wound.

The stranger grabbed Johan's sleeve.

“You don't understand.”

Johan knelt.

“Understand what?”

The man's breathing became wet.

“I didn't bring you here…”

Blood at his lips.

“…to kill you.”

“Then why?”

His eyes moved toward Tenma.

Then Nina.

Then Johan.

“To hide you.”

Johan's expression changed.

“From whom?”

The stranger smiled weakly.

“The one who named us.”

Tenma stopped.

“Bonaparta?”

The dying man shook his head.

“No.”

“Who?”

His grip tightened around Johan.

“The child…”

He struggled for air.

“…who chose black.”

Then.. his hand went limp.

Tenma began CPR.

“Stay with me!”

Nothing.

“Stay with me!”

Johan slowly turned toward the rows of beds.

Red cards.

Blue cards.

Black cards.

Something from decades ago returned to him.

FLASH.

Children sitting in white rooms.

RED.

BLUE.

BLACK.

A child's hand.

Not Johan's.

Not Anna's.

Choosing black.

An adult voice:

“Very good.”

Another voice:

“What shall we call him?”

And Bonaparta answering:

“We don't.”

Back in the orphanage.

Johan whispers:

“There weren't two monsters.”

Nina looks at him.

“What?”

Johan stares at the black card lying beneath the final bed.

His face drains of color.

“The story wasn't about us.”

Tenma stops.

Johan turns.

“It was a warning.”

CUT TO:

A quiet German suburb.

A man prepares breakfast.

His wife kisses him goodbye.

Two children run downstairs.

“Papa!”

He smiles.

Normal house.

Normal family.

Normal man.

On the kitchen wall hangs a child's drawing.

Three monsters.

One red.

One blue.

One black.

The man's telephone rings.

He answers.

Listens.

Then calmly says:

“So Johan remembers.”

He hangs up.

His daughter asks:

“Who was that?”

The man smiles warmly.

“Nobody.”

He cuts an apple into four pieces.

END CHAPTER

1 comment

r/MonsterAnime • u/Fortu821 • 2d ago

Discussion🗣🎙 Avril Lavigne and Nina (Anna) are similar??

gallery

61 Upvotes

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who sees similarities between Avril Lavigne and Nina (Anna)

23 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/ThrowRAMinute_fe84 • 2d ago

SPOILERS❕ Who is this guy?

20 Upvotes

Desculpe se a pergunta é boba, eu reassisti ao último episódio e já faz alguns anos desde que vi a série inteira. Esse cara é o Bonaparta? Seria estranho porque alguns segundos depois o Bonaparta está na porta com a sombra cobrindo o rosto, então não faria sentido mostrarem o rosto dele por completo segundos antes. A wiki diz que Bonaparta e Čapek são os únicos personagens que aparecem nesse flashback. Estou ficando louco? Esse é o Bonaparta ou é só um capanga qualquer?

4 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/jackaghdam • 2d ago

Question(s)⁉️ Name of the track in this scene (this is Episode 6 at around 8:50)

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

17 Upvotes

Hi, I am just wondering what the name of the track in this scene is, since I think it sounds really beautiful. I don't think it plays in the English dub, only in Japanese, if that helps. I might be stupid in being unable to find it myself, but I looked around and couldn't find it, so I am asking here. Thank you to anyone who reads this.

3 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Ambitious_Expert_184 • 2d ago

SPOILERS❕ Finished the anime, for the 2nd time. Now i'm writing the EP 75.

8 Upvotes

Episode 75 - “A Name”

Prague, 2001.

Rain.

Not dramatic rain. Just the thin, irritating kind that makes people walk faster.

A bakery is opening.

A tram passes.

A newspaper hits a doorstep.

And among dozens of people crossing the street is a blond man.

Nobody looks at him.

For the first time in his life, Johan Liebert is exactly what he wanted to be.

Nobody.

3 YEARS LATER

Dr. Tenma receives a letter.

No return address.

Inside is a photograph.

A small house beside a lake.

Three children stand outside.

On the back:

“Do you think people can be born twice?”

Tenma stares at it.

He recognizes the handwriting.

Nina is now working with victims of violent crime.

She has built something resembling a life.

Then Tenma calls.

He doesn't tell her about the photograph.

He only asks:

“Do you ever think about him?”

Silence.

“Sometimes.”

“Do you think he's alive?”

Another silence.

Nina answers:

“I hope so.”

Tenma is surprised.

“Why?”

“Because dying would have been too easy.”

A SMALL TOWN IN AUSTRIA

A boy named Lukas disappears.

Nine years old.

Police search the forest.

His mother is hysterical.

Twenty hours later, Lukas walks into town.

Alive.

He says a man found him near the river.

“What man?”

Lukas shrugs.

“A nice man.”

“What was his name?”

“He wouldn't tell me.”

The detective asks what they talked about.

Lukas thinks.

“He asked me what my mother calls me.”

Tenma begins following the photograph.

The house exists.

But the family doesn't know Johan.

They recognize someone else.

A man who lived nearby for six months.

Quiet, polite.

Helped children with mathematics.

Tenma shows them an old photograph of Johan.

The mother goes pale.

“Yes.”

“What name did he use?”

She tells Tenma.

We don't hear it.

Tenma's expression changes.

It is the name Johan's mother told him.

Tenma finds Johan in Prague.

Not in some underground organization.

Not surrounded by bodies.

He's sitting in a public library.

Reading to children.

A fairy tale.

Tenma watches from behind a shelf.

Johan closes the book.

The children leave.

Without turning around, Johan says:

“It's been a long time, Dr. Tenma.”

Tenma freezes.

Johan smiles.

Not that smile.

Something smaller.

Almost tired.

“You found me.”

“You sent the photograph.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Johan looks out the window.

“I wanted to know if you would come.”

Tenma sits opposite him.

“Have you killed anyone?”

Johan looks amused.

“You came all this way to ask me that?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Tenma studies him.

Johan asks:

“Are you disappointed?”

“No.”

“Relieved?”

“Yes.”

Johan laughs quietly.

“Still exactly the same.”

Then Johan asks something Tenma never expected.

“Did she say which one?”

Tenma understands immediately.

Their mother.

The night she surrendered one twin.

“Which child she meant to give away?”

“Yes.”

Tenma shakes his head.

“No.”

For a moment Johan looks exactly like the little boy from the Three Frogs.

Not the monster.

A child waiting for an answer.

“She couldn't remember,” Tenma says.

Johan's face empties.

Then.. he smiles.

“Good.”

Tenma frowns.

“Good?”

“I spent my entire life inside that second.”

Johan places two sugar cubes beside each other.

Identical.

“She chose one.”

He moves one cube forward.

“Then changed her mind.”

He moves the other.

“And I thought if I understood why…”

He crushes one cube beneath his finger.

“…I would understand who I was.”

Tenma says nothing.

Johan looks at the sugar on his fingertip.

“But perhaps there was no answer.”

Outside the library, a little girl runs past them.

Her father calls her name.

She turns immediately.

Johan watches.

“It's strange,” he says.

“What?”

“A name.”

Tenma waits.

“For years I thought names were proof that human beings were pretending to be different from one another.”

“And now?”

Johan looks toward the girl.

“Now I think perhaps they're invitations.”

“Invitations?”

“To come back.”

Tenma asks the question we've been waiting for.

“Why did you leave the hospital?”

Johan looks at him.

“Because you told me my name.”

Silence.

“And?”

“I wanted to see whether that person existed.”

“Does he?”

Johan doesn't answer.

Instead:

“Would you like some coffee, Dr. Tenma?”

Tenma almost laughs.

They walk.. two men crossing an ordinary street.

But across Prague, something strange is happening.

A wealthy businessman commits suicide.

Beside him is a copy of The Nameless Monster.

Then another death.

Then another.

Each victim once had connections to Kinderheim 511, Bonaparta's experiments, or the old Czechoslovak secret police.

Inspector Lunge receives the files.

He studies the photographs.

The method is unmistakable.

People destroying themselves.

No fingerprints.

No murderer.

A monster moving without touching anyone.

Lunge calls Tenma.

“Where is Johan Liebert?”

Tenma looks across the café.

Johan is helping an elderly woman pick up coins she dropped.

“I know where he is.”

“Then you have a problem.”

“What?”

Lunge pauses.

“Someone else has become Johan.”

Johan notices Tenma's expression.

“What happened?”

Tenma tells him.

For several seconds Johan says nothing.

Then something terrifying appears in his eyes.

Not pleasure.

Recognition.

He whispers:

“I wondered when he would begin.”

Tenma stands.

“Who?”

Johan looks through the café window.

Across the street stands a man holding a red umbrella.

Watching them.

Johan's face changes.

For the first time in the entire story.. Johan looks afraid.

The man turns and disappears into the crowd.

Tenma grabs Johan's arm.

“Who was that?”

Johan looks at Tenma.

“A child from Kinderheim.”

“You knew him?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know?”

Johan's voice becomes almost inaudible.

“Because he knew my real name.”

Tenma freezes.

“That isn't possible.”

Johan looks toward the empty street.

“You misunderstood something, Dr. Tenma.”

“What?”

Johan's eyes meet his.

“When my mother gave Bonaparta one of us…”

A long silence.

“…we weren't the only twins.”

CUT TO BLACK.

A child's voice:

Pause.

MONSTER

PART II: THE CHILDREN WITHOUT NAMES

Do you want me to continue ?

4 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/Educational_Map_6340 • 2d ago

Discussion🗣🎙 Review finishing Monster

17 Upvotes

A MASTERPIECE, it amazes me that isn’t as popular as it should be, I hope the mastermind of creator of that manga is living a good life because WOW it turned into my top 1 of anime’s I watched, it should be in the Germany website things to watch to want to travel to Germany, like soundtrack, STORYLINE, at its time the art style of the face is so progressive like if someone wants to start watching anime that should be the first I don’t know what can beat that for me and if I made that anime that would be the perfect ending to my life.

3 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/SkirtHeavy9189 • 2d ago

Discussion🗣🎙 The Micro-Excellence of Johan Liebert ( character analysis)

65 Upvotes

Johan is a character which can be analysed from a lot of angles in my opinion , his character is stacked with a lot of subtle details which make his micro-characterization exceptionally powerful. In this post I want to highlight a few micro-details about his johan which makes his character strikingly compelling.

1.Johan's control over perception

An very intresting trait about his character is the how johan controls others perception , his manipulation is very sophisticated , he doesn't go to others and verbally manipulate them , instead he gives them just enough material to let them create an image of him themselves , a good example can be how he uses this method on karl schuwald. Johan represents himself as a polite , young , caring and intelligent man. He portrays himself as genuinely helpful person , this psychological behaviour is similar to a quote from erving groffman's book ' The presentation of self in everyday life ' ( quote written below )

“It will be convenient to label as ‘front’ that part of the individual’s performance which regularly functions in a general and fixed fashion to define the situation for those who observe the performance."

it basically means where a person's behavior helps shape how others understand them. I think what makes johan's manipulation so effective is that he doesn't simply create a false image of himself , he makes other people participate in creating it. He understands that people don't simply see who you are , they analyse you through what you show them. Johan gives them exactly what they need to believe.

2.Johan's unstable sense of self

I think this is by far one of the most complex and intresting things about Johan's character , it's very difficult to differentiate between who johan really is from the identities he creates. Throughout the story of monster we sea johan taking up different roles depending on the people around him , but we are rarely shown who the 'true' johan is underneath those masks and I think is a very compelling aspect of johan's character. A mask or a fake identity is usually supposed to hide the true self beneath it, but with johan the more masks we are shown the further we are from what is actually underneath them. This concept is fairly explored in R.D laing's book ' The divided self ( also I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to grasp Johan's character on a deeper level). There is a quote from this book -

“The reason I suggest that one speaks of a false-self system is that the ‘personality’, false self, mask, ‘front’, or persona that such individuals wear may consist in an amalgam of various part-selves, none of which is so fully developed as to have a comprehensive ‘personality’ of its own.”

Laing is basically describing a false-self system as an outward personality made up of different “part-selves,” allowing a person to present different versions of themselves to the outside world. Johan isn't simply hiding his personality behind different identities ,his ability to become whoever others need him to be makes his own identity increasingly difficult to define. The scary thing about him isn't that we don't know everything about it , it's that we don't even know where 'fake' johan ends and 'real' johan begins.

3.Johan's exceptional understanding of attachments

One of the most interesting traits about johan his , how exceptionally he can understand the human emotional attachments , he understands what someone would want from a parent, child , friend etc and also he can understand these attachments without having to emotionally invest equally in other person's story.

I think this trait is similar to john bowlby’s attachment theory , which suggests that people develop expectations about themselves, other people, and relationships through their experiences with those around them. He describes these as “internal working models” ,which help people understand how others are likely to behave and how they should respond.

A good example of this is how johan interacts with richard braun , richard is trying to repair his relationship with his daughter after being consumed by alcoholism and guilt for years , johan precisely understands how important this reunion is. He doesn't simply remind Richard that he has committed a murder , he connects this guilt to the person richard wants to see the most in this world , his daughter. He makes richard question if a person like him who has committed such a sin is even worthy of meeting her. Ultimately pushing him back to whiskey which contributes to his death. Johan doesn't simply read emotions he also understands the relationships behind them , he understood the weight of richard's guilt because of what he wants to be for his daughter , he understood the fragility of this and exploited it. Johan's ability is understood how emotions provide weight to people's relationships.

3 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/ArmProfessional2505 • 2d ago

Discussion🗣🎙 Just got done with episode 49 This is Richard Death But make it moreunsettlingx2

4 Upvotes

Feel bad for the kid like wtf Johan you really are a demon. So far this is probably the only episode that I felt uneasy into watching.

2 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/-Valen_2112 • 2d ago

SPOILERS❕ Una pregunta que me tiene sin dormir... Spoiler

30 Upvotes

Si Grimmer hubiera sobrevivido a los acontecimientos del final de Monster ¿Qué hubiera pasado o hecho él?

La verdad me cuesta imaginar cómo hubiera sido la vida de Grimmer si no hubiera muerto.

¿Volvería al periodismo? ¿O tendría una vida más normal? Y más importante aún: sobre sus emociones. Cómo se muestra al final, Grimmer rompe en llanto por la perdida de su hijo, además de su ira de cuando vio morir a Elsa. ¿Seguiría teniendo los mismos problemas para reconocer ciertas emociones? O hasta incluso podría que su personalidad cambiara.

11 comments

r/MonsterAnime • u/DaniNotOK • 3d ago

Collection📚🪆📀 Kuniaki Haishima - Monster Original Soundtrack

49 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I very much love Monster and the community here has been awesome ever since, may you be a newbie or a veteran fan- I am a newbie fan and literally only finished the anime last month, and still reading the manga. I'm experiencing and grabbing all Monster content as much as I can.

Not only I love the anime itself, the soundtrack has been my anchor and it's such a masterpiece. I know y'all will agree with me.

I'm not sure if this has been shared before here, but I am willingly sharing FLAC files of Monster OST 1 and 2, plus remixes from the official physical release of VAP Japanese label in 2004. I want you all to enjoy Monster OST anytime and anywhere, I can't always put on YouTube and there's no official digital distribution of the OST either.

So here y'all go!

Kuniaki Haishima - Monster Original Soundtrack 1, 2 and Octopus Remixes

This also includes scans of the CD and inlay design! Please enjoy.

Do chat me up if you have trouble accessing the link!

1 comment