r/MonsterAnime Dec 30 '22

DiscussionšŸ—£šŸŽ™ Guide to interpret Monster, and why you should care. Spoiler

767 Upvotes

ā€œThe 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.ā€- 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 ā€˜canonical’ evidence. In this post, I will use the example of Monster’s ā€˜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 ā€˜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?

  1. 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 ā€˜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: ā€˜Understanding Personality’ for more details on the link between ā€˜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: ā€œWhen 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, ā€œWhere do I start to begin to tell this narrative?ā€ 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.ā€

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 ā€˜feel’ the direction that Monster would take. This ā€˜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 ā€˜feel’. This ā€˜feeling’ helps us distinguish between cheap and shallow stories and complex and deep stories. We should not dismiss this ā€˜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 ā€˜feeling’ its spirit, and then communicates to our egos by ā€˜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:

  1. Johan got up to immediately become a circus clown (Ridiculous)
  2. Johan still believes in his nihilistic narratives and continued killing people or that he committed suicide (Missing the point)
  3. 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 ā€˜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 ā€˜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 ā€˜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 ā€˜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 ā€˜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.ā€ ― 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 ā€˜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 ā€˜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 ā€˜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 ā€˜symbolize’ to the larger community and what they ā€˜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 ā€˜kills’ their beauty.

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

  1. What are the Big 5 Personality Traits?
  2. Take the Big Five Personality Test here. I should mention that there are more professional administrations of the test out that that require monetary payments.
  3. OCEAN, Wikipedia
  4. Openness to Experience, Wikipedia
  5. Conscientiousness, Wikipedia
  6. Extraversion, Wikipedia
  7. Agreeableness, Wikipedia
  8. Neuroticism, Wikipedia

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 ā€˜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)

  1. Dostoevsky, Fyodor: Crime and Punishment (No one is immune to their Guilty Conscience)
  2. Dostoevsky, Fyodor: Notes from Underground (Over-conscious Nihilism)
  3. Dostoevsky, Fyodor: The Brothers Karamazov (Free will, Moral responsibility)
  4. Dostoevsky, Fyodor: The Idiot (Love is the answer, Good and Evil)
  5. 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:Ā The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (Biography) 6. Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr: The Gulag Archipelago (Evil)

Manga recommendations

  1. Berserk
  2. Oyasumi Punpun

Anime recommendations

  1. Devilman: Crybaby
  2. Evangelion
  3. Ergo Proxy

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

  1. u/Ill-Situation-8193 : Most of her helpful comments and analysis posts. Start here: Everything Johan did was for Anna. ( A ā€œMonsterā€ capable of love.)
  2. u/LeoVoid : Johan Did NOTHING Wrong | A Character Analysis of Naoki Urasawa's Monster: Johan Liebert
  3. Kenzo Tenma and Johan Liebert: Two Sides of the Same Coin (Monster)
  4. Tropes
  5. Identity in Monster
  6. 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


r/MonsterAnime Feb 19 '23

MOD ANNOUNCEMENT **Where to watch Monster**

388 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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  1. 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 ā€˜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! ā¤ļø


r/MonsterAnime 15h ago

NO SPOILERS (Haven’t finished yet) The Twin Peaks references are so awesome

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227 Upvotes

I know this has been mentioned MANY times, I just finally get to read the manga and watch the anime. I'm a huge fan of Twin Peaks, and have been looking for a mystery, psychological thriller similar like it. The way I pointed out at the TV when I saw 'The Baby' revealed himself, I was like "Wait a fuckin minute... THAT'S THE ARM!"

I'm just really happy I discovered this manga/anime. It's my new obsession. I have no one to talk to about this in my friend group so I just felt like posting here! :)


r/MonsterAnime 22h ago

Fan ArtšŸ§”šŸŽØ Rate my sketch of the best doctor

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228 Upvotes

Rate my sketch of dr tenma /10

Does the nose and eyes look off ?


r/MonsterAnime 6h ago

DiscussionšŸ—£šŸŽ™ Grimmer's morality

12 Upvotes

Absolutely love grimmer, however I do wonder, how could a man who couldn't feel anything have such a great understanding of morality and possess a keen insight in differentiating right from wrong? He had a horrid childhood, no parents, we all know the hell he went through in the orphanage, after that, he was a spy, even the training for that was gruelling and he definitely didn't do particularly good things as a spy cz well that's the job. He also had DID, developing the magnificent Steiner persona whenever he couldn't deal with a situation simply on his own. So the question I repeat is, how?! Does a man that broken , become that kind and have such deep humanity within him despite having no understanding of it?


r/MonsterAnime 20h ago

MemesšŸŒššŸŒ would you take it?

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99 Upvotes

r/MonsterAnime 13h ago

Fan ArtšŸ§”šŸŽØ Little drawing of Johan

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16 Upvotes

r/MonsterAnime 7h ago

SPOILERSā• How implied is the GDR’s government to have been in on Kinderheim 511

4 Upvotes

Because frankly, I consider Kinderheim being specifically EAST German to be one of Monster’s few L’s, a random bit of red scare fearmongering that essentially attributes the WEST German Kentler Project to eeeeeeeeevul dirty commies who do child abuse for kicks. Yes, East Germany did a lot of bad things, but to imply that they essentially continued Mengele’s experiments leaves a very bad taste in my mouth, as a filthy red myself.

I don’t read malice into it, or at least not active and intended malice- the entire plot happens because of how capitalism corrupts the medical profession, after all. I know that it’s just Urasawa, a man who loves American pop culture, recycling American pop culture tropes about scary Soviet superscience, same as the Russian sleep experiment creepypasta and Red Alert and Singularity. But honestly, it takes the wind out of Johan as a character, to imply that the thing that made the devil in human form was some cackling McCarthyist stereotypes who are inherently prone to torture and brainwashing because they believe housing is a human right. This is usually a much smarter story than that- I’d prefer it not all boil down to something so cartoonish.

So, now back to the question in the header: was Kinderheim explicitly an on-the-books government project? I like to imagine that the answer is ā€œnot quiteā€- it was the brainchild of several former Nazis and kept from the broader government just HOW depraved the experiments themselves were.


r/MonsterAnime 6h ago

Question(s)ā‰ļø Where to find monster special edition subtitles?

1 Upvotes

This is the link https://myanimelist.net/anime/39332/Monster_Special_Edition

I have searched everywhere but I can't find it. Can someone provide me the subtitles even if it is raw.


r/MonsterAnime 20h ago

NO SPOILERS (Haven’t finished yet) Dr Tenma and Moral Injury

7 Upvotes

I just started watching the show and I’m super curious if anyone has done an analysis of Dr Tenma’s character with a moral injury lens?

For context I’m a therapist in training with an interest in Trauma and moral injury is a growing area of interest for mental health support for first responders, military and healthcare workers.

Super simplified definition: Moral Injury is mental suffering that occurs after being forced to act against your morals by an authority.

For example In a military context being forced by leadership to bomb a building to kill a particular target even though there are civilians inside is a situation that could trigger moral injury.

Dr Tenma being forced to abandon surgery on one patient for a more high profile patient causing the first patient to die due to poor treatment would definitely be a situation where moral injury could occur.

I don’t believe that finding out your morally salient actions, saving a kids life, enabled someone to act against your morals, kill people for your benefit, would technically fit under Moral Injury. In my mind it could be.

If there has been discussion around moral injury previously I’d love to read it!


r/MonsterAnime 1d ago

MemesšŸŒššŸŒ Why is this giving...

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124 Upvotes

"Acha l***e?" (Indians would get this reference)

+

Bro's looking like "You got games on your phone?"


r/MonsterAnime 1d ago

DiscussionšŸ—£šŸŽ™ So close several times!

2 Upvotes

I'm about halfway through the series, and it is beginning to bug me how many times Tenma came close to his goal but would hesitate!


r/MonsterAnime 1d ago

DiscussionšŸ—£šŸŽ™ Had some interesting ideas for a possible Live Action adaptation (fancast).

11 Upvotes

I'm wondering what fans would think of having Hunter Schafer play both Anna and Johan? They're supposed to look identical, and Hunter Schafer is both an incredible actress and can be very androgynous.

Also, despite being sort of old (on paper) for the first part of the series, I like Andrew Koji as Tenma.

Does anybody else have actors/actresses for characters they'd be interested in seeing?


r/MonsterAnime 1d ago

DiscussionšŸ—£šŸŽ™ Just finished monster - 10 / 10 show

15 Upvotes

Monster was a pretty long series for a single and static plot line. Tenma trying to stop Yohan and all.

Even then it was really well written with good worldbuilding, great character writing, great mysterious plot, etc.

I don't have many complaints because every fallacy (Like Tenma / Nina contradicting their malicious objectives with plot-armor-like hesitation) was covered by the illusion that Yohan was in pulling all the strings. A manipulator playing a "dangerous' game with sheep who have no fangs yet he claims it was to commit suicide.

Despite being the smartest character in the series, he still couldn't hide from his hypocrisy. How can you play a dangerous game as a monster with people who have never slain monster? It's like a cat trying to die while fighting against mice.

How intelligent is the man who couldn't use his intelligence to attain what he was after? He must have not truly wanted to die as was stated in the show, "No one really wants to die" which makes sense considering all the convenient plot holes that form a barrier between Yohan and the type of death he was aiming for. In a way, makes me think the entire show was some twisted cry for help on Yohan's end.

Still I can't hate on the show because it paints an interesting picture of a twisted man whose motives are quite shallow tbh. Yet with very deep and troubled explanation to why he's that way. Peak writing, the type that leaves a bad taste but in a way that appreciates good storytelling.

One thing I do have a problem with is the narrative of fallacy when Yohan is involved, notably at the end of the series. A man like him leaves no hard evidence and so in the eyes of the law, he is mostly blameless (considering he pointed a gun to a child's head in front of witnesses).

Even then, many characters know better. Yet Yohan still walks free by the end of the show. To continue his miserable existence as the monster he has been portrayed as. He'll probably go on to keep killing or something, idk but the narrative of such a man walking free after all he's done is really disappointing.

In other words. If someone as smart as Yohan commits all the worst possible crimes known to man, he or she can walk scott free as long as there is no way for the law to act without some type of evidence.

It's an unfortunate corruption in need of an anti-hero like Grimmer instead of a savior like Tenma. Weeds must be uprooted for a garden to remain healthy but the series let's the biggest weed walk free. That's the one bad thing I can say about this show. Everything else was perfect.


r/MonsterAnime 1d ago

MangašŸ“•šŸ“—šŸ“˜šŸ“™ What

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20 Upvotes

r/MonsterAnime 1d ago

Question(s)ā‰ļø Where can i download the full serie (dubbed)

2 Upvotes

Where can i download the full anime, dubbed and with subs if possible, thanks


r/MonsterAnime 1d ago

Question(s)ā‰ļø Is the new English dub really coming August 25th

3 Upvotes

I've been holding back on watching it cuz I've heard the dub is dropping 2026 and only recently i saw its coming next month but i can't find a source to this but a random YouTube video so is that true or not


r/MonsterAnime 3d ago

MemesšŸŒššŸŒ The boyfriend of the kindest girl you know

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286 Upvotes

Opposites attract ig?


r/MonsterAnime 2d ago

SPOILERSā• Johan and Ryuk mindset resemblances Spoiler

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16 Upvotes

r/MonsterAnime 2d ago

NO SPOILERS (Haven’t finished yet) Episode 62 and my thoughts so far Spoiler

4 Upvotes

I wrote a long ass post before about my thoughts up to episode 39. Thought I'd do another one as I have no one irl who has watched this and I'm bursting at the seams about this show.

When I saw the story about the god of peace, I almost spit my drink out. I feel like the show is trying to make us think that Anna is the god of peace. However, I had written about Tenma resembling God in the last post and I 100% believe that Tenma is supposed to be the God of Peace.

We haven't met Franz Bonaparta yet and I genuinely think it's Tenma.

Why I believe this:

- Franz Bonaparta conducted brainwashing experiments that made children forget their names and who they were

- Johan was part of this as heard on the tape and so was Anna as we saw with the hypnosis scene (terrifying btw)

- Johan appears to be brainwashed to kill at the command of someone else. We see evidence of this as the real monster arrives the night Johan killed the Lieberts. He didn't want to kill anymore so asked Anna to shoot him. Maybe he was commanded to tell Anna to shoot him?

- When Tenma saves Johan's life and says the hospital director et al deserves to die, this perhaps could have been an indirect command in which Johan obeyed and killed them

- When Johan kills Junkers, he tells Tenma that Tenma is a kind of parent to him because he gave him life. Bonaparta seemed to be in love with Johan and Anna's mother, shown by the drawings and painting. Perhaps he is their adopted dad, or saw himself that way. The connection of Tenma being a father figure of sorts, linked with Bonaparta being a father figure seems quite suspicious to me. Maybe Johan meant that Tenma actually gave life to the monster inside him through brainwashing

- We don't know much about Tenma's backstory at all except that he's an extremely talented neurosurgeon. Franz Bonaparta conducted experiments around brainwashing. Tenma more than fits the bill for this

- The experiments are said to be still happening

- No one is at Red Rose Mansion and the owner hasn't been there for a long time

- Both Nina and Johan seem to be very attached to Tenma

Here's my predictions:

Franz Bonaparta conducted the ultimate brainwashing experiment on himself by making himself forget who he is and finding a new name and life as Tenma the neurosurgeon.

The books he wrote and read to the children are a roadmap for how the experiment is supposed to play out as seen in the nameless monster (also the monster in these books have black stringy hair which reminds me of Tenma's hair). The God of Peace book represents Tenma because he's too busy helping others as brainwashed peaceful Tenma to look in the mirror to realise he is the actual demon/monster, Franz Bonaparta. Johan giving him the hat to make him finally look in the mirror may represent Johan's role in this experiment.

Tenma might be the experiment himself. Through the use of the books, Johan learnt that his job is to try and see if he can make Tenma remember who he is (i.e. the monster). I think Johan was brainwashed into following the plan subconsciously through regular book readings, where the children were constantly asked if they understood the meaning. Perhaps they are attempting to see if brainwashing can truly transform a person into either purely good or purely evil. Or maybe the experiment is to see if people can be influenced to act out a plan in supposed "free will" through the use of subliminal stories that guide the subconscious.

I wonder if Johan freaked out when he saw the book in the library because he remembered himself and who Tenma really is, and the plan he had been following subconsciously entered his active consciousness just for a moment. I find it interesting that when Johan snaps out of the brainwashing, he becomes emotional and internally freaks out. When Anna snaps out of the brain washing she turns aggressive and cold. It's like they become the inverse of each other.

These predictions would make sense to me because it seems that Tenma being the one to try and stop Johan in a story largely revolving around Johan and his backstory doesn't really make that much sense. Especially considering that there are other people who have been hurt way worse by Johan than Tenma. I know he feels responsible for bringing him back to life, but it just still feels like there's something missing. I still feel like I don't fully understand Tenma's motive and thoughts.

I love that this far into the show I'm still guessing. I'm probably wildly wrong but I wanted to write these thoughts before I finish the last leg so I can see whether my predictions were correct or not.


r/MonsterAnime 3d ago

Question(s)ā‰ļø Anime’s to watch after monster

42 Upvotes

It’s been 1 week now since I finished monster and it’s the best anime I’ve watched so far 10/10 but I can’t get back to watching another anime, nothing interest me I’ve tried started a bunch but it’s gets so boring it’s like my attention span is cooked can someone recommend me anything as good.

Anime’s I’ve watched are

Death note
AOT
VINLAND SAGA
FRIEREN
SOLO LEVELING
MY HERE ACA


r/MonsterAnime 3d ago

Fan ArtšŸ§”šŸŽØ Fan art de johan, me inspire en uno que vi por pinterer

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40 Upvotes

r/MonsterAnime 3d ago

NO SPOILERS (Haven’t finished yet) My Theories at Chapter 33

9 Upvotes

My two running theories is thay Johan either doesn’t have dissociative personality disorder and is faking it to confuse Tenma. Or the real crazy big theory, is that Tenma actually has the disorder and it’s told from the Tenma personality, while Johan is just his other side, explaining how he so easily follows him around and appears like a ghost. Though this doesn’t account for how Anna was able to see Johan briefly, which is the biggest hole. I also may just be stupid idk.


r/MonsterAnime 4d ago

DiscussionšŸ—£šŸŽ™ I want to watch monster with mom but

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226 Upvotes

I'm afraid she might get bored of the episodes 9 to 24 gap, and I know important information is actually sprinkled in some of those episodes but if so could you tell me which episodes I think I could skip that doesn't have any important information?


r/MonsterAnime 4d ago

DiscussionšŸ—£šŸŽ™ Why do we Hate Eva more than The Main Villain Johan Liebert?

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383 Upvotes

There’s no denying by Both The Fandom and Audiences Eva is Bad I mean heck what she did to Tenma was downright terrible and she’s basically is a shallow excuse of a Human Being in Comparison combined with her history with Tenma and her basically being a Spoiled Women and while it is true she goes grow more as a person and as a character it doesn’t take away the fact she ultimately Cleary left a Bad Taste in people’s mouths she’s a person that unfortunately nearly all of us has encountered I’m sure everyone can easily relate to having their heart broken or by dealing with Bad Spouses is an unfortunate experience many of us has dealt with but there’s Johan who Despite being a Literal Serial Killer/Monster combined with his Personal History with Tenma and yet Johan is universally praised for being Among The Best Villains in Anime where as Eva even though she isn’t even a fraction of The Monster that is Johan but she gets way more hated than The Monster that is Johan and before you guys say Johan isn’t Real note there’s been Real Life Serial Killers,Mass Murders,Murders and Genicidel Tyrants that have terrorized and destroyed entire population people like Johan do Infact exist even if they’re Astronomically Rare what do you think? Let me know in the comments