Customer Reviews

Monster: Box Set 1

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Naoki Urasawa's psychological crime drama MONSTER is, as the other reviewers have said, undeniably one of the most accomplished anime series of all time. It is a near shot-for-shot adaptation of Urasawa's manga, and it is a testament to the strength of the story that almost nothing was changed. It seems almost too good to be true that this series is finally seeing a release in the United States.

Speaking of that, you can currently catch two episodes every Monday night on SyFy's Ani-Monday block. They are airing the English dub.

The story takes place in 1986 Germany. True to the times, the plot is rife with political drama; true to Urasawa, though, you will find a slowly arching, psychological thriller emerge in this gem of a story. Tenma, a Japanese doctor working in Dusseldorf, decides to go against the orders of his hospital's director by operating on an injured child instead of the rich Mayor. Demoted, he loses his fiance and his position in the hospital. In one of the best twists to come out of any fiction recently, the child he saved ends up being a manipulative psychopath, bred by others to be a successor to Hitler. The series begs the question, what do you do when your altruistic intent turns into something wholly horrible? Tenma sets out on a quest to fix his mistake, and the plot slowly unravels along with the mysterious past of Johan Leibert, the monster he brought back to life.

Now, the pros versus the cons. Anything good that can be said about this release is said about the show itself. Before I watched the show, the premise itself was enough to make me sit back for a few minutes and wonder what I might be getting myself into. There was no question in my mind that I would have to watch. And it excels in areas where few anime excel. Perhaps it is the intrinsic advantage that an animated work can sometimes have over a live-action one, but the directing of this series is stellar. As I mentioned, it follows the cinematic scenes and pacing of the manga so closely that it is represented like a film from a master director. Urasawa has a lot to be proud of in his creation, and in this adaptation.

There are bad things about this release, however. The series is 74 episodes long, and these 13-episode DVD releases by VIZ are simply too small. There is no reason to divide so few episodes on so many discs. A 24 episode episode set, even a 16 episode set, would be infinitely better not just for ease of consumption but for the wallets of consumers, too. At the Amazon pre-order price of $32.99 for all 6 anticipated DVD sets, this series will end up costing almost $200, around $2.70 an episode. Still, this is a small complaint when weighed next to the worth of the series, I suppose. The only other nitpick is the quality of the dub. Where characters appear menacing or calculating in the original language, the English dub can, at times, make them appear almost laughable. We have seen, especially recently, that dubs can be done right, though with this series the massive cast of characters and sweep of location can possibly make that difficult.

In short--this series is worth watching. These DVD sets may get expensive over time, but luckily the show is also airing on SyFy for those strapped for cash. Get a taste of it one Monday night and you will undoubtedly anticipate the next episode. This is a great series, not to be missed.

Revision 12/24/2009: I'll leave the review as it is, but as can be seen in my comments (and indeed on the box itself), the product contains 15 episodes. We'll have one less DVD set, it seems.

Charles Solomon, I think the regrettably bad taste here is your own. To anyone who reads the product description, do not be put off by the negative review. He couldn't be more mistaken about this fantastic show.

To say Monster is a great anime is completely correct, but the show is more than that, too. It is simply an amazing story, with a fascinating and twisty plot and a huge cast of well-drawn characters - the original artist, Naoki Urasawa, is well-known for his complex mysteries, and this is considered by many to be his best work. The story is so well-crafted, and the way the seemingly unrelated plotlines come together is amazing to watch.

In these first fifteen episodes, these plotlines are only just being introduced, but it is hardly the "prolonged soap opera" that Mr. Solomon refers to. The story begins with the tension between Johan and Dr. Tenma, and the question of whether Tenma will give up his ideals in order to stop the "monster" he created. But Urasawa has a much more ambitious theme in mind. When Tenma leaves the hospital to search for Johan, he encounters both the best of humanity and the worst, and both he and the audience witness the latter's capacity for change. Urasawa's story is an exploration of what creates a monster, and in doing that, he presents Tenma and the audience with a complex morality play.

Monster has a huge cast of characters, and by the end, I loved them all. There are characters that are likable from the start, like Dr. Tenma, Nina, and Dieter. But even more impressive are the characters that you despise from the beginning, but change drastically but believably over the course of the series. Two of these characters in particular are Inspector Runge, the Javert-like officer convinced of Tenma's guilt, and Eva, Tenma's spoiled fiancee. These characters may not seem appealing at the start, but keep an eye on them.

Fans of mystery thrillers will also love this for its nearly constant undercurrent of suspense. While the show doesn't often use overt violence, as Mr. Solomon points out, several scenes throughout the series present very disturbing implications, and is deserving of its "adult content" warning. If you enjoy getting chills from your entertainment, Monster gives plenty.

Even if you aren't a fan of anime, I suggest giving the series a try. Monster is not a cartoon - it's a taut, gripping story that just happens to be animated.

Monster is simply one of the best psychological dramas around, in any visual format. Forget merely being one of the best animes, this would more than hold its own as an HBO series. The storyline is deep and involving, with flawed, wonderful characters, and twists you will never see coming. Sometimes the plot seems to veer off in odd directions, but hang on tight, it's coming back to tie itself together in endlessly surprising ways. Throughout, it keeps subverting the expectations, and in the end, the question is not so easy to answer - who really is the Monster?

I've heard some people say the start feels a little slow (though it didn't seem that way to me), but it's well worth sticking with it.

When news spread about Monster being released and dubbed here in America..many fans were excited and ready to sink there teeth into it..Well Monster started airing on Chiller Tv last year..things looked very bright for this anime until it quickly started getting poor ratings on Tv and dvd sales of the first Box Set of Monster sold very poor..this was brought to Viz's attention and they are cutting there tides with yet ANOTHER canceled anime project..damn bastards won't even release the remaining box sets for us fans..its complete nonsense on so many different levels..Viz has to be one of the worst companies in America when it comes to this ugly trend of picking up a title and the second the sales are weak they toss it to the side like a dead animal..what a damn shame!I REALLY wish they would release the remaining box sets!This anime deserves it and the fans of this story deserve to have it in there collection!At this point sadly the series will finish its run on Chiller in a few months and then it will be completely forgotten by many..so I would advise of you..if your a fan of the dub watch it on Chiller while you can..it will be your last chance to do so..if Funimation had picked up Monster then it would of been a completely different story..they would of at least released the remaining box sets for the fans of this animated series.Viz the only thing keeping you a float at this point is Bleach and Naruto..do the damn right thing and release Box set two already!

In 1994, mangaka Naoki Urasawa (known for his works "Pineapple Army", "Master Keaton", "Yawara" and later for "Pluto" and "20th Century Boys") began the series "Monster" which would be featured in Shogakukan's "Big Comic Original" from 1994 through 2001 (later reprinted in 18 tankobon volumes). The series has won several awards including the "Excellence Prize" at the 1997 Japan Media Arts Festival and the "Shogakukan Manga Award" in 2001.

And in 2004, the manga series received an anime adaptation courtesy of Madhouse Studios ("The Girl Who Leapt Through Time", "Summer Wars", "Death Note", etc.) and was directed by Masayuki Kojima (who worked on the series "Samurai Champloo", "Trinity Blood", "Master Keaton", "Gunslinger Girl") and series composition by Tatsuhiko Urahata ("Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino", "Vampire Hunter", "Saki" "Mermaid's scar", etc.). The series was 74-episodes long and lasted until Sept. 2005.

Because Kojima wanted to capture Urasawa's character designs and the fact that the series was quite long and longer television series may have quality differences, it was important for him to have a number of people working on the artwork and getting familiar with Urasawa's work and thus there were two directors responsible for the look of the series: character designer and chief animation director Shigeru Fujita ("Nana", "Summer Wars", etc.) and character conceptual design by Kitaro Kousaka ("Spirited Away", "Ponyo on the Cliff", "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind", "Howl's Moving Castle", etc.).

"Monster - Boxset 1" comes with a total of 15 episodes, five episodes on each of the three discs.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Monster" is an anime series that features a lot of talent trying to capture Naoki Urasawa's work. Urasawa has a distinct character design and for the most part, Madhouse Studios did a wonderful job in recreating his designs for the anime series. It is important to note that the anime series came out back in 2004 and it is a television series. For those not familiar with anime, need to know that in Japan, anime studios work on these series one week at a time and are working on other series within the same time frame. So, because of deadlines, an anime series must be prepared and ready to the network for airing on television. With that being said, "Monster" is a series that looks absolutely beautiful when it comes to its artistic background and character designs. This is a series that both Masayuki Kojima and Tatsuhiko Urahata knew would be long and thus prepared themselves by aligning with talented staff.

But at the same time, although capturing the essence of Urasawa, there is mild compression and aliasing that can be seen. But granted, this is more visible with those with a larger viewing area. Also, various areas of Germany are captured quite well in the series and for the most part, the staff did a great job of adapting the manga series for anime and keeping Urasawa's look but also capturing that feel of Germany.

Audio is featured in Japanese and English 2.0 stereo. Dialogue is clear and understandable, music was also clear and I must say that I enjoyed both audio soundtracks. The English dub work was very well done and well-cast. Japanese dialogue was also solid.

Optional English subtitles are included.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Monster Boxset 1" comes with the following special features:

* Creators Special Interview - A 16-page text interview with director Masayuki Kojima and what he wanted to accomplish with the series.
* World Report - Text information about Germany and the areas where the story of "Monster" takes place thus far.
* Characters - Text information on the characters who have appeared from episodes 1-15.
* Story of Monster - A text summary of each episode from 1-15.
* Trailers - Trailers for Naoki Urasawa's "PLUTO".
* Manga - Promotional screen of Naoki Urasawa's "MONSTER" manga series.

As for packaging, "Monster - Box Set 1" comes in three DVD cases which fits into a box. There is no artwork on the spine itself, so there is no image connect each box together when the future volumes are released.

"Monster" is a fantastic anime series that is thrilling, suspenseful and very addicting!

Naoki Urasawa has literally become one my top mangaka's in Japan. His stories and his character designs are so captivating, thrilling and he literally knows how to capture your attention through the storyline's pacing and makes you want even more after its done.

The character Tenma is a good-hearted individual and his top priority as a doctor is saving lives. So, it's very interesting to see his character being put through so much and having to harbor this guilt that the decision to save a boy's life has ended with so many people being killed. The boy that he saved was and is a monster and now with so much weight on his shoulders, Tenma feels he must kill the monster he helped revive.

What Urasawa is exceptional at is developing his characters (definitely give his other manga series such as "Master Keaton", "20th Century Boys" and "Pluto" a chance) and in this case, although the series focuses on Dr. Tenma, we get to see these other characters coming to play in the storyline. May it be the twins Johan and Anna, Inspector Runge, the boy Dieter or his ex-fiance Eva, he knows when to utilize the other characters so well that you wonder how these characters will fare in the end. Will they survive? Will they die?

It's one thing to capture it in the manga series but definitely exciting to see how director Masayuki Kojima and Tatsuhiko Urahata was able to bring the manga to animation. Urasawa's character designs are well-captured, voice acting for both Japanese and English are very well done and each episode is just captivating one after the other.

The series is rated M for mature because there is killing, their is blood and their are people being shot and executed. It's not visually violent, as we don't necessarily see it happening but more of it taking place before and then seeing the aftermath. So, this is not a series parents should buy for their children. It's a dark series but definitely a smart, serious, fun anime series that I have seen thus far. I definitely look forward to volume 2!

"Monster Boxset 1" is highly recommended!

Monster is my go-to series for people who insist they hate anime. But frankly, even that is selling it short. Monster stands above the anime label, becoming something truly incomparable except to similarly brilliant TV seres like Babylon 5 and The Wire. Naoki Urasawa is one of the greatest writers of his time, a man with a true gift both for creating complex, absorbing mysteries, as well as characters you become attached to immediately upon meeting them. The latter really comes in handy, as his typical style is to suddenly introduce a new character or even a whole set of new characters without immediately revealing how they're related to the rest of the plot. But we soon become invested in them just as much as the story's major players, so that we don't mind waiting to see their own connection to the story.

The series is a major time investment with 74 episodes, but believe me when I say it will fly by. As soon as one episode ends you'll want to throw the next one in immediately. Characters like Kenzou Tenma, Johan Liebert, and Inspector Runge are among the best and deepest to ever come out of Japan, and the story they inhabit is just as incredible. If you consider yourself a fan of great storytelling, you absolutely have to watch this series.

Being a big fan of this wonderful series by Naoki Urasawa, I was very excited for the anime's North American release. Though at first I was concerned by the total cost of buying a 74 episode series in 15 episode sets, I enjoyed MONSTER so much that I was willing and happy to pay for it.

However, the anime on these DVDs is not quite the anime I knew and loved as, for whatever reasons, there have been major changes made to the musical soundtrack. These changes are present not only in the English dubbed track but in the Japanese audio track as well, and are significant enough that I noticed them almost immediately. The end credits song has also been changed and is now an instrumental version of the original.

(An example of the soundtrack alterations of an important scene from the first episode can be found on YouTube by searching for "viz monster soundtrack".)

I understand that there are probably valid reasons for VIZ having to make these changes, but I still can't bring myself to pay anymore for a product that is less than the original, especially since some of the scenes with altered music are quite inferior. Assuming the soundtrack edits will continue through the entire series, I don't think I'll be buying the next box set.

As for the anime itself, I completely agree with the other five star reviews. MONSTER is an amazing manga series and the (unaltered) anime brings it to life faithfully and adds to it with excellent voice acting and music. It's definitely worth a watch, whether you consider yourself a fan of anime or not. These DVDs, however, I find hard to recommend, as the soundtrack changes have made the series inferior and less enjoyable than what it should be.

This is one of the best animes ever but Viz is not releasing any more box sets. Support it by watching then entire series in dub or sub on hulu. A friend who has recently went to a convention asked if they were going to release anymore. They said that they are watching the numbers very closely on Netflix and hulu and if they are high enough they may consider releasing rest of the box sets. Please watch the streams to help support this hidden gem.

Ive watched hundreds of anime series, from a large variety of genre. If i had to pick one anime as the best overall of them however, Monster would undoubtedly be it. Masterfully written, it is an epic story that spans decades as you follow the characters across europe. Mystery, suspense, just the right amount of action, and even a touch of romance here and there. Monster has it all. The animation quality is top notch, and the back drop of the various locales is pretty accurate and beautifully drawn. The characters are engaging, and actually develop and grow as the story progresses. You definitely feel for them, even some of the characters you hate at first (you even sorta understand the ones you never come to like).

Even Johan, who is one of the most sinister villains i have ever seen, in any medium.

Given how deep the story is and the length of it, i was surprised it gained a US release, but a pleasant surprise. Even if they made some changes, i am just happy this splendid work is available to those that would not normally see a subtitled anime.

Even i you aren't into anime, but are just a fan of engaging and in-depth storytelling, Monster won't disappoint.

Sorry in advance, this is going to be a bit of a long and rambling review. Skip it if you don't want to read.

OK, I won't go over again how great this series is, since so many others have already done so and better than I can. I just want to say to Viz- please complete this series! Fans of Monster (including me) have been waiting FOREVER for this and frankly, I don't really care how bad the dub is as long as I can buy US licensed dvds of this show. That said, after catching a few of the episodes on Syfy (what an idiotic name change- but that's another issue!) I didn't think the dub was that bad. It sounds fine to me so far. Another reviewer said that "where characters appear menacing or calculating in the original language, the English dub can, at times, make them appear almost laughable.." OK, I don't quite understand this in relation to Monster- maybe this person hasn't heard the dub yet (and only the first 4 eps have been aired on TV so far, and these dvds won't be out until December)- but the voices seemed OK to me in the few epsiodes I have watched so far. I think this is a general complaint about English dubs in general (and it's often true) rather than specifically about Monster.

Tenma sounds young and naive (as he's supposed to be in the beginning of the series), Lunge sounds ice-cool and controlled (again, that matches his character), and Johan has a soft, creepy, feminine-sounding voice (which he had in the original series) so I think this dub will be reasonably good. Not perfect, by any means, but better than most. I am just happy to get a dub at all and if I hate it that much, I can always switch to Japanese with English subs. Considering how often the industry churns out these dvds, and having a limited number of anime voice actors to choose from, I think these companies do a reasonable job with the dubs with the resources they have.

This reviewer has a point, there are quite a few REALLY BAD dubs, but again, you don't have to listen to them. The important thing for me is to be able to get R1 dvds at all. And I like having the dub in English so I don't have to always read subtitles. Anyone remember the English dub for Voltron in the 80's? Now THAT was horrendous. And yet I bought all those dvds and Voltron still holds a special place in my heart even now! Although that just might be for nostalgia reasons. ;)

Just think about how far English dubs have come since then, and be grateful. In many other countries outside Japan, they never get a dub at all.

Oh and by the way, someone said these sets have only 13 eps each, I believe this set is 15 episodes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that would make around 5 sets total for all 74 episodes. At the Amazon price of $32.99 (with no tax and free shipping) and that's only about $165 total. If you buy each set as it comes out, assuming they release one every 2-3 months, that's really not a bad price for such a long series. This is the same company that originally released Inuyasha in single DVDs with 2-3 episodes at $20 apiece, so it could be much worse. I'm relieved this series won't be getting the disc-at-a-time treatment. The anime companies finally seem to be learning that fans want more for their money without having to buy a million discs at inflated prices (remember Geneon?)

I preordered this set the second I heard about it being available, and I will be doing the same for the entire series. If you like quality, good characters, a tense, riveting story, and actual intelligence in your anime, you should give Monster a try. There is a lot of critical acclaim for Monster and it is widely considered a "masterpiece" by fans, that's not by accident. It is one of those few anime that actually measures up to the greatness of its original manga.

It's about freaking time this series came to DVD.