Brilliant doctor Kenzo Tenma risks his reputation and promising career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, this child is destined for a terrible fate. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"...Forget Professor Moriarty or Hannibal Lecter; Johan could crumble them both for breakfast. Good Dr. Tenma's epic quest to bring Johan to justice involves bodies galore, assassins, cross-dressing, Nazi experiments, the Czech secret service, Johan's beautiful twin sister, a vindictive ex-fiancee with a drinking problem, a Javert-like inspector who cannot forget anything and one of the creepiest children's books you'll ever read. Urasawa is a national treasure in Japan, and if you ain't afraid of picture books, you'll see why. For those of you who like your suspense red-hot but with a beautiful beating heart, Monster is for you. 'At last [the Monster] had found a name, but there was no longer anyone around to call him by it.'" -- Junot Diaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner
From the Publisher
• An 18-volume manga series—over 20MM copies sold to date in Japan!
• Individual volume releases consistently ranked in the Top Ten sales charts for 2-3 weeks.
• Awarded the 3rd Osamu Tezuka Culture Awards' Manga Grand Prix, the 1st Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Award of Excellence, and the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award.
• Inspired anime, music, and trade book spin-offs.
• To mark the end of the series, an 18-volume box set was released in Japan in June 2002.
• From the creator of 20TH CENTURY BOYS and YAWARA.
• Individual volume releases consistently ranked in the Top Ten sales charts for 2-3 weeks.
• Awarded the 3rd Osamu Tezuka Culture Awards' Manga Grand Prix, the 1st Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Award of Excellence, and the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award.
• Inspired anime, music, and trade book spin-offs.
• To mark the end of the series, an 18-volume box set was released in Japan in June 2002.
• From the creator of 20TH CENTURY BOYS and YAWARA.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You don't need talons and big teeth to be a true Monster.,
By Courtland J. Carpenter (Fort Wayne, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
Monster is not your typical manga story. Japanese manga rarely conveys a more Western backdrop for a story theme this well. The series takes place in Europe, mostly in Germany or it's sister countries. It has some historical references, but it's not really a historical tale either. It is really about the close relationship between good and evil, how difficult it can be to see the line drawn between them.
Dr. Tenma is a young doctor who appears to have it all. He is engaged to the hospital administrators daughter, in line for the job of head surgeon, and gifted with great talent. He is however, a master surgeon with a conscience. When his rich benefactors attempt to use him twice in as many days, to abandon a needy patient, only to treat someone of wealth and power, he balks. He cannot stomach having his skills used to save only who can pay the most. He believes a doctor is more than that. as might be expected, the administrator of the hospital, and his pampered, bitchy daughter, no longer support him when the person he fails to treat dies. Even the boy he just saved from the gunshot wound to the head, has his treatment handed over to another inferior doctor. Tenma's professional career is nearly over before it begins. Something happens to change that, and it casts a cloud of suspicion over the doctor. The administrator, plus some other powerful doctors die suddenly, and Temna is given the post as head surgeon anyway. Nine years later while attempting another kind act he finds out why. I won't throw in any spoilers here, and many may have guessed what happened at this point reading the story, but you won't have guessed all the detail. You will ask questions that come behind all this, and in the asking is the essence of the story. What is interesting, is we ask ourself with those questions, over, and over throughout the series. For instance what if the doctor had simply allowed himself to be manipulated by the heartless administration? Does the end really justify the means? In the long run he may have saved many. Was it the right thing to do what he did, and if so why when the result was so bad? Many of us will feel the same resolve to do what the doctor is planning, but can he really do it in the end? What happens to the others if he cannot, and what happens to him if he does? There is rarely a more righteously good character created in any story as Dr. Tenma. Yet he is as complex a character as you'll ever likely see in a manga. If you are looking for comedy, go elsewhere, there's no fan service, but occasionally some adult situations. If you don't like to think, go elsewhere. This manga is often about questions, those that have only personal answers. They do not force feed anyone baby food here. This is a crisp, well paced, and interesting drama / thriller. My understanding is that a movie company, has purchased the story rights recently to turn this into a motion picture. I'm not sure they have the time to convey everything of relevance in a single movie. Reading this manga is probably the best way to experience this, or perhaps the 74 episode anime series.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT,
By
This review is from: Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
I've read both volume 1 and 2 of Urasawa's Monster and find it excellent. Even if you are not a fan of manga, and you find a little odd reading "backwards", these books worth it.
Urasawa's art is (and is not, at the same time) the typical japanese manga art. Is good, clear and well paced. The story is interesting, intriguing and, even if you have the main elements of the story known from almost the beginning of volume 2, your "need" to go on and read the story, and to see how it develops until the end (and what will be the end) is great. An the "need" turns on to be more important while you turn the pages. I don't know exactly how many volumes it will take to get to the end, but you can count on me to faithfully be there to read it. And I think if you give it a try you will surely be there too.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Monster,
By Ligia (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
Unbelievable! You will be engrossed in the world created by Naoki Urasawa. The story is superb and the character development couldn't be more detailed. The pychoanalysis of each player is unmatched in other manga. You can't get better than this. The content is intelligent and accurate. The author did his homework on psychology, neurology, surgical procedures and the history of Germany around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It's impressive. Not much on Japanese culture but that's also interesting. You have a Japanese protagonist and you have German culture. Morality and how far you can push someone until they loose their humanity is explored. The antagonist is facinating. In some novels he doesn't even make an appearance yet you feel his presence throght the elaborate descriptions of his character from the mouth of others. Nicely done. The action is non-stop, especially in volume four. The violence is very real and it will get to you. But you won't loose hope because the main character is so amazing.
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