Monster

Description

Monster weaves the riveting story of the brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a famous surgeon with a promising career at a leading hospital. 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.

A string of strange and mysterious murders begin to occur soon afterward, ones that professionally benefit Dr. Tenma, and he emerges as the primary suspect. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller.

Note: Won the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category.

Type

Manga

Associated Names

Monsutaa

Naoki Urasawa's Monster

Монстр

คนปีศาจ

モンスター

몬스터

Groups Scanlating

Mangascreener

Latest Release(s)

v.1-18 c. by Mangascreener 18 years ago

Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

18 Volumes (Complete)
9 Volumes (Kanzenban, Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1

Ends at Vol 18, Chap 162

User Reviews

Monster by claudiofd

Monster by canucks

Forum

5 topics, 26 posts

Click here to view the forum

User Rating

Average: 8.8 / 10.0 (1973 votes)

Bayesian Average: 8.76 / 10.0

44%

28%

16%

Last Updated

January 20th, 2025 6:59pm PST - 3 months ago

Image [Report Inappropriate Content]

Genre

Drama Horror Mature Mystery Psychological Seinen Tragedy
Search for series of same genre(s)

Categories

Log in to vote! Show all (some hidden)

Category Recommendations

Boku Dake ga Inai Machi

Mou Hitotsu no Monster: The Investigative Report (Novel)

Zhi Mo (Novel)

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (Novel)

Recommendations

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

Original Publisher

Shogakukan (1995, 2008)

Serialized In (magazine)

Big Comic Original (Shogakukan)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

Viz (18 Physical Volumes; Complete | 9 Physical Perfect Edition Omnibuses; Complete)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #514

(-81)

Monthly Pos #949

(-117)

3 Month Pos #1234

(-49)

6 Month Pos #1395

(-7)

Year Pos #1390

(+38)

List Stats

On 1247 reading lists

On 1952 wish lists

On 3901 completed lists

On 112 unfinished lists

On 696 custom lists

Note: You must be logged in to update information on this page.

Forum Posts Click to view the forum

Monster...anime or manga?

3 months ago

3 months ago

3 months ago

3 months ago

3 months ago

User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

Overrated but okay

by nozomiEX
6 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

There's a lot of disappointment awaiting you if you go in expecting a masterpiece (from the get-go, the characters and situations are incredibly cartoonish and it never really rises above this) but if you set aside any expectation of exploration of some of the deeper themes Monster dredges up, you can have an okay thriller. It misses the mark in being a missive with a developed thesis on guilt and responsibility in favor of presenting you with a more pulpy action narrative, and some of it gets to the point of eye-rolling stupidity, but, for better or worse, this is a work that people will be talking about for a long time to come, and it's not so bad to spend a week reading it at your leisure.

Was this comment useful? Yes

Good premise, not so good execution

by NazarethSTG
9 years ago

Rating: 5.0 / 10.0

The premise of this manga is very interesting, a doctor who risks his prestige to do what he thinks is morally correct.

Sadly, the manga soon follows a completely different direction full of Urasawa's tropes: implausible events and ridiculous plot twist after ridiculous plot twist. It would have been much more interesting if it had followed the initial premise.

Was this comment useful? Yes

Intriguing, but...

by calstine
10 years ago

Rating: 9.4 / 10.0

In terms of plot, this manga is my least favourite out of the Naoki Urasawa power trio of Monster, 20 Seiki Shounen and Pluto. I know that view is in direct antithesis to majority opinion, as this is unarguably the most popular out of the three in both Japan and on this site, but Monster is basically about a bunch of people who don't have the guts to empty a clip or two into the brain of a guy who goes around killing people (most of whom are good people) just 'cos he feels like it. And their indecision and misplaced sympathies destroy about 50 more lives into the bargain, despite there being no earthly reason for any of them to hesitate in killing him: he ruined all of their lives and killed most of their loved ones. By all rights, none of them should have a problem finishing him off, especially as he stands unarmed in front of them while they have loaded weapons. In Pluto, no one knew who the villain was; in 20 Seiki Shounen, they knew, but could never get close enough to him to do what had to be done. In Monster? Even at the very end, there was nothing but hesitation in the main characters' actions when facing down Johan.

Johan is the next big issue. He doesn't want anything: not power, not money/possessions, not popularity/recognition, not influence. He's not a sadist who is aroused or excited by killing. He's not an adrenaline junkie. He's not delusional. He didn't suffer any particular trauma in his childhood: it was a difficult childhood, yes, but not a hugely traumatic one. Why on earth does he murder so many people? It's not desire/lust, not megalomania, not greed, not insanity, not survival instinct, not vengefulness, not...anything. He is nothing. I know this was intentional, was meant to drive home the point that he was The Monster, but, to me, he just ended up being an annoyance. I seriously doubt there's a single person in this world, serial murderer or no, who kills for absolutely no reason. (Maybe it's just weird to me because I'm not Christian/Catholic and therefore don't believe in absolute evil. Many people are born evil, yes, but even evil people have various reasons for killing. If nothing else, they don't do it willy-nilly because murder's too much of a hassle to go through unless you get something big out of it, while Johan has trivial characters who barely even knew his name/looks killed off because of heaven-only-knows what)

That being said, the mangaka is Naoki Urasawa, so... The plot twists are brilliant. The story-telling is stellar. The flashbacks are perfectly timed and skilfully portrayed. The emotions are incredibly moving, which is a real compliment coming from me because I find most emotional scenes in fiction to be ludicrous. The art is fitting, and everyone looks so unique that despite the huge cast, it's nigh impossible to confuse one character with another. The people (save for Johan) are actual people with a diverse variety of pasts, backgrounds, dreams and hopes -- not cardboard cut-outs who only mirror the author's directions. Tl;dr -- Monster incorporates elements many thrillers fail at and does them justice -- hence my high rating.

If only Johan had been more well-rounded as a villain (apart from "evil genius," he was a total blank) and the circumstances of his continued existence less absurd (it's basically: "The MC's got cold feet so the Big Bad escaped...again") Monster would have got 10/10 from me.

... Last updated 10 years ago

Was this comment useful? Yes

Mysterious Ending for Mysterious People

by alicewhite3151998
11 years ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

Let me start by first saying....One of the best endings so far I have read in manga!
This manga is a really good read, not gonna lie. It's really fascinating and consistently it made me want to read more. Sometimes I thought it could of been more fast pace, but it those instances you had to really read to get why Naoki added in what he did. All the people and the plot connected with each other really well and I am happy to say that I read this.
I would of liked it more if the author told us more about Jonah's past and what he dealt with. I liked those parts especially; adding into the story of the monsters was genius.
About the ending... I thought it was really interesting. It gives you enough room to draw your own conclusion and still be guessing.

Was this comment useful? Yes

Amazing manga

by chaechaeboi
11 years ago

Rating: 9.9 / 10.0

The way this series work is it shows you an incomplete picture or puzzle then it gives you those missing pieces so you think you have the whole image but then it zooms out and the picture is more intricate and larger than you previously imagined. It does this repeatedly and keeps the viewer involved with the story. My only hang-up was that I did not like the ending. I'd recommend this if you love psychological and mystery manga. The majority of question that I raised going through this series were answered.

Was this comment useful? Yes

Nice & Sad & Great

by nowhereman
11 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

Great manga. Sadly:

I shed tears when the Amazing Steiner died(

but all is great elsewise.

Was this comment useful? Yes

One of a kind

by Serendipity_
12 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I've had this manga on my "To-read" list for quite awhile. I regret that I didn't pick up this amazing manga earlier, because, as stated above, it's really one of a kind. What put me off though was probably the descreption, I thought that this was some kind of a darker version of Greys's anathomy, which doesn't....earn that many points in my taste-list.
I loved many things about this manga, the story, the art, the incredible characters and the way the author choose to portray them. The story really made you think, was it really Johan who was the monster? Or was it the world he lived in that was truly evil? Depending on the reader, I think we can come up with alot of diffrent answers to these questions.

aaaand to the spoilers:

Johan killed, manipulated, and destroyed alot of people. That's a fact we couldn't ignore. But even if Johan did all those things, I couldn't bring myself to hate him. Why? The answer is easy, Johan wasn't the real monster in the Manga. It was the people around him, the circumstances which made him into the boy/man he finally became, and the world he was born in. Later in the manga you also get to know that he did all these things as a result for protecting his sister. His sister choose/was forced to forget about all the hideous things, but he choose instead to directly face that darkness and make it his own.

I'm not saying it's right to do what Johan did. I only think that people aren't born evil, it's just the circumstances or the world they where born into that forms them to who they will become. Like in Johans Case.

I definitly recommend this, you never get bored because the story keeps you hooked and you just keep wanting more. A masterpiece of it's own.

... Last updated 12 years ago

Was this comment useful? Yes

If you like manga and/or good stories...

by wAriot
12 years ago

Rating: 9.5 / 10.0

As many others have already said, this is a must read for whoever considers him/herself a manga aficionado. The story is brilliant, the characters and character development is great and the art, while not being the best, stands its own ground. Even if you don't like the "noir" style, this manga will keep drawing you in.

Was this comment useful? Yes

Johan

by irelia
12 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

It leaves you with question as you read from chapter to chapter. And the author make a great story telling, like 20th century boys, the mystery revealed one by one as the chapter goes..

Was this comment useful? Yes

Depends on your taste

by Cassiopea
13 years ago

Rating: 6.0 / 10.0

It is a nice quality series, no doubt about that. Suitable for an older adult audience, with a serious autmosphere, plenty of dialogue, and strives away from the usual themes and style that apply to plenty of other mangas.

However...

I read little more than halfway through, but for whatever reason it didn't entice me enough to continue. A lot of aspects of the plot felt familiar (The "Been done before" kind of sentiment; for example, like the main male handling a gun, getting all gritty, taking things into his own hands. Reminded me too much of a lot of typical action movies from the 80's-90's. And thanks to my dad, watched plenty of them growing up) and the journey of the whole thing eventually felt a bit contrived. I didn't feel that much suspense, or that much shock, it didn't feel creepy. Other then the one or two characters, everyone else felt a bit flat, one dimensional or typical. It just didn't "Wow" me, and I really thought it was going to.

It might be just a personal thing; this manga was just not for me. It is definitely not a bad manga whatsoever, so go for it and have a try.

Was this comment useful? Yes

Pages (6) [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 ]