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

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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

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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

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Genre

Drama Horror Mature Mystery Psychological Seinen Tragedy
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Categories

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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

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

Monster...anime or manga?

3 months ago

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User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

Monster

by Hatt0ri
13 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

This is a real page turner. The flow of the story is incredible, and there is not a single boring panel (let alone chapter) throughout all 18 volumes. All characters are just great. They are the main reason why I like Monster so much. If not for the story, this manga should be read just because of them. It's actually hard to tell which characters are main and which are supporting ones, because they are all done with same amount of detail. I appreciate mangaka's choice of Brad Pitt for the role of Martin. It suits him well.

However, I'm not completely satisfied with the ending. While the massacre in the small isolated town brings back fond memories of Stephen King's books, "secrets" revealed there are bleak. Compared to wonderful suspension which was building up to that point, I must say ending was really anti-climactic. Small redemption comes at the very end, in the hospital scene. But it leaves more of a "oh boy, not again" feeling, than a horrifying open-ending one as it should have.

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Amazing manga

by tinman
13 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

By far the best manga I have read even better than Urasawa's 20th century boys which is a statement in itself . It can get intimidating and frustrating if you like the instant gratification in mangas like beelze and one piece which are great in heir own way. But this one is not in arcs but a master novel with a single story .
I will say this you need a certain amount of maturity to read this but the ride is well worth taking.

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A 'Masterpiece' of its own genre.

by strixflash
13 years ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

'Monster' sureley lived to the expectations. As thought,its story was interesting and pretty enjoyable. Dont expect it to be of a shounen category. It has its own genre. You will enjoy it surely.

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The true monster(what the flip)

by slykid
13 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

I just don't know what to think, all this hype about johan being such a 'monster' yet I never saw him live up to that, I wanted more explanation towards the end because I just didn't get it ?? ! Nina says "I forgive u" but for what I just don't get why she says that. I didn't feel weird in anyway when I was reading this but others are saying they did and towards the end I just really wanted to finish up.

One thing I must say is the author really put a lot of thought into this and its a good build up but for me maybe its because of how old I am ?? or something but I'd much rather watch tennis manga. I the only one that feels this way ? Who the hell was the 'true monster' cuz it sure wasn't johan.

... Last updated 13 years ago

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The End

by cele
13 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

Brilliant series, but somehow i didn't like the ending and found it a bit confusing. I needed to read this even though i had no time but when it reached around volume 15-16 that kick wasn't there anymore and i just read the rest for sake of finishing. Maybe because the author was pulling the strings together in the last volumes and so the thrill somehow went missing, really good series though.

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Masterpiece

by Aeylis
13 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

That's all that can be said about this.
The story grabs you and pulls you through an incredible, incredible journey.
There were maybe a few small flaws, but other than that, I loved it. The ending was great, although it could have used a bit more closure (not really the right word).
Either way, it is something that once you have read, you cannot forget you have read.

Reaaaad it.

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Great!

by der052
13 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Masterpiece! I didn't really believe the hype and not all views are correct but this manga is perfect from beginning to end. The plot, the story, how its told, makes me shiver. The best manga 🙂

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You're in for an exciting ride!

by Zoro
13 years ago

Rating: 9.1 / 10.0

Urasawa. If your jaw doesn't drop after hearing that name, you've obviously been reading the wrong manga my friend.

I'll admit, the hype for this series was too intimidating for me to go near it. In fact, I'm glad I avoided it for so long until I was psychologically prepared for it.
If I'd have to start with this manga, I'd have to applaud the author on his brilliantly coordinated narrative. An aptitude for developing his own sense of thriller, this gets thrown on top of horror lists next to Ripley Scott's feature film "Alien" and John Carpenter's "The Thing". It takes a while to pick up what devices the author uses, but you soon realize every character Dr. Tenma encounters develop 3-Dimensional character traits. With that as his basis, the author freely switches perspectives revealing trails that lead to either Dr. Tenma or Johan, and thus the plot thickens.

The bad guy, Johan, is the most evil character in all the manga series that I know, and I know them all. The author toys with rationality as he creates a smart, handsome and smiling young man with all the desire to destroy everything he comes in contact with. The discretion in Johan's actions build his character in our minds as the most evil person you will ever see. The tips and hints the author has so cleverly thrown in to the dialogue all revert back to a single name, and even though they don't know who they're looking for, we always know it's Johan.

Dr. Tenma is one of the most modest people we know in this series, as most Japanese residing in Germany at that time were. He never blames anyone but himself in this series, and that's because most of the time he believes it's his fault that this "Monster" was unleashed upon the world. It is then that this magnificent story unfolds, starting with a race of people chasing other people, knowing everyone's motivations and their exaggerated, but metaphorical methods. Dr. Tenma always remembers that it's in his blood to save lives and not destroy them at any cost, even if it means taking another man's life. But that ultimately causes his hesitation and stops him when he always has the chance.

Throughout the series it's been a roller coaster as we dig deeper and deeper into the mind of a monster, trailing behind him and learning of his goals. We piece together his ambitions in each subplot, expanding his ever-growing picture of a Utopia. We learn how it must feel tracing back the devil's handy-work. The author teaches us that there's only one thing that must be done if you saw a killing machine on the loose, and that's to stop it.

Overall, the best read I could've possibly picked up. One of the things I loved whenever I read the series was the many times Johan's name is mentioned, you suddenly want to pay attention and understand that sometimes the ends can justify the means. A masterpiece. One could say the best work from Urasawa thus far.

... Last updated 13 years ago

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I dont agree with the motivations but...

by saxenas1
14 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

I guess it depends on view points, there were instances in the manga where I didn't agree with the anti-heros motivations for killing. I also wouldn't agree with the motivations and logic behind the mass murders. But then again the era was around WW2 and propaganda did have a strong influence on the masses.

My overall recommendation is, dont read this manga if your not ready to accept the twisted nature of human beings. However, if you can accept that little fact the manga on the whole is very well drawn with an indepth story line. The best word to describe the manga would be "Intriguing" .

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Brace yourself

by StephenIII
14 years ago

Rating: 9.5 / 10.0

This is one of those manga that transcends categorization. I can't really see it as horror (at least not in the literary sense), as the story's primary motive is not to thrill. If anything, the best comparison I can come up with is to 40's film noire; The Maltese Falcon in particular comes to mind. Just like with Humphrey Bogart's iconic work, Monster keeps you in the dark until the very end. You will suspect, but you won't really be able to grasp the whole picture until the final confrontation, which will, just as with the Maltese Falcon, still leave questions unanswered.

Postscript: By the way, I read this manga in one go between the hours of 8pm and 5am. These conditions, I believe, are absolutely perfect for the macabre ambiance of Monster. If you are a fast reader, like I am (i.e. 18 chapters an hour, or around one chapter every three or so minutes), give it a shot.

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