I can't praise enough how brilliant the contrast between Tenma and Johan's morality: "Everybody deserves the chance to live equally" vs "The only chance that comes for everybody equally is death"
also the fact that johan is portrayed as the antichrist and tenma is an angel, portrayed in how the people tenma meet seem to get a morale light beamed upon them and he changes their lives in amazing ways, whereas the people johan meet end up with a fate way worse, their lives are changed for the worse as they see what the devil is
Everyone is talking about Johan or Grimmer but godamn can we talk about Tenma?! what a character..he starts out as a nice doctor really expressive of his emotions but the way he evolves into a badass guy who grows cold but still retaining his qualities is masterful. Truly one of the most underrated characters ever in manga and anime. And he's one of the best protagonist I've ever encountered. Such a great guy to follow.
Yeah, when I started reading Monster for all I heard expected Johan to be my fav character (from Monster, not the overall), but instead Tenma was. His character arc and development is fantastic
I'm according to you and he his mý favourite Monster❤character with Nina whos a pretty,gentle and strong woman.But,if you want incredibly underrated character just check 😍Shinya Kogami from Psycho Pass.Even,Psycho Pass fans not realises of deep he his.
I just finished Watching Monster this week. Johan has such an intense charisma you feel he's literally alive. I was ALWAYS on edge whenever he appeared on screen. Just holding my breath on what he would do next.
Yeah, maybe the real monster were the friends we made along the way. But, that's the thing you never know. You might be the monster of one's life. The real monster is not a person. It's life itself.
I was really surprised by the research the mangaka made about European and especially German history. I am a German myself and I really liked how realistic and accurate the historical context and the German society after the reunion of East and West Germany were presented.
I almost forgot about The Magnificent Grimmer Definitely the best character in the series other than Tenma and Johan Grimmer he will always be in my heart
@@Josh374 Well, I really liked her in the later part of the story. Even got worried for her. Even during re-read. I guess you see her one-dimentional at first. As story progresses she develops as a character therefore you appreciate her more.
Your "The greatest antagonist in anime and manga" video made me start Monster. And it's really one of the best manga I've ever read. Truly a masterpiece. And I thank you for introducing me to it.
I think there's another message, one I realise because of recent events in my life. Some people say Tenma didn't grow or learn anything throughout the story. He saves Johan and saves him again. Nothing has changed. However, something did change. Tenma doesn't let Johan's actions be his problem anymore. He once sacrificed his entire life to chase someone who was clearly letting him. In the end, Tenma learned that no matter what Johan will do after the surgeon saves him, it isn't Tenma's problem. Tenma did what he thought was right and that's it. His talents went to waste while chasing Johan, people in the story kept saying this. In the end, Tenma dedicated himself to actually doing what he does best: help people.
Martin Evas bodyguard his whole 3 episodes have stuck with me what a great character along with episode 18 with the old ex hitman resument owner Monster is my favorite fictional story 6 times over it is amazing
IKR..?! I was so sad when he died. If only every other anime treated side characters with such care as Orasawa. Martin was such a great addition to the cast .
The anime adaptation of Monster was done really well imo, it really captured the feeling of Johan's eerie presence that would make you think someone like this might actually exist in our society.
Monster is, to this day, possibly the single most masterfully written manga I’ve ever read and maybe ever will read Every single panel, every single line of dialogue felt like it had purpose Tension is building, and building, and building, constantly toying with the established characters and our understanding of them at the same time Johan is a god-tier antagonist Naoki Urasawa, you are a legend
One of the more overlooked aspects of Monster is the difference between Anna/Nina and Johan. Both had similarly tragic childhoods, so how did they end up so different? I think Urasawa uses this dichotomy to argue that your upbringing does not have to define what kind of person you become. Just because you experienced great tragedy, doesn’t mean you have to become a tragic person. In the words of Franz Bonaparta, “people can become whatever they want to be”.
Although your point on the upbringing is generally valid, I'm not sure that was Urasawa's intention. Johan didn't become the monster simply because of his tragic childhood. He became the monster so that Anna wouldn't. Everything he did was to protect her. Obviously he did so in a very fucked up way, but it's only natural since his mentality was fucked up to begin with. Seeing your mother pick one of the twins over the other, and not being sure she knew which one she preferred, this (on top of everything else the twins went through) can fuck you up big time. The real dichotomy that Urasawa intentionally (through plot & character) established is between Johan and Tenma. Is all live equal? Or are we only equal in death? If you strip those questions from morality, there's a potential for a deep psychological discussion... I mean, if you can go back in time and kill 10 year old Hitler, would you do it? Would you be able to pull the trigger and justify murdering another human being? That would make you a killer, and will potentially ruin your psyche and your life. Sure, you'll save millions of people (maybe), and there are murderers ten times worse than you. But who's to say that by killing Hitler you'll prevent WW2 and save millions? What if without Hitler Germany not only starts a war but wins it and Europe ends up being a fascist state? No one can really say what would history look like if you did that. But that's beside the point. By killing another human being, no matter how deserving of death you may believe them to be, you're tainting your soul. That's why, I believe, Urasawa chose forgiveness in the end. Yes, humans are equal in death, no question about it. But all life is equally valuable, too. We differ IN life (skills, deeds, qualities), but life itself is equally precious. And to move on from tragedy and grow as a society, we should forgive our sins. That's at least what I get from this masterpiece of a show.
your point is generally valid, but there's ongoing theme of importance of identity in Monster, Johan's perception of his identity was fucked up from the start because of his mother dressing him up as Nina and confusing him and that red rose mansion incident where he thought he was the one who went there, all of that fucked him up alot, also mentioned by @daniellev1878 he actually did all that to protect his sister.
@@daniellev1878I love your comment. But off course you won't change all circumstances by killing one person. Believing that WW2 just broke out cause of one person (Hitler) is pretty dum Imo. Especially when WW2 started with the japanese attacking China in 1938. Hitler/ the germans and all allies just started WW2 in Europe in 1939. And the worled was shattered and fucked at that time. And furthermore there were many parties interested in that war. The Germans were just tje ones who did the first step in Europe.
Wolfgang Grimmer is a phenomenal character but many people don't really appreciate him. If you bring up monster in conversation people always talk about Johan or Tenma but no one really brings up Grimmer Or Lunge but in my opinion they are as great as tenma or Johan(kinda but not on same level)
I’d say they are of equal importance, because they also serve as the amazing backdrop to the story, I don’t think Monster would be as perfect as ist is without these Side Characters
I know it's a cliche to say this, but Monster genuinely changed me I feel like it helped me see the world and the people in it in so many different perspectives, I realised that I was incredibly dumb by not seeing people for who they are, their background, their beliefs, their understanding of life and I guess to cut this short, I learnt that, we can all be a Monster on the inside & it's not our fault for it
@@SteveBufz he means that people who become monsters are victims of circumstance, rather than those people inherently being monsters from the start, I think.
@@kiel3588 yeah I got the context and meaning of the statement. My statement wasn't a polemic. But rather advice type . Every one is a monster is not a correct statement . I think he phrased it wrong. I would change it slightly to "There is a monster inside every human soul lingering and persevering to get out" people sometimes make use of this "monster" to manipulate themselves or others like what happened to Johan. He was a kid and his inner "monster" could easily be manipulated which is the ambiguous author of "the nameless monster" did I can't remember his name. It's been a long time since I watched monster.
@saeshapanchal450 , it wasn't just a random "bad guy move", when you reach the end you can kind of get that Johan may have felt a bit "relatable" to that kid and it's "mom issues".
@@JoaquinJr yea, but they each gotta get a good studio that can put real effort behind it. I’d love to see Berserk be animated either by MAPPA or ufotable, as well as Vagabond and Pun Pun.
I've been rewatching Monster for the 5th time in 5 years and trust me when I say it hits you differently each time. As you grow up, you understand each character differently and learn something new
I read Monster thanks to you and it sits at the very top of what I have experienced in terms of fiction So many characters in this story deserve more recognition, simply because Johan is THAT good of a character.
i started monster a while back but i dropped it about when tenma got to 511 kinderheim. now that my college work is done for now i’ve picked it up again and holy shit this show is fucking goated. i’m up to episode 26 and i’m invested in whoever tenma ends up meeting and, like how masked says, how subtle many of the conversations are. i won’t watch the rest of the video until i’m done with it, but wow how the hell did i drop this. update: it’s been a few weeks since i’ve finished the show and it has easily become my favorite anime. my opinion on the series has only grown. the only thing wrong with this series is that it is not more available and it is stuck at a lower image quality. monster would really benefit from a 1080p remaster.
(As someone who making a story myself. I’m very interested in your story your making) and this video is helping me out. I’ve seen clips of monster and didn’t know were they came from. So thanks for inadvertently helping find it.
Absolutely incredible commentary and analysis. Aside from Berserk, Monster is my top manga due to all the complexities and themes it portrays while still having a morally defining overall message.
@@obluda5609 You're clearly biased in your takes, I refuse to argue something so trivial when the person in front of me will give no leeway. Good luck in your stubbornness, it will be your undoing.
in terms of GOAT status I feel that Urwasawa is one of the only ones that can ever so slightly hold a torch to Tezuka. GRIMMER GANG. Slept on, one of the best charecter s in the series his arc is the most beautiful. He one of my fav fictional dudes. Magnificent Mr Steiner is genius. GREAT VIDEO o7. Keep it up with your story, I get how you feel. writting is alot harder than it seems. Stay grinding and keep shinning
Im so glad you made this video. I have read monster 4 times through. And its amazing how people will always praise johan and all the side characters, but you almost never hear anyone talk about tenma, who is a damn near perfect protagonists who embodies the themes of the story so gracefully. Thank you for giving Tenma some love.
Now that I really think about it Johan is somewhat tragic, he’s literally unable to feel any kind of human connection and he sees absolutely no value in human life. In a way the tragedy of Johan is that he is unable to feel humanity.
I had to pause and read the death quote. This is deep. As far as reading goes I feel you Masked. There is a ton of stuff that catches my eye but still gotta read my current stash.
The video you made of “The Greatest Antagonist In Anime & Manga” and the absolutely incredible thumbnail it had was the reason I got back into anime as much as I am now! I probably never would be reading Berserk or watch Attack On Titan with my bro if it weren’t for you, so from the bottom of my heart, Thank you for that!
As a lurker of your channel I just had to say this was by far one of your best videos I’ve ever seen. The scripting, the editing its all pretty amazing
just like you I currently writing a story, I don't planning on rushing it since I'm still young and there are lot of time but I do research most of the time on writing tips, it doesn't only improve my writing skills but also me as a person, I able to analyze story more often and see reality in a different way but it's strange how that there are lot of videos I watched but your videos that are not even intended to be a guide on writing are the one who made me improve on writing like your video about violence in stories, ofc this too, this make me realize how to create a better protagonist, a better antagonist and a better character, nice vid
I love Monster as well as 20th Century Boys and Pluto. I’m reading Asadora now and plan to read Billy Bat next. Urasawa knows how to draw you in and make you care about everyone involved in the story. That being said, if Miura’s assistants were to continue Berserk, I think having Urasawa as a co writer would greatly help to keep the themes and subtexts on par with Miura’s writing style.
@@mrsticky005 I wouldn’t say he’d be a main writer, more like a copywriter or editor to make notes for the Gaga team. He’s really good at connecting threads across expansive casts, settings and times. Now that berserk is heading towards its endgame he’d be good at making sure there aren’t any loose ends or irrelevant plot lines that aren’t resolved.
I love Monster's cast so much and how they relate in the real world plus the constant back and forth between Tenma and Johan is too good thank god I gave Monster a chance to so U could read more of Urasawa's great work
I finsihed Monster yesterday and god i was so surprised i was so bored first 40 episodes took me weeks to watch and regreted starting the show but after episode 41 and character Wolfgang Grimmer showed up i watched rest of 34 episodes in 3 days i was shocked how everything placed right in place and pacing was so good later on i am so happy that id didn't dropped the show and kept watching, i love this show its 9/10 (anime) for me, manga with no slow pacing for first 40 episodes masterpiece for sure. It was great so many psychology used, different ideologies and so many unique characters also johan and tenma two sides of same coin god i loved this this show fucking beautiful.
Just finished this masterpiece today . I love berserk but I’ve never ever seen such an anime that’s grounded in reality and may happen in real life . This anime hit close…to living life itself. I’ve dealt with some evil aspects of Johan in people themselves. And I’ve encountered good aspects of people as well. Seeing this anime just made me see how lifelike it is to humanity itself. It felt so raw and true. Human nature is beautiful yet terrifying and this anime perfectly captures that. Also I find this interesting how Johan and Griffith from berserk have similar traits. Both awakened a monster within themselves. Also I can reference as to how Dr. Temna is like Guts in a sense. He goes through humanity’s lowest and see the shittiest parts of it yet…he still keeps his humanity. Nina is Casca who goes through trauma (the eclipse for casca and for Nina = her horrible and traumatic childhood) and manages to be a survivor from it. Like casca’s thorned heart, Nina is the same. As time passes , both of their thorned hearts slowly heal despite it all. This fucking anime is AMAZING MAN
Just competed the manga yesterday and man, what a ride. All the characters are so rememberable and the way Urasawa masterfully introduces new characters into the story is just unreal. Grimmer definately is my favourite of the side characters other than Dieter. What a masterpiece!!
That question he imposed to Tenma at the last scene was so chilling, something I wouldn't forget in a very long time I feel. Also this series made me love anime once again from just being burned out years ago. 11/10 would recommend❤.
9:20 "He's always smiling, he always moves forward. Gracefully." This quote was used to compare Grimmer to Johan, but actually it fully defines Johan. Grimmer doesn't understand what smiling IS. It's just the expression he knows is useful. When Johan smiles, its always DRIPPING with purpose. Johan can use expressions to get into peoples minds without words. Johan always moves forward, is always two steps ahead, and has the most powerful smile of all time. Grimmer's expressions are devoid of purpose because he doesn't understand how his emotions work, he hasn't learned how to FEEL. And yet, between the two, Grimmer is the epitome of comfort. He is trying his heart out to save people, which makes his incredibly forced smiles x100 times more genuine than Johan's manipulations. They mirror each other beautifully. 10/10 show.
Just finished the series just a while ago and I'm glad that I was able to experience "Monster" for what it truly is if it wasn't for your video on Johan.
Been seeing some bold takes on Monster recently so I appreciate you making this vid. Also, I was not expecting that SMT ost at 0:10. Unexpected since if I recall you were just getting into Persona recently lol
Just finished watching it today in Netflix and I was glad I spent waking hours deprived sleep knowing this story. Johan Liebert just came up on one of the comments when I was watching a UA-cam post about Berserk which was an anime (1997) I was watching that time. but I had heard about Monster years back thinking it was a shonen anime about heroes.
I thought I was missing a piece after watching Monster... The feeling though I finished the series it felt like I wasn't done with yet. Thi- This video gave the answer I needed from the series.
I swear to god I'm watching monster I didnt want to before I saw monster and didnt like the bad graphics but I was totally wrong monster gave me a new view on the world and my own sense of justice but most importantly life as a whole and itself is important and everyone in this world should cherish it so watch monster the anime dubbed if you can and enjoy life.
I feel one the themes in the anime was Nature vs. Nurture. The twins mom being a geneticist and Klaus looking like Sigmund Freud. Also the anime has several references to Exorcist III, Seven, and Twin Peaks.
I’m thinking about writing a script inspired by the Martin/Eva arc. Some of the best written episodes in my opinion and one of our first meetings of the devils apprentice
Well, your analysis is spot on Masked Man; however, I think Monster deserves more time to dissect. A video of twelve minutes is not enough to cover it all. To be honest, I have been reading philosophy and literature. I can see in Johan's character, a mix of Russian writer Dostoevsky's nihilistic characters; and the pessimism of Schopenhauer. I know it is difficult to get into these subjects, but when you analyze Monster; it is like the perfect representation of those ideas. Not to mention by studying Freud's psychoanalytical theory of repressed memories, Johan and Nina are victims of this psychological symptom.
Monster is the best and fav anime I’ve watched. It’s my fav fictional story ever. Hell I’m even writing a book that takes inspiration from it. That’s how big of an influence monster has on me. The characters are stellar and multifaceted especially Tenma and Johan. Johan the greatest antagonist ever imo. I love monster so much
I was impressed specially by one thing about the manga, and it's just in most cases where I see a protagonist or hero with that "save everyone kill no one" way to think, I've never felt that I could care if he'd ended up killing a villain, and in many ocassions I wished to see him kill that villain. Monster made me feel the opposite, every moment Tenma points his gun at someone it's just like pure tension cause I didn't want him to pull the trigger, I felt relief when he saves that terrorist life, and the moment when he shots Roberto (was it?) is just shocking. I think it's because Tenma's true defeat would be to devalue a life over the rest, the ideals he gave up his carreer for, and pretty much all of his personal life too, and you just don't want to see him letting go that he would give and gave everything for. Personally, I was more impressed by Tenma than Johan cause of how natural Tenma's kindness feels, the moral struggle he has because at the end he really is a good person, those are atributes that I see as difficult to achieve in fiction, they're used to feel forced or too idealistic, you really don't get to believe someone like that (kinda Goku or classic Superman) can be found in real life, but you can believe Tenma when you read Monster.
I have read Goodnight Punpun, Uzumaki, recently completed blood on tracks, flowers of evil and few more, and will read other important manga too, but I don't think any one of them can take number one place of Monster in my heart ❤
Just finished monster. I really liked it. It is super solid and almost seems perfect and seamless as a manga. Like there is nothing negative I can say about the manga. It was an 8.5/10 for me. Gunna read goodnight punpun now. It hasnt been a while since I have been super sad or depressed, so here I go hahaha.
When rewatching the series especially the first few episodes, I was struck by the similarities between Tenma & Johan thus blurring the lines between the antagonist and protagonist. From society's perspective, both men were seen as outwardly successful: Tenma for being a talented neurosurgeon with a rich fiancee. And Johan using his charisma and beauty to allow him access to power & money. But as their lives unravel and finally join, we see hints of Tenma's inner dissatisfaction of being made a puppet without a voice of his own. We also get hints of Johan's own rebellion against being used by the various powerful groups. Ironically, Tenma is able to break free of Society's chains and finally make his own decisions while hunting down Johan. Despite his murderous mission, Tenma cannot ignore his nature to care for and heal people that he meets on his journey. Meanwhile, Johan was essentially taking vengeance against the groups who hurt his family, but he didn't have enough of a self identity to give him a normal life. This is where the tragedy of the story lies - Tenma became the "hero" despite his flaws as he constantly returned to his core identity - being a real doctor. Whereas Johan became the "monster" because he was denied an identity from the start, so he literally took one from a fairy tale. In today's world, Tenma would be the monster and Johan would be the hero.
Objectively speaking, value is always in the eye of the beholder. You can choose that everyone has value, even the same value, or that nobody has value. None of it is true. But those are just thoughts anyway. You can't live those ideas, because in life you will always attribute different value to different people, inconsistently, and differently from what you expected.
0:11 oh god I forget there’s people who go from DBZ and Naruto to 2010’s anime. I guess I’m supper old since I went from DBZ to the Original Full metal Alchemist and Bleach. Now I can imagine kids going from One Piece to Demon Slayer.
Yes, I watched the anime version a few months back because of your channel and without a doubt it is now my second favorite anime/manga I’ve ever seen or read. I think akother interesting theme in monster is dealing with your own human capacity for evil. You see this with Mr Steiner, the man who committed the murders at the end (I forgot his name but the buff guy 😂), and Tenma himself. There are multiple times where Tenma faces Johan and he ‘s struggling with his morality, should he kill Johan and solve the problem quickly or stick with his ideals and maybe cause more suffering short term but maybe cause less in the long?
when I think about the meaning of monster… I think about the book of the nameless monster. I think that we are all monsters, but some of us can accept that- and others cannot. It is easier to improve something you can accept. Even Tenma, (in his own ways) knows he is a monster, but he has already accepted it..
I can't praise enough how brilliant the contrast between Tenma and Johan's morality: "Everybody deserves the chance to live equally" vs "The only chance that comes for everybody equally is death"
It's actually the same yet ...
@@ringringsir30 its like a two side on the same coin
I know that this is all philosophical and meaningful but, it feels like I'm having a stroke reading the second morality you listed.
also the fact that johan is portrayed as the antichrist and tenma is an angel, portrayed in how the people tenma meet seem to get a morale light beamed upon them and he changes their lives in amazing ways, whereas the people johan meet end up with a fate way worse, their lives are changed for the worse as they see what the devil is
@@fajriputrarudisukmawan7294 a coin? one side's death the other life? coin, death lif-TWO FACE YOU MOTHERF-
Everyone is talking about Johan or Grimmer but godamn can we talk about Tenma?! what a character..he starts out as a nice doctor really expressive of his emotions but the way he evolves into a badass guy who grows cold but still retaining his qualities is masterful. Truly one of the most underrated characters ever in manga and anime. And he's one of the best protagonist I've ever encountered. Such a great guy to follow.
Yes exactly. Tenma is my 3rd favourite protagonist after Guts and Musashi in all of anime and manga.
Yeah, when I started reading Monster for all I heard expected Johan to be my fav character (from Monster, not the overall), but instead Tenma was. His character arc and development is fantastic
I'm according to you and he his mý favourite Monster❤character with Nina whos a pretty,gentle and strong woman.But,if you want incredibly underrated character just check 😍Shinya Kogami from Psycho Pass.Even,Psycho Pass fans not realises of deep he his.
so valid
He is THE GOAT
I just finished Watching Monster this week. Johan has such an intense charisma you feel he's literally alive. I was ALWAYS on edge whenever he appeared on screen. Just holding my breath on what he would do next.
This is so facts, every time he would appear I would be like o shoot what’s about to happen now
Sameee
Well can you say that the anime is peak?
Ikr his presence is so overwhelming
true
Maybe the real Monster were the friends we made along the way
☠️
True
Yeah, maybe the real monster were the friends we made along the way. But, that's the thing you never know. You might be the monster of one's life. The real monster is not a person. It's life itself.
@AKAGAMI NO SHANKS he bugging
* wipes tear * So true
I was really surprised by the research the mangaka made about European and especially German history. I am a German myself and I really liked how realistic and accurate the historical context and the German society after the reunion of East and West Germany were presented.
Same. It didn't expect that and i was really surprised.
I almost forgot about The Magnificent Grimmer
Definitely the best character in the series other than Tenma and Johan
Grimmer he will always be in my heart
No spoilers dude, some people may be reading the comments that haven't seen it yet
@@GrowingDownUnder sorry but the video is already spoiler so I thought it would be fine
@@ringringsir30 yeah, you're fine. other guy is a fool to call you out for that. lmao
@@rogue_infinity I tell you what's dumb, spoiling anime is dumb.
@@ringringsir30 you thought wrong, spoiling is not fine. In video or comments, both wrong.
I have re-read Monster this winter. And loved every chapter of it
I need to re read it it’s been 4-5 years lol
Thoughts on Eva?
@@Josh374 Well, I really liked her in the later part of the story. Even got worried for her. Even during re-read. I guess you see her one-dimentional at first. As story progresses she develops as a character therefore you appreciate her more.
@@oleksandrbyelyenko435 That’s what I thought as well but can we both agree that the first 40% of the story she was a B*tch
@@oleksandrbyelyenko435 i thought he was talking about Evangelion ngl
Your "The greatest antagonist in anime and manga" video made me start Monster. And it's really one of the best manga I've ever read. Truly a masterpiece. And I thank you for introducing me to it.
i saw that video and had it saved in my watch later until i finished the series. as soon as i’d finished i went to watch it😂
I think there's another message, one I realise because of recent events in my life. Some people say Tenma didn't grow or learn anything throughout the story. He saves Johan and saves him again. Nothing has changed. However, something did change. Tenma doesn't let Johan's actions be his problem anymore. He once sacrificed his entire life to chase someone who was clearly letting him. In the end, Tenma learned that no matter what Johan will do after the surgeon saves him, it isn't Tenma's problem. Tenma did what he thought was right and that's it. His talents went to waste while chasing Johan, people in the story kept saying this. In the end, Tenma dedicated himself to actually doing what he does best: help people.
Martin Evas bodyguard his whole 3 episodes have stuck with me what a great character along with episode 18 with the old ex hitman resument owner Monster is my favorite fictional story 6 times over it is amazing
IKR..?! I was so sad when he died. If only every other anime treated side characters with such care as Orasawa. Martin was such a great addition to the cast .
Porco Rosso❤️❤️
Richard Braun was the saddest to me, Johan did him dirty
Idk but hes in my top 3 what a phenomenal character
The anime adaptation of Monster was done really well imo, it really captured the feeling of Johan's eerie presence that would make you think someone like this might actually exist in our society.
Monster is, to this day, possibly the single most masterfully written manga I’ve ever read and maybe ever will read
Every single panel, every single line of dialogue felt like it had purpose
Tension is building, and building, and building, constantly toying with the established characters and our understanding of them at the same time
Johan is a god-tier antagonist
Naoki Urasawa, you are a legend
One of the more overlooked aspects of Monster is the difference between Anna/Nina and Johan. Both had similarly tragic childhoods, so how did they end up so different?
I think Urasawa uses this dichotomy to argue that your upbringing does not have to define what kind of person you become. Just because you experienced great tragedy, doesn’t mean you have to become a tragic person. In the words of Franz Bonaparta, “people can become whatever they want to be”.
Although your point on the upbringing is generally valid, I'm not sure that was Urasawa's intention. Johan didn't become the monster simply because of his tragic childhood. He became the monster so that Anna wouldn't. Everything he did was to protect her. Obviously he did so in a very fucked up way, but it's only natural since his mentality was fucked up to begin with. Seeing your mother pick one of the twins over the other, and not being sure she knew which one she preferred, this (on top of everything else the twins went through) can fuck you up big time.
The real dichotomy that Urasawa intentionally (through plot & character) established is between Johan and Tenma. Is all live equal? Or are we only equal in death? If you strip those questions from morality, there's a potential for a deep psychological discussion...
I mean, if you can go back in time and kill 10 year old Hitler, would you do it? Would you be able to pull the trigger and justify murdering another human being? That would make you a killer, and will potentially ruin your psyche and your life. Sure, you'll save millions of people (maybe), and there are murderers ten times worse than you. But who's to say that by killing Hitler you'll prevent WW2 and save millions? What if without Hitler Germany not only starts a war but wins it and Europe ends up being a fascist state? No one can really say what would history look like if you did that. But that's beside the point. By killing another human being, no matter how deserving of death you may believe them to be, you're tainting your soul. That's why, I believe, Urasawa chose forgiveness in the end.
Yes, humans are equal in death, no question about it. But all life is equally valuable, too. We differ IN life (skills, deeds, qualities), but life itself is equally precious. And to move on from tragedy and grow as a society, we should forgive our sins. That's at least what I get from this masterpiece of a show.
your point is generally valid, but there's ongoing theme of importance of identity in Monster, Johan's perception of his identity was fucked up from the start because of his mother dressing him up as Nina and confusing him and that red rose mansion incident where he thought he was the one who went there, all of that fucked him up alot, also mentioned by @daniellev1878 he actually did all that to protect his sister.
@@daniellev1878I love your comment. But off course you won't change all circumstances by killing one person. Believing that WW2 just broke out cause of one person (Hitler) is pretty dum Imo. Especially when WW2 started with the japanese attacking China in 1938. Hitler/ the germans and all allies just started WW2 in Europe in 1939. And the worled was shattered and fucked at that time. And furthermore there were many parties interested in that war. The Germans were just tje ones who did the first step in Europe.
Wolfgang Grimmer is a phenomenal character but many people don't really appreciate him. If you bring up monster in conversation people always talk about Johan or Tenma but no one really brings up Grimmer Or Lunge but in my opinion they are as great as tenma or Johan(kinda but not on same level)
I’d say they are of equal importance, because they also serve as the amazing backdrop to the story, I don’t think Monster would be as perfect as ist is without these Side Characters
@@alucard3317 100% agreed
What about Dr Reichwein? He's just as badass but I don't see as much people talk about him.
I know it's a cliche to say this, but Monster genuinely changed me
I feel like it helped me see the world and the people in it in so many different perspectives, I realised that I was incredibly dumb by not seeing people for who they are, their background, their beliefs, their understanding of life and I guess to cut this short, I learnt that, we can all be a Monster on the inside & it's not our fault for it
Explain. Leaving a statement like "we are all monsters but it not out fault" in the comments section without explanation is not a good thing you know
Agreed@@SteveBufz
Almost every anime gives that message
@@SteveBufz he means that people who become monsters are victims of circumstance, rather than those people inherently being monsters from the start, I think.
@@kiel3588 yeah I got the context and meaning of the statement. My statement wasn't a polemic. But rather advice type
. Every one is a monster is not a correct statement . I think he phrased it wrong. I would change it slightly to "There is a monster inside every human soul lingering and persevering to get out" people sometimes make use of this "monster" to manipulate themselves or others like what happened to Johan. He was a kid and his inner "monster" could easily be manipulated which is the ambiguous author of "the nameless monster" did I can't remember his name. It's been a long time since I watched monster.
When you re-watch Monster and the Johan's interaction with that boy(the one who wants to jump the bridge in the end of the ep) gains a new meaning
@saeshapanchal450 , it wasn't just a random "bad guy move", when you reach the end you can kind of get that Johan may have felt a bit "relatable" to that kid and it's "mom issues".
One of the best mangas ever, up there with Berserk, Vagabond, and Pun Pun.
Do you think they should ever make proper anime adaptations for Berserk, Vagabond, and Oyasumi Punpun like they did for Monster?
@@JoaquinJr yea, but they each gotta get a good studio that can put real effort behind it. I’d love to see Berserk be animated either by MAPPA or ufotable, as well as Vagabond and Pun Pun.
Pun Pun gave me an emotional trauma. Thank you very much.
The Mt.Rushmore of Manga 😌
@@kristopherwillis8075 fax 💯💯💯
I've been rewatching Monster for the 5th time in 5 years and trust me when I say it hits you differently each time. As you grow up, you understand each character differently and learn something new
I read Monster thanks to you and it sits at the very top of what I have experienced in terms of fiction
So many characters in this story deserve more recognition, simply because Johan is THAT good of a character.
i started monster a while back but i dropped it about when tenma got to 511 kinderheim. now that my college work is done for now i’ve picked it up again and holy shit this show is fucking goated. i’m up to episode 26 and i’m invested in whoever tenma ends up meeting and, like how masked says, how subtle many of the conversations are. i won’t watch the rest of the video until i’m done with it, but wow how the hell did i drop this.
update: it’s been a few weeks since i’ve finished the show and it has easily become my favorite anime. my opinion on the series has only grown. the only thing wrong with this series is that it is not more available and it is stuck at a lower image quality. monster would really benefit from a 1080p remaster.
(As someone who making a story myself. I’m very interested in your story your making) and this video is helping me out. I’ve seen clips of monster and didn’t know were they came from. So thanks for inadvertently helping find it.
Absolutely incredible commentary and analysis. Aside from Berserk, Monster is my top manga due to all the complexities and themes it portrays while still having a morally defining overall message.
Monster absolutely slams Berserk lol
@@obluda5609 in no ways does it do so other than the fact it has an ending
@@avriel6903 Protagonist: Monster
Antagonist: Monster
Plot: Monster
Side Cast: Monster
Themes: Monster
Not having an annoying loli witch: Monster
Johan: Monster
@@obluda5609 You're clearly biased in your takes, I refuse to argue something so trivial when the person in front of me will give no leeway. Good luck in your stubbornness, it will be your undoing.
@@avriel6903 Okay bro but Monster still slams
in terms of GOAT status I feel that Urwasawa is one of the only ones that can ever so slightly hold a torch to Tezuka. GRIMMER GANG. Slept on, one of the best charecter s in the series his arc is the most beautiful. He one of my fav fictional dudes. Magnificent Mr Steiner is genius. GREAT VIDEO o7. Keep it up with your story, I get how you feel. writting is alot harder than it seems. Stay grinding and keep shinning
Which tezuka manga?
@@rajvirmalhans2073 I was referring to them as mangaka not in terms of specific pieces but rather their entire "body of work". Just to clarify : )
@@sandyaxe5138 ya I am aware. I was curious which ones. I know both have a variety of great works
Im so glad you made this video. I have read monster 4 times through. And its amazing how people will always praise johan and all the side characters, but you almost never hear anyone talk about tenma, who is a damn near perfect protagonists who embodies the themes of the story so gracefully. Thank you for giving Tenma some love.
Now that I really think about it Johan is somewhat tragic, he’s literally unable to feel any kind of human connection and he sees absolutely no value in human life. In a way the tragedy of Johan is that he is unable to feel humanity.
Urusawa is surely a genius. Giving life and such emotions to characters is absolutely beautiful.
I had to pause and read the death quote. This is deep. As far as reading goes I feel you Masked. There is a ton of stuff that catches my eye but still gotta read my current stash.
The video you made of “The Greatest Antagonist In Anime & Manga” and the absolutely incredible thumbnail it had was the reason I got back into anime as much as I am now! I probably never would be reading Berserk or watch Attack On Titan with my bro if it weren’t for you, so from the bottom of my heart, Thank you for that!
As a lurker of your channel I just had to say this was by far one of your best videos I’ve ever seen. The scripting, the editing its all pretty amazing
just like you I currently writing a story, I don't planning on rushing it since I'm still young and there are lot of time but I do research most of the time on writing tips, it doesn't only improve my writing skills but also me as a person, I able to analyze story more often and see reality in a different way but it's strange how that there are lot of videos I watched but your videos that are not even intended to be a guide on writing are the one who made me improve on writing like your video about violence in stories, ofc this too, this make me realize how to create a better protagonist, a better antagonist and a better character, nice vid
Casually flashing Grimmers death scene was a low blow (I’m bawling)
I love Monster as well as 20th Century Boys and Pluto. I’m reading Asadora now and plan to read Billy Bat next. Urasawa knows how to draw you in and make you care about everyone involved in the story.
That being said, if Miura’s assistants were to continue Berserk, I think having Urasawa as a co writer would greatly help to keep the themes and subtexts on par with Miura’s writing style.
@@vinz8081 I think Urasawa would be a big help to Koji Mori by writing punch up for Berserk’s script
As much as I like Urasawa I don't like the idea of him writing for
Berserk. I don't think his style
would fit Berserk.
@@mrsticky005 I wouldn’t say he’d be a main writer, more like a copywriter or editor to make notes for the Gaga team. He’s really good at connecting threads across expansive casts, settings and times. Now that berserk is heading towards its endgame he’d be good at making sure there aren’t any loose ends or irrelevant plot lines that aren’t resolved.
I love Monster's cast so much and how they relate in the real world plus the constant back and forth between Tenma and Johan is too good thank god I gave Monster a chance to so U could read more of Urasawa's great work
This series completely changed my perspective on this medium.
I finsihed Monster yesterday and god i was so surprised i was so bored first 40 episodes took me weeks to watch and regreted starting the show but after episode 41 and character Wolfgang Grimmer showed up i watched rest of 34 episodes in 3 days i was shocked how everything placed right in place and pacing was so good later on i am so happy that id didn't dropped the show and kept watching, i love this show its 9/10 (anime) for me, manga with no slow pacing for first 40 episodes masterpiece for sure. It was great so many psychology used, different ideologies and so many unique characters also johan and tenma two sides of same coin god i loved this this show fucking beautiful.
Just finished this masterpiece today . I love berserk but I’ve never ever seen such an anime that’s grounded in reality and may happen in real life . This anime hit close…to living life itself. I’ve dealt with some evil aspects of Johan in people themselves. And I’ve encountered good aspects of people as well. Seeing this anime just made me see how lifelike it is to humanity itself. It felt so raw and true. Human nature is beautiful yet terrifying and this anime perfectly captures that.
Also I find this interesting how Johan and Griffith from berserk have similar traits. Both awakened a monster within themselves. Also I can reference as to how Dr. Temna is like Guts in a sense. He goes through humanity’s lowest and see the shittiest parts of it yet…he still keeps his humanity.
Nina is Casca who goes through trauma (the eclipse for casca and for Nina = her horrible and traumatic childhood) and manages to be a survivor from it. Like casca’s thorned heart, Nina is the same. As time passes , both of their thorned hearts slowly heal despite it all.
This fucking anime is AMAZING MAN
Just competed the manga yesterday and man, what a ride. All the characters are so rememberable and the way Urasawa masterfully introduces new characters into the story is just unreal. Grimmer definately is my favourite of the side characters other than Dieter. What a masterpiece!!
That question he imposed to Tenma at the last scene was so chilling, something I wouldn't forget in a very long time I feel. Also this series made me love anime once again from just being burned out years ago. 11/10 would recommend❤.
9:20 "He's always smiling, he always moves forward. Gracefully."
This quote was used to compare Grimmer to Johan, but actually it fully defines Johan. Grimmer doesn't understand what smiling IS. It's just the expression he knows is useful. When Johan smiles, its always DRIPPING with purpose. Johan can use expressions to get into peoples minds without words. Johan always moves forward, is always two steps ahead, and has the most powerful smile of all time. Grimmer's expressions are devoid of purpose because he doesn't understand how his emotions work, he hasn't learned how to FEEL. And yet, between the two, Grimmer is the epitome of comfort. He is trying his heart out to save people, which makes his incredibly forced smiles x100 times more genuine than Johan's manipulations. They mirror each other beautifully. 10/10 show.
Monster, my favorite anime. I just love how it can show the kindness of humanity and also the cruelty of humanity.
I am glad to see many people appreciating this masterpiece nowadays
Monster is unparallel
The show is amazing near perfect if not perfect.
The voice acting animation and smoothness to everything also made brought to another level.
I wasn't into monster but after watching 74 eps i gotta say it was masterpiece because how human it is
The last ep when Johan just woke up scared me so much
"Now I know what happened at last
He turned Human again":Magnificent Steiner
A video about Monster, mentioning Berserk as a first seinen, and Devils Never Cry in the background? Easy sub
Just finished the series just a while ago and I'm glad that I was able to experience "Monster" for what it truly is if it wasn't for your video on Johan.
I was waiting on this im writing a paper on how good this anime was and i like getting multiple outlooks
There's a great video about Monsters ending
Beautiful video and imo monster has some of the best side characters out of any story, up there with berserk for me
I was saving this for after I finished monster and honestly I love this interpretation so much I wish I could find more shows like this.
this brought back so many emotions.
i need to rewatch this show.
Song of healing was a perfect fit. Great video
Just because of your commentary Mask, im gonna read Monster. I took your advice on Berserk and I loved it so I will give this one a try
Been seeing some bold takes on Monster recently so I appreciate you making this vid.
Also, I was not expecting that SMT ost at 0:10. Unexpected since if I recall you were just getting into Persona recently lol
Also suprised by the SMT OST there, pretty based
Well said my friend. You indeed did a great job portraying the story and explaining it impressively!
highly respect you and you POV on the series
Lol, I just finished rewatching it. Your timing is incredible.
congratulations on the monster energy drink sponsorship
This video couldn’t explain this better!!! Great job!
Just finished watching it today in Netflix and I was glad I spent waking hours deprived sleep knowing this story. Johan Liebert just came up on one of the comments when I was watching a UA-cam post about Berserk which was an anime (1997) I was watching that time. but I had heard about Monster years back thinking it was a shonen anime about heroes.
Monster is so top tier anime along with Berserk, Hellsing, Black Lagoon... all that gold stuff
Monster is still one of my favorites years later. It's stays with me.
I remember watching Monster last year, it really impacts you on a different level
I’m here for my number 1 manga I’ve f all time, from my number 1 mangaka of all time, by my number 1 masked man of all time
I thought I was missing a piece after watching Monster... The feeling though I finished the series it felt like I wasn't done with yet. Thi- This video gave the answer I needed from the series.
like it was meant to be, i finished Monster just today.
thanks for the video
Finally. I finished monster two days ago and I can now watch this lol.
I swear to god I'm watching monster I didnt want to before I saw monster and didnt like the bad graphics but I was totally wrong monster gave me a new view on the world and my own sense of justice but most importantly life as a whole and itself is important and everyone in this world should cherish it so watch monster the anime dubbed if you can and enjoy life.
1:17 nah the solluminati meme is mad funny i subbed just for that bruh
I wish more people knew about this masterpiece easily one of the best of all time and Johan is top 3 best villains ever
Amazing video, amazing commentary, I’m gonna go touch grass now
3:41 glad that masked man appreciates fight club.
I feel one the themes in the anime was Nature vs. Nurture. The twins mom being a geneticist and Klaus looking like Sigmund Freud. Also the anime has several references to Exorcist III, Seven, and Twin Peaks.
I’m thinking about writing a script inspired by the Martin/Eva arc. Some of the best written episodes in my opinion and one of our first meetings of the devils apprentice
Well, your analysis is spot on Masked Man; however, I think Monster deserves more time to dissect. A video of twelve minutes is not enough to cover it all. To be honest, I have been reading philosophy and literature. I can see in Johan's character, a mix of Russian writer Dostoevsky's nihilistic characters; and the pessimism of Schopenhauer. I know it is difficult to get into these subjects, but when you analyze Monster; it is like the perfect representation of those ideas. Not to mention by studying Freud's psychoanalytical theory of repressed memories, Johan and Nina are victims of this psychological symptom.
Never knew Monster and the dmc3 ost in the background fit so well
3:54 Wow! You are quite good at sketching..the inclusion of so many HANDS is a great feat to pull.
Monster is my favorite manga of all time and has arguably the greatest side character of all time in Wolfgang Grimmer
I just finished watching monster because of you and now it’s my favorite manga I’ve ever read, next up is 20th century boys
The background music in this video is great.
Monster is Legendary and so underrated
its slow, but a masterpiece
It's overrated
Monster is the best and fav anime I’ve watched. It’s my fav fictional story ever. Hell I’m even writing a book that takes inspiration from it. That’s how big of an influence monster has on me. The characters are stellar and multifaceted especially Tenma and Johan. Johan the greatest antagonist ever imo. I love monster so much
I was impressed specially by one thing about the manga, and it's just in most cases where I see a protagonist or hero with that "save everyone kill no one" way to think, I've never felt that I could care if he'd ended up killing a villain, and in many ocassions I wished to see him kill that villain. Monster made me feel the opposite, every moment Tenma points his gun at someone it's just like pure tension cause I didn't want him to pull the trigger, I felt relief when he saves that terrorist life, and the moment when he shots Roberto (was it?) is just shocking. I think it's because Tenma's true defeat would be to devalue a life over the rest, the ideals he gave up his carreer for, and pretty much all of his personal life too, and you just don't want to see him letting go that he would give and gave everything for.
Personally, I was more impressed by Tenma than Johan cause of how natural Tenma's kindness feels, the moral struggle he has because at the end he really is a good person, those are atributes that I see as difficult to achieve in fiction, they're used to feel forced or too idealistic, you really don't get to believe someone like that (kinda Goku or classic Superman) can be found in real life, but you can believe Tenma when you read Monster.
I'm surprised you just made a vid abt it now considering how much you seem to love monster
I have read Goodnight Punpun, Uzumaki, recently completed blood on tracks, flowers of evil and few more, and will read other important manga too, but I don't think any one of them can take number one place of Monster in my heart ❤
Most underrated anime of all time
Babe wake up. The Masked Man just dropped 13 minutes of enlightenment
Just finished monster. I really liked it. It is super solid and almost seems perfect and seamless as a manga. Like there is nothing negative I can say about the manga. It was an 8.5/10 for me. Gunna read goodnight punpun now. It hasnt been a while since I have been super sad or depressed, so here I go hahaha.
We need a series with the extreme realism of the vagabond art style and the realistic writing of monster
I mean isn't Vagabond already realistic?
Tenma bricks me up man he is such a remarkable character
When rewatching the series especially the first few episodes, I was struck by the similarities between Tenma & Johan thus blurring the lines between the antagonist and protagonist.
From society's perspective, both men were seen as outwardly successful: Tenma for being a talented neurosurgeon with a rich fiancee. And Johan using his charisma and beauty to allow him access to power & money.
But as their lives unravel and finally join, we see hints of Tenma's inner dissatisfaction of being made a puppet without a voice of his own. We also get hints of Johan's own rebellion against being used by the various powerful groups.
Ironically, Tenma is able to break free of Society's chains and finally make his own decisions while hunting down Johan. Despite his murderous mission, Tenma cannot ignore his nature to care for and heal people that he meets on his journey.
Meanwhile, Johan was essentially taking vengeance against the groups who hurt his family, but he didn't have enough of a self identity to give him a normal life.
This is where the tragedy of the story lies - Tenma became the "hero" despite his flaws as he constantly returned to his core identity - being a real doctor.
Whereas Johan became the "monster" because he was denied an identity from the start, so he literally took one from a fairy tale.
In today's world, Tenma would be the monster and Johan would be the hero.
Objectively speaking, value is always in the eye of the beholder. You can choose that everyone has value, even the same value, or that nobody has value. None of it is true. But those are just thoughts anyway. You can't live those ideas, because in life you will always attribute different value to different people, inconsistently, and differently from what you expected.
0:11 oh god I forget there’s people who go from DBZ and Naruto to 2010’s anime. I guess I’m supper old since I went from DBZ to the Original Full metal Alchemist and Bleach. Now I can imagine kids going from One Piece to Demon Slayer.
Did a double take when the snes SMT Game Over music was playing in the beginning, lol nice music choice
Great message in this commentary 😀👍🏾.
Yes, I watched the anime version a few months back because of your channel and without a doubt it is now my second favorite anime/manga I’ve ever seen or read.
I think akother interesting theme in monster is dealing with your own human capacity for evil. You see this with Mr Steiner, the man who committed the murders at the end (I forgot his name but the buff guy 😂), and Tenma himself. There are multiple times where Tenma faces Johan and he ‘s struggling with his morality, should he kill Johan and solve the problem quickly or stick with his ideals and maybe cause more suffering short term but maybe cause less in the long?
What's your favorite?
@@user-qk3nq6cg7r berserk
@@whispro4646 Cool, I love both as well. Monster and Berserk are both masterpiece mangas.
A Monster live action adaptation would make a fantastic psychological horror
An interesting quote I hear about animals and humans translated . "A human may not be guilty, however every animal is innocent."
when I think about the meaning of monster… I think about the book of the nameless monster. I think that we are all monsters, but some of us can accept that- and others cannot. It is easier to improve something you can accept. Even Tenma, (in his own ways) knows he is a monster, but he has already accepted it..
Great Video Masked man i love it keep it up 😊😊😊
Johan's nihilism destroyed him, Tenma destroyed his nihilism by saving him not once but twice