Manga Review: Montser

Title: Monster
Author: Naoki Urasawa
Release: Biweekly
Status: Finished
Genre: Mystery, Psychological, Seinen
Art: S
Originality: S
Story: S
Characters: S
Humor: B
Action: S

Impression: This is about a young promising prodigious surgeon who saves one of two twins over a mayor because the mayor came after the twins. However, this ethical decision of his puts an end to all hopes of advancing his career and put him on the bad side of the hospital director whose daughter was to be his wife if he had not done so. On the brink of despair at the world, his future looks up as the director is killed and he is taken out of the doghouse by the death of the biggest obstacle in his career. At the same time however, the twins mysteriously disappear from the hospital. Years pass and doctor Tenma is enjoying his life helping people at the hospital when a vagrant is sent there to be treated. He follows the vagrant when he escapes from the hospital only to see him get killed by the young man he saved all those years ago. Coming to understand the repercussions of him saving the young man’s life all those years ago, doctor Tenma goes on a journey to fix his mistake. This is quite possibly Naoki Urasawa’s most brilliant work ever. The characters all have several layers to them and trying to figure them out is just as important as working out the story especially when it comes to Johan’s twin sister. Plot twists will always catch you by surprise and they all fit into the story seamlessly leaving no plot holes whatsoever. The point of this story is the idea of a monster. Just what exactly makes someone a monster and how our actions turn us into one. It’s a deep and complex story that makes for an incredible read and manga lovers should not miss out on it.