Reviews

Monster Kazenban, Volume 1 by Naoki Urasawa

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fyence's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

jbaustian1987's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

silenttwg's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

When Dr. Tenma is faced with the harsh reality of his hospital choosing the value of money over human life, he makes the choice to save a young boy instead of the mayor in direct violation of the director's commands. Suddenly, he finds his life turned inside out, his career is crushed, his fiance walks out on him, and he is left spiraling. But, the kid survives so at least he has that going for him.

Except a trail of bodies show up wherever this kid has been and saving him may be the worse mistake Dr. Tenma has ever made.

I fell in love with the anime years ago when I first discovered it on Syfy. It was dark, dangerous, and wove us through the psyche of a man wanting to do good but faced with unyielding evil. It is hands down my favorite anime but I have shied away from reading the manga cause I'm not a big manga reader.

However, an awesome family member ignored my protests and got me the first volume anyway. I'm glad they did because it was really good. The artwork is beautiful, the villain and the main character are very engaging, and man, I want to read the rest of them. This is a gorgeous piece of art meets a haunting story and I am all in.

Only complaint is that as a trained left-to-right reader, it took a bit for me to adjust my brain to the switch and that's a personal grumble, not even anything against the manga.

I would recommend this for those who enjoy the darker side of humanity and even if you're not a manga reader, give it a chance. You never know when a new style may be the right fit.