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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This volume was quite sad...
What a fantastic series this is. I dare anyone to remain emotionally distant from the goings on in Monster.
What a fantastic series this is. I dare anyone to remain emotionally distant from the goings on in Monster.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The title of the Japanese version was in Katakana read as ‘Rihyaruto’ and before long, I grew fond of the character. I was sure the character would not be more than just a side character but seeing this volume dedicated to his POV, I could see how his back story, despite appearing as if negligible in the larger plot, was actually significant and would affect the main characters.
Again, Urasawa Naoki created a side character that we would grow to love and empathize with. ‘Rihyaruto’ was employed by a rich man on a separate investigation but he found himself sniffing another plot right in the middle of the rich man’s social circle. A monster was near..and his investigation was about to turn this former detective’s life upside down..
Silly me only realized that ‘Rihyaruto’ was stylized after the western name Richard upon looking closely at the cover after finishing the volume…
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This arc is so good. Finally Johan's not in the shadows anymore. The glimpses of his thoughts, actions and life etc are so well done.
September 2023. Over September (and wrapping up on the 30th) I read this complex political conspiracy thriller drenched in guilt, corruption, but with a hope for finding the goodness and kindness in some everyday people across age, background, race, and nationality.
What starts as choosing a surgery for the first in need over the wealthy as a statement about the equality of all people spirals into over a decade long story with an expansive cast of characters, serial killings, and ethical debates that crosses cities and countries in its scope.
Reminded me a bit of Ira Levin’s The Boys From Brazil with the decades after upswell of political radicalism with its roots in WWII conflict (also an excellent book) and the element of conspiracy thriller at its core.
Absolutely looking forward to checking out his other series. Borrowed these through Sacramento Library and the Link+ System that let me borrow volumes from all over California libraries.
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster.
What starts as choosing a surgery for the first in need over the wealthy as a statement about the equality of all people spirals into over a decade long story with an expansive cast of characters, serial killings, and ethical debates that crosses cities and countries in its scope.
Reminded me a bit of Ira Levin’s The Boys From Brazil with the decades after upswell of political radicalism with its roots in WWII conflict (also an excellent book) and the element of conspiracy thriller at its core.
Absolutely looking forward to checking out his other series. Borrowed these through Sacramento Library and the Link+ System that let me borrow volumes from all over California libraries.
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Such a beautiful work of fiction
One of my favorite things about following several disparate plotlines throughout a story is the moment when they all finally start to merge together and form a coherent picture of *why* we're getting all of these different people's stories. And that's why I really enjoyed this volume. What seemed like a bit of a side story in volume 6 was very quickly and cleanly tied right back into the main plot, and that was done in a way that added even more detail to Johan as a character/villain, and that was really cool.
The one complaint I guess I do have about this series is that it's very easy for me to get characters mixed up and confused, or to forget about a character altogether. There are SO MANY characters and different plots, and often a character will show up in a small role and then come back more prominently a few volumes later. But with the vast number of characters, it's SO easy for me to forget who that person was, or not realize that they're someone we already were introduced to. Which might be more of an indictment of me than the series-- the way these characters come in and out is rather cleverly done. I sometimes find with manga that I have a bit of trouble distinguishing characters-- they're easy to mix up in my mind. Which is why I sometimes wish manga had color, because hair colors help with that.
The one complaint I guess I do have about this series is that it's very easy for me to get characters mixed up and confused, or to forget about a character altogether. There are SO MANY characters and different plots, and often a character will show up in a small role and then come back more prominently a few volumes later. But with the vast number of characters, it's SO easy for me to forget who that person was, or not realize that they're someone we already were introduced to. Which might be more of an indictment of me than the series-- the way these characters come in and out is rather cleverly done. I sometimes find with manga that I have a bit of trouble distinguishing characters-- they're easy to mix up in my mind. Which is why I sometimes wish manga had color, because hair colors help with that.