Monster

Every now and again, after you get tired of watching big titted schoolgirls with huge guns running around blasting up neo-Tokyo, an anime comes along that makes yuo really appreciated the amount of depth that can be reached in animation. Naoki Urasawa’s Monster fall under that wing. Its a very human story about a Japanese surgeon working in Germany during the 80s that comes into crisis due to his ambition and talent. When given the coice to save a refugee child or the mayor, he decided to save the prior to the detriment of his career and the deaths of many.

What ensues after that is a psychological thriller the like of Hitchcock would stroke his chin to. The story is tight, the characters are well developed and the twists and turns are unpredictable and never trip up on the cliche. This is not a medical drama as much as it is a parable of nature, nurture and the duality of man.

Even if you’re not into anime, the drama alone is enough to draw you in to a world where every road leads to hell and is paved with the best of intentions.