r/MonsterAnime

I don't know what it is, but Monster gives a certain nostalgia that I've never experienced in real life. I'm not European, and I wasn't around for the 1990s, yet somehow I feel a sense of nostalgia, history, and normalcy (it was beofre the time of social media after all). I also love European architecture, culture, and history, so that might contribute to it.

I'm wondering what fans would think of having Hunter Schafer play both Anna and Johan? They're supposed to look identical, and Hunter Schafer is both an incredible actress and can be very androgynous.

Also, despite being sort of old (on paper) for the first part of the series, I like Andrew Koji as Tenma.

Does anybody else have actors/actresses for characters they'd be interested in seeing?

I've been holding back on watching it cuz I've heard the dub is dropping 2026 and only recently i saw its coming next month but i can't find a source to this but a random YouTube video so is that true or not

Monster was a pretty long series for a single and static plot line. Tenma trying to stop Yohan and all.

Even then it was really well written with good worldbuilding, great character writing, great mysterious plot, etc.

I don't have many complaints because every fallacy (Like Tenma / Nina contradicting their malicious objectives with plot-armor-like hesitation) was covered by the illusion that Yohan was in pulling all the strings. A manipulator playing a "dangerous' game with sheep who have no fangs yet he claims it was to commit suicide.

Despite being the smartest character in the series, he still couldn't hide from his hypocrisy. How can you play a dangerous game as a monster with people who have never slain monster? It's like a cat trying to die while fighting against mice.

How intelligent is the man who couldn't use his intelligence to attain what he was after? He must have not truly wanted to die as was stated in the show, "No one really wants to die" which makes sense considering all the convenient plot holes that form a barrier between Yohan and the type of death he was aiming for. In a way, makes me think the entire show was some twisted cry for help on Yohan's end.

Still I can't hate on the show because it paints an interesting picture of a twisted man whose motives are quite shallow tbh. Yet with very deep and troubled explanation to why he's that way. Peak writing, the type that leaves a bad taste but in a way that appreciates good storytelling.

One thing I do have a problem with is the narrative of fallacy when Yohan is involved, notably at the end of the series. A man like him leaves no hard evidence and so in the eyes of the law, he is mostly blameless (considering he pointed a gun to a child's head in front of witnesses).

Even then, many characters know better. Yet Yohan still walks free by the end of the show. To continue his miserable existence as the monster he has been portrayed as. He'll probably go on to keep killing or something, idk but the narrative of such a man walking free after all he's done is really disappointing.

In other words. If someone as smart as Yohan commits all the worst possible crimes known to man, he or she can walk scott free as long as there is no way for the law to act without some type of evidence.

It's an unfortunate corruption in need of an anti-hero like Grimmer instead of a savior like Tenma. Weeds must be uprooted for a garden to remain healthy but the series let's the biggest weed walk free. That's the one bad thing I can say about this show. Everything else was perfect.

I wrote a long ass post before about my thoughts up to episode 39. Thought I'd do another one as I have no one irl who has watched this and I'm bursting at the seams about this show.

When I saw the story about the god of peace, I almost spit my drink out. I feel like the show is trying to make us think that Anna is the god of peace. However, I had written about Tenma resembling God in the last post and I 100% believe that Tenma is supposed to be the God of Peace.

We haven't met Franz Bonaparta yet and I genuinely think it's Tenma.

Why I believe this:

- Franz Bonaparta conducted brainwashing experiments that made children forget their names and who they were

- Johan was part of this as heard on the tape and so was Anna as we saw with the hypnosis scene (terrifying btw)

- Johan appears to be brainwashed to kill at the command of someone else. We see evidence of this as the real monster arrives the night Johan killed the Lieberts. He didn't want to kill anymore so asked Anna to shoot him. Maybe he was commanded to tell Anna to shoot him?

- When Tenma saves Johan's life and says the hospital director et al deserves to die, this perhaps could have been an indirect command in which Johan obeyed and killed them

- When Johan kills Junkers, he tells Tenma that Tenma is a kind of parent to him because he gave him life. Bonaparta seemed to be in love with Johan and Anna's mother, shown by the drawings and painting. Perhaps he is their adopted dad, or saw himself that way. The connection of Tenma being a father figure of sorts, linked with Bonaparta being a father figure seems quite suspicious to me. Maybe Johan meant that Tenma actually gave life to the monster inside him through brainwashing

- We don't know much about Tenma's backstory at all except that he's an extremely talented neurosurgeon. Franz Bonaparta conducted experiments around brainwashing. Tenma more than fits the bill for this

- The experiments are said to be still happening

- No one is at Red Rose Mansion and the owner hasn't been there for a long time

- Both Nina and Johan seem to be very attached to Tenma

Here's my predictions:

Franz Bonaparta conducted the ultimate brainwashing experiment on himself by making himself forget who he is and finding a new name and life as Tenma the neurosurgeon.

The books he wrote and read to the children are a roadmap for how the experiment is supposed to play out as seen in the nameless monster (also the monster in these books have black stringy hair which reminds me of Tenma's hair). The God of Peace book represents Tenma because he's too busy helping others as brainwashed peaceful Tenma to look in the mirror to realise he is the actual demon/monster, Franz Bonaparta. Johan giving him the hat to make him finally look in the mirror may represent Johan's role in this experiment.

Tenma might be the experiment himself. Through the use of the books, Johan learnt that his job is to try and see if he can make Tenma remember who he is (i.e. the monster). I think Johan was brainwashed into following the plan subconsciously through regular book readings, where the children were constantly asked if they understood the meaning. Perhaps they are attempting to see if brainwashing can truly transform a person into either purely good or purely evil. Or maybe the experiment is to see if people can be influenced to act out a plan in supposed "free will" through the use of subliminal stories that guide the subconscious.

I wonder if Johan freaked out when he saw the book in the library because he remembered himself and who Tenma really is, and the plan he had been following subconsciously entered his active consciousness just for a moment. I find it interesting that when Johan snaps out of the brainwashing, he becomes emotional and internally freaks out. When Anna snaps out of the brain washing she turns aggressive and cold. It's like they become the inverse of each other.

These predictions would make sense to me because it seems that Tenma being the one to try and stop Johan in a story largely revolving around Johan and his backstory doesn't really make that much sense. Especially considering that there are other people who have been hurt way worse by Johan than Tenma. I know he feels responsible for bringing him back to life, but it just still feels like there's something missing. I still feel like I don't fully understand Tenma's motive and thoughts.

I love that this far into the show I'm still guessing. I'm probably wildly wrong but I wanted to write these thoughts before I finish the last leg so I can see whether my predictions were correct or not.

It’s been 1 week now since I finished monster and it’s the best anime I’ve watched so far 10/10 but I can’t get back to watching another anime, nothing interest me I’ve tried started a bunch but it’s gets so boring it’s like my attention span is cooked can someone recommend me anything as good.

Anime’s I’ve watched are

Death note
AOT
VINLAND SAGA
FRIEREN
SOLO LEVELING
MY HERE ACA

Finished the Anime and searched YouTube for a video that compiled all the pages from the different endings but couldn't find one that did it seamlessly so I compiled it myself. It's very interesting to see the progression, and the lyrics from the first ED match up with the visuals at points