Monster

“Mr Petrov you have educated these children diffrently than those at Kinderheim 511” “I wanted to rasie children that wouldn’t sucumb to dark forces like hatred, nihilism and destructive urges. How do you think I did it?”* * “With love..” * ** “It’s an entire new discovery.” ** *Tenma’s egalitarian idealism or Johan’s vengeful empiricism? Watching Monster was one of the most haunting experiences of my life. I don’t think I’ll ever be quite the same after this gem, and to speak the truth I don’t want to be. Urasawa cleverly demonstrates that “monstrosity” is not alien, it is the logical consequences faced when children are stripped away from love, compassion and nurture. What unsettled me the most was how ordinary everything feels around this horror. There are no demons, shinigamis or titans - no magical powers. Johan has no supernatural gifts; his terror is that he is just as human as me and you. Anyone could be Johan. The latter’s ability to bypass conscious moral reasoning and submerge into the unconscious- among the anguish, the burning desires, vengeance and regret- is alarming as he’s able to corrupt the most hidden and sacred parts of our souls, ones we ourselves have yet to understand. The beauty of Monster is that there is no solid way to absorb it, there is always something unresolved, unanswered and overlooked, a great depiction of the state of our current world.